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Gendry = Forger of new Valyrian swords


cockmerchant

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Well, now that the show has confirmed that Valyrian steel can slay WWs. I'm making the assumption that some form of Dragon fire/blood is needed to forge them. Gendry has been tooling around with the BWOB for a while, has he been honing his craft? Seems to me this would be a cool role for his character. After the "war with the winter" He'll have proved himself vital to the realm, and take his seat as the head of house Baratheon. (since Stannis will soon be dead IMHO)


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Gendry’s Forge: Valyrian steel is in short supply in Westeros, but it is sorely needed for the coming war for the dawn.  Unfortunately, no one has been able to forge new Valyrian steel since the Doom. Who will help save Westeros? How about Gendry, the red-hot, fire-blooded smithy? Gendry is the person in the series who comes closest to having that combination of factors needed to forge new Valyrian steel or even re-forge Lightbringer. In an important but overlooked passage in A Feast for Crows, I suspect Gendry may have forged the most powerful new piece of steel since the Doom.

When we think of Gendry, it is all too easy to think of his king’s blood, being Robert Baratheon’s bastard, and forget that he is a talented smith.  Gendry was apprenticed to Tobho Mott, the King’s Landing armorer who knows spells needed to recast Valyrian steel. We know from the Wiki of Ice and Fire that all Valyrian magic is rooted in blood and fire. In The World of Ice and Fire, we also learn that Maester Pol discovered one secret to making Valyrian steel, blood sacrifice.  But I believe dragon fire is also needed, and the absence of dragons is why no one has been able to forge new Valyrian steel. We know, of course, that dragons are coming to Westeros, but it could take quite a while. Gendry may not have dragon fire, but he has the closest thing to it, dragon blood.  Gendry’s great, great grandfather was Aegon V. Gendry has also become a follower of R’hllor, the fire-hungry Lord of Light, and it is possible he has learned of fire magic from Thoros, the red priest of Myr, his fellow Brother without Banners.

Blood magic is also an essential part of the forging of Lightbringer, the mythical sword.  From Sallhador Saan and others, we learn that Azor Ahai tried three times to forge a magic sword, and each time he increased the number of repetitions he would heat, hammer and fold the metal.  He also used blood magic when he sacrificed his wife, Nissa Nissa, by tempering his sword in her heart. As a result, the sword was imbued with her “blood and her soul and her strength and her courage.” 

In A Feast for Crows, when Brienne talks to Gendry, he is hard at work forging his own personal sword: “He was beating on a sword as if he wished it were a foe, his sweat-soaked hair falling across his brow.” This sentence has always stood out to me because it gives the impression that Gendry is giving his sword extra repetitions of heating, hammering, and folding, as did Azor Ahai with Lightbringer.  While Gendry and Brienne talk, the revolting and dangerous character Biter shows up with some equally dangerous Bloody Mummers. Brienne fights them, even though she is dangerously outnumbered.  There is a point at which Brienne hears other swords clashing and thinks Ser Hyle Hunt has joined in the fight.  But Brienne doesn’t actually see Ser Hyle. Biter has threatened to rape and torture Willow, the innkeeper, which would most certainly cause Gendry to leave his forge and fight them. I think the additional swordsman is actually Gendry: “Biter threw back his head and opened his mouth again, howling, and stuck his tongue out at her. It was sharply pointed, dripping blood, longer than any tongue should be. Sliding from his mouth, out and out and out, red and wet and glistening, it made a hideous sight, obscene. His tongue is a foot long, Brienne thought, just before the darkness took her. Why, it looks almost like a sword.” I think this passage describes Gendry’s red-hot sword being tempered in Biter’s blood! And such a blood sacrifice is necessary to turn Gendry’s sword from a fine piece of workmanship into a unique weapon with magical properties. 

Is Gendry re-forging Lightbringer? Is Gendry making new Valerian steel? I don’t have enough evidence to answer this question, but I can speculate.  Lightbringer required extra repetitions of heat, hammer and folding, and Gendry appears to have done his extra repetitions. And Lightbringer required human blood sacrifice. Just as the blood sacrifice of Nissa Nissa imbued Lightbringer with “blood, soul, strength and courage,” so will Biter’s repellant qualities be imbued in Gendry’s sword. If this is the case, it’ll be one mad sword! Valyrian steel is a second possibility.  Dragon fire may be needed to forge Valyrian steel, which Gendry doesn’t have.  But he does have something few blacksmiths have—the fire magic of his Targaryon dragon blood, and possibly fire magic of R’hllor. If Valyrian steel needs both blood magic and fire magic, then Gendry is the closest thing this side of the Narrow Sea to that combination.  And his magic weapons will be needed in the war for the dawn, which is on its way sure as winter is coming. Only Martin knows where Gendry is going, but I wonder if Gendry may have just forged the most important new piece of steel since the Doom.

