In the Game of Thrones books, the most famous
noble families include the Starks, Lannisters, and Targaryens. But one of the most mysterious families is
House Dayne. Arthur Dayne was one of the greatest knights
in Westeros, but he mysteriously died – at the birthplace of Jon Snow. Ashara Dayne was a beautiful woman rumoured
to have loved Ned Stark, but she mysteriously died. Darkstar is an edgy emo who may play a key
role in the ending of Thrones. Cause the Daynes have a legendary ancient
sword called Dawn. Their history stretches back thousands of
years , possibly to a distant empire of magic and prophecy. The Daynes live in Dorne, on the island of
Starfall. Cause according to legend, “the first Dayne”
followed a “falling star” to the island. There, he found a stone with “magical powers”
– the “heart” of the “fallen star” . And from that stone was forged Dawn, a strange
and “wondrous” greatsword . Dawn is incredibly sharp and light, but it’s not Valyrian steel
– it’s “pale as milkglass”, and “alive with light” . For thousands of years, Dawn
has been used by only the most “worthy” Dayne knights, who hold the title Sword of
the Morning. Most family swords just pass from father to
son, but to wield Dawn, you’ve actually gotta prove yourself, or else the sword lies
unused. So the Swords of the Morning are all famous
warriors in the history of Westeros, and “most famous of all” is Arthur Dayne .
Arthur was in the Kingsguard of King Aerys Targaryen. He was said to be its deadliest warrior , but
he was also famous for his chivalry , his sense of duty and honour . When he fought
against some outlaws, he first won over the common people . Then, he slew the villainous
Smiling Knight with his legendary sword Dawn. Arthur was also a tourney knight, winning
jousts and melees. Everyone who mentions Arthur admires and respects
him – Ned Stark calls him “the finest knight” he ever saw , and Jaime Lannister
idolised Arthur . Arthur’s the ultimate fantasy of a heroic knight in shining armour
– like the real-world legend of King Arthur, who also had a special sword that came from
a stone – like Dawn. Dayne was probably also inspired by Dane Whitman,
a comic book superhero knight with a sword made from a fallen star – like Dawn. Dane Whitman first appeared in Marvel Comics
in the 60s, when Game of Thrones author George Martin was a teenager – and a big comics
fan. In fact, Martin’s first ever published writing
was a fan letter to Marvel Comics in ’63 . And now, in perfect serendipity, Jon Snow
actor Kit Harrington is set to play Dane Whitman in the MCU . So the point is that Arthur Dayne
represents two of Martin’s early influences – medieval fantasy and superhero comics
– stories about heroes. But Arthur Dayne is not the hero of Game of
Thrones – Arthur dies fifteen years before the story even begins. Because Game of Thrones questions and criticises
fantasy ideas of good versus evil. The death of Arthur Dayne is the death of
the simplistic noble hero, and the beginning of a more complex story, with more complex
heroes. But Game of Thrones doesn’t completely reject
heroic fantasy – and House Dayne is deeply intertwined with the series’ big mysteries,
and with the destiny of Westeros. In the Thrones TV show, it’s revealed that
Jon Snow’s parents are Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. The books haven’t confirmed this yet, but
it’s probably true in the books too. Still, the events surrounding Jon’s birth
are mysterious, and House Dayne was involved from the start. So, sixteen years ago , Lyanna and Rhaegar
ran off together to the tower of joy, guarded by three Kingsguard, including Rhaegar’s
friend Arthur Dayne . Robert Baratheon started a war against the Targaryens, Rhaegar went
to fight him and got hammered [got yeeted into the sun], and Robert became king. Ned Stark found the tower of joy, killed Arthur
and the Kingsguard, and his sister Lyanna died giving birth to Jon Snow. Then, Ned took Arthur’s sword Dawn back
to Starfall – and to Arthur’s sister Ashara, a “beautiful young” woman with “haunting
