Beast helms are elaborately shaped helmets used by some warriors.[1]
History
Ser Lyonel Baratheon, the Laughing Storm, wore a helm with a rack of iron antlers at the tourney at Ashford Meadow, and later during Duncan the Tall's trial of seven at the tourney. Prince Valarr Targaryen wore a three-headed dragon-crested helm at the tourney. His armor and helm were later borrowed by his father, Prince Baelor, for the trial of seven.[2]
Steely Pate was a blacksmith who refused to make beast helms, saying his plain ones were more protective.[2]
The helm of Ser Lucas Inchfield was decorated with an onyx spider to represent House Webber.[3]
At the wedding tourney at Whitewalls, Ser Tommard Heddle wore a helm shaped like the head of a scaled and slavering demon. Ser Buford Bulwer, the "Old Ox", wore a helm with black bull's horns.[4]
Ser Oswell Whent wore a distinctive helmet emblazoned with a black bat with its wings spread, symbolizing House Whent.[5]
Lord Robert Baratheon wore his great antlered helm during the Battle of the Trident, where he dealt the killing blow against Rhaegar Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone.[6] Not long after, Lord Eddard Stark rode into the throne room to claim the crown for Robert, but found Ser Jaime Lannister of the Kingsguard already sitting on the Iron Throne, wearing a helm fashioned in the shape of a lion's head.[7]
Recent Events
A Game of Thrones
Sandor Clegane, Prince Joffrey Baratheon's sworn shield, wears a distinctive helm shaped like the head of a snarling hound.[8]
Sansa Stark recognizes Lord Renly Baratheon because of his antlered helmet and his youth.[9] When Renly is unhorsed by Sandor Clegane at the Hand's tourney, one of the golden tines of his antlered helm breaks off, and he graciously offers it to the victor. However, Sandor tosses the bit of gold into the crowd, who begin to fight for it, until Renly walks out among them to restore the peace.[10] The following day, Sandor unhorses Ser Jaime Lannister, whose ornate lion helmet is dented in his fall, preventing him from getting it off, so he has to be led off the field to a blacksmith.[11]
Lord Eddard Stark, the Hand of the King, visits the shop of Tobho Mott, a master armorer who claims that he can make a direwolf helm so real that children would run from him. When asked if he had made a falcon helm for Jon Arryn, Tobho Mott replies that he did not receive Lord Arryn's patronage. Tobho later introduces Ned to his apprentice Gendry, who has made a rounded and curved steel helm shaped like a bull's head, with a slit visor and two great curving metal horns.[12][13] Eddard compliments the helmet, offering to purchase it, but Gendry refuses, to the shame of Tobho.[12]
In Tyrion Lannister's trial by combat, the champion of Lysa Arryn, Ser Vardis Egen, wears a helm whose temples are decorated with falcon's wings, and his visor is a pointed metal beak.[14]
Products offered in the Western Market of Vaes Dothrak include helms in the shapes of fanciful beasts.[15]
Ser Flement Brax is wearing his single-horned horsehead helm when he leads a party of mounted horsemen to challenge Tyrion Lannister and the clansmen accompanying him near the inn at the crossroads.[16]
A Clash of Kings
Patchface, the fool at Dragonstone, wears a mock helm fashioned from an old tin bucket, with a rack of deer antlers strapped to the crown and hung with cowbells. After Patchface collides with Maester Cressen, causing the old man to fall, Melisandre places the fool's belled helm on Cressen's head, which the maester removes until Stannis Baratheon insists he wear it.[17]
Tyrion Lannister, now the acting Hand of the King, visits the shop of Salloreon, a master armorer who claims that he can make a demon's head for a helm, crowned with tall golden horns.[18]
King Renly Baratheon wears a helm crowned by a great rack of golden antlers.[19]
While traveling to the Wall with Yoren's last Night's Watch recruitment group, Gendry is constantly polishing his horned helm, but never wears it. Lommy nicknames him "the Bull".[20][13] During the fight at the holdfast, Gendry wears his bull helm.[21] It is taken from him when he, Arya, and Hot Pie are captured by the Mountain's men,[22] who only spared Gendry because he admitted that he had forged his helmet himself, as blacksmiths are too valuable to be killed. Because Dunsen takes Gendry's bull helm, he is added to Arya's list of people she hates and wants to kill.[23] Polliver is seen wearing Gendry's bull helm as the standard bearer of Ser Gregor Clegane when the army of Lord Tywin Lannister departs Harrenhal.[24] When Gendry refuses to help Arya free the newly-arrived northern prisoners, Arya tells him to put mule's ears instead of bull's horns in the next helm he makes.[25]
During the Battle of the Blackwater, the left ear on his hound helm is sliced off, and the soot-colored steel is scorched and dented.[26] When King Joffrey holds court and grants honors to his supporters after the Battle, Lord Tywin Lannister rides into the throne room on his warhorse and wearing his greathelm fashioned in the shape of a roaring lion with ruby eyes.[27]
During the battle outside the gates of Winterfell, Ramsay Snow wears a rounded red helm and gorget that resembles the face and shoulders of a skinless and bloody man whose mouth is open in a silent scream.[28]
A Feast for Crows
Victarion Greyjoy wears his kraken helm during the taking of the Shields.[29]
Based on eyewitness reports of his helm,[30] the Hound led the savage raid on Saltpans.[31] At the Quiet Isle, however, the Elder Brother informs Brienne of Tarth that he had buried Sandor himself and placed the Hound helm atop the grave, and that a traveler must have taken the helm for himself.[32]
At the crossroads inn, Brienne and her companions encounter broken men from the Brave Companions who are led by Rorge, who had taken the Hound helm from Sandor's gravesite and led the raid on Saltpans. Brienne slays this new Hound in a duel.[33] Despite the objections of Thoros of Myr, Lem Lemoncloak wears the helm he took from Rorge's corpse.[34]