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Gendry’s Forge: Valyrian steel is in short supply in Westeros, but it is sorely needed for the coming war for the dawn.  Unfortunately, no one has been able to forge new Valyrian steel since the Doom. Who will help save Westeros? How about Gendry, the red-hot, fire-blooded smithy? Gendry is the person in the series who comes closest to having that combination of factors needed to forge new Valyrian steel or even re-forge Lightbringer. In an important but overlooked passage in A Feast for Crows, I suspect Gendry may have forged the most powerful new piece of steel since the Doom.

When we think of Gendry, it is all too easy to think of his king’s blood, being Robert Baratheon’s bastard, and forget that he is a talented smith.  Gendry was apprenticed to Tobho Mott, the King’s Landing armorer who knows spells needed to recast Valyrian steel. We know from the Wiki of Ice and Fire that all Valyrian magic is rooted in blood and fire. In The World of Ice and Fire, we also learn that Maester Pol discovered one secret to making Valyrian steel, blood sacrifice.  But I believe dragon fire is also needed, and the absence of dragons is why no one has been able to forge new Valyrian steel. We know, of course, that dragons are coming to Westeros, but it could take quite a while. Gendry may not have dragon fire, but he has the closest thing to it, dragon blood.  Gendry’s great, great grandfather was Aegon V. Gendry has also become a follower of R’hllor, the fire-hungry Lord of Light, and it is possible he has learned of fire magic from Thoros, the red priest of Myr, his fellow Brother without Banners.

Blood magic is also an essential part of the forging of Lightbringer, the mythical sword.  From Sallhador Saan and others, we learn that Azor Ahai tried three times to forge a magic sword, and each time he increased the number of repetitions he would heat, hammer and fold the metal.  He also used blood magic when he sacrificed his wife, Nissa Nissa, by tempering his sword in her heart. As a result, the sword was imbued with her “blood and her soul and her strength and her courage.” 

In A Feast for Crows, when Brienne talks to Gendry, he is hard at work forging his own personal sword: “He was beating on a sword as if he wished it were a foe, his sweat-soaked hair falling across his brow.” This sentence has always stood out to me because it gives the impression that Gendry is giving his sword extra repetitions of heating, hammering, and folding, as did Azor Ahai with Lightbringer.  While Gendry and Brienne talk, the revolting and dangerous character Biter shows up with some equally dangerous Bloody Mummers. Brienne fights them, even though she is dangerously outnumbered.  There is a point at which Brienne hears other swords clashing and thinks Ser Hyle Hunt has joined in the fight.  But Brienne doesn’t actually see Ser Hyle. Biter has threatened to rape and torture Willow, the innkeeper, which would most certainly cause Gendry to leave his forge and fight them. I think the additional swordsman is actually Gendry: “Biter threw back his head and opened his mouth again, howling, and stuck his tongue out at her. It was sharply pointed, dripping blood, longer than any tongue should be. Sliding from his mouth, out and out and out, red and wet and glistening, it made a hideous sight, obscene. His tongue is a foot long, Brienne thought, just before the darkness took her. Why, it looks almost like a sword.” I think this passage describes Gendry’s red-hot sword being tempered in Biter’s blood! And such a blood sacrifice is necessary to turn Gendry’s sword from a fine piece of workmanship into a unique weapon with magical properties. 

Is Gendry re-forging Lightbringer? Is Gendry making new Valerian steel? I don’t have enough evidence to answer this question, but I can speculate.  Lightbringer required extra repetitions of heat, hammer and folding, and Gendry appears to have done his extra repetitions. And Lightbringer required human blood sacrifice. Just as the blood sacrifice of Nissa Nissa imbued Lightbringer with “blood, soul, strength and courage,” so will Biter’s repellant qualities be imbued in Gendry’s sword. If this is the case, it’ll be one mad sword! Valyrian steel is a second possibility.  Dragon fire may be needed to forge Valyrian steel, which Gendry doesn’t have.  But he does have something few blacksmiths have—the fire magic of his Targaryon dragon blood, and possibly fire magic of R’hllor. If Valyrian steel needs both blood magic and fire magic, then Gendry is the closest thing this side of the Narrow Sea to that combination.  And his magic weapons will be needed in the war for the dawn, which is on its way sure as winter is coming. Only Martin knows where Gendry is going, but I wonder if Gendry may have just forged the most important new piece of steel since the Doom.

