Is Viserys’s Dagger the Same One in Game of Thrones?

There are a lot of parallelisms between Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, as we get to understand how important the past events are to the different events that happened in Game of Thrones. Of course, one of the most notable easter eggs we’ve seen so far in House of the Dragon is the Valyrian Steel dagger that Viserys owns, as we’ve seen a similar dagger in Game of Thrones in the hands of Arya Stark, who used it to kill the Night King. So, is Viserys’s dagger the same one in Game of Thrones?

The dagger that Viserys owns in House of the Dragon is the same dagger that we saw in Game of Thrones. This dagger was owned by Aenar Targaryen before passing it to Aegon the Conqueror. It is a royal heirloom from one king to another because of its connection to the prophecy of the Prince that was Promised.

One of the most important things about the world of Game of Thrones is that the prophecy regarding the Prince that was Promised was one of the reasons why Aegon conquered Westeros. But people have forgotten that due to how preoccupied they are about who should be the king or queen. As such, the dagger serves as a reminder of the greater role that the king should have in the Seven Kingdoms. Now, let’s look at the history behind this Valyrian Steel dagger.

Is Viserys’s Dagger The Same One In Game Of Thrones?

We know that House of the Dragon follows events that are set nearly two centuries before the events of Game of Thrones, and that means that the things that will happen in this series are related to the future events of Game of Thrones. Because of that, we’ve seen a few easter eggs in House of the Dragon already, but one of the most notable ones is the Valyrian Steel dagger that Viserys owns.

It was early in episode 1 that King Viserys Targaryen revealed that he owns a Valyrian Steel dagger that he held on to while he was telling Rhaenyra Targaryen about the dream that Aegon the Conqueror once had and of the greater importance of the Iron Throne to the future of the world. And the dagger was once again front and center in episode 4 when King Viserys was talking to Rhaenyra about the allegations between her and Daemon and about the prospects of her getting married to someone that could help ensure that the Targaryen dynasty continued.

Of course, we’ve seen a dagger that is quite similar to the Valyrian Steel dagger that Viserys wields. This very same dagger was there during the first season of Game of Thrones when a catspaw assassin tried to kill Bran Stark while he was still in a coma that was induced by his fall when Jaime Lannister pushed him off a tower. The dagger eventually ended up in Arya Stark’s hands, as she used it to kill the Night King herself. So, is Viserys’s dagger the same one that was featured in Game of Thrones?

Valyrian Steel weapons are incredibly rare in the world, as only those who’ve had these weapons forged during the time when the Valyrian Empire still existed owned them. Since the Doom of Valyria, no one in the world knows how to forge Valyrian steel. There are those who can reuse Valyrian Steel and use it to forge other weapons. But no one in the world knows how to create Valyrian Steel anymore after the Doom of Valyria.

In that regard, we’ve only seen a few Valyrian Steel weapons in House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones due to how rare they are. Most Valyrian Steel weapons come in the form of swords that were passed down from one generation to another by some of the houses of Westeros. 

But while there have been a few Valyrian Steel swords in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, we’ve only ever seen one Valyrian Steel dagger that has a distinct appearance. And this dagger we are talking about is the same one that Viserys owns in House of the Dragon and the one that was passed on from one person to another during the events of Game of Thrones.

As such, the Valyrian Steel dagger, although not as mighty as a sword, seems to be a very important weapon in the events of House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, considering that it is the only weapon to be featured in both of these shows so far. Of course, the dagger may have something to do with the Prince that was Promised, considering that it has an inscription that we never saw in Game of Thrones.

How Did The Valyrian Steel Dagger End Up With Arya Stark?

In House of the Dragon, the Valyrian Steel dagger is in possession of King Viserys Targaryen. According to him in episode 4, the dagger is sort of like an heirloom that has been passed down from one Targaryen king to another. He said that it was once owned by Aenar Targaryen, the head of House Targaryen during the time when the entire family migrated from Valyria to Dragonstone to escape the Doom of Valyria. Eventually, the dagger was passed down to Aegon the Conqueror.

Since Aegon’s time, the dagger might have found its way to the different kings of the Seven Kingdoms until it ended up in King Viserys’s hands. That means that this is a royal heirloom that is passed down from one generation to another due to its connection with Aegon’s dream. But while only the Targaryen kings once owned the dagger, that was no longer the case during the time of Game of Thrones.

The last time we saw the dagger, it was in possession of Arya Stark, who used it to kill the Night King during the Long Night. We know that Arya is not a Targaryen. So, how did the Valyrian Steel dagger end up in her hands?

As mentioned, we first saw the dagger in Game of Thrones in the hands of an assassin that used it to nearly kill both Catelyn Stark and Brandon Stark. However, the attempt on their lives failed, as the dagger ended up in Cat’s hands so that she could bring it to King’s Landing to seek justice.

In King’s Landing, Catelyn Stark allowed Varys the Spider to examine it. That was when Lord Petyr Baelish said that the Valyrian Steel dagger once belonged to him before he lost it to Tyrion Lannister in a bet. However, it was clear that Baelish was able to find a way to get his hands on the dagger once more because he was the one who possibly orchestrated the assassination plot on Bran and gave the dagger to the assassin so that he could frame Tyrion for this crime.

Petyr Baelish ended up with the dagger once more after Catelyn Stark brought it to King’s Landing. It took a while for us to see the dagger again because it only made another appearance when Baelish gave it to Bran as a reminder of what happened to him many years ago. Bran, of course, was no longer capable of wielding the weapon, and that was when he gave it to Arya, who became the final owner of the dagger. She used it to kill the Night Kin, and ended up sailing west together with the dagger.