Summary
The use of lethal weapons is the greatest determining factor of success in warfare. HBO’sGame of Thronesand its prequel series -House of the Dragon,feature a plethora of weapons, but only a few qualify as the deadliest in Westeros' history.
The Targaryens of Old Valyria are the focal point ofHouse of the Dragonand the plot takes off about a hundred years afterthe Targaryen conquest of the continent of Westeros. Members of the House still possess three famed and dangerous Valyrian steel weapons. The Targaryen cousins - the Velaryons, are equally battle-hardened veterans, and Lord Corlys, aka the Sea Snake, wields a peculiar weapon. Another man named Ser Criston Cole, who rises to the position of Lord Commander in the Dance of the Dragons, also carries a deadly weapon with him.
5Corlys Velaryon’s Battle Axe
The Ax Lord Corlys uses to hack his way through
At the beginning ofHouse of The Dragon,Lord Corlys Velaryon, sits on Viserys I’s Small Council as Master of Ships. He presses the king to act as the growing alliance of the Free Cities, i.e., the Triarchy and its Prince Admiral, Craghas Drahar raid the crown’s most critical shipping lane. He’s continually silenced by Lord Hand, Otto Hightower, and Lord Lyman Beesbury and eventually dismissed by Viserys. Lord Corlys breaks away from the crown and invites Daemon Targaryen to take on the Triarchy:
Waiting in the Stepstones is a chance for you to prove your worth to any who might yet doubt it. We are the realm’s second sons, Daemon. Our right is not given. It must be made.
With that, the Sea Snake and Daemon start their war in the Stepstones, and during the Siege of Bloodstone, the former is dressed in a silver suit of armor and wields a large battle axe. The climax ofHouse of the Dragonseason 1, episode 3 “Second of His Name,” boasts this impressive battle in which Daemon sets himself up as bait to Drahar’s men, and lays down his sword to lure them into the open. This allows the axe-wielding Corlys Velaryon’s infantry to rush to the spot and finish off the enemy. Lord Corlys' lethal axe has no match. In praise of the weapon, actor Steve Toussaint said toEW:
I think with Corlys, that’s a weapon that takes people out with a blow. Whereas the sword fight is a fight. You learn to parry and to twist into all that. [Corlys is] just like, ‘Let’s get all that crap out of the way. I’m going to take you from the shoulders to your navel, and that’ll be the end of it.
4Ser Criston Cole’s Morningstar
The clubbed weapon with a dangerous spiked ball
Ser Criston Cole wields a rather peculiar weapon that he uses in the Heir’s Tourney melee to defeat Daemon Targaryen. He proves to be a strong combatant, and his Morningstar complements his steady hand movements.
Although Ser Criston also carries a sword, he prefers his flail weapon to it. The young Lucerys Velaryon had once tried to swing Criston’s Morningstar and put a hole into a wall ofthe Red Keep’s training yard.“You almost took your own head off,“Jacaerys reminded his younger brother inHouse of the Dragon. During a practice session, the spiked head of Criston’s flail smashes Aemond Targaryen’s shield and small rocks on the ground, proving it is lethal if used correctly.
3Valyrian Steel Dagger
The fighting knife doesn’t need honing
The Valyrian steel dagger appears in bothHouse of the Dragonand the original series,Game of Thrones. It is a work of art anda famed weapon in theGame of Thronesuniverse. The dagger is steeped in legend and history, and King Viserys says it dates back to Aenar’s time. The lore says that Aegon the Conqueror, too, is known to have carried the dagger.
Aegon, of all things, chose to have this dagger inscribed with his prophecy (The Song of Ice and Fire). This task was achieved by Valyrian pyromancers and the inscription reads:
From my blood… come The Prince That Was Promised and his will be the Song of Ice and Fire.
House of the Dragonshows that the dagger has a pointy end and two sharp edges. As it is fashioned out of Valyrian steel, there is no particular need to hone it from time to time. The dagger offers more functionality than a sword, and it is easy to carry. It remains in Aegon II’s possession, per the latest events ofHouse of the Dragon.
2Daemon Targaryen’s Dark Sister
The slender blade is sharp
Daemon Targaryen is the wielder of the Targaryen regalia, Dark Sister. It is one of the two Valyrian steel swords in his family, and it originally belonged toAegon’s sister-wife, Queen Visenya Targaryen. She used it during and after the War of Conquest.
As seen in the show, nothing cuts like Dark Sister. Though Daemon demonstrates his sword prowess throughout,House of the Dragon’s “Second of His Name” is home to the splendid scene wherein he offers his sword to Drahar’s men to lure them out into the open. Known in lore as the Siege of Bloodstone, Daemon uses the magnificent Dark Sister to cut through Drahar’s men and eventually hacks him into two. He drags half of Drahar’s corpse with one hand while carrying Dark Sister in another, thanks to this light blade.
1Viserys I Targaryen’s Blackfyre
The Conqueror’s deadly sword
What can be said about the Conqueror’s weapon?This hand-and-a-halflongsword looks indestructible and is more famous than its sister blade, Dark Sister. Traditionally, the ruling Targaryen monarchs carried it, starting from Aegon the Conqueror to his second son, Maegor. Aegon’s rightful heir, and the second Targaryen king, Aenys, gave Blackfyre to Maegor:
You are more fit to bear this blade than me. Wield it in my service, and I shall be content.
Maegor was a usurper who set aside his mother’s Dark Sister for Blackfyre. After Maegor’s disgraceful reign, his nephew Jaehaerys I wielded the sword. At the beginning ofHouse of the Dragon, Blackfyre is seen in possession of the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, King Viserys I Targaryen, and inHouse of the Dragonseason 1, episode 9 “The Green Council,” the Greens bestow it upon another usurper king - Aegon II Targaryen. Blackfyre is bigger than Dark Sister, and it is darker in appearance. The iconic sword remains in possession of the unworthy wastrel, Aegon II, so, it is due to reappear in the upcomingHouse of the Dragonseason 2.
