Valyrian steel

Valyrian steel is a rare and precious metal of extraordinary strength, sharpness, and lightness, forged by the lost arts of the Valyrian Freehold before its destruction in the Doom of Valyria. Blades of Valyrian steel hold an edge keener than any ordinary weapon, never need sharpening, and are prized as heirlooms passed down for generations among the great houses of Westeros and beyond.

The metal is distinguished by the rippling, swirling patterns visible in its surface, a sign of the many times it was folded in the forging. Because the secret of its making is believed lost, existing Valyrian steel cannot easily be replaced, and a sword of such make is counted among a house's most treasured possessions.

Description

Valyrian steel is famed for being at once harder and lighter than common steel, allowing for blades of remarkable balance. Its patterned surface, sometimes likened to smoke or rippling water frozen in metal, is a hallmark of authenticity. The spells and techniques used by Valyrian smiths are said to have involved more than ordinary craft, and modern smiths can reforge existing Valyrian steel but cannot create it anew.

In A Dance with Dragons it is noted among the lore of the Night's Watch and the people of the North that, along with dragonglass, Valyrian steel is one of the few things capable of slaying the Others, a property of particular importance given the threat gathering beyond the Wall.

History

At the height of the Valyrian Freehold, thousands of Valyrian steel blades were forged. After the Doom of Valyria destroyed the Freehold and its sorcerer-smiths, no more could be made, and the surviving blades became finite treasures. Many were lost over the centuries; others remain named heirlooms.

Notable blades include Ice, the ancestral greatsword of House Stark, which Tywin Lannister has melted and reforged into two new swords after it comes into Lannister hands. Longclaw, the blade of Jon Snow, is Valyrian steel given to him by Jeor Mormont. Other named swords include Brightroar of House Lannister, long lost, and Heartsbane of House Tarly.

Significance

Valyrian steel is a symbol of inherited prestige and a reminder of the vanished glory of Valyria. Its scarcity makes each blade a measure of a house's antiquity and standing. Its special potency against the Others ties it directly to the larger menace looming over the events of A Song of Ice and Fire, elevating these heirlooms from mere status symbols to potential weapons of survival.