There are many, many noble families in Mwyr Aeld, but there are 20 who are known as the "great families" (teuluoedd gwych, or sing. teulu gwych). A great family is one who has had at least one high king in the past. They are (in order of number of high kings):

• Cuniaid - known for their incredible gardens, hunters, falcons, ties to the church, and potent consuming powers; they have a long-standing feud with the Yoraths (over 100 high kings). They prefer to take the form of adelfoi, feminine humans, feminine metahumans, or feminine human-appearing spirit folk.
• Yorath - known for their cacosingers, hunters, and feud with the Cuniaids (over 100 high kings). They prefer to take the form of adelfoi, feminine humans or metahumans, or green folk.
• Blaiddmab - known for their puppeteers, demonologers, assassins, warriors, and swords (about 80). They prefer to take the form of kashirum, animal folk, or cythreuliad.
• Knethel - known for their knights, tacticians, and thorn-beasts (75). They prefer to take the form of Horde, goblin, ogre, troll, or geliqurofi.
• Brace - known for their dewin drains, libraries, and political orators (72). They prefer to take the form of spirit folk.
• Banes - known for their hollow mages, warriors, and cruelty (64). They prefer to take the form of humans.
• Gwallyn - known for their connections to the slave trade (52). They prefer to take the form of masculine humans or metahumans.
• Dryfhyn - known for their use of uafas and owning jade mines (44). They prefer to take the form of androgynous spirit folk.
• Rhys - known for their pride in having once been commoners and their popularity with the lower classes (36). They prefer to take the form of animal folk.
• Cyrlewaidd - known for their healers, plague-bearers, and poisons (28). They prefer to take the form of androgynous humans or metahumans.
• Hullin - known for their spies, illusionis, arcanists, and secrets (24). They have no form preference.
• Megrick - known for their herbalism, gardening, and mazes (16). They prefer to take the form of green folk, myconians, undines, river maidens, or mermaids.
• Rees - known for their merchants and traders (12). They prefer to take the form of large people of any species.
• Griffith - known for their knights, horses, and wine (8). They prefer to take the form of masculine humans or metahumans.
• Prothero - known for their politicians, orators, poets, writers, and artists (4). They prefer to take the form of adelfoi.
• Ymffrostgau - known for their raiders, farms, and markets (2). They prefer to take the form of muscular beings.
• Rhyddwch - known for their users of sin energy, their seducers, and their poisons (2). They prefer to take the form of adelfoi, especially succubi.
• Beddoe - known for their falcons, logging, and drunks (2). They prefer to take the form of avians.
• Gruffudd - known for their armorers, blacksmiths, and bards (1). They prefer to take the form of brannishes.
• Gwaedysgafn - known for their fruit orchards, flavored butters, and chefs (1). They prefer to take the form of insinsi.

The Cuniaids claim to be related to Haeddiannol, the Aeldian goddess, and have the most high kings in their past. The Yoraths claim to be related to Neidi, the shrike goddess. The Blaiddmabs are said to have Vesturian and Srisian ancestry, and the Knethels, Braces, Reeses, Hullins, Protheros, and Griffiths date their families back to First Shem. The Baneses are known for their use of hollow energy. The Rhyddwches are great users of Peccatum.