Arthur Dayne

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House Dayne.svg Ser
Arthur Dayne		Kingsguard.svg
Arthur dayne by bellabergolts.jpg
Arthur Dayne with Dawn, by Bella Bergolts ©
Titles
Allegiances
Culture Dornishmen
Born 260 AC or before[1]
Dorne[2]
Died 283 AC
the tower of joy, Dorne
Books
Played by Luke Roberts
TV series Game of Thrones:
Season 6

Arthur Dayne was a famed and legendary knight from House Dayne and a member of Aerys II Targaryen's Kingsguard. Arthur wielded the Daynes' ancestral sword Dawn and held the prestigious title of the Sword of the Morning,[3] and many considered him to have been the most chivalrous warrior of the Seven Kingdoms.[4]

Arthur was the brother of Lady Ashara Dayne and Lady Allyria Dayne. His nephew, the son of Arthur's unknown older brother, is Edric Dayne, Lord of Starfall.[5]

In the television adaptation Game of Thrones, Arthur is portrayed by Luke Roberts.

Character

See also: Images of Arthur Dayne

According to Catelyn Stark, Arthur was the deadliest of the seven knights of Aerys II Targaryen's Kingsguard.[6] Jaime Lannister, who idolized Arthur,[7] recalls that Arthur was stronger than he.[8] Jon Connington considers Arthur to have been an efficient commander.[9] Eddard Stark recalls Arthur as having been splendid[10] and the finest knight he ever saw.[11]

Arthur was the oldest friend of Rhaegar Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone.[12] Viserys Targaryen considers Arthur to have been the only knight who was Rhaegar's peer.[12]

According to George R. R. Martin, Ser Barristan Selmy and Arthur were evenly matched with regular swords. However, if Arthur wielded Dawn he would beat Barristan.[13]

History

Kingswood Brotherhood

Arthur wielded the greatsword called Dawn as part of his office as Sword of the Morning, carrying it slung across his back.[14] To defeat the Kingswood Brotherhood, he gained the trust of the smallfolk of the kingswood by paying for what he and his forces took and taking their grievances before King Aerys II Targaryen. In the end Arthur slew the Smiling Knight in single combat and ended the threat of the outlaws. Following that victory, he knighted Jaime Lannister, who would later become a sworn brother of the Kingsguard, for valor in the field.[7][15]

Tourney Knight

Arthur was the champion in the tournament in honor of Viserys's birth in 276 AC, defeating Prince Rhaegar Targaryen.[4] In another tourney, Arthur broke twelve lances against Rhaegar, losing to the prince.[16][N 1] At the tourney at Harrenhal in 281 AC, he was defeated by Rhaegar once again.[10]

Robert's Rebellion

According to a semi-canon source,[18] Arthur, along with his other sworn brother Ser Oswell Whent, aided Rhaegar Targaryen in the kidnapping of Lyanna Stark near Harrenhal as the year of the false spring was ending.[19] Robert's Rebellion began shortly after.

After the end of the rebellion, Arthur, Oswell, and Ser Gerold Hightower, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, were found by Lord Eddard Stark at the tower of joy. Arthur died there, fighting Eddard and his companions, but the exact circumstances of his death are unclear.[14] The recorded history describes Arthur as being killed by Lord Eddard in single combat, however.[3] Bran Stark recalls his father, Eddard, describing Arthur as the finest knight he ever saw and elaborating further that Arthur would have killed him if not for Howland Reed.[11]

Stones from the tower of joy were used to build cairns for the fallen upon a nearby ridge.[14] Eddard rode to Starfall, the seat of House Dayne, to return Dawn to Arthur's sister, Lady Ashara Dayne,[6] as a sign of respect.[3]

Legacy

Arthur is remembered as not only a skilled fighter but a valiant and true knight.[7][12][11]

Jaime Lannister, who wanted to be Arthur when he was a boy,[7] still holds Arthur in high regard.[15]

Recent Events

A Game of Thrones

Arthur with Dawn, by Henning Ludvigsen © Fantasy Flight Games

Lord Eddard Stark has a fever dream of Arthur, Ser Oswell Whent, and Ser Gerold Hightower at the tower of joy.[14]

A Storm of Swords

Arya Stark recalls Arthur when Edric Dayne reveals that he is Lord of Starfall to her.[20]

Resting on a weirwood stump, Ser Jaime Lannister dreams of he and Brienne of Tarth being visited by the shades of Arthur, Oswell, Gerold, Ser Jon Darry, Prince Lewyn Martell, and Prince Rhaegar Targaryen in the depths of Casterly Rock.[21]

A Feast for Crows

Princess Myrcella Baratheon recalls Arthur when she is introduced to his cousin, Ser Gerold Dayne. When Myrcella asks if Gerold is now the Sword of the Morning, Darkstar responds no and says that he is "of the night".[22]

During a feast at Darry, Jaime speaks about Arthur's accomplishments against the Kingswood Brotherhood.[15]

A Dance with Dragons

Ser Barristan Selmy, Lord Commander of the Queensguard for Daenerys Targaryen, recalls that Rhaegar had never trusted him the way he did Arthur.[23]

Quotes by Arthur

Arthur Dayne dueling with Eddard Stark

Eddard: I came down on Storm's End to lift the siege, and the Lords Tyrell and Redwyne dipped their banners, and all their knights bent the knee to pledge us fealty. I was certain you would be among them.
Arthur: Our knees do not bend easily.[14]

