The Summer Islanders are the people that are native to the Summer Isles, south of Westeros.
Culture[]
The natives of the islands are an ebony-skinned people who speak their own language and often wear capes of brightly colored feathers. The act of lovemaking is considered an important and even holy skill. Prostitution is a respectable profession, practiced even by the high-born islanders. Summer Islanders respect their elderly, and mourning customs include celebrating the dead with wine and lovemaking.
The Summer Islands are known for their swan ships. Archery is another important cultural skill, with the summer isles producing some of the best archers in the known world and their special bows have a longer range than most others, giving their merchant boats added defense against pirates.
The best bows are made of the golden wood from the Summer Isles. The golden wood that the Islanders are famous for comes from the goldenheart tree which are only found on the Summer Islands. They also make a sweet amber wine Their diet consists primarily of fruits and fish.
Despite being ruled by several rival independent princes and princesses, the Summer Islands are by and large a peaceful place. War is not unknown there, but those that they do have are highly ritualized, taking place on days and times chosen by their priests. These battles more closely resemble tournament melees in Westeros, or a larger-scale version of a trial of seven. Two opposing teams of warriors (both male and female) meet at the battlefield chosen and consecrated in advance by their priests. It is forbidden to use their mighty goldenheart bows, only spears and slings. Such "wars" rarely last longer than a single day. The losers who survive are not executed or mutilated but must leave the islands in exile, while the winners gain what was in dispute (i.e. the loser's lands). In this way, only the warriors themselves are harmed, without crops and homes being burned, women raped, or innocent commoners slaughtered by invading armies. As a result, while there have been political shifts and court intrigues in the Summer Islands which could fill several history books, there have been none that truly devastated the islands or drastically re-shaped their society.