Known beast helms
- Antlered helm of Ser Lyonel Baratheon[2]
- Great antlered helm of Lord Robert Baratheon[6]
- Antlered helm of Lord Renly Baratheon[9][10]
- Antlered mock helm of Patchface[17]
- Bat helm of Ser Oswell Whent[5]
- Bull helm of Gendry[12]
- Bull-horned helm of Ser Buford Bulwer[4]
- Demon helm of Ser Tommard Heddle[4]
- Dragon-crested helm of Prince Valarr Targaryen[2]
- Eagle helm by Lord Jason Mallister[10][35]
- Falcon helm of Lord Jon Arryn (donned by Vardis Egen)[14]
- Goat helm of Vargo Hoat[36]
- Hound helm of Sandor Clegane[8]
- Kraken helm of Victarion Greyjoy[29]
- Lion helm of Ser Jaime Lannister[11]
- Lion greathelm of Lord Tywin Lannister[27]
- Raven-winged helm of Bluetooth[37]
- Raven-winged helm of Mance Rayder[38]
- Spider helm of Ser Lucas Inchfield[3]
- Unicorn helm of Ser Flement Brax[16]
Quotes
They had come together at the ford of the Trident while the battle crashed around them, Robert with his warhammer and his great antlered helm, the Targaryen prince armored all in black. On his breastplate was the three-headed dragon of his House, wrought all in rubies that flashed like fire in the sunlight.[6]
—thoughts of Eddard Stark
It was fashioned in the likeness of a snarling black hound, fearsome to behold, but Tyrion had always thought it a great improvement over Clegane's hideously burned face.[8]
—thoughts of Tyrion Lannister
He was seated on the Iron Throne, high above his knights, wearing a helm fashioned in the shape of a lion's head. How he glittered![7]
The direwolf is the sigil of House Stark, is it not? I could fashion a direwolf helm so real that children will run from you in the street.[12]
A party of mounted horsemen rode forward to challenge them as they approached the stakes. The knight who led them wore silver armor inlaid with amethysts and a striped purple-and-silver cloak. His shield bore a unicorn sigil, and a spiral horn two feet long jutted up from the brow of his horsehead helm.[16]
—thoughts of Tyrion Lannister
Joffrey's father King Robert had worn antlers on his helm... but so did his uncle Lord Renly, Robert's brother, who had turned traitor and crowned himself king.[39]
—thoughts of Sansa Stark
Then he'd go off to polish his helm. It was a beautiful helm, rounded and curved, with a slit visor and two great metal bull's horns. Arya would watch him polish the metal with an oilcloth, shining it so bright you could see the flames of the cookfire reflected in the steel. Yet he never actually put it on his head.[13]
—thoughts of Arya Stark
The white roses drew back, as men always did at the sight of Victarion Greyjoy armed and armored, his face hidden behind his kraken helm.[29]
—thoughts of Victarion Greyjoy
There is nothing good about that helm, nor the men who wore it. Sandor Clegane was a man in torment, and Rorge a beast in human skin.[34]
—Thoros of Myr to Lem
To the mix I have also added a few pure fantasy constructs -- the elaborately shaped "beast" helms worn by Jaime Lannister, Sandor Clegane, and a few other champions of note, wrought in the shape of maned lions, snarling dogs, or what have you.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 So Spake Martin: Yet More Questions (July 22, 2001).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 The Hedge Knight.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Sworn Sword.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Mystery Knight.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 39, Eddard X.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 4, Eddard I.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 12, Eddard II.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 9, Tyrion I.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 15, Sansa I.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 29, Sansa II.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 30, Eddard VII.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 27, Eddard VI.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 9, Arya III.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 40, Catelyn VII.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 54, Daenerys VI.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 56, Tyrion VII.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 A Clash of Kings, Prologue.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 15, Tyrion III.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 22, Catelyn II.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 1, Arya I.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 14, Arya IV.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 19, Arya V.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 26, Arya VI.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 38, Arya VIII.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 47, Arya IX.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 59, Tyrion XIII.
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 65, Sansa VIII.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 66, Theon VI.
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 29, The Reaver.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 27, Jaime III.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 25, Brienne V.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 31, Brienne VI.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 37, Brienne VII.
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 42, Brienne VIII.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 14, Catelyn II.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 30, Arya VII.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 24, Theon II.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 15, Jon II.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 2, Sansa I.