Valyrian steel: who has the swords that can defeat white walkers?

It looks like the big threat to Westeros in Game of Thrones Season 7 are the Others, or

white walkers, with their army of the dead , marching on the Wall to bring a “night

that never ends” . These guys are a… problem, cause the walkers are not only super-strong,

super-angry ice demons, but their swords can shatter steel – they seem immune to normal

weapons . There are just two known ways to kill a walker – one is with a blade of dragonglass

– go watch that video – and the other way is with a blade of Valyrian steel – we

see this in Season 5 , and it’s also hinted in the books . Valyrian steel is a special

kind of metal, used to make swords that are sharper, stronger and lighter than blades

of regular steel . The steel was made in Valyria hundreds of years ago, but when Valyria was

destroyed in a mysterious Doom, the secret of making Valyrian steel was lost . So the

Valyrian blades that remain are really valuable – there are a couple of hundred of them

in Westeros , but only about twenty are mentioned in the books.

Most are the treasured heirlooms of noble houses, handed from generation to generation

through the centuries . Lots of these swords have great backstories and histories, and

some of them may play a role in the war with the walkers to come.

So let’s have a look at the Valyrian blades of Game of Thrones.

Probably the most obvious Valyrian sword is Longclaw, the sword used by Jon Snow.

Longclaw is a bastard sword, which means it’s a bit longer than a normal longsword . This

is also pretty fitting given that Jon is a bastard – or he’s believed to be a bastard,

but that’s another story.

Longclaw is given to Jon by Jeor Mormont, whose family held the sword for hundreds of

years . Jeor originally gave Longclaw to his son Jorah, but Jorah dishonoured the family

by selling slaves and fleeing Westeros.

He leaves the sword though , so Jeor gives it to Jon.

It’d be interesting to see Jorah’s reaction if he ever sees Jon with his family’s sword.

But with its bastard blade and white wolf pommel, Longclaw is very symbolic of Jon’s

identity.

It’ll no doubt play a big role in Jon’s fight against the white walkers, and the sword

might even tie in to the prophecies about a hero called Azor Ahai who’s expected to

lead the fight against the walkers with a flaming sword called Lightbringer – that’s

what Stannis and Melisandre try to emulate.

There are theories suggesting that Jon’s sword Longclaw might somehow become the true

Lightbringer, to be the fire and the light needed to face the darkness and cold.

Another sword that appears in the show is Heartsbane, the Valyrian steel greatsword

of House Tarly . Randyll Tarly makes a big deal of how he doesn’t want his fat cowardly

son Sam inheriting the fabled blade Heartsbane, which is part of the reason why Randyll forces

Sam to join the Night’s Watch . Heartsbane does have a long history – a few hundred

years ago, an outlaw from Dorne called the Vulture King was stopped when men led by a

Savage Sam Tarly hunted him down, using Heartsbane to slay dozens of Dornishmen . There’s a

pretty good chance our Sam was named after this historical Savage Sam.

In the books, Heartsbane is held by Randyll Tarly , who’s known as one of the great

soldiers of Westeros . In the show, Sam visits home and takes Heartsbane from Randyll, bringing

it with him to the Citadel, the sorta Hogwartsy university of the maesters.

Which could play out in some interesting ways.

Maybe Sam and the maesters could study Heartsbane, try to unlock the secrets of Valyrian steel,

or maybe find more Valyrian blades.

But whatever happens at the Citadel, Randyll will want his sword back.

Another important sword is Ice, the Valyrian steel greatsword of House Stark . Ice is really

big, apparently too big to use in battle – it’s more of a ceremonial sword . Ned Stark uses

it to execute Gared at the start of Book 1 – and near the end of Book 1, Ilyn Payne

uses it to execute Ned . So the Lannisters end up with Ice, and Tywin Lannister decides

to melt Ice down and reforge it into two smaller swords.

Cause while no one knows how to make new Valyrian steel, some skilled smiths can reforge it

into new forms – in this case Tywin hires the armorer Tobho Mott – who happens to

be the teacher of Gendry.

So some people speculate that Gendry knows a thing or two about Valyrian steel .

