[Valyrian steel — Lore]
Later, Othor's corpse becomes a wight and attacks Mormont. Jon saves Mormont's life by burning the wight, earning a pardon for his earlier misdemeanor. Mormont also gives Jon his Valyrian steel sword, Longclaw - given that his own son Jorah fled into exile and left it behind. Jon ponders abandoning the Watch to join Robb's army when it marches against the Lannisters , but Aemon tells him that he chose to stay with the Watch when he was similarly tested - as he is secretly a long-forgotten great uncle of the Mad King, and was once known as Aemon Targaryen , but his entire family was killed at the end of Robert's Rebellion.
However, as they are preparing to leave, they are all attacked by an army of wights. Jon fights his way to the hut to retrieve the dragonglass daggers, but he is ambushed by a White Walker. They fight for a while and Jon is almost killed until he retrieves Longclaw. To the surprise of both Jon and the White Walker, Longclaw doesn't shatter from the cold of the Walker's weapon when he uses it to parry his attack - because it is made of Valyrian steel , forged with dragon-fire and spells. Jon quickly regains his ground and slashes the White Walker with it, making it shatter into a cloud of ice particles, and revealing that the White Walkers can also be killed by Valyrian steel.
After losing his hand and confessing the real reason he killed Aerys to Brienne, Jaime begins to redevelop a sense of personal honor once again as he reevaluates his past and future. In no small part to Brienne's influence, Jaime begins to see his father for who he really is and begins to wonder if there are ideals worth fighting for. To this end, he outfits Brienne with new armor and even gifts her the Valyrian steel sword reforged from Ice so that Brienne can fulfill her oath to Catelyn. Jaime himself is more mindful of the promises he makes, and eventually tries offering his solemn oath in certain circumstances, treated with understandable skepticism by the likes of Edmure. Jaime's new outlook develops to the point where he is disgusted with Cersei for stabbing Daenerys's faction in the back, and announces his intention to keep his own promises (although the undead horror bearing down on the Seven Kingdoms clearly has something to do with it).
Sansa brings Arya to Bran in the godswood , where he is lost in thought by the Weirwood heart tree. Arya is saddened to see him paralyzed. Still somewhat detached even at the sight of Arya, Bran says he isn't surprised she's alive because he saw her at the Crossroads. Arya is confused, and Sansa explains that Bran is having "visions" now. Bran says he thought Arya was going to King's Landing, and when Sansa asks why she would head there of all places, he again startles them both by saying it's because Cersei is on her list of names (which he can't possibly be aware of through normal means). Sansa asks who else is on her list, but she says most of them besides Cersei are actually dead already. They then remark on the Valyrian steel dagger in his lap, and he explains that Littlefinger gave it to him, thinking he'd want it. Despite it being such a horrible keepsake that nearly killed him and indirectly set off a chain of events leading to his parents' deaths, he is still listless and disinterested in it. Arya is confused as to why a common cutthroat would have a rare, priceless blade of Valyrian steel. Bran matter-of-factly says that someone very wealthy wanted him dead, and gave it to the assassin. Bran says that doesn't matter and hands it to Arya, saying she can have it because it's "wasted on a cripple." The three trueborn Stark children, finally reunited, proceed back to Winterfell's castle courtyard, with Arya pushing Bran in his wheelchair.
Some time later, Brienne is going through a vigorous sword practice session with Podrick, knocking him down when he overextends himself. Impressed, Arya interrupts and says she'd like to spar with Brienne - the woman who beat the Hound in combat. Sansa and Littlefinger watch on silently from the walkway above. Brienne goes easy on her at first, but then Arya completely outmaneuvers Brienne using the water dance training she received from Syrio Forel, augmented by her training with the Faceless Men. Arya achieves many openings that would be a killing blow if she wanted them to be. Surprised that such a young girl is so skilled, Brienne stops holding back, leading to a grueling sparring session. Brienne actually manages to knock Needle out of Arya's hand but she simply switches to the Valyrian steel dagger she had in her belt. Arya uses her speed and agility to compensate for Brienne's strength and size to overwhelm her - until Brienne actually manages to bring her brute strength to bear on a fast moving target by landing a kick on Arya's chest that sends her sprawling. Brienne stops for a moment as Arya lies motionless, shocked at what she has done to a noblewoman. However, Arya swings her legs around and jumps up, causing Brienne to grin in relief. Ultimately, they reach a stalemate, with each of them holding a blade at the others' throat. Arya takes her leave of Brienne, both mutually impressed, as Sansa looks down baffled at how her sister reached such a deadly skill level. Arya then looks up at the battlements, where Petyr watched her duel with Brienne, giving him an untrustworthy stare until he walks away.
In her bedchamber, Arya finds Sansa looking through her bag, which is full of her faces from Braavos. Confronting her sister, Arya toys with Sansa, insisting that they play the "game of faces", hoping to catch her in a lie and expose her disloyalty to Jon. Sansa, unwilling to play, instead insists that Arya explain the nature of her faces. Arya reveals that with the faces, she can be whomever she wants to be. Grasping her Valyrian steel catspaw dagger, she approaches her sister in a somewhat threatening manner, wondering aloud what it might feel like to wear pretty silk dresses and be the Lady of Winterfell should she take Sansa's face. Arya then hands her the dagger and promptly heads out the door, leaving her sister visibly disturbed.
