- The first trailer for “House of the Dragon,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones” prequel show, is here.
- In one scene, a character named Alicent Hightower wields a familiar-looking Valyrian steel dagger.
- It’s the blade used in Bran Stark’s assassination attempt and was later used to kill the Night King.
HBO released the first teaser trailer for the “Game of Thrones” prequel series “House of the Dragon,” bringing new characters to life within the world of Westeros. Connections between the two series were inevitable, and now we have our first fun reference in the form of a familiar Valyrian steel dagger.
In the new trailer, there’s a shot of a character named Alicent Hightower (played by Olivia Cooke) running through a group of people with a dagger in hand.
As far as we can tell, it’s the exact same dagger that Arya used to kill the Night King in the final season of “Game of Thrones.”
The Valyrian steel blade, also nicknamed the ‘catspaw dagger,’ had a fascinating journey throughout ‘Game of Thrones’
HBO
The blade first appeared in season one when an assassin (also referred to as a “catspaw”) used it to try and kill Bran Stark.
Ser Rodrik pointed out that the blade was too high-quality to have belonged to the would-be killer because it was made from Valyrian steel. Valyrian steel is a rare and costly metal in Westeros, forged long ago in Essos (Valyria) using magic and spells to give it an unrivaled quality.
Catelyn Stark brought the blade to King’s Landing because she thought it was evidence Ned could use to prove the Lannisters tried to kill Bran. She showed the blade to Littlefinger and Varys first, who confirmed her suspicions.
But Littlefinger lied, saying Tyrion was the last known owner of the dagger. Though the lie was later revealed, the show never clearly explained who did send the assassin.
HBO
In the books, Jaime remembers King Robert Baratheon displaying the Valyrian steel dagger at a feast. Both Tyrion and Jaime believe Joffrey was the one who sent the assassin after Bran after he heard his “father,” Robert, saying it would be a mercy to kill Bran rather than let him be “crippled.” The theory goes that Joffrey took the blade from Robert’s royal carriage and gave it to the catspaw.
In the books, Littlefinger then takes the blade for himself after betraying Ned Stark. The show didn’t mention the dagger again until season seven, when Littlefinger gave the dagger to Bran Stark.
Bran turned around and gave the blade to Arya, who used it to kill the Night King.
‘Game of Thrones’ already linked the dagger to the ancient Targaryens
HBO
In the seventh season premiere, fans were shown an illustrated page of a book Sam Tarly was reading. The page included a clear image of the catspaw dagger alongside a section of text about Targaryen weapons.
The page said: “When Aegon the Conquerer forged his Seven Kingdoms, he and his descendants would often decorate their blades with dragonglass, feeling a kinship with the stone.”
The dagger’s blade is made from Valyrian steel, while its hilt was crafted out of dragonglass — the only two substances known in “Game of Thrones” capable of killing White Walkers. But during the period of time when “House of the Dragon” is set, White Walkers are still a mere myth.
So why does Alicent Hightower have the blade? So far, there’s no additional detail that connects the dagger’s importance between “House of the Dragon” and “Game of Thrones,” but Alicent’s character is a central player in the bloody and brutal Targaryen family civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons. It’s possible that the blade will only be included in the show as a neat detail for superfans to notice. Or maybe it will have some loaded link to a character whose lineage can be traced back to a “Game of Thrones” character.
“House of the Dragon” will premiere in 2022. You can read everything you need to know about the new series here.
Watch the first trailer for HBO’s new series below: