Summary
Game of Thronesand its prequel,House of the Dragon,features exquisite weapons fashioned out of Valyrian steel, and castle-forged steel. Jon Snow’s Longclaw, House Tarly’s heirloom sword, Heartsbane, and the lost Lannister relic - Brightroar are among the most important Valyrian steel weapons in theGame of Thronesuniverse.
Whileswords are the standard weaponin HBO’sGame of Thrones, especially among the Westerosi knights, the Valyrian steel dagger that Arya Stark used to kill the Night King, has a history of its own. Also known as the catspaw dagger, the weapon predates the timeline ofGame of Thrones, and is seen in Viserys' possession inHouse of the Dragon. The iconic dagger changed quite a few hands in theGame of Thronesuniverse, and here is how it fell into Arya Stark’s possession.
House Of The Dragon: From Aenar Targaryen To Aegon II Targaryen
The fifth King fromthe ruling Targaryen dynasty of Westeros, and Princess Rhaenyra’s father, Viserys I carried the Valyrian steel dagger in theGame of Thronesprequel series. InHouse of the Dragonseason 1, episode 4 “King of the Narrow Sea,” he put it to younger brother, Daemon’s throat when the latter expressed the desire to wed Rhaenyra, in the tradition of House Targaryen.
In the same episode, King Viserys summoned Rhaenyra to his chambers and used the catspaw dagger to point out the gravity of naming her heir. Rhaenyra was about to touch the dagger when he said:
That dagger once belonged to Aegon the Conqueror. It was Aenar’s before that. And before that, it is difficult to know.
Aegon I was the first Targaryen king of theSevenSix Kingdoms and one who unitedmost of Westerosinto one political unit. He was the descendant of the Targaryen patriarch, and the dragonlord, Aenar who fled Valyria twelve years before its Doom after paying heed to his daughter Daenys' prophetic dream about the fate of Valyria. InHouse of the Dragon, Viserys adds:
Before Aegon’s death, the last of the Valyrian pyromancers hid his song in the steel…
Rhaenyra removes the blade from the brazier, and reads the aglow inscription:
From my blood, come The Prince That Was Promised and his will be the Song of Ice and Fire.
She looks at her father in search of an answer, and Viserys answers that the responsibility he has handed to her by naming her successor is no child’s play:
The responsibility I have handed to you, the burden of this knowledge, is larger than the throne, the king, it is larger than you and your desires
Viserys' words are a callback to the moment he relayedAegon’s dragon dream/prophecy to RhaenyrainHouse of the Dragonseason 1, episode 1 “The Heirs of the Dragon.” Later, inHouse of the Dragonseason 1, episode 7 “Driftmark,” Queen Alicent Hightower grabs the Valyrian steel dagger from Viserys and attempts to maim Rhaenyra’s son, Lucerys Velaryon for damaging her son, Aemond’s eye:
Where is sacrifice? It’s trampled under your pretty foot again! And now you take my son’s eye, and to even that, you feel entitled.
She charges at Lucerys but Rhaenyra blocks her and has her left forearm injured in the process.After Viserys' death, the Valyrian steel dagger remains with the Greens. Moments before his coronation inHouse of the Dragonseason 1, episode 9 “The Green Council,” Alicent presents it to Aegon in the royal carriage. He takes a good look at it and carries it to the Dragonpit.
Game Of Thrones: The Catspaw To Arya Stark
In the original series, the Valyrian steel dagger puts a political spin on things. InGame of Thronesseason 1, episode 2 “The Kingsroad,” the dagger is wielded by a Northman - a catspaw sent to assassinate Bran Stark. Bran’s mother, Lady Catelyn, who is present in Bran’s room, holds him off and has her hands bloodied by the dagger bladewhile the direwolf, Summer,rips his throat open. Because of this failed assassination, Catelyn concludes that Bran didn’t fall from the tower but was thrown:
Someone tried to kill him twice. Why? Why murder an innocent child? Unless he saw something he wasn’t meant to see.
She suspects the Lannisters are behind the assassination, while Ser Rodrik Cassel adds:
Did you notice the dagger the killer used? It’s too fine a weapon for such a man. The blade is Valyrian steel, the handle dragonbone.
Catelyn carries the Valyrian steel dagger and rides to King’s Landing to convey the news of the assassination attempt to her husband, Ned Stark. She and Ser Rodrik arrive in the city, and are directed to Petyr Baelish’s establishment inGame of Thronesseason 1, episode 3 “Lord Snow,” wherethe Master of Whisperers, Lord Varys, greets her:
Did you bring the dagger with you, by any chance?
Varys says he knows nothing of the dagger’s owner, while Baelish claims ownership:
There’s only one dagger like this in the Seven Kingdoms — it’s mine.
He adds that he lost it to Tyrion Lannister:
At least it was, until the tournament on Prince Joffrey’s last nameday. I bet on Ser Jaime in the jousting, as any sane man would. When the Knight of the Flowers unseated him, I lost this dagger.
The dagger’s ownership remains a bone of contention andthe Starks are made to believethat Tyrion tried to assassinate Bran. Catelyn narrates the story to Ned, and hands her the dagger, while her old friend, Baelish, promises to protect him for her.
The Valyrian steel dagger remains in Ned’s possession, while he simultaneously figures Robert Baratheon has no trueborn sons. The king is on his deathbed and the dagger reminds him of the Lannisters' hand in throwing Bran off the tower. Joffrey succeeds whileBaelish conspires against Ned. In a quick move, he seizes his dagger, puts it to his throat, and goes:
I did warn you not to trust me.
The Valyrian steel dagger remains with Baelish until season 7 when he gifts it to the Three-Eyed Raven/ Bran at Winterfell:
This is for you. Thelast manwhowieldedit meant tocut your throat,but your motherfoughthim off.
Bran examines the dagger and asks:
Do you know who this belonged to?
Baelish replies:
That very question was what started the War of the Five Kings. In a way, that dagger made you what you are today. Forced from your home, driven out to the wilds beyond the Wall.
Bran has no use of the dagger, and he gives it to Arya in Sansa’s presence. Later inGame of Thronesseason 7, episode 7 “The Dragon and the Wolf,” the dagger brings Baelish’s downfall, as Sansa deduces his role in the conflict between the Starksand the Lannisters. She Sansa puts Baelish on trial for murder and treason, and Arya holds out the dagger and says:
You told our mother this knife belonged to Tyrion Lannister. But that was another one of your lies. It was yours.
Arya slays Baelish and uses the dagger to kill the Night King in the climax ofthe Battle of Winterfell. She carries it with her as he readies to sail the West of Westeros inGame of Thronesseason 8, episode 6 “The Iron Throne.”
The dagger should reappear inHouse of the Dragonseason 2 and, as of now, it remains to be seen how the show utilizes this regalia.
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones, based on the Song of Ice and Fire book series by George R.R. Martin, tells the sprawling story of warring families in Westeros. This includes the Starks, the Lannisters, the Baratheons, and the Targaryens. Along with human conflicts, Westeros is also threatened by the re-emergence of dragons, and an undead enemy from beyond the Wall.
