Valyrian Steel is a rare and highly coveted material in the world of Game of Thrones. Based on a novel series by George R. R. Martin, Thrones is set in a fantastical world where magic exists. The material is said to have a distinctive ripple pattern, and is much stronger, yet much lighter than standard steel. It’s not quite clear how the material is forged, and it’s believed that it was only created through the use of magics long since lost to the world of Westeros.
Weapons made of Valyrian Steel are among the few that can actually kill White Walkers, which is why they become a vital tool in the fight against the army of the dead. Many of these swords, which are typically family heirlooms, have appeared in the universe of the show. They tend to come with unique names too, because as Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) says, “lots of people name their swords.” However, not every Valyrian Steel sword has the same amount of power and history as others.
10
Lady Forlorn
Owner: Ser Lyn Corbray
Lady Forlorn is only once brandished in the books, and it’s during Lord Petyr Baelish, aka Littlefinger’s (Aidan Gillen) meeting at his newfound fortress, the Eyrie. This meeting consists of a group called the Lords Declarant, a group of nobles from the Vale of Arryn who are all opposed to Littlefinger’s new rule over the region, which was caused by his marriage and subsequent murder of Lady Lysa Arryn (Kate Dickie).
With their enemy being in attendance, the meeting full of book-exclusive nobles obviously gets fired up pretty quickly, causing Ser Lyn Corbray to threaten Ser Lothor Brune with his family’s sword, Lady Forlorn. Despite the gorgeous heart-shaped ruby in the pommel and the long history of this sword, this is the only time it is brandished, and even then, the situation is resolved peacefully. Lady Forlorn has a neat history behind it, but in itself, it isn’t very exciting and is easily forgotten.
9
Nightfall
Owner: Ser Harras Harlaw
Nightfall is yet another sword that is only found in the novels. In the books, it is wielded by Dalton Greyjoy, who does not appear in the show. Dalton lived centuries ago, and is a distant ancestor of Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen), though Theon never received the sword, nor did his father. Nightfall saw quite a bit of action during the various conflicts that arose throughout Westeros’ turbulent history, but it has since been retired.
For a while, the sword waited in the castle of Harlaw, a minor family that is distantly related to the Greyjoys. However, when Euron (Pilou Asbæk) returned from exile and claimed the Salt Throne for himself, sparking a civil war in the Iron Islands, Ser Harras Harlaw took up the sword once again, using it in the battle known as the Taking of the Shields. Harras uses it to fight Victarion Greyjoy, Theon’s uncle, and a badass character who unfortunately never appeared in Game of Thrones. What happens afterwards is unknown, but it is cool that it sees use during a naval battle and has an extensive history behind it. Sadly, other than that, not much else is known about Nightfall, so it’s not quite as interesting as some others.
8
Widow’s Wail
Owner: Ser Jaime Lannister
Widow’s Wail boasts what might be the most annoying name for a sword, courtesy of the spoiled brat King Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson). Even characters in the series find the sword’s name obnoxious, as when Lady Olenna Tyrell (Diane Rigg) is reminded of its name, she scoffs and remarks that Joffrey “really was a c***, wasn’t he?” It was likely that Joffrey named it this because of his inherent sadism and love of torture.
With a name like “Widow’s Wail,” one would expect the sword to have won many a battle, making several widows and causing them to wail at the despair of losing their husbands, right? But nope. It is given as a gift to Joffrey by his grandfather, but is never once used in battle. It’s a total waste of a valuable material that was given to someone who not only didn’t deserve it, but who ultimately never got to use it. Yes, it is eventually given to Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), who uses it well in battle, but it’s hard to shake the association with Joffrey, one of the series’ most unlikable characters. As such, it’s definitely not the most exciting sword in the series.
7
Brightroar
Owner: King Tommen II Lannister
Brightroar is a sword that doesn’t actually make a physical appearance in either the show or the novels. As its name implies, it was an ancestral sword belonging to the Lannister family; however, it has been lost for a substantial amount of time, with any and all recovery efforts failing to locate it. Initially, it was wielded by King Tommen II Lannister, who ruled over the region known as the Westerlands before they were conquered by the Targaryens, thus becoming part of the Seven Kingdoms.
During the Targaryens’ conquest of Westeros, King Tommen II sailed straight to the Targaryens’ home of Valyria across the Narrow Sea, taking Brightroar with him. Unfortunately, for unknown reasons, King Tommen never made it, and Brightroar was presumed lost. Since then, multiple Lannister lords have attempted to buy replacements, but never really found one. Roughly a decade prior to Game of Thrones, Gerion Lannister, Tywin’s younger brother, embarked on a voyage to find Brightroar, but he never returned. Though this blade is never physically seen, the mystery surrounding it certainly makes it memorable, almost as if it’s a sort of urban myth of Westeros.
6
Heartsbane
Owner: Grand Maester Samwell Tarly
Heartsbane is the Valyrian Steel sword of House Tarly, which usually just sits on the mantlepiece in the Tarlys’ home of Horn Hill. It doesn’t really see much action anymore, but that’s okay because the man who owns it doesn’t deserve the honor. The person in question is Lord Randyll Tarly (James Faulkner), one of Game of Thrones‘ most neglectful and abusive fathers. He has nothing but resentment towards his son, Samwell (John Bradley), whom he perceives as a weakling, completely ignoring Sam’s clear intelligence and talent for history and healing, instead focusing on his meager fighting ability.
