Why didn't Gendry get rid of the bull's helmet?

Question

I can't see any reason why Gendry would want to hold onto it? I know it has significant value to him as he probably put a lot of work into making it, but it would not be worth losing your life over.

At 3:05 the Lannister men say that they will give a reward to whoever turns him over and being that the party that he was travelling with were heading to the wall, if anyone with something to gain (like the men in the cage) saw Gendry with the helmet after that he could have been turned over. (I am not talking about his friends as they already know who he was)

Was their anything in the books that made him want to keep the helmet that was worth the risk of being turned in, b/c in the show there does not seem to be a reason worth him holding on to it.

EDIT: My appologies to Vahx, I am talking after the soldiers annouce they want him.

Answer 1

Well, first of all, Gendry does not know that there are people looking for him.

He was being sent to The Wall because his master ordered him so, his master did this on request (and pay) by Varys. But Gendry does not know this truth.

He doesn't know there are people coming for him and he doesn't know that the helmet will identify him. No one in the traveling party knows who he is, that the guards are looking for him or why they are looking for him. The only exception could be Yoren, who already knows that he has Eddard Stark's youngest daughter in his party.

Until the 2 guards arrive, there was no threat to Gendry.

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After that Gendry probably did not think the guards would return because he thought the Nights Watch would keep him safe from the King's men and laws.

This fits Gendry's personality throughout the tv series as a young, naive and passive character who quickly feels safe when he shouldn't and trusts a lot.

• Gendry is raised and owned by his Master where he only works and stays alive with no goals of his own.
• He follows the orders of his master to go to the Nights Watch, probably knowing that this would prevent him from having any sort of life of his own in the future.
• After being captured by the Guards, they are brought to Harrenhal. He knows he is wanted, altho thinks he is safe because Arya passed off Olly as Gendry to the Guards. After some torture he assigned to work as a blacksmith again and accepts this fate. No attempt to escape or rebel is made.
• After escaping with Arya they are found by the Brotherhood without Banners, they are interrogated in a friendly way, but once they find out who Arya is, they are captured and not allowed to leave. After this, he decides to stay with the Brotherhood to make arrowheads and steel because he feels useful there. In the end, they sell him to the Red Priestess.
• After being sold to the Red Priestess and transported to Storms End, he is offered food, a big bedroom and an interesting night with the Red Priestess. Again, he ends up being used and inside a jail cell until the Onion Knight saves him from certain death.

I cannot offer any solid facts or quotes on the matter.
Only my theory and observation of "he didn't consider dumping the helmet or even consider he was in great danger".

Answer 2

To answer your question about the book's side of things: Arya & Gendry's escape; the release of Jaqen, Biter, and Rorge; and the death of Black Yoren was significantly different in the book than it was in the show. The Gold Cloaks never announced that they were searching for anyone. Instead, the chaos that lead to Arya & Co.'s escape (not capture; another difference between show and book) occurred when Ser Amory Lorch torched the town that Yoren and his caravan happened to be resting in. Lorch demanded that Yoren submit to him in the name of the crown simply because his party was taking over, and Yoren refused for various reasons (not knowing whether the knight was legit since they were in the middle of a war-torn land with brigands everywhere, nor caring since the Night's Watch takes no side in the conflicts of the realm).

Ultimately, the book and the TV vary extremely significantly when it comes to the details of Yoren's death and everything associated with it. So, there isn't really any explanation as to why Gendry kept the helm in the show when it was announced that they were looking for it. Obviously, Gendry isn't exactly the smartest person in Westeros, and he should have ditched it at the first opportunity. Perhaps we should just say that he was bull-headed (rimshot).

Alternatively, maybe there was no point in ditching the helm. He was in the midst of murderers, thieves, rapists, and other honorless folks who likely knew that he owned the helm. According to the soldiers, the Queen had issued a royal pardon to anyone who would rat him out. That'd beat a life on the Wall, I think. The helm itself is essentially no thing; it's merely the knowledge or perception of who owned the helm that was dangerous to him... and how he escaped being picked out in the end, since the helm was discovered by Lommy's corpse.

Answer 3

It doesn't matter.

“He‟s the one we want.” The officer jabbed his shortsword toward the Bull, who‟d come forward to stand beside her, Praed‟s cheap steel in his hand. But it was a mistake to take his eyes off Yoren, even for an instant. Quick as that, the black brother‟s sword was pressed to the apple of the officer‟s throat. “Neither‟s the one you get, less you want me to see if your apple‟s ripe yet.

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“As you say. For now. Men.” The gold cloaks sheathed and mounted up. “You‟d best scamper up to that Wall of yours in a hurry, old man. The next time I catch you, I believe I‟ll have your head to go with the bastard boy‟s.”

Both from Arya II of Clash of Kings. And from Arya's first chapter of the same book:

Lommy had named him the Bull, on account of this horned helm he had that he polished all the time but never wore

Presumably then,he wasn't wearing the helm when the gold cloaks came. Additionally, as long as he stayed with Yoren, he didn't need to, for two reasons:

1. He was easily identifiable, because of his size as well as his characteristic Baratheon hair:

Lommy didn‟t dare mock the Bull. He was older, and big for his age, with a broad chest and strong-looking arms

2. He would be safe under Yoren's protection (or so he thought, being only a naive boy.)

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I don't know much about the show,but I assume that he kept his helm because there was no reason to change what happened in the books, and because that would create an unnecessary scene for something that viewers would not care much about.