You blew my mind  :bowdown:

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Well, now that the show has confirmed that Valyrian steel can slay WWs. I'm making the assumption that some form of Dragon fire/blood is needed to forge them. Gendry has been tooling around with the BWOB for a while, has he been honing his craft? Seems to me this would be a cool role for his character. After the "war with the winter" He'll have proved himself vital to the realm, and take his seat as the head of house Baratheon. (since Stannis will soon be dead IMHO)

 

This is my reply to a previous very similar post:

Folks, folks, I do not know how to make it straight and clear to you: when last time we saw Gendry, a young dude who can not swim and do not really know how to row a boat, were put into a tiny boat into middle of ocean with very little food and water, so now you tell me, by all possible, where is he now?

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I don't believe Gendry can forge Valyrian steel. I doubt he was apprenticed to Tobho Mott long enough. Tobho would not begin to teach him such a coveted skill until at least he was a full fledged Smith. Probably not even then, he would probably require him to be their equivalent of a master craftsman. Plus it would probably take years to learn to rework Valyrian steel as the material itself is in short supply. No one is going to let him practice on their blades.
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In another thread BlueDragon had wondered how much Valyrian steel is left to be had and if the Iron Throne was made of Valyrian steel swords.

 

That made me think that it would be wonderful symbolism and irony (to an extent) that if the Iron Throne is indeed made of Valyrian steel that the throne would need to be melted, destroyed - sacrificed, to save the realm.

 

That would be so cool!

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I don't get why people think some mysterious cash of Valyrian steel, or Valyrian steel swords will be found? They are actively looking for obsidian to battle the WWs. This will suffice and will serve as a better plot device than if it were to start raining Valyrian steel.
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If the Iron throne were made of Valyrian steel, Tywin would have already carved off a huge chunk to make swords for the males in the Lannister family. Tywin is nothing if not practical.



I mean... It is a big pile of steel swords melted down by Dragon fire into one big lumpy chair. It was Dragon fire right? Seems like an appropriate source of valyrian steel and serves the larger theme of the story. Put the realm before the throne.
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This is my reply to a previous very similar post:

Folks, folks, I do not know how to make it straight and clear to you: when last time we saw Gendry, a young dude who can not swim and do not really know how to row a boat, were put into a tiny boat into middle of ocean with very little food and water, so now you tell me, by all possible, where is he now?

 

Seems like they may do the Riverlands plot next year, how about washed up on the banks of the Trident?

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I mean... It is a big pile of steel swords melted down by Dragon fire into one big lumpy chair. It was Dragon fire right? Seems like an appropriate source of valyrian steel and serves the larger theme of the story. Put the realm before the throne.


There is more to it than blasting regular steel with Dragon fire.
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Note that Ned says Tobho Mott learned to work valyrian steel as a boy. Not as a grown master craftsman. A secret is not necessarily a complicated process. Just secret. If he learned as a boy, why wasn't he teaching his boy?

I very much subscribe to the idea that the Iron Throne is valyrian steel now. Anything forged at temperatures man can not reach, like volcanoes and meteors. And dragonbreath
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@Gitanjli First of all, a LOT differs from the books in the show.
Gendry might still be terrified of the red god or any red priestess.

But I do agree that whenever people talk about gendry they forget he is a smith. However he is not that bright. So I suspect he will never be the one to discover how it is made.

That part is for Sam. I think it will be something like mixing dragonglass, steel and a "worthy" smith.
So if Gendry is ever coming back, it will be only in season 7.
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@Gitanjli First of all, a LOT differs from the books in the show.
Gendry might still be terrified of the red god or any red priestess.

But I do agree that whenever people talk about gendry they forget he is a smith. However he is not that bright. So I suspect he will never be the one to discover how it is made.

That part is for Sam. I think it will be something like mixing dragonglass, steel and a "worthy" smith.
So if Gendry is ever coming back, it will be only in season 7.

 

Why are you saying Gendry isn't clever? From Tobho Mott

 

"Mind your filthy tongue," the master said. "This is the King's own Hand." The boy lowered his eyes. "A smart boy, but stubborn. That helm … the others call him bullheaded, so he threw it in their teeth."

 

 

Gendry is Stannis like this way. He'll silently sulk and lash out but we have little opportunity to see what he thinks. Tobho however saw him every day, was his teacher and Tobho thinks he's smart.

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