The Dornishman's Wife

"The Dornishman's Wife", by Serena Malyon © FFG

"The Dornishman's Wife" is a song about a man who slept with the wife of a Dornishman. Although he died of wounds received in a duel with the Dornishman, the man considered it a fair trade.

Lyrics

The Dornishman's wife was as fair as the sun,
and her kisses were warmer than spring.
But the Dornishman's blade was made of black steel,
and its kiss was a terrible thing.

The Dornishman's wife would sing as she bathed,
in a voice that was sweet as a peach,
But the Dornishman's blade had a song of its own,
and a bite sharp and cold as a leech.

As he lay on the ground with the darkness around,
and the taste of his blood on his tongue,
His brothers knelt by him and prayed him a prayer,
and he smiled and he laughed and he sung,

"Brothers, oh brothers, my days here are done,
the Dornishman's taken my life,
But what does it matter, for all men must die,
and I've tasted the Dornishman's wife!"

Recent Events

A Storm of Swords

When Jon Snow meets with Mance Rayder in the Frostfangs under pretext of joining his campaign, the King-beyond-the-Wall is singing "The Dornishman's Wife".

The song comes to Jon's mind during the battle beneath the Wall.

A Dance with Dragons

The song comes to Jon's mind again while he attends the apparent burning of Mance by Melisandre. Later, when Melisandre reveals to Jon that Mance is still alive, the former King announces: "I've sung my songs, fought my battles, drunk summer wine, tasted the Dornishman's wife. A man should die the way he's lived. For me that's steel in hand."

After Mance arrives at Winterfell as a bard under the assumed name Abel, he performs several songs throughout the wedding of Ramsay Bolton and "Arya Stark" and subsequent feasts at the castle. When he plays "The Dornishman's Wife", Mance switches the lyrics to a "northman's daughter" instead, to the Boltons' amusement.