Peace banner

A peace banner is a rainbow-striped flag with seven long tails, sometimes on a staff topped by a seven-pointed star.^[1]

Culture

Carrying a peace banner indicates the party is unarmed, intending to surrender, or wants to negotiate.^[2]^[3] Those carrying a peace banner are not to be attacked, nor are they allowed to attack.^[4]^[5] Violating this practice is considered highly dishonorable and treacherous.^[6]^[7] Bearers of a peace banner who break the peace forfeit its protection.^[8]

The seven colors of the rainbow are important to the Faith of the Seven, so their peace banner is rainbow-striped flag. The people of the North do not worship the Seven, so they may use a different sort of peace banner, but its color and design is unknown.^[1]

History

Aegon's Conquest

After the river lords joined Aegon I Targaryen, King Harren the Black took refuge in his supposedly impregnable stronghold of Harrenhal. Aegon met Harren at the gates, under a peace banner to parley, asking him to yield, but Harren refused to do so. Descending from the sky atop Balerion, Aegon used dragonflame against the great castle, and Harren and his sons died in the burning of Harrenhal.^[2]

When Queen Rhaenys Targaryen flew Meraxes into Storm's End to parley, Argella Durrandon announced that they would die to the last man, but her garrison refused to share the same fate of Harrenhal and revolted, raising a peace banner and delivering Argella to Targaryen's camp, gagged, chained, and naked.^[2]

Dance of the Dragons

Following the coronation of Rhaenyra Targaryen, King Aegon II Targaryen declared her a traitor and demanded their execution, but he was persuaded by his mother Alicent Hightower and his sister-wife Helaena Targaryen to dispatch Grand Master Orwyle to Dragonstone with a retinue under a peace banner, offering Rhaenyra "generous terms", which she refused.^[9]

King Aegon II was eventually murdered by his own men, after which Lord Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenyra's son Prince Aegon rode forth from the city under a peace banner to yield King's Landing to the army of Lord Kermit Tully.^[3] Aegon the Younger inherited the throne as King Aegon III Targaryen in 131 AC.^[10]^[3]^[11]

Conquest of Dorne

King Daeron I Targaryen began his conquest of Dorne in 157 AC, and the lords submitted in Sunspear in 158 AC. However, the smallfolk continued to rebel against Targaryen rule, and Daeron had to return to Dorne with a fresh army. In 161 AC, the Dornishmen agreed to meet to discuss terms and renew their fealty. However, in a treacherous betrayal, the Dornish attacked the Young Dragon and his retinue beneath a peace banner. The eighteen-year-old king died with Blackfyre in his hand, surrounded by a dozen enemies. Three knights of the Kingsguard were slain while defending him, one yielded, and one was captured after slaying two of the betrayers.^[7]

Recent history

According to a semi-canon source, during the Reyne-Tarbeck revolt in 261 AC, Ser Kevan Lannister approached Tarbeck Hall under a peace banner to demand House Tarbeck's surrender. However, Lady Ellyn Tarbeck laughed at him, telling him her brothers were also lions, with claws as sharp as his.^[12]

Recent Events

A Clash of Kings

In Riverrun, King Robb Stark frees his hostage, Ser Cleos Frey, and sends him to King's Landing with a thirty-man escort under a peace banner, to bring a message of negotiation to Queen Cersei Lannister and King Joffrey Baratheon.^[4]

Despite carrying a peace banner, Cleos Frey's party is attacked twice by broken men in the riverlands, suffering three dead and six wounded.^[5]

Cleos brings the bones of Lord Eddard Stark to Riverrun, along with an honor guard of twenty House Lannister guardsmen. Despite arriving under Cleos's peace banner, four of the red cloaks are false envoys sent by Tyrion Lannister in a scheme to free his brother Jaime from his Riverrun captivity.^[13]^[6] After the plot fails, the infiltrators are hanged, Jaime is moved to Riverrun's dungeon along with the rest of the honor guard, while Cleos, who was ignorant of the plot, is imprisoned in the tower cell previously occupied by Jaime.^[6]

Cley Cerwyn comes to the Winterfell walls with a peace banner, announcing to Theon Greyjoy that Rodrik Cassel wishes to parley with him. However, Ramsay Snow has Cley slain by Bolton men at the battle at the winter town in front of the castle, and his corpse is presented to Theon with an arrow in his eye.^[14]

