Something is afoot with the Catspaw blade. The Internet basically got crazy back in June when Maisie Williams was photographed in costume by EW with the Catspaw Blade on her hip. Something not seen since season 1.
Then, last night during the Season 7 premiere, Samwell Tarly is reading a book in the Citadel and the camera looks over his shoulder as he is flipping through and what do we see? A drawing of the Catspaw Blade. Sam doesn’t read the page but we can.
I think they’re setting the stage for this knife to be something of import later in this season, and I cannot wait to figure out what, but first maybe not everyone is familiar with the knife, so I thought it would be a good point of discussion to create a summary.
This is the knife used in the attempted assassination of Bran Stark in episode 2 of the entire series. It is later taken by Catelyn Stark to Kings Landing where she is told by Littlefinger that the knife was last in Tyrion’s possession, she then finds Tyrion on the road, abducts him to the Eyrie, and puts him on trial. It is assumed after all this that Littlefinger ends up with the knife.
Then if Arya gets it in Season 7, and Littlefinger is on her list… well….
Personally I think Littlefinger is a survivor and that Sansa, as much as she has a frenemy relationship with Littlefinger, doesn’t want to see him dead, and she will prevent her sister from exacting such revenge. Plus I think Sansa is growing smart enough to put Littlefinger in her debt.
But I digress, because the books actually tell us much more about this knife. Littlefinger lied, as he does, and it was never Tyrion’s, nor his. The knife belonged to Robert Baratheon and Joffrey is the one who stole it and hired the assassin, not because of what Bran saw, but because of a skirmish with Bran in the yard earlier that day where Joffrey felt humiliated. Joffrey, always the brat. He also stupidly picked the most obviously recognizable blade for the job. Joffrey, always the idiot.
So we know the knife was Robert Baratheon’s, and now it shows up in Sam’s book when they discuss the weapons of Aegon and other Targaryens, as well as dragonglass. Another page Sam doesn’t read also apparently seems to infer that dragonglass can heal.
From this I think we can reasonably put forth two conclusions. The first is that some of the little gems on the Catspaw Blade are in fact dragonglass. The second is that this knife was owned by the Targaryens, probably going back to Aegon, and was passed down ruler to ruler, until Robert took it from Aerys, or otherwise got it through plunder from either Dragonstone or the Red Keep, after his rebellion. It is a dragonbone hilt after all, and who else would have that if not the Targaryens? The knife could even date by to Old Valyria.
Then, if indeed dragonglass and or valyrian steel have other magical properties not yet disclosed, and this knife contains both, and was owned by Targaryen kings, could it have certain special powers? Was there a reason the Targaryen’s kept it around so long?
And of course, somehow, Arya gets it. What will she do with it?
