Pearl

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Pearls are gemstones created within shelled mollusks. Mother-of-pearl, or nacre, is an inner shell layer of the same material.

Culture

The Summer Isles are rich in pearls of many sorts. The Pearl Palace is the seat of the Prince of Koj.[1]

Only the god-emperor is allowed to wear the traditional gowns of cloth-of-gold, green pearls, and jade in Yi Ti.[2]

Altars in septs can be inlaid with onyx, mother-of-pearl, and lapis lazuli.[3]

Prince Tommen Baratheon has a doublet with the prancing stag of House Baratheon sewn in pearls.[4]

Black pearls are among the decorations on the maester's chain of Grand Maester Pycelle.[5]

The helm of Ser Marlon Manderly depicts the merling king with a crown of mother-of-pearl.[6]

Princess Arianne Martell has a veil of green and yellow silk decorated with small green pearls.[7]

The figurehead on the prow of Silence depicts a mouth-less maiden with eyes of mother-of-pearl and hair of black iron.[8]

The most storied and infamous courtesans of Braavos are known as the Black Pearls.[9]

Illyrio Mopatis has a green pearl among his various rings.[10] Lysono Maar decorates his ears with amethysts and pearls.[11]

According to the Ghiscari, pearls signify fertility.[12] The tokar of Grazdan mo Ullhor is fringed with fat white pearls which clank,[13] while the purple tokar of Hizdahr zo Loraq is fringed with amethysts and pearls.[14] Ghael wears ropes of pearls and spun gold on his neck.[15]

History

The legendary God-on-Earth is said to have traveled in a palanquin carved from a single pearl and carried by his hundred queens. His eldest son succeeded him in ruling the Great Empire of the Dawn as the Pearl Emperor.[2] The pearl-white emperors were a dynasty who ruled the Golden Empire of Yi Ti. Lo Tho allegedly ate the living brains of his enemies with a pearl-handled spoon.

According to ironborn legend, warriors were seated upon thrones carved from mother-of-pearl when they feasted at the Grey King's Hall.[16]

The High Septon presented King Aenys I Targaryen with a golden crown decorated with the faces of the Seven in jade and pearl.[17] Many women at court dazzled in pearls and diamonds during the era of Aenys and his wife, Queen Alyssa Velaryon.[18]

The Blue Pearl was a brothel in King's Landing during the reign of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen.[19]

Prince Daemon Targaryen gave pearls to Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.[20] Shortly before dying in 129 AC, King Viserys II Targaryen gave a pearl ring to his grandchildren, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, for them to play with as he told them stories.[20] After Queen Jaehaera died in 133 AC, one of her bedmaids lost a hand for having stolen two of her dolls and a pearl necklace.[21] Daenaera Velaryon wore pearls when she was presented before King Aegon III Targaryen at the Maiden's Day Ball the following year.[21]

Recent Events

A Game of Thrones

A former potboy tells Jory Cassel that Lord Jon Arryn, the late Hand of the King, had visited a master armorer and commissioned plate armor wrought in pale silver with a blue jasper falcon and a mother-of-pearl moon on the breast.[22] When Lord Eddard Stark asks Tobho Mott if the armorer had made a falcon helm for Jon, Tobho says he did not receive Lord Arryn's patronage when the Hand visited.[22]

Jon's widow, Lady Lysa Arryn, wears black silk mourning clothes with the moon-and-falcon of House Arryn sewn on the breast in pearls.[23]

A Clash of Kings

At Chataya's brothel, Dancy wages her black pearls with Marei that she can sleep with Tyrion Lannister within a fortnight.[24]

Daenerys Targaryen wears a belt of black-and-white pearls when she meets with the Pureborn of Qarth.[25] Daenerys also has a Qartheen gown of ivory samite patterned with seed pearls.[26] While at the port of Qarth, Daenerys is given a wooden box with a mother-of-pearl lid inlaid with jasper and chalcedony by a Sorrowful Man. A manticore attacks the girl when she opens the box.[26]