But yeah Ice is melted down and forged into two smaller swords – Tywin gives one to

his son Jaime, and the other to his grandson Joffrey.

Joffrey names his sword Widow’s Wail, because he’s a nasty little shit, while Jaime does

something more meaningful.

He names his sword Oathkeeper, and gives it to Brienne.

Cause remember, Jaime swears an oath to Catelyn Stark that in return for being set free, Jaime

would return to her Sansa and Arya.

So Jaime gives Brienne Oathkeeper to uphold this oath on his behalf, to defend “Ned

Stark’s daughter with Ned Stark’s own steel” . The sword is also symbolic of the

respect Jaime has for Brienne – he used to hold her in contempt, but now he gives

her a “sword fit for a hero”.

Joffrey, meanwhile, uses his Valyrian sword to slay a book and then a pie, and then he

dies . The sword then presumably then goes to Joff’s brother Tommen, though in the

show Tommen’s dead too – so it’s not clear who’ll use the sword next.

Widow’s Wail is now the only known Valyrian sword in the city of King’s Landing – surely

it’ll come in handy sometime.

So those are major Valyrian swords that appear in the story – there are also some interesting

historical ones.

Perhaps the most famous Valyrian blade is Blackfyre . Blackfyre was the sword of King

Aegon Targaryen, the Conqueror who first took over Westeros.

Aegon was a great warrior , and used Blackfyre in the battles that founded the Targaryen

dynasty.

Each king after Aegon bore his sword , so Blackfyre became an important symbol of Targaryen

political legitimacy – if you had the sword, you were seen as the rightful king.

That’s why it was so shocking when King Aegon the Fourth, one of the worst Targaryen

kings, gave Blackfyre to one of his bastard sons, Daemon . Daemon took Blackfyre as his

house name, and later claimed to be the rightful king, beginning a war for succession called

the First Blackfyre Rebellion . The great battle of this rebellion was at the Redgrass

Field, where Daemon used Blackfyre in a duel against Gwayne Corbray, who had his own famous

Valyrian blade , called Lady Forlorn.

It’s said they fought for near an hour, and each time Blackfyre and Lady Forlorn clashed,

you could hear the sound from leagues away – “half a song and half a scream” . Eventually

Daemon won the duel, but then he was killed by arrows from his half-brother Bloodraven,

who by the way, is the same guy who later becomes a tree god and teaches Bran how to

magic – more on him later.

So Daemon died on the Redgrass Field, but his Blackfyre ancestors continued to rebel

against the Targaryens for years , and all of this began partly because Aegon the Fourth

gave the Conqueror’s sword to his bastard son.

The sword represents being the rightful king , but for the hundred years or so, no one

seems to know where the sword is.

Which could have implications for the schemes of Varys and Illyrio.

In the books, Varys and Illyrio have this crazy complex conspiracy to put a kid called

Young Griff – who they say is Aegon the Sixth – on the Iron Throne – go watch

that video.

But basically there’s evidence that this Aegon kid might actually be a Blackfyre, a

descendent of Daemon.

So it’s very interesting that in a reading by George Martin of a draft version of a chapter

from Dance, Illyrio mentions a gift for Young Griff, and a “sword”, and “things Griff

must know”.

Fans speculate that Illyrio may have Blackfyre, the fabled blade of Aegon, and will give it

to Griff to grant him political legitimacy as a king.

This is very speculative, but could make a lot of sense – it’d solve the mystery

of what happened to Blackfyre, and would tie present plots to the past in a really cool

way.

So yeah, Blackfyre is important, and Lady Forlorn is also a thing.

After the duel at the Redgrass Field, the sword returned to House Corbray, and a hundred

years later, Lyn Corbray used it in Robert’s Rebellion, killing Prince Lewyn Martell of

the Kingsguard.

Lyn is now involved in the plots in the Vale, working with Littlefinger, but it’s not

clear if he can be trusted . Lyn’s a dangerous man , violent, and possibly a paedophile , depending

on how you interpret this line about “boys” . But yeah that’s what’s happening with

Lady Forlorn now.

Historically, there was also a sword called Lady Forlorn used in the wars of the Andals

in the Vale, but apparently that may’ve been a different Lady Forlorn?