violet eyes” . We know very little about Ashara, but some characters remember her from
the infamous tournament at Harrenhal. This was the biggest party in Westeros – everyone
was there, and everyone wanted to hook up with Ashara. She danced with Oberyn Martell, and Jon Connington,
and she danced with a young Ned Stark, after Ned’s brother Brandon asked Ashara for him,
because Ned was shy . And there are rumours that Ashara and Ned fell in love that night
– that they shared “Words or kisses, maybe more” . In fact, some say that Ashara is
Jon Snow’s mother – which is probably not true – but someone did get Ashara pregnant. Cause according to Barristan Selmy, Ashara
gave birth to a stillborn daughter, and “soon after”, she committed suicide. After Ned came to Starfall, Ashara threw herself
into the sea, because “Her heart was broken” . Barristan thinks she may’ve killed herself
because of “the man who had dishonored her at Harrenhal” , and he implies that this
man was a “Stark” . So it sounds like Ned Stark got Ashara pregnant, but then he
married Catelyn instead, and he killed Ashara’s brother, and so Ashara was heartbroken . But
is honourable Ned Stark really the kind of person to knock someone up then dump her? Surely Ned would feel guilty if Ashara had
killed herself over him – but Ned never thinks about Ashara in his chapters. Barristan loved Ashara, so if Ned had “dishonored”
her, surely Barry would dislike Ned, but he doesn’t . It doesn’t make sense. So some fans believe that the Stark who hooked
up with Ashara was actually Ned’s brother Brandon. Unlike Ned, Brandon had a reputation as a
fuckboy , and he was “never shy about taking what he wanted” . He was older, more handsome,
more confident and more impulsive than Ned, so he might’ve been the Stark who got with
Ashara. The year after Harrenhal, Brandon was killed
by King Aerys, so grief for Brandon might have been part of what broke Ashara’s heart. But whoever her lover was, Ashara also lost
a stillborn child, and her brother Arthur died, and her companion at court, Princess
Elia, was brutally murdered in Robert’s Rebellion. All this horror and loss, and Ashara was probably
just a teenager at the time , so it’s easy to see how she’d be overwhelmed with grief. But the books never show us Ashara’s perspective,
we don’t know her thoughts and feelings – we only see her through the memories of
others, where she’s idealised and romanticised. She’s a symbol of a nostalgic past when
Barry, Ned and their friends were still young and full of hope. Arthur Dayne’s the same. When Jaime remembers Arthur, he thinks “The
world was simpler in those days”, “and men as well as swords were made of finer steel”
. Of course, the good old days weren’t really that good under Mad King Aerys, but in memory,
Arthur and Ashara represent a mythical bygone time when knights were honourable, and women
were beautiful , and there weren’t so many fucking white walkers. They represent the stories that George Martin
loved growing up, of heroic warriors and beautiful maidens. But the Dayne sigil is a “falling star”
, and when Arthur falls and Ashara literally falls, that romantic past falls too. It’s a tragic loss of innocence, [an original
sin], leaving a darker more complex reality. But there are hints that even Arthur and Ashara
were more complicated than they seem. In Book 3, Arya Stark meets Ned Dayne, the
twelve-year old nephew of Arthur and Ashara. His proper name is Edric, but everyone calls
him Ned , which is weird, cause Ned is the name of the man who killed Edric’s uncle,
and supposedly caused the suicide of Edric’s aunt. Edric mentions that he saw Ned Stark once,
and Edric doesn’t show any dislike for the man who supposedly brought death and grief
to his family . Shouldn’t Edric hate Ned? And Ned Stark doesn’t dislike the Daynes
– he thinks Arthur was a fine knight , and he brought Dawn back to Starfall as “a sign
of respect” . After everything that happened, why are Ned Stark and the Daynes so cool with
each other? Edric mentions a woman called Wylla who works
at Starfall . Wylla was Edric’s wetnurse – she breastfed him as a baby. And Edric says that Wylla also nursed Jon
