Game of Thrones is full of weapons, all of them deadly and dangerous. That said, there are some weapons in Westeros that are particularly lethal or noticeably unique enough to warrant further consideration. But which of these weapons are the most unique, the most dangerous, the best at ending lives? Let’s find out.
SPOILER ALERT: Warning, this article contains spoilers from Season 7 of Game of Thrones. Proceed at your own risk.
Needle
Needle is Arya’s sword, made specially for her by Winterfell’s blacksmith Mikken at the behest of Jon Snow before he left for the Wall. It is not a typical sword; like Arya, Needle is small and light, suited to an agile fighter who favours speed over strength.
In many ways, Needle is symbolic of who Arya is, and the story supports this several times. Each time when Arya loses and then regains Needle not once but twice, it represents a shift in her character arc. Arya has used Needle to kill many people, but its significance comes from its importance to her rather than being particularly deadly.
Catspaw Dagger
The knife that fans are calling the “catspaw dagger” is one of the most significant weapons in Game of Thrones. It is highly unique in that not only is it made of Valyrian steel with a dragonbone hilt, it is also the weapon responsible for starting the War of the Five Kings.
Early on in Game of Thrones, an anonymous assassin used the catspaw dagger in an attempt on Bran’s life. It was Littlefinger’s lie to Catelyn Stark that he had lost the dagger in a bet with Tyrion that prompted her to arrest Tyrion and kick start the war. The catspaw dagger was last seen when Littlefinger betrayed Ned Stark and held it against his throat – until now.
An illustration of the dagger turned up in the same book that told Sam about the stash of dragonglass on Dragonstone earlier this season, and Bran has hinted that the dagger used to belong to someone important. In last week’s episode, “The Spoils of War“, Littlefinger gave the catspaw dagger to Bran who has passed it on to Arya. Now that it’s in Arya’s possession, who knows what role it may play in the battles to come.
The Scythe
With everything that’s happened since the siege of Castle Black, you’d be forgiven for not remembering what the scythe is. But in the Season 4 episode “The Watchers on the Wall“, the Night’s Watch unleashed this uniquely deadly weapon on a team of wildlings attempting to climb the Wall.
The scythe is essentially a huge, bladed anchor on the end of a chain, frozen into the Wall but able to be released to sweep away wildling climbers. It looks great and certainly made an impression, but one has to wonder how practical it is. It can only be used once per attack and would be really hard to winch back up and reset, especially while still under siege. The Night’s Watch should stick to bows and arrows.
Ice
Ice is Eddard Stark’s greatsword. It is made of Valyrian steel, the hardest metal in Game of Thrones which never stains or loses its edge. The secret of making Valyrian steel weapons died with the Doom of Valyria, and so those that remain are incredibly valuable and usually only survive as heirlooms of the noble houses.
Owning Ice doesn’t turn out very well for Eddard, who loses it when he is betrayed and captured by the Lannisters then suffers the ignominy of being executed with his own blade. Ice’s mixed history then continues when Tywin Lannister orders for it to be melted down and reforged into two different swords. Tywin then gifted one to his son, Jaime, and the other to his grandson Joffrey. Joffrey names his sword Widow’s Wail and doesn’t do much with it, but Jaime gives his to Brienne who names it Oathkeeper and uses it in her quest to protect Eddard’s daughters, bringing the story of Ice full circle.
Longclaw
Longclaw is another Valyrian steel sword. An heirloom of House Mormont, it went with Jeor Mormont to the Night’s Watch after his son Jorah dishonoured the family by selling slaves and was exiled. Jeor then gave the sword to his protege, Jon Snow, symbolising their father-son relationship.
Called a ‘bastard’ sword for its unconventional length and with a white wolf’s head worked into the pommel, Longclaw seems uniquely suited to being Jon Snow’s weapon. Using Longclaw, Jon Snow has dispatched several of Game of Thrones‘ most despicable characters, including Karl Tanner and Janos Slynt.
Perhaps its most important kill to date, however, is the white walker during the attack on Hardhome. White Walkers are immune to attack from normal blades, but as Jon proved, Valyrian steel can destroy them in one blow – something that will surely prove important with their march south bringing them ever closer.
Dragons
Daenerys would be nothing without Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal. Her ancestor, Aegon the Conqueror, earned his name when he united the Seven Kingdoms under his rule from the back of a dragon. But, as the dragons waned, so too did House Targaryen.
When Game of Thrones began Daenerys’s dragons were nothing more than stone eggs. But by the end of Season 6, they were full-grown monsters capable of burning armies and fleets. Nothing in the world of Ice and Fire says power more than the ability to scorch your enemies to ashes. Which brings us to the deadliest weapon of all…
Wildfire
Wildfire was first introduced in Season 2 when Cersei began stockpiling it for use in the defense of King’s Landing. Tyrion took control of that project and used the wildfire in his memorable ship-borne booby trap during the Battle of the Blackwater. But, four seasons later, Cersei was using wildfire again, this time to destroy part of King’s Landing and wipe out all her political opponents in one fell swoop.
Wildfire is based on Greek fire, a kind of fire the ancient Greeks developed that could burn even on water. It has killed more named characters in Game of Thrones than any other weapon, including the High Sparrow, Lancel and Kevan Lannister, and Mace, Loras and Margaery Tyrell. It is unquestionably the most unique and deadly weapon the world of Ice and Fire has to offer.