People keep naming swords after famous older swords, which confuses things, but anyway

– Another important Targaryen sword is called

Dark Sister.

While Aegon the Conqueror had Blackfyre, his sister Queen Visenya had Dark Sister, a “slender

blade” designed for a female warrior . Visenya used the sword during Aegon’s Conquest,

when she wasn’t roasting people with her dragon.

And many years later, Dark Sister went to Daemon Targaryen, the “rogue prince”,

who used the sword during the Dance of the Dragons – the big Targaryen civil war.

During a mid-air dragon battle with his nephew Aemond One-Eye, Daemon leapt from his dragon

onto Aemond’s dragon, and drove Dark Sister through Aemond’s one good eye , before both

men and their dragons fell from the sky and died.

This is why we need a Game of Thrones prequel movie, guys.

After Daemon, Dark Sister went to Aemon Targaryen, the famous Dragonknight said to be one of

the greatest and noblest knights that ever lived – he’s the namesake of Maester Aemon

Targaryen.

And after the Dragonknight, Dark Sister went to a man called Brynden Rivers, or Bloodraven

. Bloodraven really needs his own video, but basically he was a king’s bastard, a spymaster,

sorcerer , Hand of the King, he killed Daemon Blackfyre at the Redgrass Field, had a relationship

with Shiera Seastar – who might possibly be Quaithe?

– then Bloodraven joined the Night’s Watch, became Lord Commander, went north and finally

became a tree wizard man, the guy who’s known in the show as the three-eyed raven.

But the question here is – what happened to the sword Dark Sister?

Did Bloodraven bring it with him to the Night’s Watch – like Jeor did?

And if he did, is the sword in the cave where Bloodraven trains Bran?

If so, it’s possible that Bran’s friend Meera might take up the sword – it’s designed

for a woman’s hand, after all.

In fact, some people think that in the show, she already has it – she does grab a sword

from the cave in in Season 6.

Another possibility is for Dark Sister to go to Arya.

Needle is cool and all, but surely a ninja assassin like Arya should have a storied Valyrian

sword like Dark Sister – Arya herself kind of is a ‘dark sister’.

This is all wild speculation, but given the history and importance of Dark Sister, it

seems likely that the sword will reappear in the story.

Another lost Valyrian sword is Brightroar.

House Lannister bought Brightroar for a huge amount of gold before the Doom of Valyria

. But a hundred years later, after Valyria was destroyed, King Tommen Lannister went

on an expedition to plunder its ruins.

He took Brightroar with him – and “never returned” . House Lannister lost one of

its most valuable treasures, which always frustrated Tywin when he led House Lannister.

So at one point, Tywin’s younger brother Gerion went on a quest to find Brightroar,

but he never returned either – go watch the Gerion video.

But in the end, Tywin got his Valyrian sword in the form of Ice, which he made into Oathkeeper

and Widow’s Wail.

By the way, in the books those swords are coloured red, Tywin has the metal dyed to

a sorta rippling Lannister crimson, cause Tywin’s all about that house pride family

legacy stuff.

Anyway the next couple swords are owned by ironborn – there’s Red Rain and Nightfall.

Red Rain is a Valyrian sword held by Dunstan Drumm , the Lord of Old Wyk.

He whips it out at the Kingsmoot and recounts how his ancestor, Hilmar Drumm the Cunning,

famously took Red Rain from some knight, armed only with his wits and a cudgel.

And there’s a theory that that the knight who Drumm took Red Rain from might have been

from House Reyne , a family in the westerlands who Tywin Lannister wiped out.

The Reynes have a red lion for their sigil, and their name is Reyne, so Red Rain is a

fitting name in more ways than one.

And the westerlands have historically been raided by ironborn , so it makes a lot of

sense for the Drumms to have taken Red Rain from the Reynes.

In Book 4, Drumm is on raids with Red Rain in the reach.

Nightfall is Valyrian sword held by the knight Ser Harras Harlaw.