Snow – so Edric calls Jon his “milk brother” . So this means that after Ned Stark killed
Arthur, and Ashara died, the other Daynes let Ned hang out at Starfall, while Wylla
nursed Jon? That seems very friendly to the man who got
two Daynes killed. Also, Edric Dayne and Robert Baratheon both
think that Wylla is Jon’s mother, which is probably a cover story to protect Jon. It’s all very confusing. But Wylla being Jon’s wetnurse, and Ned
Dayne’s name, and his attitude to Ned Stark all seem to suggest that Ned Stark and the
Daynes actually cooperated in some way. Starfall is fairly close to the tower of joy,
so it’s possible that Wylla was at the tower serving Lyanna while she was pregnant – Lyanna
was a teenager about to give birth in the mountains, she’d need help. So maybe Arthur Dayne suggested they get Wylla
from his family at Starfall. It’s possible that Rhaegar and Lyanna got
married at Starfall – the TV show says that they were secretly married “in Dorne”
. And maybe Ned Stark found out where the tower of joy was from Ashara. There’re all sorts of possibilities for
secrets and drama between Rhaegar Lyanna Ned and the Daynes. There are even theories that Ashara Dayne
isn’t really dead. We are told that Ashara’s body was never
found . So some fans believe Ashara faked her own death, and helped Ned cover up Jon’s
birth, and is now living in the Neck with Howland Reed, the last known survivor of the
tower of joy. Others believe that Ashara is secretly Quaithe
or Septa Lemore – which doesn’t seem likely, because Ashara has “haunting violet eyes”,
and Quaithe and Lemore don’t. But the whole situation is so mysterious and
ambiguous, that there must be some kind of secret amidst the tragedy. Arthur Dayne is also mysterious. Like, he was a Kingsguard, so what was he
doing at the tower of joy all year instead of guarding his king from Robert’s Rebellion? Why did he fight Ned Stark? Is Arthur really the noble knight we think
he is? Arthur was on the Kingsguard for Aerys Targaryen,
the cruel and terrible Mad King. Alongside Jaime, Arthur must’ve stood and
watched while Aerys burned innocent people alive . Was the heroic Arthur Dayne loyal
to this tyrant? In the years before Robert’s Rebellion,
Aerys’ court was divided into people who supported the Mad King, and people who preferred
his son Prince Rhaegar. It’s hinted that Rhaegar planned to overthrow
his mad father, and make himself king . And the worldbook says that in this political
conflict, Rhaegar’s “most formidable” ally was Arthur Dayne . Cause Arthur was Prince
Rhaegar’s oldest friend , Rhaegar trusted him with his secrets – and Rhaegar had big
secrets. Rhaegar was obsessed with the prophecy of
Azor Ahai, a hero prophesied to be reborn and save the world . Rhaegar believed that
his son would be Azor Ahai , along with two siblings , but Rhaegar’s wife Elia couldn’t
have any more children . So it seems that part why Rhaegar ran off with Lyanna and had
baby Jon Snow was to fulfil the Azor Ahai prophecy. And as Rhaegar’s oldest trusted friend,
Arthur probably knew all this. He was with Rhaegar and Lyanna when they went
to the tower, and apparently stayed with them for months . When Robert started the war,
and Rhaegar went to fight him, Arthur and the Kingsguard didn’t go and guard their
king, they stayed with Lyanna and her unborn son, presumably under Rhaegar’s orders . Cause
Arthur was loyal to Rhaegar’s prophetic mission, and loyal to Rhaegar’s son – the
future heir to the Targaryen dynasty, and possibly the future saviour of the world. But when Rhaegar died, and Robert beat the
Targaryens, the Kingsguard were in an awkward situation. They were stuck in a tower in Dorne, and Lyanna
was pregnant with Rhaegar’s heir, but they had no allies left, their side had lost. So – now what? [] In Book 1, Ned Stark dreams of the tower
of joy. He tells the Kingsguard he thought they’d
surrender – but Arthur Dayne says “Our knees do not bend”. Ned says the Kingsguard could run away like
Viserys and Daenerys – but the Kingsguard say they do not flee . Arthur and the Kingsguard
