Queen of love and beauty

From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
Jump to: navigation, search
Champion's Favour. © FFG

In the Seven Kingdoms, tradition holds that the victor in a tourney may select any woman present and name her the queen of love and beauty, crowning her with a wreath of flowers and dedicating his victory to her.

The victor often chooses a woman he loves or intends to court, and it can be a source of scandal if the victor crowns a woman already bound to another man, or if a married man crowns someone other than his wife.

Past Queens of Love and Beauty

Quotes

Ned remembered the moment when all the smiles died, when Prince Rhaegar Targaryen urged his horse past his own wife, the Dornish Princess Elia Martell, to lay the queen of beauty’s laurel in Lyanna’s lap. He could see it still: a crown of winter roses, blue as frost.[6]

—thoughts of Eddard Stark

Rhaegar had chosen Lyanna Stark of Winterfell. Barristan Selmy would have made a different choice. Not the queen, who was not present. Nor Elia of Dorne, though she was good and gentle; had she been chosen, much war and woe might have been avoided. His choice would have been a young maiden not long at court, one of Elia's companions ... [7]

—thoughts of Barristan Selmy

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Fire & Blood, Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Their Triumphs and Tragedies.
  2. The Rogue Prince.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 24, Bran II.
  4. The Hedge Knight.
  5. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 43, Daenerys VII.
  6. 6.0 6.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 58, Eddard XV.
  7. 7.0 7.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 67, The Kingbreaker.
  8. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 12, Daenerys I.