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As of 298 AL, where A Game of Thrones begins, where were the various Valyrian steel weapons that exist?

That is to say, before the 1st chapter starts. The swords are already in someone's hands at the beginning. I just want how many and who owns them. I don't want to know how they pass to new owners as the story progresses.

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  • You should probably be more specific about what you mean by "beginning". I suppose you mean how many swords have appeared in the books as far as the TV-show has progressed. Which is now up to about half of ASOS.
    – TLP
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 13:57
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    @TLP beginning meaning before the 1st chapter starts. The swords are already in someone's hands at the beginning. I just want how many & who owns them. I didn't want how they pass to new owners as the story progresses.
    – KharoBangdo
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 14:04
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    Aha, I see. And you have not checked the wikipedia page because it contains spoilers? And basically, you just want someone to remove the spoilers and post here? :) You know, the easier way is to read the books and catch up with the rest of the fans, then you can ask any question you want (and there will be many, many questions left to ask).
    – TLP
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 14:09
  • @TLP seriously, i didn't think asking who owned the swords would spoil much of the plot. Thanks for warning. I'll refrain from asking further q's till i've read it
    – KharoBangdo
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 14:14
  • Well, the swords are a focal point of much of the action. You might try checking towerofthehand.com/reference/k/01768/index.html -- they have a gadget where you can set your spoiler level so that you do not get spoiled. Though it does not give all that much information.
    – TLP
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 14:19

4 Answers 4

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This is a copy/paste of the relevant parts of the page located at http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Valyrian_steel but I have removed all the information that takes place after 298 AL, the beginning of the first book in ASOIAF, A Game of Thrones.

Blades known to still exist:

  • Ice, the ancestral two handed greatsword of House Stark.
  • Heartsbane, the ancestral two handed greatsword of House Tarly, currently in the possession of Lord Randyll Tarly.
  • Longclaw, the ancestral Valyrian steel bastard sword of House Mormont. Currently in the possession of Jeor Mormont.
  • Lady Forlorn, the ancestral sword of House Corbray, it is currently in the possession of Ser Lyn Corbray.
  • Red Rain, the sword of House Drumm stolen in a raid. Given the name and coloring, possibly the ancestral sword of House Reyne
  • Nightfall, the ancestral blade of House Harlaw and currently wielded by Ser Harras Harlaw.
  • A Valyrian steel axe possessed by House Celtigar.
  • Valyrian steel Arakh owned by Caggo (in Essos).

Blades with unknown fate:

  • Blackfyre, the sword of Aegon I Targaryen. Carried by all Targaryen kings till Aegon IV who gave it to his bastard Daemon Blackfyre who rose in rebellion against the Targaryens, taking the sword's name for his house. Its whereabouts are currently unknown.
  • Brightroar, the ancestral sword of House Lannister, lost when King Tommen II Lannister of the Rock sailed to Valyria and never returned.
  • Dark Sister, the sword wielded by Visenya Targaryen. The last known owner was Bloodraven.
  • Vigilance, ancestral sword of House Hightower.
  • Orphan-Maker, ancestral sword of House Roxton.
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  • I wasn't aware that Caggo was part of the first book?
    – ediblecode
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 14:38
  • Orphan-maker? Jeez... What a happy name.
    – Daft
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 16:22
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    @danrhul If you read the comments you will find that the OP does not want to know which weapons were mentioned in the first book, but where all the swords were at that point in time.
    – TLP
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 17:28
  • @TLP The wording around Caggo's Arakh in no way guarentees that Caggo had it at the time of the first book. You've made an assumption was more my point.
    – ediblecode
    Commented Apr 9, 2014 at 8:37
  • @danrhul Since many of the weapons are not mentioned until much later in the series (like with Caggo), finding out where they were earlier is not always possible. I don't think the intent of the question is to pinpoint the exact location, but rather to leave out spoilerific information.
    – TLP
    Commented Apr 9, 2014 at 8:57
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At the beginning of the series:

  • Ice, the ancestral two handed greatsword of House Stark, in possession of Eddard Stark.

  • Heartsbane, the ancestral two handed greatsword of House Tarly, currently in the possession of Lord Randyll Tarly.

  • Longclaw, the ancestral Valyrian steel bastard sword of House Mormont, owned by Lord Commander Mormont.

  • Lady Forlorn, the ancestral sword of House Corbray, it is currently in the possession of Ser Lyn Corbray.

  • Red Rain, the sword of House Drumm stolen in a raid. Given the name and coloring, possibly the ancestral sword of House Reyne

  • Nightfall, the ancestral blade of House Harlaw and currently wielded by Ser Harras Harlaw.

Here is the Wiki article. (Contains spoilers, don't read if you haven't read the books)

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  • I wasn't asking for spoilers. Hence specifically mentioned "beginning". Please edit your answer before i can read it further
    – KharoBangdo
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 12:25
  • Updated my answer
    – Shevliaskovic
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 12:26
  • Also, what happened to the Targeryian( spellcheck much??) Swords. Were the above mentioned swords once belonged to targeyrians & then passed to others on their extinction
    – KharoBangdo
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 12:46
  • You should put the source if it's a direct copy of content on another site.
    – ediblecode
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 13:49
  • @KharoBangdo Are you talking about the family swords of the Targaryens, Blackfyre and Dark Sister? Be careful about what you ask if you don't want to be spoiled, and set a more distinct spoiler depth, in terms of TV-show season or which of the books.
    – TLP
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 14:00
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The Valyrian steel blades that remain in the world might number in the thousands, but in the Seven Kingdoms there are only 227 such weapons according to Archmaester Thurgood's Inventories ...

The World of Ice and Fire, page 15

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As a supplementary answer, in an interview, George R. R. Martin has stated that there are many Valyrian Steel swords and that it's not only the Great Houses who own them:

... [Do all the Great Houses own Valyrian steel weapons?]

Oh, there are more Valyrian swords than we have seen so far. Not all of them belong to the Great Houses. Lesser nobility would oft purchase one as well, for the prestige, and sometimes knights or even lesser swords would acquire one on the battlefield, after the original owner fell. But there have been no more made since the Doom of Valyria.
-So Spake Martin, Entry 2781, April 16 2008.

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