stayed loyal and defiant to the end. They refused to compromise, and chose to die
honourably, following Rhaegar’s last order to guard Lyanna. Of course, Lyanna at the time was dying in
childbirth and screaming for her brother Ned. All Ned wanted was to protect Lyanna and her
baby. And the Kingsguard wanted the same. So you’d think Ned and the Kingsguard could’ve
come to some agreement. Some fans speculate that Arthur faked his
own death, and is still alive somewhere, but there’s no solid evidence. Everything we know about Arthur shows he’s
a man of absolute loyalty and duty – “All knights must bleed”, he said, “Blood is
the seal of our devotion” . So Arthur bled – his noble inflexible honour led to his
death . The noble knight failed his Prince Rhaegar, and his King Aerys. But Arthur’s death still has meaning. Part of the prophecy of Azor Ahai is that
he’ll be reborn beneath a “bleeding star” . Arthur’s sigil is a star, and he bleeds
as Jon is born. The TV show highlights this, putting the star-forged
sword Dawn against the bloody bed where Jon is born. The magic of Azor Ahai is all about sacrifice,
and as Arthur Dayne dies, Jon Snow is born – a new heroic warrior to bring the dawn. In the TV show, the white walkers are defeated
by Arya pulling a sneaky on the Night King. But in the books, there’s foreshadowing
and prophecy that hint at a different ending. According to legend, thousands of years ago,
was the first Long Night, when the white walkers came for the first time. It was ended by the hero Azor Ahai, with a
sword called Lightbringer . Now, Azor Ahai is prophesied to be reborn, and to wield Lightbringer
once more . Melisandre thinks Stannis is Azor Ahai, so she gives him a fiery sword and calls
it Lightbringer. But Stannis’ sword isn’t the real thing
– Aemon says it’s “wrong” and “false” . Where is the real original Lightbringer
from thousands of years ago? Some fans believe that Lightbringer is the
Dayne sword Dawn. Dawn is unique, and mystical, and incredibly
ancient. It’s the only sword in Game of Thrones said
to be thousands of years old , and could date back to the Long Night. And it’s called Dawn – the Long Night
ended in the War for the Dawn. It’s about light overcoming darkness, and
Dawn is forged from a fallen star, it’s “alive with light”. So the symbolism and the timeline both make
sense for Dawn to be the original Lightbringer. But Lightbringer is said to be a “burning
sword” , and Dawn isn’t fiery. So maybe Dawn will become fiery after a sacrifice
– like how Beric’s sword takes fire from his blood . It’s said that Lightbringer
was forged with the sacrifice of Azor Ahai’s wife Nissa Nissa – he stabbed her with Lightbringer,
and “her soul and her strength” “went into the steel” . So maybe Jon Snow will
sacrifice his love Daenerys using Dawn, and her fiery soul will go into the sword, and
reignite it to become Lightbringer. That way, instead of Daenerys’ death being
like putting down a rabid fascist dog, her death could be a tragic sacrifice to bring
light against the darkness. Dawn might be the sword that will save the
world. But currently, Dawn is in Starfall, waiting
for a “knight of House Dayne” to become Sword of the Morning . Jon’s not a Dayne
knight, so he can’t go take it. Who will bring Dawn into the story? When Arya meets Edric Dayne in Book 3, he’s
twelve years old , serving Beric Dondarrion as a squire . Edric is a shy , “polite”
kid, and doesn’t seem like much of a warrior . But when George Martin introduced Edric,
he might have been planning for him to become the Sword of the Morning. Cause at the time, Martin’s plan was for
Book 4 to begin five years after the end of Book 3. Meaning, the characters in Book 4 would all
be five years older – Bran would’ve spent five years learning magic with Bloodraven,
and Arya would’ve spent five years in Braavos. Cause lots of characters are really young
in the books, and the five year gap would’ve aged them up, made them older and more experienced
for the later story. But Martin found that the gap didn’t work
