The Gray Warden (person)

"Gared the Gray was the official founder of our house, but our lineage actually can be traced even farther back, to a man known simply as the Gray Warden. During the Long Night, he served as one of Azor Ahai's chief generals, known particularly for his ferocity in battle and his fiery temper - ironic, considering he was a man of the North. It is said that he killed the most White Walkers in the entire War for the Dawn, besides Azor Ahai himself, wielding nothing but the Darksaber - my family's ancestral weapon. After that, it is said he helped raise the Wall, and was named the Protector of the North by Brandon the Builder himself."

―Hendrick Grayburn^[src]

The Gray Warden is an unseen character in Game of Thrones. He is already long dead by the time the series starts and is not expected to appear, and thus far has only been mentioned in the Complete Guide to Westeros as well as several of the Histories & Lore featurettes.

The Gray Warden is an ancient ancestor of House Grayburn who lived during the time of the First Men, during the Age of Heroes. He fought against the White Walkers during the Long Night, where, according to legend, he killed the most White Walkers, with only Azor Ahai himself killing more, and doing so with only Darksaber, a Valyrian steel greatsword. Following the conclusion of the War for the Dawn, the Gray Warden allegedly helped Bran the Builder raise the Wall, and was subsequently named Shield of the North, a title that effectively gave him supreme control over all the armies of the North.

The Gray Warden would go on to found the noble house of House Gray, and also founded the Graylands, a sub-region of the North that contained the Kingdom of the Graylands, one of the petty kingdoms that existed in the North during the Age of a Hundred Kingdoms.

Carmine Grayburn is believed to be the reincarnation of the Gray Warden.