—Eddard Stark and Arthur in Eddard's dream

Arthur: And now it begins.
Eddard: No. Now it ends.[14]

—Arthur and Eddard Stark in Eddard's dream

Brienne: I swore an oath to keep him safe. I swore a holy oath.
Arthur: We all swore oaths.[21]

—Brienne Tarth and Arthur in Jaime Lannister's dream

Smiling Knight: It's that white sword of yours I want.
Arthur: Then you shall have it, ser.[7]

—Smiling Knight and Arthur

All knights must bleed, Jaime. Blood is the seal of our devotion.[24]

—Arthur to Jaime Lannister

Quotes about Arthur

Arthur with Dawn, by Eldritch-historian ©

They whispered of Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, deadliest of the seven knights of Aerys's Kingsguard, and of how their young lord had slain him in single combat.[6]

—thoughts of Catelyn Stark

The finest knight I ever saw was Ser Arthur Dayne, who fought with a blade called Dawn, forged from the heart of a fallen star. They called him the Sword of the Morning, and he would have killed me but for Howland Reed.[11]

—Eddard Stark to Bran Stark

Arstan: Myles Mooton was Prince Rhaegar's squire, and Richard Lonmouth after him. When they won their spurs, he knighted them himself, and they remained his close companions. Young Lord Connington was dear to the prince as well, but his oldest friend was Arthur Dayne.
Daenerys: The Sword of the Morning! Viserys used to talk about his wondrous white blade. He said Ser Arthur was the only knight in the realm who was our brother's peer.
Arstan: It is not my place to question the words of Prince Viserys.[12]

—Arstan Whitebeard and Daenerys Targaryen

And me, that boy I was ... when did he die, I wonder? When I donned the white cloak? When I opened Aerys's throat? That boy had wanted to be Ser Arthur Dayne, but someplace along the way he had become the Smiling Knight instead.[7]

—thoughts of Jaime Lannister

I learned from the White Bull and Barristan the Bold. I learned from Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, who could have slain all five of you with his left hand while he was taking a piss with the right. I learned from Prince Lewyn of Dorne and Ser Oswell Whent and Ser Jonothor Darry, good men every one.[7]

—Jaime Lannister to Loras Tyrell, Osmund Kettleblack, Balon Swann, Meryn Trant, and Boros Blount

Gerold: My House goes back ten thousand years, unto the dawn of days. Why is it that my cousin is the only Dayne that anyone remembers?
Arys: He was a great knight.
Gerold: He had a great sword.
Arys: And a great heart.[22]

—Gerold Dayne and Arys Oakheart

The Sword of the Morning slew the Smiling Knight, my lady. Ser Arthur Dayne, a better knight than me.[15]

—Jaime Lannister to Amerei Frey

If you want their help, you need to make them love you. That was how Arthur Dayne did it, when we rode against the Kingswood Brotherhood. He paid the smallfolk for the food we ate, brought their grievances to King Aerys, expanded the grazing lands around their villages, even won them the right to fell a certain number of trees each year and take a few of the king's deer during the autumn. The forest folk had looked to Toyne to defend them, but Ser Arthur did more for them than the Brotherhood could ever hope to do, and won them to our side. After that, the rest was easy.[15]

—Jaime Lannister to Lyle Crakehall

Family

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lord Dayne
 
Unknown
wife
 
Arthur
 
Ashara
 
Allyria
 
 
Gerold
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Edric
 


Behind the Scenes

Arthur Dayne may have been inspired by King Arthur, the legendary wielder of the magical sword Excalibur. Martin is a keen reader of the Matter of Britain.[25]

Before writing The Hedge Knight for the Legends anthology, George R. R. Martin considered writing a novella about Arthur Dayne.[26]

Notes

  1. ↑ According to Barristan Selmy, it was Lord Steffon's tourney at Storm's End, however Barristan conflated in his memory events that happened at two or three different tourneys.[17]

References

  1. ↑ See the Arthur Dayne calculation
  2. ↑ George R. R. Martin's A World of Ice and Fire, Arthur Dayne.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The World of Ice & Fire, Dorne: The Andals Arrive.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II.
  5. ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 43, Arya VIII.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 6, Catelyn II.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 67, Jaime VIII.
  8. ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 21, Jaime III.
  9. ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 24, The Lost Lord.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 58, Eddard XV.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 21, Bran III.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 8, Daenerys I.
  13. ↑ So Spake Martin: The Sword of the Morning vs. Barristan the Bold, September 3, 2011
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 39, Eddard X.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 30, Jaime IV.
  16. ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 42, Daenerys IV.
  17. ↑ So Spake Martin: Some Continuity Oddities, February 12, 2001
  18. ↑ George R. R. Martin's A World of Ice and Fire, Rhaegar Targaryen.
  19. ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Fall of the Dragons: The Year of the False Spring.
  20. ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 38, Tyrion V.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 44, Jaime VI.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 21, The Queenmaker.
  23. ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 67, The Kingbreaker.
  24. ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 8, Jaime I.
  25. ↑ Not a Blog: Life After Death (August 26, 2020)
  26. ↑ George R. R. Martin (October 10, 2024). A Tourney at Ashford. Not A Blog.
Unknown
Last known title holder:
Ulrick Dayne 		Sword of the Morning In abeyance

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