Arya is summoned to the Great Hall for a meeting with her sister and sees Bran and Sansa seated at the head of the great table, with Littlefinger smirking in the crowd. Sansa proceeds to list a series of crimes against House Stark... and directs them to Baelish, not Arya. Arya watches with satisfaction as Sansa and Bran turn the tables on Littlefinger and finally call him into account for his crimes, with Arya herself reminding Petyr that her new Valyrian steel dagger originally belonged to him. When Baelish's attempts to manipulate the situation turn to pleading, Arya moves in and slits his throat with his own dagger at Sansa's direction. Later, Arya and Sansa discuss their pasts, Arya saying that she couldn't have survived what Sansa survived. Sansa says she thinks Arya could have, Arya being the strongest person she knows. They then discuss the execution and the survival of their House, finally reaching an accord to play to each other's strengths - like the wolves of their sigil, they will survive as a pack.
Alone, Arya and Gendry exchange banter, recalling their past time together and she asks him to craft a special weapon for her. Although skeptical, Gendry agrees. Arya shows him her dagger of Valyrian steel, and he playfully replies that he always knew she was just another highborn girl. Before leaving, Arya cheekily shoots back that Gendry doesn't know any other highborn girls.
Sansa and Arya remark on the Valyrian steel dagger in Bran's lap, and Bran explains that Littlefinger gave it to him. Arya is confused as to why a common cutthroat would have a rare, priceless blade of Valyrian steel. Bran matter-of-factly says that someone very wealthy wanted him dead, and gave it to the assassin. Sansa is mistrustful of Littlefinger and explains Littlefinger would never give anyone anything unless he was expecting something in return. Bran says that doesn't matter because he doesn't want it. Instead, Bran hands the blade to Arya and says she can have it because he feels it's "wasted on a cripple." Sansa looks down. Sansa, Bran, and Arya - three of the remaining Stark children - proceed back to Winterfell's castle courtyard together, with Arya pushing Bran in his wheelchair.
At a breakfast celebration on his wedding day, Joffrey receives various gifts. Among them, he is given a book by his uncle Tyrion , and a Valyrian steel sword forged from Ned Stark 's sword Ice by his grandfather Tywin . Pleased with the gift, he promptly destroys the book with his new sword, to the horror of his guests. He says the sword needs a name; one guest suggests " Widow's Wail ", which gains Joffrey's approval, reminiscing that it will remind him of his execution of Eddard.
When Baelish tries to deny the charges, Bran reminds Petyr that he held a knife to Ned's throat and repeats what Petyr told Ned: "I did warn you not to trust me," at which the stunned Petyr fails to muster any type of defense. Arya, holding the Valyrian steel dagger that was given to the catspaw to kill Bran, who had himself been gifted the dagger by Petyr in an attempt of manipulating him, who passed it along to Arya due to its uselessness is his hands, reminds him that he told their mother the weapon belonged to Tyrion, but deduces it was Petyr's all along.
Jaime’s dilemma to fulfill his oath to Catelyn becomes even more complicated when Joffrey is later fatally poisoned at his own wedding and Sansa flees with Dontos Hollard in the commotion. A vengeful Cersei summons Jaime to her chambers, inquiring why Catelyn set him free. Jaime replies that he swore by all the gods that if Catelyn’s daughters were still alive, he would return them to their mother. Cersei continues grilling Jaime to determine if he has no loyalty to Catelyn, asking if he would bring her Sansa’s head, but Jaime remains silent. He later tasks Brienne with finding Sansa to keeping her safe from those who would hand her over to Cersei, giving her the Valyrian steel sword that his father had reforged from Ned’s own sword Ice . Before departing, Brienne names the sword " Oathkeeper " and vows to find Sansa, for the sake of Jaime and Lady Catelyn.
Dragonglass is a common name in the known world for the substance known as obsidian , a form of volcanic glass. Along with Valyrian steel , it is one of the two known substances capable of killing White Walkers . It is also capable of killing wights. In Old Valyria , it was known as zīrtys perzys , which translates to " frozen fire ."
Valyrian steel is an alloy of primarily iron that was forged in the days of the mighty Valyrian Freehold . When fashioned into bladed weapons, the steel can hold an especially keen edge, remaining sharp forever without the need for honing.
Aside from its sharpness, Valyrian steel is recognizable by its strength and light weight in comparison to ordinary steel, as well as by a distinctive rippled pattern visible in blades made from it. Along with dragonglass , Valyrian steel is one of the few known substances that can kill White Walkers , although this property is not widely known, apparently not even to the White Walkers themselves. Since the destruction of Valyria, the majority of the surviving Valyrian steel weapons serve as heirlooms in the various noble houses of Westeros .