for some storylines, and it sucked to use flashbacks to explain the last five years. So he scrapped the gap, and wrote Book 4 to
just continue where Book 3 left off. So some characters are still really young
– in Book 4, Arya’s just eleven years old when she starts assassinating people , and
Rickon is just four , so he can barely be in the story . Removing the five-year gap
forced Martin to change his plans. And this might have affected young Edric Dayne. If he spent five years with Beric’s men
in the riverlands, he could’ve grown up into seventeen-year old warrior worthy of
wielding Dawn. But since Martin removed the gap, Edric stayed
twelve, and he doesn’t even appear after Book 3. But in Book 4, a new Dayne character is introduced. A warrior with the skill and age to potentially
wield Dawn. But this character’s not as friendly as
Edric. His name is Gerold Dayne, but men call him
“Darkstar”, and he is “of the night” . Darkstar is a tryhard emo edgelord who wants
everyone to know how dark and brooding he is. He’s arrogant and violent and cruel – he
cuts off Myrcella’s ear during Arianne’s plot, it’s a whole thing. By Book 5, Darkstar goes to High Hermitage
– a castle right by Starfall, where Dawn is. Fans speculate that he might steal his family’s
sword. Cause Darkstar is jealous of his famous cousin
Arthur . He says the only reason Arthur was a “great knight” is cause he had the “great
sword” Dawn – it sounds like Darkstar wants Dawn for himself, to prove himself better
than Arthur – perhaps a Sword of the Evening, to rival the Sword of the Morning. If Darkstar gets Dawn, he could take over
whatever plotline was meant for Edric before the five year gap was scrapped. Once Dawn is back in the story, it could find
its way into the hands of Jon Snow, or whoever else plays the role of Azor Ahai. Then Dawn can be Lightbringer, and drive back
the darkness once more. Cause the connections between House Dayne
and the legends of Azor Ahai go way back into ancient history, and to a far distant empire. When Arya meets Edric, she’s surprised by
his appearance. Cause the Daynes are from Dorne, and Arya
thinks Dornishmen have dark hair and dark eyes. But Edric has “pale blond” hair and blue
eyes that look “almost purple” . Darkstar has “silver” blond hair and “purple”
eyes . And Ashara Dayne famously has “haunting purple eyes”. Arthur’s appearance isn’t described. But all of the known Daynes have eyes described
as purple, and most have pale blond hair. Purple eyes and blond hair are associated
with the Targaryens. The TV show doesn’t do the purple eyes,
but in the books, Daenerys and her family famously have purple eyes and blond hair . Because
the Targaryens descend from Valyria, the ancient empire of the dragonlords. Purple eyes and blond hair indicate “the
blood of the dragon”, the Valyrian lineage of dragonriding and fire magic . Every character
in Game of Thrones with purple eyes is a either a Targaryen or has some Valyrian blood – except
for the Daynes. Cause the Daynes were in Westeros thousands
of years before the Valyrians arrived . So where did the Daynes get their special purple
eyes? There’s another weird anachronism nearby
to Starfall. In the city of Oldtown is the Hightower, the
tallest tower in Westeros. The Hightower was built on top of a much older
fortress made of fused black stone. Fused black stone is made with dragonfire,
so you’d think this structure was built by Valyrian dragonriders . But maesters say
that the architecture is “singularly un-Valyrian” – it must have been built by some other
people who came to Westeros with dragons thousands of years before the Valyrians. So who are these mysterious ancient dragonriders? Could they be the purple-eyed ancestors of
both the Daynes and the Valyrians ? According to legend, in the far far east was the Great
Empire of the Dawn. Thousands of years before Valyria and Westeros,
it was the most advanced and prosperous empire in the world – until the reign of the Bloodstone
Emperor. He worshipped “a black stone that had fallen
from the sky” , which sounds like the Dayne legend of the fallen star. And the Bloodstone Emperor killed his sister
