Casterly Rock
Seat of House Lannister, Lords of Casterly Rock and Wardens of the West
- House
- House Lannister
- Region
- The Westerlands
- Raised by
- Never built — hollowed out of the living rock across the ages
- Age
- Held since the Dawn Age, if the golden tales are believed
The stones themselves
Casterly Rock is not a castle in the ordinary sense but a great stone hill above the Sunset Sea, honeycombed over thousands of years into halls, tunnels, dungeons, barracks, and store-vaults. Its gate is called the Lion's Mouth; its passages are said to run for leagues, its throne room lit by torchlight far above the floor, its lowest levels sunk into gold mines that never seem to fail. It rises higher than the Wall and looms over Lannisport and the sea, and in all the long telling of Westeros no army has ever taken it.
Famous halls and features
The Lion's Mouth
The great gate of the Rock, a natural cavern mouth wide enough for horsemen to ride through abreast, climbing by torchlit steps into the heart of the hill.
The gold mines
Beneath the halls run the mines that made House Lannister the richest in the realm — veins of gold said to have first been worked by Lann the Clever's line.
The Hall of Heroes
A vault where the Lannisters keep the bones and honours of their forebears, deep within the stone the family has ruled since before the Andals came.
Sieges and history
Where the story of Casterly Rock touches the great chronicle of the realm — follow each thread back into the timeline.
A legend of Casterly Rock
Song credits the Rock to Lann the Clever, a trickster of the Age of Heroes who is said to have winkled the Casterlys out of their own castle without ever drawing a blade — some say by loosing lions in the tunnels, some by pouring gold in the right ears. The tale is plainly a jape grown into a pedigree, but House Lannister has never troubled to disown so profitable a legend.
Common questions
Has Casterly Rock ever been conquered?
No. In all the recorded history of Westeros, no enemy has ever taken Casterly Rock by storm. Its natural stone bulk, honeycombed defences, and single approach make it one of the most formidable seats in the realm.
Is Casterly Rock a castle or a mountain?
Both, in effect. It is a colossal hill of stone hollowed out over millennia into a fortress — halls, dungeons, barracks, and gold mines carved directly into the living rock rather than built up from it.
Why is House Lannister so rich?
The wealth of House Lannister comes from the gold mines beneath Casterly Rock, which have yielded ore for thousands of years. The family seat quite literally sits atop the source of its fortune.
Who was Lann the Clever?
Lann the Clever is the legendary founder of House Lannister, a trickster of the Age of Heroes said to have taken Casterly Rock from House Casterly by guile alone. The story is a folk tale, but the Lannisters claim descent from him.