A Storm of Swords

Lady Ravella Smallwood gives Arya Stark a lilac dress decorated with little baby pearls.[27]

When Sansa Stark weds Tyrion Lannister is forced to wed Tyrion Lannister, her maiden's cloak is a long cloak of white velvet decorated with pearls and a direwolf in silver.[28]

The seven-sided golden chalice given by Lord Mace Tyrell to King Joffrey I Baratheon has a pearl direwolf to represent House Stark.[29] When Sansa flees King's Landing after Joffrey's death, she wears a brown woolen dress decorated with freshwater pearls.[30]

A Feast for Crows

When Ser Jaime Lannister of the Kingsguard stands vigil for his father, Lord Tywin Lannister, the knight's hauberks has scales of mother-of-pearl chased with gold.[31] To replace his missing sword hand, Jaime has an armorer craft him a hand of gold with inlaid nails of mother-of-pearl.[32]

Margaery Tyrell wears an ivory silk gown with Myrish lace and seed pearls when she marries King Tommen I Baratheon; it is the same attire she wore when she wed Joffrey.[33]

While celebrating the taking of the Shields, Germund Botley wears a rope of pearls and garnets over his gilded breastplate.[34]

A Dance with Dragons

Cleon the Great has Lord Ghael deliver to Daenerys a pair of gilded leather slippers decorated with green freshwater pearls.[14] When Daenerys weds Hizdahr zo Loraq, the queen wears a heavy tokar fringed with baby pearls.[35] Hizdahr rules Meereen as king after Daenerys flies away from Daznak's Pit on Drogon. When Ser Barristan Selmy attempts to take Hizdahr into custody at his bedchamber, the king wears a green robe with pearls.[36]

When "Arya Stark" (actually Jeyne Poole) weds Ramsay Bolton at Winterfell, the girl's white lambswool has sleeves and bodice sewn with freshwater pearls.[37]

Among the tribute collected from the free folk passing through the Wall is a necklace of freshwater pearls.[38]

Quotes

The pearls symbolize fertility. The more pearls Your Worship wears, the more healthy children she will bear.[12]

References

  1. The World of Ice & Fire, Beyond the Free Cities: The Summer Isles.
  2. 2.0 2.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Bones and Beyond: Yi Ti.
  3. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 18, Sansa II.
  4. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 32, Arya III.
  5. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 20, Eddard IV.
  6. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 19, Davos III.
  7. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 21, The Queenmaker.
  8. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 18, The Iron Captain.
  9. The World of Ice & Fire, The Free Cities: Braavos.
  10. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 1, Tyrion I.
  11. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 24, The Lost Lord.
  12. 12.0 12.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 36, Daenerys VI.
  13. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 27, Daenerys III.
  14. 14.0 14.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 2, Daenerys I.
  15. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 71, Daenerys VI.
  16. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 19, The Drowned Man.
  17. Fire & Blood, The Sons of the Dragon.
  18. Fire & Blood, A Time of Testing - The Realm Remade.
  19. Fire & Blood, The Long Reign - Jaehaerys and Alysanne: Policy, Progeny, and Pain.
  20. 20.0 20.1 Fire & Blood, Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession.
  21. 21.0 21.1 Fire & Blood, Under the Regents - War and Peace and Cattle Shows.
  22. 22.0 22.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 27, Eddard VI.
  23. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 38, Tyrion V.
  24. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 29, Tyrion VII.
  25. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 40, Daenerys III.
  26. 26.0 26.1 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 63, Daenerys V.
  27. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 22, Arya IV.
  28. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 28, Sansa III.
  29. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 59, Sansa IV.
  30. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 61, Sansa V.
  31. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 7, Cersei II.
  32. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 27, Jaime III.
  33. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 12, Cersei III.
  34. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 29, The Reaver.
  35. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 43, Daenerys VII.
  36. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 67, The Kingbreaker.
  37. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 37, The Prince of Winterfell.
  38. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 58, Jon XII.