When Sam goes to visit his relatives with his girlfriend, Gilly (Hannah Murray), Sam is once again berated by his father. As he and Gilly prepare to leave, Sam steals Heartsbane in a final moment of defiance. Later, his father and older brother would be killed in a battle, meaning even though he did technically steal it, the sword rightfully belongs to him now, anyway. Heartsbane doesn’t see a whole lot of action, considering Sam isn’t much of a fighter, but it’s likable due to how symbolic it is. Indeed, it represents Sam outgrowing the need for his father’s approval and accepting himself for the man he is.
5
Dark Sister
Owner: Prince Daemon Targaryen
Dark Sister’s role in House of the Dragon differs greatly from its role as described in the lore written by George R. R. Martin. Either way, the general consensus is that it’s one of a few different swords that circulate throughout the Targaryen family, which makes sense because the Targaryens were from Valyria, so it’s only natural that they would have lots of Valyrian Steel swords, right?
In the first season of the show, the sword is shown as belonging to Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), but he only uses it in a tournament against Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). Other than that, there isn’t much of a place for it in House of the Dragon, as Daemon has mostly been a passive character separate from the large-scale action. However, Dark Sister has been used on two memorable occasions: during Daemon’s battle on the Stepstones and to behead Vaemond Velaryon (Wil Johnson) in the Throne Room.
4
Blackfyre
Owner: Prince Aemond “One-Eye” Targaryen
Blackfyre is another ancestral sword of the Targaryen family that appears in House of the Dragon, wielded by King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine). However, it is quickly passed on following his death, later ending up in the hands of his son, Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney). In the second season, the sword would change hands once again as Aegon II is wounded during the Battle at Rook’s Rest, after which it is taken by Aegon’s brother, Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), with whom Blackfyre currently resides.
Blackfyre actually has a really interesting legacy behind it, as it once belonged to none other than Aegon I Targaryen himself, the King responsible for conquering the entirety of Westeros and uniting the realms under the banner of the Seven Kingdoms. He was the first in the royal Targaryen line and an ancient ancestor of some of the most influential characters in both House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. The fact that it is so old and has so much political symbolism behind it easily makes Blackfyre one of the best to be featured thus far.
3
Oathkeeper
Owner: Ser Brienne Tarth
Oathkeeper is a sister sword to Widow’s Wail, forged from the very same source, yet this one has seen much more action. Oathkeeper was created for Ser Jaime Lannister by his father, Tywin (Charles Dance), at the beginning of the fourth season. However, Jaime later forfeits the sword and gives it to his unlikely friend, Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie), as a reminder of the promise that she made to Lady Stark (Michelle Fairley) to protect her children.
Thus, Jaime named the sword “Oathkeeper,” and it has remained in Brienne’s hands ever since. It is with her when Jaime makes her the first female knight in the Seven Kingdoms, and it is with her when she fights alongside him at the Battle of Winterfell. It’s also right by her side as she becomes the leader of the Kingsguard, and to be truthful, there’s no one better. Not only did Brienne keep her oaths to the best of her ability, but she is a fearless, capable fighter who really put the sword to good use in many thrilling duels.
2
Ice
Owner: Lord Eddard Stark
Ice is the enormous broadsword initially wielded by Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark (Sean Bean) throughout the first season of Game of Thrones. Its massive size is a testament to the unwavering strength of House Stark, which is why it’s a sword that has been passed down through the patriarchs for generations. Not only did Ned most likely use it during Robert’s Rebellion, relying on it to win battles against the Mad King, but he also used it to dole out executions in the North, with his personal belief being that whoever sentences someone to death must be the one to actually kill the person.
After Ned’s execution at the hands of the Lannisters (in which Ice was actually the sword used to behead Lord Stark), Ice is kept in the Red Keep until the very beginning of the fourth season, when the Valyrian Steel blade is melted down and reforged. The immense size of the blade allows it to be reforged into two swords, Widow’s Wail and Oathkeeper. Thus, Ice never got the chance to be passed down to its rightful owners, instead becoming a family heirloom for the Lannisters. However, Ice is an iconic piece of the World of Westeros and is synonymous with Ned Stark’s character, making it one of the more memorable ones.
1
Longclaw
Owner: Jon Snow
Longclaw was initially the ancestral family sword of the Mormont family before being passed down to Jon Snow (Kit Harington) by the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, Ser Jeor Mormont (James Cosmo), who took a liking to Snow and personally trained him to be his replacement. It was also a reward for Jon after he saved Ser Mormont’s life from an undead member of the Night’s Watch. Since then, Snow has rarely been seen without it and even uses it to kill his very first White Walker. Initially, it has a bear’s head on its pommel to represent the Mormont’s sigil, but the pommel is later reworked to depict a wolf’s head, fitting of Jon’s strong Stark heritage.
During the Battle of Winterfell, long after Ser Jeor Mormont’s death, Jon attempts to give the sword back to its rightful owner, Ser Mormont’s son Jorah (Iain Glen). However, Jorah has been in exile due to participating in criminal activity, and declines the offer, saying that he forfeited the family sword when he left Westeros. Plus, Jorah’s father wanted Jon to have it, and that’s who it should belong to. From the second season all the way to the finale, Longclaw is a faithful companion for Jon and is easily the best and most iconic sword in Game of Thrones.