A Storm of Swords

Ser Jaime Lannister is escorted from Harrenhal to King's Landing by Steelshanks Walton, whose party includes Nage, who bears the peace banner for the guards, a seven-tailed rainbow banner with the staff topped by a seven-pointed star. Though it is a banner of the Seven, the northmen use it as they wish to travel peacefully through the south.^[1]

After his son and heir, Ser Marq Piper, is captured at the Red Wedding, Lord Clement Piper sends men under a peace banner to King's Landing to bend the knee to the Iron Throne in his stead.^[15]

A Dance with Dragons

Theon Greyjoy travels to the siege of Moat Cailin under a peace banner to present Ramsay Bolton's terms of rendition to the ironborn garrison guarding its three towers.^[16]

Josmyn Peckledon carries the peace banner when Jaime Lannister's band arrives at Raventree Hall to resolve the siege of Raventree.^[17]

Quotes

Aegon: Yield now, and you may remain as Lord of the Iron Islands. Yield now, and your sons will live to rule after you. I have eight thousand men outside your walls.
Harren: What is outside my walls is of no concern to me. Those walls are strong and thick.
Aegon: But not so high as to keep out dragons. Dragons fly.
Harren: I built in stone. Stone does not burn.
Aegon: When the sun sets, your line shall end.^[2]
—Aegon I Targaryen and King Harren the Black, under a peace banner

It is bad in the riverlands, Tyrion. Around the Gods Eye and along the kingsroad especially. The river lords are burning their own crops to try and starve us, and your father's foragers are torching every village they take and putting the smallfolk to the sword. Even with a peace banner, we were attacked twice. Wolves in mail, hungry to savage anyone weaker than themselves. The gods alone know what side they started on, but they're on their own side now.^[5]
—Cleos Frey, to Tyrion Lannister

Ser Cleos, you forfeited the protection of your peace banner when your men played us false. Lie to me, and you'll hang from the walls beside them.^[8]
—Catelyn Stark, to Cleos Frey

Jaime: Shouldn't you northmen have a different sort of peace banner? What are the Seven to you?
Walton: Southern gods, but it's a southron peace we need, to get you safe to your father.^[1]
—Jaime Lannister and Steelshanks Walton

Behind the scenes

The peace banner is based on the real-world sign of truce, protection, and negotiation, the white flag. It is unknown if any culture in A Song of Ice and Fire uses a white flag as a peace banner.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 44, Jaime VI.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 The World of Ice & Fire, The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - The Short, Sad Reign of Aegon II.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 7, Catelyn I.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 20, Tyrion V.
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 39, Catelyn V.
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Daeron I.
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 45, Catelyn VI.
↑ Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - The Blacks and the Greens.
↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon III.
↑ Fire & Blood, Aftermath - The Hour of the Wolf.
↑ The World of Ice & Fire: The Westerlands (unabridged). georgerrmartin.com
↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 25, Tyrion VI.
↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 66, Theon VI.
↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 62, Jaime VII.
↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 20, Reek II.
↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 48, Jaime I.

[Rasos44{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 44, Jaime VI.

[Rtwoiafthe_reign_of_the_dragons:_the_conquest{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 The World of Ice & Fire, The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest.

[Rfabthe_dying_of_the_dragons_-_the_short,_sad_reign_of_aegon_ii{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - The Short, Sad Reign of Aegon II.

[Racok7{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-4] 4.0 ^4.1 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 7, Catelyn I.

[Racok20{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-5] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 20, Tyrion V.

[Racok39{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-6] 6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 39, Catelyn V.

[Rtwoiafthe_targaryen_kings:_daeron_i{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-7] 7.0 ^7.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Daeron I.

[Racok45{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-8] 8.0 ^8.1 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 45, Catelyn VI.

[Rfabthe_dying_of_the_dragons_-_the_blacks_and_the_greens{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-9] Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - The Blacks and the Greens.

[Rtwoiafthe_targaryen_kings:_aegon_iii{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-10] The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon III.

[Rfabaftermath_-_the_hour_of_the_wolf{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-11] Fire & Blood, Aftermath - The Hour of the Wolf.

[sample-12] The World of Ice & Fire: The Westerlands (unabridged). georgerrmartin.com

[Racok25{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-13] A Clash of Kings, Chapter 25, Tyrion VI.

[Racok66{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-14] A Clash of Kings, Chapter 66, Theon VI.

[Rasos62{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-15] A Storm of Swords, Chapter 62, Jaime VII.

[Radwd20{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-16] A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 20, Reek II.

[Radwd48{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-17] A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 48, Jaime I.

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