Harras supports Asha or Yara Greyjoy at the kingsmoot , though Euron later kinda steals

him from her by making Harras a lord . The sword Nightfall was historically wielded by

the infamous ironborn raider Dalton Greyjoy , called the Red Kraken for all the blood

he shed . It’s said Dalton loved three things, the sea, women, and his Valyrian sword Nightfall

. It’s not clear how Red Rain and Nightfall will tie into the broader story of Thrones,

but some speculate that King Euron might take these swords from their owners – in the

books Euron has a set of armour made of Valyrian steel, he might wanna complement that with

a Valyrian sword or two.

Also Nightfall is a pretty appropriate name for someone who is low-key trying to cause

a Lovecraftian blood magic apocalypse type situation, which, he is – we’ll have to

explain that in another video.

Euron is scary.

But another Valyrian blade that’s had a big impact on the story is not another sword,

but a knife.

In Book and Season 1, an assassin tries to kill Bran Stark with a knife of Valyrian steel.

Catelyn takes the blade to King’s Landing, and Littlefinger tells her the knife is Tyrion’s

– so Catelyn, thinking the dwarf tried to kill her son, arrests Tyrion, which kicks

off the War of the Five Kings.

Thing is, the real culprit behind the catspaw is Joffrey – Littlefinger lied about the

knife in a deliberate attempt to cause war.

After betraying Ned Stark and profiting off the downfall of his family, Littlefinger carries

the Valyrian knife in later books – shamelessly wearing a symbol of his lies and betrayal.

Now, in the books, Sansa in the Vale with Littlefinger and the knife – some people

speculate that Sansa will use the knife to kill him, destroying Littlefinger with the

same blade he used to destroy her family.

There’d be a great poetry to that – though things’ll prolly go differently in the show.

There are a few more Valyrian swords that were used in the Dance of the Dragons, the

Targaryen civil war from a hundred years ago.

Lamentation is a sword carried by a guy called Willum Royce.

He got caught up in the Storming of the Dragonpit, when a rioting mob of common folk killed some

chained-up dragons.

In all the violence and the chaos, Willum Royce and his sword were lost . There was

also Bold Jon Roxton and Ormund Hightower, who bore the swords Orphan-Maker and Vigilance

. Roxton was killed , and we haven’t heard from his family since, but the Hightowers

are still around, so they might have Vigilance at Oldtown – where Euron may be closing

in.

There are a few more Valyrian blades that are only briefly mentioned in the text.

Some soldier from Lys had a Valyrian sword called Truth , the Celtigars of Claw Isle

are said to have a Valyrian steel axe , and a guy called Caggo has a Valyrian steel arakh

– one of those curvy Dothraki scythey things – which is apparently rare in Valyrian steel

. Caggo is a captain of the Windblown mercenaries, so he’ll be involved in the story ahead.

And finally, there are a bunch of Valyrian daggers among the treasure Euron presents

at the Kingsmoot.

It’s a little weird the way these are off-handedly mentioned , as though a buncha Valyrian blades

is no big deal – maybe Valyrian daggers are more common than the swords are, though

you’d think, that if so, someone like Tywin could buy a bunch of Valyrian daggers and

reforge them into the sword Tywin so desperately wanted for so long.

The true value and rarity of Valyrian steel is not very clear.

But regardless, this is every Valyrian blade mentioned in Game of Thrones.

Longclaw and Heartsbane, Ice, Oathkeeper and Widow’s Wail, Blackfyre, Dark Sister, Lady

Forlorn, Brightroar, Red Rain and Nightfall, the swords of the Dance, Littlefinger’s

dagger and this other miscellaneous stuff too.

There are more swords out there somewhere of course – bout a hundred and eighty more

– and Westeros might need them all to win the war against the walkers.

Thanks for watching.

If you wanna learn more about the histories and backstories of Thrones, you might like

to read The World of Ice and Fire, George Martin’s worldbook, which is all about this

sorta stuff.

There’s a link to buy it below, which supports this channel at no extra cost to you.

Some of this art is from The World of Ice and Fire, other pieces are by Amok, and kethryn,

check the description for details.

Thanks to the translators for translating captions, and thanks to the Patrons for making

Alt Shift X possible, including James Beagles, Yelda Aktuna, Avery Calvert, Rufus T Firefly,

Suikoshiningforce2, and Hodor Targaryen.

Cheers.