Like much of the Freehold's recorded knowledge, the secret of forging Valyrian steel was lost in the Doom of Valyria . After this point, creating new Valyrian steel weapons became impossible, so the original method can only be speculated: Some stories claim that the metal was imbued with magic spells and forged with dragonfire, though no one can confirm or deny this. Whatever the case, the material was expensive even during the Freehold's apex, so by the time of the Doom, Valyrian steel swords such as House Stark's Ice were already valued heirlooms passed down from one generation to the next in powerful noble families.
Skilled smiths can reforge Valyrian steel weapons by melting down existing ones, but it's a difficult process. The master-blacksmiths of Qohor are among the very few who can accomplish this feat, but even they don't know how to create entirely new Valyrian steel, and are famously secretive about how the reforging process works. Two smaller Valyrian steel swords can be made out of a larger greatsword, or a large greatsword made by melting down multiple smaller swords, but the amount of Valyrian steel in the world is finite and extremely rare.
Some maesters bear a Valyrian steel link in their chain, a sign that said maester has studied the "higher mysteries" - magic . This field of study, however, is mostly theoretical, and its primary purpose is to demonstrate that magic, if it ever existed, is now extinct.
While rare, Valyrian steel armor also exists. Aegon the Conqueror famously wore Valyrian steel armor during the Conquest . Afterward, it was worn by his namesake King Aegon II Targaryen during the Dance of the Dragons . Valyrian steel armor is believed to be incredibly expensive, and worth more than a castle.
In A Song of Ice and Fire novels, only the blacksmiths of Qohor are skilled enough to reforge Valyrian steel. The Season 4 premiere of the TV series, however, oddly had Tywin say that only three men in the known world know how to reforge it, and that he hired a blacksmith from Volantis to reforge Ice into two other swords. In the books, Ice was reforged by Tobho Mott , a Qohorik master blacksmith who moved to King's Landing years ago, and to whom Gendry was apprenticed. This is all the more strange because Mott was actually introduced in the TV series in Seasons 1 and 2, so it is unclear why the TV series would then shift away from this plot point (it's possible that the actor was unavailable for Season 4). Either way, the Histories & Lore animated short from the Season 2 Blu-ray set had already stated that it is the blacksmiths of Qohor who are famed for their ability to reforge Valyrian steel.
According to legend, Valyrian steel was forged with dragon-fire and infused with magical spells - some say with bloodmagic , literally requiring "fire and blood" (like House Targaryen 's motto). Having been forged with dragon fire, Valyrian steel is incredibly resistant to damage from normal fire.
As in the series, the maesters of the Citadel possess some meager skill with the material, if only to provide Valyrian steel links to the few maesters who study magic . Only 1 in about 100 Maesters has a Valyrian steel link in his chain, and the archmaester of the field also possesses a ring, a rod, and a mask made from the metal. The rarity of such links isn't because it's a difficult practice to master, but because most Maesters are notoriously anti-magic, while others even refuse to believe such a force still exists in the world, or that it ever did to begin with.
Although Valyrian steel blades are scarce and costly, several hundred of them are known to exist in the world, approximately two hundred in Westeros alone. Most of them are swords, but there are a few daggers and axes as well. Valyrian steel can be identified by its unusual dusky color, distinctive rippled pattern, and the extreme sharpness of the blade.
Suits of armor can also be fashioned of Valyrian steel, and would have been worth a kingdom even before the Doom. While Valyrian steel swords are rare in Westeros, Valyrian steel armors are even rarer - Euron Greyjoy is the only known person in Westeros who possesses such armor, which is enough to convince even his enemies that he has indeed successfully returned alive from the ruins of Valyria. It is never mentioned in the books whether Aegon the Conqueror ever wore armor made of Valyrian steel. His armor consisted of a shirt of black scales of an unspecified metal, but he did wear a Valyrian steel circlet and wielded Blackfyre , a bastard sword forged from Valyrian steel.
The only known weaknesses of White Walkers are weapons made of dragonglass or valyrian steel . Upon being stabbed by dragonglass, a White Walker's body will begin to freeze into ice from the point at which it was stabbed, causing the Walker great pain. Finally, it will begin to crack and fall apart, eventually shattering into ice. Valyrian steel has the same effect, but works much more rapidly. These materials are also resistant to being frozen and shattered on contact with White Walkers, unlike regular weapons.
Any injury, no matter how minor or significant from weapons made of dragonglass or Valyrian steel, will result in their death and the deaths of all creatures they have reanimated. Because of this, White Walkers tend to stay behind their undead wights or far away from conflict.
In the fourth novel, Jon and Sam find literary references to "dragonsteel", which is also lethal to Others, and assume (but have not yet confirmed) that it refers to Valyrian steel. In the series, Jon discovers quite by accident that Valyrian steel is indeed deadly to White Walkers.
After a Small Council concludes, Rhaenyra and Ser Harrold head to the throne room, where they find Prince Daemon sitting on the Iron Throne. Ser Harrold is shocked by such disrespect, but Rhaenyra, used to her uncle's flippancy, is more amused. Rhaenyra and Daemon converse in High Valyrian , with Daemon, in his own words, noting the irony of Viserys throwing a tournament for his benefit (since until Viserys actually has a son, Daemon is his heir by law) before gifting his niece a bejeweled necklace of Valyrian steel .