What Happened to Dark Sister & Blackfyre Swords? (& Where Are They Now)

The Game of Thrones spin-off sequel House of the Dragon had just released its first episode, and we are already looking at what could potentially be another game-changing HBO series. Its pilot episode introduced the Targaryen family that ruled Westeros a century after Aegon conquered the continent. Of course, we also saw the Targaryens wielding legendary Valyrian steel swords in the form of Dark Sister and Blackfyre. But what happened to Dark Sister and Blackfyre, and where are these swords now?

Dark Sister was later given to Brynden Rivers during the Blackfyre Rebellion. The sword got lost after he joined the Night’s Watch as he disappeared beyond the Wall. Meanwhile, Blackfyre was sent with Aegor Rivers to exile in the free cities after the Blackfyre Rebellion. Its whereabouts are unknown.

Valyrian steel was incredibly rare during the time period of Game of Thrones, as there were only a few swords made from such metal. But while Valyrian streel was also quite rare during the time period of House of the Dragon, it became even more scarce several decades later when Dark Sister and Blackfyre were lost. In that regard, let’s look at what we know about these swords.

What Happened To Dark Sister?

The world of A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin is quite vast in terms of its history, and there are plenty of different objects that were able to stand the test of time throughout the long history of this deep lore. Of course, while the continent of Westeros has existed for thousands of years, it was only during the reign of the Targaryens that the continent was united under one banner. And one of the reasons why the Targaryens were powerful was their weaponry.

Even though the Targaryens relied on their dragons to conquer Westeros, their most notable leaders were equipped with legendary swords that were made with Valyrian steel, which is the best type of steel in the George RR Martin universe. And ever since Valyria was destroyed, the secrets of creating Valyrian steel were lost, and that’s why swords like Dark Sister were quite rare.

Dark Sister was one of the swords that we saw quite early in House of the Dragon as it was in possession of Daemon Targaryen. It is to be noted that this sword was brought to Westeros by Visenya Targaryen, who rode alongside Aegon Targaryen as one of the sister wives of the first king of Westeros. Considering that this sword was never the weapon of a king, it was bestowed on Prince Daemon King Jaehaerys I for his prowess in battle.

Of course, we all know that Dark Sister is no longer seen during the events of Game of Thrones, which is right around 200 years after the events of House of the Dragon. We only heard of its name when Arya Stark was talking about Visenya Targaryen. So, what happened to Dark Sister?

House of the Dragon actually tells the story behind the Dance of Dragons, which is the Targaryen civil war that led to several parties waging war against one another for the chance to sit at the Iron Throne left by King Viserys. Daemon’s fought until he had to go up against Aemond Targaryen, who mounted the legendary dragon named Vhagar.

It was during the conclusion of the battle when Daemon leaped from Caraxes to plunge Dark Sister deep into Aemond’s eye socket. Daemon’s body was never found after that battle, but Dark Sister was seen plunged deep in Aemond’s skeleton years after his body was finally found.

Years after Dark Sister was found, the Dragonknight named Aemon Targaryen was given the sword because he was the strongest and most skilled jouster and swordsman of his time. The sword eventually found its way to Lord Brynden Rivers during the Blackfyre Rebellion.

After the Blackfyre Rebellion, Brynden Rivers was sent to the Night’s Watch to become Lord Commander. It was during that time that the Targaryens understood how important the Night’s Watch was, and that was why they sent their best men to man the Wall. However, Brynden Rivers got lost beyond the Wall, as neither he nor Dark Sister was ever found.

What Happened To Blackfyre?

While Dark Sister was a legendary sword that was wielded by one of the conquerors of Westeros, Blackfyre was the most notable Valyrian steel sword owned by House Targaryen as it was wielded by Aegon the Conqueror, who ended up becoming the first king of Westeros. In that regard, the sword was passed down to Jaehaerys I Targaryen, who was the king of Westeros before Viserys I was proclaimed king.

According to the books, there is a gap between Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Aegon II in terms of the wielder of Blackfyre. However, considering that Viserys I was a legitimate king, it can be presumed that he inherited the blade from Jaehaerys I but never used it in battle, considering that he wasn’t the same kind of fighter as his brother, Daemon. 

After Viserys I died, the Dance of the Dragons began, and that was when the blade found its way to Aegon II, who ended up becoming the sixth king that succeeded Jaehaerys I. Aegon II died, and, according to Ser Eustace Osgrey, Blackfyre had been wielded by every Targaryen king since Aegon’s Conquest. But Aegon IV decided to give Blackfyre to his warrior son named Daemon, who ended up taking the name Blackfyre due to his bastard roots.

The fact that Daemon Blackfyre possessed the sword was one of the reasons why he rebelled against the crown, as the sword had long been passed down from one Targaryen king to another. However, Daemon died during the rebellion, and so did his sons. The sword was taken by Aegon’s half-brother named Aegor Rivers, who was called Bittersteel. Aegor Rivers brought the sword to the Free Cities with him in exile, as the sword was never seen again due to the fact that no one knew who possessed it after Bittersteel.

Is Longclaw Dark Sister?

At this point, we don’t know for sure what happened to both Dark Sister and Darkfyre, except for the fact that they had been lost together with their last known possessors. While Darkfyre probably stayed in the Free Cities and was passed on from one user to another, Dark Sister was never found again. This makes some people wonder if Longclaw, the sword that Jon Snow wielded during Game of Thrones, is actually Dark Sister.

The reason why some people believe that Longclaw is Dark Sister is the fact that Jon Snow ended up becoming Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch after the sword was gifted to him by Lord Jeor Mormont, who ruled as Lord Commander before him. And we all know that Dark Sister used to be wielded by a former Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch as well.

However, it is worth noting that Longclaw had been with the Mormont family for 500 years before the sword was passed down to Jon Snow. Dark Sister was only brought to Westeros about 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones, and that means that Longclaw’s history in Westeros is longer than Dark Sister’s.

As such, Dark Sister is probably still lost somewhere in the lands beyond the Wall, as we all know that this area of the Westerosi continent is just as big or even bigger than the Seven Kingdoms themselves. And considering that it is always snowing in the lands beyond the Wall, Dark Sister is probably buried deep in the snow in one of the uninhabitable areas beyond the Wall.