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HBO knows what fans want most from House of the Dragon. The series itself has to keep up its pace, but in a new behind-the-scenes featurette, star James Norton took us all into the on-set armory for a look at the finer details. Norton plays Ormund Hightower, the young lord of House Hightower who now carries their ancestral Valyrian steel blade, Vigilance. The weapon is incredibly well-crafted and accurate to its description in George R.R. Martin's books. Seeing Norton talk about it with his colleagues is a welcome reminder that everyone working on the show is passionate about bringing Westeros to life as authentically as possible.
The five-minute video brings Norton into the workshop with House of the Dragon's Master Amourer Tim Lewis for a look at Vigilance. Norton said it was a "pleasure and privilege" to wield the sword on set as the camera panned over its intricately carved grip, which features an image of The Warrior. The hilt is suitably ornate for one of Westeros' oldest and wealthiest houses, while the blade has the typical patterned look we've come to expect from Valyrian steel on TV.
How House of the Dragon's Valyrian steel is made
According to Lewis, showrunner Ryan Condal was very involved in the creation of Vigilance, along with other swords on the show. This is not surprising from Condal, who not only has an abiding love for Martin's writing, but for Hollywood props in general. As for the blade itself, Lewis noted that Valyrian steel is made with a process similar to real-life Damascus steel, then turned things over to Bladesmith Jamie Bell for more details.
Bell could be seen working a true forge on the set, and although his equipment was modern, it still felt like a callback to the kind of technology smiths in Westeros would have used. After many days of shaping the steel blade, the finishing details were added with silicone molds. It was here that Lewis revealed there are several copies of Vigilance, leaving room for error while filming. Presumably, the same is true for every sword on the show.
Damascus steel is often cited as an inspiration for Valyrian steel — and other magical metals in fantasy literature. However, the TV shows have never quite captured the look of Valyrian steel as it was described in Martin's books. There, it is said to be black in color, though the rippling effect on the steel is still correct.
Where is Vigilance in Game of Thrones?
Valyrian steel is incredibly rare in the world of Westeros, and new weapons cannot be created now that the dragon lords' civilization has fallen. Martin's books tell us that Valyrian steel only became prevalent in the Seven Kingdoms within the last two centuries before the Doom of Valyria, which took place about 230 years before House of the Dragon. The Valyrians set up a trading outpost called Dragonstone to sell Valyrian steel to the Westerosi, before the island became the seat of House Targaryen. At some unspecified point in those years, House Hightower purchased Vigilance.
The sword has at least one great deed ahead of it according to Martin's book Fire & Blood, but it's actually unclear what became of the sword after the war. We don't know whether House Hightower still had it at the time of Game of Thrones, though it might come up in The Winds of Winter or A Dream of Spring. Hopefully Martin can draw a little inspiration from seeing the sword on screen.
House of the Dragon season 3 continues on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max. Martin's books are available now in print, digital, and audiobook formats.
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This article was originally published on winteriscoming.net as Inside the amazing details of Ormund Hightower’s Valyrian Steel sword Vigilance in House of the Dragon.