the Amethyst Empress – amethysts are purple, like Dayne eyes. And apparently, this caused the Long Night
, which was ended by Azor Ahai with Lightbringer . To defend the Empire, the massive Five Forts
were built , which seems a lot like the Wall. So this legend sounds just like the story
of the Long Night in Westeros , except the Great Empire of the Dawn is on the opposite
side of the world to Westeros. How did Azor Ahai defeat the darkness in Essos
and in distant Westeros? The answer might be dragons. Cause the Five Forts, like the Hightower fortress,
are made of fused black stone , so the Great Empire must’ve had dragons. Maybe after Azor Ahai defeated the darkness
in the east, he flew over to Westeros and ended the Long Night there. He could’ve built the mysterious Hightower
fortress. He could’ve founded House Dayne, and renamed
his sword Lightbringer to Dawn, and started the tradition of the Swords of the Morning
to keep his descendants ready for the next Long Night. Maybe House Dayne is the ancient lineage of
Azor Ahai of the Great Empire of the Dawn, the hero destined to be reborn and save the
world from darkness. And thing is, both Jon Snow and Daenerys have
a Dayne ancestor, Dyanna Dayne. Daenerys hatches her dragons beneath a bleeding
star, like the Dayne sigil. She has a dream of ghostly kings with “swords
of pale fire” and “amethyst” eyes , which might symbolise the Great Empire of the Dawn. And the whole story of Jon’s mysterious
birth is intertwined with the fall of Arthur and Ashara Dayne. In Book 3, Jon looks up at a constellation
called “The Sword of the Morning”, and “the bright white star in its hilt” blazes
“like a diamond in the dawn” – and he allows himself to “hope” . The fall of
Arthur and Ashara Dayne wasn’t for nothing, and the fantasy ideals they represent aren’t
dead yet. Cause they led to the rise of new heroes,
who carry on their ancient legacy to fulfil prophecy and bring light. After the night comes dawn, to defeat the
darkness once more. If you wanna know more about the mysteries
of Game of Thrones, you’ve gotta check out the books. As well as the main series, there’s the
worldbook, and Fire and Blood, and the Dunk and Egg stories, and you can get any one of
these [on audiobook] for free right now by signing up for a trial with Audible. Members get an audiobook each month, and if
you cancel, you keep the audiobooks. You can listen in the car or the gym or while
you gaze at the stars and feel hope. Sign up at audible.com/asx. If you wanna know more about the mysteries
of Game of Thrones, you’ve gotta check out the audiobooks [backup]
Thanks for watching. Please like and subscribe, and comment your
favourite edgy Gerold Dayne quote. Check out the artists, check out the fandom,
and thank you to the Patrons, including Ken Macabalitao, Bridgette Frances Reilly, Kristina
DeMitchell, Ihar Mahaniok, Marty Cawley, and Semmel. Cheers.
I wonder how well these videos will do now that the show is over. He’s still getting support on patron though so I’m not worried about him stopping.
What?! THE Alt Shift X, back from the grave?
I'm actually amazed that I never made the connection that Dawn might have been the original Lightbringer. I'm going to do some more research before I fully subscribe to this idea, but it would make sense, especially given its name.
A happy surprise in my feed today. Great video as always
They will. They will play a major role in the War for Dawn. You don't introduce the legend of the Sword of the Morning and Dawn if you don't think it'll play a significant role in humanity's war and it's survival against the Winter. As per GRRM, he hasn't revealed the words of house Dayne coz they're spoilers for the story. Daynes are important, and so is Dawn. I believe that Dawn is Lightbringer.
I fucking LOVE the concept of the death of a house representing cartoonishly fantasy trope heroes giving rise to the more complex grey area heroes that will actually save the world.
Amazing
If Jon isn’t a Targ he’s gotta be the next Sword of the Morning.
Brandon Stark is a fuck boi