Welcome to Throne of Glass Explained! This is a completely spoiler free Throne of Glass world guide that will help you understand this fantasy series so much better.
You could use Throne of Glass Wiki to look up character names and places, but that opens up a HUGE risk for major spoilers.
Googling ANYTHING (no matter how harmless it may seem) can lead to major spoilers. This is my way of saving you from making the same mistakes I did when reading the Sarah J Maas books for the first time.
This guide is going to be most useful if you start the series with Throne of Glass (not the prequel, The Assassin’s Blade) If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you should check out my Sarah J Mass book series guide here.
Throne of Glass Explained | Spoiler Free Throne of Glass World Guide
1. Geography
Erilea is the main continent Throne of Glass takes place on. East of Erilea and across the Great Ocean lies Wendlyn. To the south lies the Southern Continent (which doesn’t become relevant until much later in the series).
Erilea contains 9 territories: the Oakwald forest divides Erilea into an Eastern portion and a Western portion.
The Western lands (outlined in blue) include:
- Frozen Wastes
- Western Wastes
- Deserted Lands
The Eastern lands (outlined in red) include:
- Adarlan
- Terrasen
- Eyllwe
- Melisande
- Fenharrow
- Dead Islands
Rifthold is the capital of Adarlan which is where the royal Havilliard family rules from the Glass Castle, and where most of the first book takes place. Adarlan is split by the Avery river.
2. History
The planet this story takes place on is inhabited by humans, faeries and other magical beings. The immortal Fae were the original inhabitants of Erilea and are the oldest beings on the continent.
10 years prior to the start of the story, the King of Adarlan (who is human) decided to conquer Erilea and to do so, he banished magic from the entire continent. He destroyed entire countries, burned ancient books, sacred sites, and executed magical beings as well as people suspected of having magic. He also killed the entire royal family of Terrasen due to their ancient ties to magic.
Those who did not escape or were executed were sent to labor camps Endovier and Calculla. Due to the growing conflict, most Fae and magical creatures fled Erilea and went into hiding. At the start of the story the King has conquered the Eastern part of Erilea and is currently at war with Wendlyn to try to conquer their lands as well.
The fall of magic only happened in Erilea, not in Wendlyn or the Southern Continent. The fall of magic enabled the King of Adarlan who is human, to conquer much of the continent even without any magical powers.
3. Notable Locations
Adarlan - Book One of this series mostly takes place in Adarlan and its capital, Rifthold.
Terrasen - A territory conquered by Adarlan. The capital city of Terrasen is Orynth and its second largest city is Perranth. The main character (Celaena) is originally from Terrasen.
Anielle - The birth place of Chaol Westfall, Captain of the Royal Guard. Anielle is a city in Adarlan known for its citizens being incredible warriors. Their city is at the base of the White Fang Mountains where wild men live, so Anielle is constantly defending against them.
Eyllwe - The home of Princess Nehemia. Eyllwe is a territory that was conquered by the King of Adarlan. It is currently ruled over by the Ytger family. Even though they bent the knee to the King of Adarlan, they are allowed to continue to call themselves the royal family of Eyllwe.
4. Politics/Notable People
Erilea is governed by a monarchy with the current ruler being the King of Adarlan (he is not named in the story, we only know his last name is Havilliard).
King of Adarlan - Comes from the Havilliard family line. He is the most powerful man in Erilea, responsible for eliminating magic from the world. He rules from the Glass Castle in Rifthold in Adarlan and has two sons. His first son is Dorian and his second son is Hollin. The Havilliard house crest is a red backdrop with a gold wyvern.
Duke Perrington - the king’s most trusted advisor/ally and has been a life long friend to the King. He is the Duke of Morath, which is a merchant city in Adarlan.
Dorian Havilliard - The Crown Prince of Adarlan. Dorian is the oldest son of the King and the heir to the throne. He is 19 years old.
Chaol Westfall - Captain of the Royal Guard and best friends with Dorian. He is 22 years old. Chaol is originally from Anielle.
Nehemia Ytger - Princess of Eyllwe. She is sent to Rifthold by her father to learn northern customs.
Kaltain Rompier - A courtier who is a guest of Duke Perrington in the palace, but wishes to be betrothed to Dorian.
Arobynn Hammel - is not royalty but is also a very prominent figure in Rifthold. He is referred to as the King of Assassins. He trains the most powerful and deadly assassins in Erilea. He adopted Celaena Sardothian when she was orphaned 10 years prior to the start of the story.
5. Celaena Sardothian
Celaena Sardothian is the main character in the Throne of Glass series. Do not Google this character. Googling her especially can lead to entire series spoilers which I do not want for you. Here’s all you need to know about Celaena in the first Throne of Glass book:
- She starts the book at Endovier which is a labor camp where prisoners go to mine salt. We don’t know why she has been sent there at the beginning of the story, however most people who enter Endovier never leave.
- She is picked up by Dorian Havilliard (crown prince of Adarlan) because she is a notorious assassin. She will be participating in a competition to become the King’s chosen assassin.
- She is an orphan and has been an assassin for many years. She was found by Arrobyn Hammel (the King of Assassins) soon after she was orphaned and was raised by him to become an assassin.
- At the start of the story she is 18. She has been an orphan since she was 8.
- She is originally from Terrasen but spent many years in Adarlan as Adarlan’s most notorious assassin. Her identity is largely unknown to the people of Erillia because she would wear a mask for missions.
You will learn much, much more about her as the story unfolds, but I am obviously keeping this spoiler free. This is ALL you need to know for now. Just enjoy getting to know her!
6. Magic/Gods
At the start of the book not only has magic been fully outlawed and banished by the King of Adarlan, but it also completely vanished from the land. The land was originally occupied by all manner of magical beings including faeries (gnomes, sprites, nymphs, goblins etc.) and Immortal Fae.
Within a month of the magical outlaw, magic had completely disappeared of it’s own accord. Oakwald Forest belonged to Fae King Brannon and it was cloaked in magic before it disappeared.
Wyrd is one of the gods in this world. You will often hear someone say things like “oh my Wyrd.” Wyrdmarks are symbols that are part of an ancient religion that either died or was forgotten long before the story begins.
7. Elena and Gavin Havilliard
This info doesn’t come into play until Chapter 25 (and more is revealed later in the series) but for now, here is what you need to know about Gavin and Elena.
Gavin Havilliard (human) was the first king of Adarlan one thousand years prior to the start of the story.
Elena Galathynius (half-Fae) was his wife and queen. She was the first princess of Terrasen and the daughter of Brannon Galathynius (Fae) who was the first king of Terrasen.
One thousand years prior to the start of the story there was a fierce war that almost ripped apart the continent. Gavin used his legendary sword Damaris to defeat the evil Dark Lord Erawan to end the war.
And there you have it, Throne of Glass explained! I hope this helps you on your Throne of Glass reading journey and keeps you from running into any spoilers.
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