Dawn is the famous ancestral greatsword of House Dayne, whose wielder is given the title Sword of the Morning.[1]
Description
[edit]
Dawn is a greatsword.[1] Its blade is as pale as milkglass,[1] unlike dark Valyrian steel, but is similar in strength and sharpness.[2] Per legend, it was forged from the heart of a fallen star,[3] likely meteoric iron. The coat of arms of House Dayne depicts the white sword and falling star.[4] Unlike other houses who have ancestral swords, House Dayne does not pass its sword from lord to heir. Only a knight of House Dayne who is deemed worthy can wield Dawn, and the Sword of the Morning is envied throughout the Seven Kingdoms.[2]
History
[edit]Origin
[edit]
According to legend, the founder of House Dayne tracked a falling star to an island at the mouth of the Torentine. He discovered there a stone with magical powers, and the castle of Starfall was constructed on that spot.[5] The greatsword Dawn was forged from the heart of this fallen star,[3] and has possibly been wielded by Daynes for ten thousand years.[6]
Arthur Dayne
[edit]The last known wielder of Dawn was Ser Arthur Dayne, a chivalrous knight in the Kingsguard of Aerys II Targaryen.[7] The Smiling Knight of the Kingswood Brotherhood tried to claim Dawn from Arthur through combat, but the robber knight was killed by the Sword of the Morning.[8] Arthur granted knighthood to Jaime Lannister after the battle. When Arthur tapped Dawn on the youth's shoulder, the blade went through Jaime's tunic and caused him to bleed.[9]
After Arthur died in combat at the tower of joy during Robert's Rebellion, Lord Eddard Stark rode to Starfall to deliver Dawn to Arthur's sister, Ashara Dayne.[10][2]
Recent Events
[edit]A Game of Thrones
[edit]At the Red Keep, Lord Eddard Stark has a fever dream, which includes Ser Arthur Dayne wielding Dawn at the tower of joy.[1]
Quotes
[edit]The blade was pale as milkglass, alive with light.[1]
—thoughts of Eddard Stark
The finest knight I ever saw was Ser Arthur Dayne, who fought with a blade called Dawn, forged from the heart of a fallen star. They called him the Sword of the Morning, and he would have killed me but for Howland Reed.[3]
Smiling Knight: It's that white sword of yours I want.
Arthur: Then you shall have it, ser.[8]—The Smiling Knight and Arthur Dayne
Oh, I'd say Dawn goes back a couple thousand years... and before that, things get a little fuzzy anyway.[11]
Dawn remains at Starfall, until another Sword of the Morning shall arise.[12]
Behind the Scenes
[edit]House Dayne's sword Dawn may have been inspired by several fictional swords:
- The Ebony Blade, a sword carved from a fallen meteor and wielded by Dane Whitman, a comic book superhero known as the Black Knight. George R. R. Martin grew up a fan of Marvel Comics, including the Avengers.[13]
- Sorrow and Thorn, two swords from the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series of Martin's colleague Tad Williams. Sorrow was forged by the Sithi, a race of immortal human-like beings also known as the "Dawn Children", while Thorn was created from a piece of a sky-stone.[14]
- Excalibur, the mythical sword wielded by King Arthur, a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.[15]
- The swords Anglachel and Anguirel from Middle Earth, blades forged of meteoric iron. J. R. R. Tolkien is a known influence to Martin.[16]
When asked which sword he would wield if he could, Martin said he would choose Dawn.[17]
Behind the scenes
[edit]An early draft of A Feast for Crows mentions "the queer milky metal that the Citadel called starfall silver". Starfall silver, also called "starsilver" in a draft of A Clash of Kings, is possibly the same material the sword Dawn is made of.[18]
References
[edit]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 39, Eddard X.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The World of Ice & Fire, Dorne: The Andals Arrive.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 21, Bran III.
- ↑ The Citadel. Heraldry: Houses from Dorne
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, Dorne: Kingdoms of the First Men.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 21, The Queenmaker.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 67, Jaime VIII.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 8, Jaime I.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 6, Catelyn II.
- ↑ So Spake Martin: Concerning Dorne (October 28, 2001).
- ↑ So Spake Martin: Valyria-related Subjects (January 1, 2002).
- ↑ Not A Blog: Farewell to a Marvel, November 16, 2018
- ↑ Citadel: FAQ: Are there any nods to other works in the series?
- ↑ Not a Blog: Life After Death (August 26, 2020)
- ↑ The Guardian: George RR Martin in quotes: 'I love writing about bastards', 12 August 2014
- ↑ So Spake Martin: Waterstones Event (August 8, 2019).
- ↑ (Spoilers Extended) Secrets of the Cushing Library: Starsilver and the Wound - Common_Cricket on Reddit