The Night's Watch

The Night's Watch is an ancient order of warriors tasked with defending The Wall, a colossal 300 mile long structure that runs across the northern border of the Seven Kingdoms.

The Night's Watch History

The Watch was founded over 8,000 years before the events of Game of Thrones, during the first war with the White Walkers.

In a time known as The Age of Heroes, a winter that lasted an entire generation fell upon Westeros. This era was known as The Long Night, and was marked by the emergence of the White Walkers from the far north. Following some unknown agenda, these creatures and their armies advanced southward, destroying all in their path.

Their march was eventually halted by an alliance between the First Men and the Children of the Forest, after the discovery that Dragonglass could kill the White Walkers. This culminated in a legendary engagement known as the Battle for the Dawn that finally ended the war after years of fighting.?

According to the stories, the survivors of this battle went on to found the Night's Watch, with the goal of never again allowing the White Walkers to threaten the people of Westeros.

Subsequently, a Stark known as Bran the Builder erected the Wall, along with 19 castles that the Night's Watch would man for thousands of years to come.

At the height of its power, the Watch commanded 10,000 soldiers, along with horses, servants, and a fleet of ships. It was once considered a great honor to serve in the Watch, and many nobleborn men gladly joined the order.

In the years since then though, as the White Walkers faded from memory into myth, and eventually, into children's stories, the influence of the Night's Watch has dwindled. By the events of Game of Thrones, even the Night's Watch itself has forgotten its original mission, and now focuses mainly on containing Wildling raids.

As a result, their importance in the eyes of the noble families of the Seven Kingdoms has continued to shrink, and the Watch has fallen into a sharp decline. Only three of the castles remain manned, with the Night's Watch commanding fewer than 600 men by Season 5.

The Night's Watch Culture

When joining the Night's Watch (commonly referred to as "taking the black," due to the black cloaks of the uniform), recruits swear a vow before a heart tree or in a sept.

Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come.

This sacred oath pledges recruits to a lifetime of service in the Watch, with desertion punishable by death. Brothers of the Night's Watch also customarily sever ties with their families, to remove the temptation for them to return to their old lives.

Despite its noble roots though, the organization's ranks are now largely filled by criminals, the impoverished, and those who have found themselves on the losing end of a war. This is because taking the black forgives a man of any of his previous misdeeds, and the fact that brothers serve for life makes it a convenient way to get rid of political rivals, unwanted bastards, or lawbreakers taking up space in the dungeons.

This has led to an ill reputation among the people of Westeros, and many now see the Night's Watch as nothing more than a glorified punishment for criminals and traitors.?

Still, the Night's Watch remains one of the few surviving traditions from The Age of Heroes, and has managed to continue its mission through countless wars, rebellions, and even the Targaryen conquest of Westeros. This is due in large part to its remoteness (the Wall is at least several weeks of travel from King's Landing), and its mandate of loyalty to the people of Westeros as a whole, and not to any particular king, cause, or house.

The Night's Watch Practices

After taking the vows of the Night's Watch, brothers are clothed in the traditional black garb of the order, a look that has led to them being nicknamed "crows" by the wildling tribes.

New recruits are then sorted into three orders, depending on their abilities:

Rangers?are the warriors of the Night's Watch, and are trained in combat and survival techniques to help them to patrol beyond the wall, and fend off any wildling incursions. Craster (GoT), a wildling himself, was known to often assist Rangers while they were in the field.

Builders?are tasked with maintaining The Wall itself, as well as the castles, arms, and equipment of the Watch.

Finally, Stewards?are responsible for just about everything else, including cooking, tending to the horses, making clothing, recruiting, and communicating with the rest of Westeros.

Despite their roles though, everyone in the Night's Watch receives some combat training, a holdover of the organization's roots as a military order. Rangers, Builders, and Stewards alike are expected to take up arms and defend the Wall when called upon.

The Night's Watch is led by a Lord Commander, who is elected by a popular vote taken among the entire order. Any brother can be nominated as the Lord Commander, although typically, they are highborn or knighted, and often a Ranger.?

During the events of Game of Thrones, the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch was Jeor Mormont, who was succeeded by Jon Snow after his death. Jon was in turn succeeded by Eddison Tollett, although no formal election took place.

Strength

The Night's Watch currently numbers just 600 brothers, far fewer than necesary to effectively patrol the Wall. The organization is commanded from Castle Black, the largest of the 19 castles, built to accommodate up to 5,000 men.

Aside from Castle Black, the Watch only has enough manpower and supplies to garrison two other castles: The Shadow Tower and Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, both of which are lightly defended.

In addition to their castles, the Night's Watch also controls 50 leagues of land south of the Wall, an area known as The Gift. The people of these lands pay taxes to support the Watch, although the increasing frequency of wildling raids has significantly depopulated the region, in a way mirroring the fall of the Night's Watch itself.