‘Game of Thrones’: History of Littlefinger’s Valyrian Dagger

The Valyrian dagger has a big plot point in tonight’s episode of Game of Thrones, Season 7 Episode 4. But while the dagger is a central focus, not all fans will remember why the dagger is so important. Here’s a look at the dagger’s history, along with its appearance in one of Sam’s books at the Citadel.

Here’s the dagger’s history.

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The Dagger’s Appearances on the Show

The dagger’s first appearance was in Season 1, when a cuthroat (catspaw) assassin attempted to kill Bran Stark while he was in a coma at Winterfell.

We soon learn that the dagger has a dragonbone hilt and a Valyrian steel blade. Catelyn is going to give the blade to Ned in King’s Landing. Littlefinger claims that the dagger was his until he lost it in a bet to Tyrion. Jamie, however, seems to think that Petyr lost it in a bet to Robert Baratheon, not Tyrion.

The last time we saw the dagger was in Season 1, Episode 4. The blade is on Ned’s desk. Littlefinger took the blade after betraying Ned.

In Season 7, the dagger makes an appearance by showing up as a drawing in a book that Sam was reading at the Citadel.

The page reads:

The Valyrians were familiar with dragonglass long before they came to Westeros. They called it “zīrtys perzys” which translated to “frozen fire” in Valyrian and eastern tales tell of how their dragons would thaw the stone with dragonflame until it became molten and malleable. The Valyrians then used it to build their strange monuments and building without seams and joints of our modern castles.

When Aegon the conqueror forged his Seven Kingdoms, he and his descendants would often decorate their blades with dragonglass feeling a kinship with the stone. The royal fashion for dragonglass ornamentation soon spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms to those wealthy enough to affod it. Hilts and pommels were and are the most common decoration for dragonglass if too brittle to make a useful crossguard. Indeed, its very brittleness is what relegate it to the great houses and the most successful merchants.

Strangely, the page refers to the Valyrian steel dagger as being “dragonglass.” Yet these are two different materials. We know that the dagger was made of Valyrian steel, not dragonglass, despite was Sam’s book says. Which leaves us with a bit of confusion.

We do know that Valyrian steel and dragonglass are the only items known to be able to kill White Walkers, and now we see there’s a connection between them. Dragonglass is obsidian (volcanic rock). Valyrian steel, supposedly, is steel forged in dragon’s fire. Perhaps dragonglass is used in the construction of Valyrian steel somehow?

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The Dagger in Season 7 Episode 4

After Season 7 Episode 4, we learned a little more about the dagger.

Don’t read on unless you’ve already seen Episode 4. 

Littlefinger brings the dagger to Bran, saying that because the dagger was used in an attempt to kill him, he should have the dagger.

Some wonder if Littlefinger was testing Bran’s knowledge of what happened to him. Dialogue with Bran and Sansa and Littlefinger seems to reveal that this dagger’s use is what started the War of the Five Kings and caused all the chaos.

And they still don’t know who tried to kill Bran.

Meanwhile, Bran gave the dagger to Arya, and now she’s carrying a sword capable of killing White Walkers. That should prove interesting.

Commenter selbymark had additional interesting insight about the dagger, shared in the comments below. Sansa pointed out that Littlefinger isn’t generous and doesn’t give things without expecting something in return. Perhaps that something he is expecting is to sow more chaos that will somehow come out in his favor. As Selbymark pointed out below, unlike Daenerys or Jon Snow, Petyr Baelish wouldn’t mind ultimately being Lord of the Ashes, it seems.

Interested in knowing how many Valyrian swords are in Game of Thrones? Read our story below:

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