For several years now, the whole planet has been bouncing with bated breath over the events of the TV series Game of Thrones. Everything is here: beautiful ladies, valiant knights, dragons, and even ice zombies. And the most reliable weapon capable of killing even immortal monsters is a sword made of Valyrian steel.
The magical world of Game of Thrones
All the heroes of the Game of Thrones (as well as a series of books on the basis of which the script was written) live in a fantasy world in an era similar to our Middle Ages. There are four famous continents in this world. The most important events take place on one of them - Westeros. There are seven kingdoms here, and in the north of them many centuries ago a giant ice Wall was built, which, according to popular beliefs, should protect the inhabitants of the kingdoms from mythical immortal creatures - the White Walkers. However, for many years no one has seen these monsters, so the Wall now serves as a defense against wild northern tribes who do not want to live according to the laws of the kingdoms and prefer to raid peaceful farmers and small towns.
Summer and winter in Westeros last for many years. At the beginning of the saga, the ten-year summer ends and soon a severe long-term winter should come. In addition, another war for power begins on the continent and there are rumors that the White Walkers have reappeared.
They gather armies of ice zombies and prepare to attack the world of the living. That's just the careless noble families engaged in fights for the Iron Throne of the seven kingdoms, do not pay attention to all these rumors, but in vain. After all, none of the living knows how to overcome the immortal scum that is about to attack the inhabitants of Westeros. And although in ancient times people defeated the
White Walkers, no one remembers how. Rumor has it that it has something to do with dragons, but they were considered extinct at the time the television series began.
Valyrian steel - what is it?
Also associated with dragons is the legendary form of metal, swords from which from ancient times have been highly valued. The secret of making this special steel was owned only by the ancient masters of Valiria. Hence the name of the metal - Valyrian steel.
In ancient times, swords and other items made from this metal cost a lot of money and were available only to wealthy people. At the time of the beginning of the Game of Thrones, the secret of manufacturing was long ago lost. The latest specimens of swords made of this metal were kept by noble noble families and were inherited. Possessing such a sword at all times was very prestigious.
In addition to swords, other products were also made from this metal, for example, daggers (which was owned by Petir Bailish), axes for battle, ordinary knives for refreshment (belonged to the Bolton family), crowns, and more.
Origin of Valyrian Steel
Valyrian steel is an artificial material made by human hands. In the nature of Westeros and other continents of the wizarding world, it does not occur. Ore, from which steel was subsequently smelted, was mined, according to legend, in the mines of the Fourteen Fires. Then it was tempered and reforged a huge number of times. Often this process took whole years.
Legends of Westeros claimed that Valerian steel melted in the fire of dragons, and then was tempered with the help of ancient spells. With the disappearance of dragons, magic metal also soon ceased to be made. Although in remote places (Kvohor) they could reforge products made of Valyrian steel, the secret of its manufacture disappeared.
Distinctive features of this metal
Products made of Valyrian steel are incredibly durable, while they are light and sharp. There is no need to sharpen such swords.
The color of this metal is dark, gray-black, patterns from numerous reforging, like damask steel, are visible on the surface .
In addition, Valyrian steel is always matt, no matter how polished it is.
In rare cases, it is possible to achieve a reddish tint from such steel (Stark's reforged ancestral sword acquired a scarlet hue).
Valyrian Steel Swords
Most often, swords were made from this "dragon metal", since the properties of the Valyrian steel made it very effective in battle. The possession of such weapons for the knight was a symbol of success and wealth. After the manufacturing secret was lost, about two hundred or more such swords remained in Westeros. At the time the series began, many of them were lost.
To obtain such a sword, the knights either bought them from impoverished nobles, or went to look for the ruins of Valiria. Sometimes the swords went to the owner after the battle. For example, after the deaths of Eddard Stark and his son Robb, their ancestral sword from Valyrian steel was forged into two others, one of which went to the owner of the Iron Throne, and the other to Jaime Lannister, and after that to the female knight Brienne.
Feature of the production of swords from Valyrian steel
Since the secret of the manufacture of Valerian steel was lost with the disappearance of dragons, no new products from this metal appeared in Westeros or on other continents. The Kvohor blacksmiths learned how to forge old swords into new ones, but they couldn’t even recreate magical metal.
Assuming that the Valyrian steel became such due to the magical properties of the dragon flame in which it was forged, the Kvohor blacksmiths tried to recreate the magic fire and even made human sacrifices for this, but nothing came of it.
The most famous Valyrian steel swords in Westeros
Although according to the list of Archimaster Turgud in Westeros there were about two hundred twenty-seven swords made of "dragon metal", in reality there were much fewer. Almost all known such blades had their own names.
The most famous swords at the time the saga began belonged to the noble knights. Among them is Eddard Stark. He had a generic sword called Ice. After the hero’s death, he went to his eldest son Robb, and after that he was reforged to two other blades - the Widow Cry and the Faithful Oath.
The Mormont family had a Valyrian steel sword named Longclaw. As the Lord Commander of the Black Castle on the Wall, one of the representatives of this family gave the legendary blade not to his son, but to Stark's bastard, John Snow.
The Lannisters had their own family sword of magic metal - Bright Roar. He was purchased for a huge amount, but during a campaign in Valiria one of the Lannisters disappeared with the owner. All attempts to find him were unsuccessful. Therefore, when Ice Stark got to Tywin Lannister, he ordered two new family swords of his kind to be made of him.
Many other noble families also had at their disposal such blades: Tarli (Heartbreaker), Harlow (Dusk), Corbei (Lady Abandoned), Dramas (Crimson Rain), Hightower (Vigilance), Roxtons (Worker Orphans) and others.
There were also legendary Valyrian steel swords that disappeared. The most famous of these lost relics are the family blades of the Targaryen family Black Flame (disappeared somewhere outside Westeros) and the Dark Sister (belonged to the legendary Hanging Targaryen).
Valirian Steel vs. White Walkers
There were no better swords in the entire wizarding world than from dragon metal. Due to the incredible lightness of such blades in battle, the hands got tired much less, which often helped to win the battle. However, such a sword had one more advantage, which for many centuries the inhabitants of Westeros simply forgot.
A close friend of John Snow, Sam Tarley, once found in old books the story that an ancient hero was killing White Walkers with a dragon metal sword. Comparing all the facts, Sam and John suggested that Valyrian steel kills Walkers, although in the book of the series they still had no chance to verify their assumptions.
Meanwhile, in the television series Game of Thrones, screenwriters gave John a chance to test his assumption: during the battle, only his Long Claw sword did not crumble, but could kill one of the White Walkers.
The opinion of scientists about the secret of Valyrian steel
The creator of the Game of Thrones world, legendary and ruthless to his heroes, George Martin said that Valyrian steel is akin to damask steel.
However, according to modern material scientists, not a single metal alloy is capable of possessing the properties of a "dragon metal". But metal-ceramic alloys have such advantages. In particular, of the materials known to science today, Valyrian steel is most similar in its properties to titanium silicocarbide.
The series "Game of Thrones" in 2015 celebrated its fifth anniversary. Despite this "solid age", it continues to be popular. Among fans, disputes over a variety of heroes, events or objects of the TV series Game of Thrones do not cease. Valyrian steel and its incredible properties are often discussed at forums, and many believe that near the end of the epic the secret of this metal will be revealed.