Exclusive: Never-Before-Seen Game Of Thrones Art Depicts Origins Of Westeros

With its citrus trees and spice plants, the lush greenery of the Water Gardens palace, and the gilded architecture of its capital of Sunspear, Dorne is one of the most beautiful locations in the Game of Thrones lore. Though Dorne lies in Westeros, in the southernmost part of the continent, it actually used to connect to Essos, the home of the Free Cities, the Kingdom of Sarnor, and the Dothraki Sea. A strip of land known as the Arm of Dorne linked Westeros to Essos via Dorne 12,000 years prior to the start of the Game of Thrones story. 

Now, however, the Arm of Dorne is no longer. An archipelago called the Stepstones remain where the Arm of Dorne once was, with the severed Westerosi side of the Arm of Dorne now known as the Broken Arm. 

In her painting of the Arm of Dorne, artist Kristin Johnson depicted the First Men making their way through the land to complete their journey from Essos to Westeros. Johnson provided insightful context for her gold-and-green-hued piece: "Around 12,000 years ago, the First Men came to Westeros from Essos by crossing the Arm of Dorne. When the First Men and the Children of the Forest first went to war, the old songs say greenseers of the Children used dark magics to make the seas rise and sweep away the land, shattering the Arm, in a futile attempt to end the invasion of the First Men."

Every Game of Thrones fan remembers the pre-season 7 theory that speculated Jon Snow (Kit Harington) would go up against giant ice spiders. They can also recall the time Old Nan (Margaret John) told little Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) about the first time the White Walkers moved through the woods and reared their spiky blue heads. The creatures rode in on the backs of dead horses, Old Nan said, and used "packs of pale spiders, big as hounds" to attack humans. Season 7 didn't feature these horrifying beasts, but thanks to artist Jimmy Przemek Duda, we have an idea of what they may have looked like on Game of Thrones. 

"The Ice Spiders were a fearsome and effective military unit of the Others [the White Walkers] during the Long Night. Though big and strong enough to be used as mounts, it would be even better to see them being chained and held by a warrior riding a dead horse, furious from hunger and thirsty for blood," said Duda of his painting. "They would be released from their leashes to viciously attack their victims like a pack of hounds."

Situated along the Zamoyos river in the Sothoryos continent is Yeen, a city built from massive black stones that, according to The World of Ice & Fire, would take a horde of elephants to move (via The Hollywood Reporter). Yeen is believed to be older than the port city Asshai, and has been in ruins for thousands of years. Many have attempted to recolonize Yeen, though all settlers who tried vanished without a trace. The little that is known about Yeen only adds to its mystery: the Rhoynar who settled in Yeen in the past had to battle "brindled ghouls" (a.k.a the Sothoryi, the Brindled Men) and the jungle that wraps around Yeen has shied away from the city, as if in fear. 

Artist Tom Hiebler sought to capture the enigmatic quality of Yeen in his painting aptly titled "Yeen."

"There is not much known about Yeen. Jungle, black stone ruins, a river," Hiebler wrote of his work. "My personal claim was to deliver a super photorealistic image, in which I can feel the jungle, the heat, the moisture emanating from it. The jungle should be endless, the stone buildings gigantic."

Still, in all the grandeur that evokes danger, Hiebler wanted to demonstrate that Yeen may not be as terrifying as the tales say. "Nevertheless, a positive feeling should emanate from this city," he said.