Summary
House Tarly comes into the picture inGame of Throneswhen Lord Randyll Tarly’s eldest son, Samwell arrives at Castle Black. As he mentions his last name, it is immediately clear that he is a highborn lad of a noble House.
Samwell Tarly, of Horn Hill. I mean, I was of Horn Hill. I’ve come to take the Black.
The Tarlys' ancestral seat, Horn Hill houses Lord Randyll and his family. While Randyll himself appears much later inGame of Thrones, Samwell recalls to Jon the mistreatment he met at the hands of his father. His words convey that Randyll is a proud, unkind man with a penchant for fighting. AsGame of Thronesreveals, the man threatened Samwell to take the Black because he was ashamed of his scholarly inclinations. Randyll wanted his heir to fight battles like him and because Samwell spent his time reading, he found him unworthy of his land and title. While it was dishonorable on Randyll’s part to condemn his son to life at Castle Black, the Tarlys are an old noble House, vassals to House Tyrell of Highgarden with a proud history and a Valyrian steel greatsword of their own.
An Heirloom Of House Tarly - Heartsbane
Forged from the rare Valyrian steel, Heartsbane is a two-handed greatsword, like the Stark regalia - Ice used to be.Game of Throneslore says that both these weapons were bigger than Jon Snow’s bastard sword, Longclaw. Heartsbane was in possession of House Tarly for five hundred years. An heirloom greatsword, it was passed down from one lord of Horn Hill to another. While Randyll let Samwell hold the greatsword many a time, the latter was afraid he would hurt his sisters with its sharp blade, asnothing cuts like Valyrian steel. The lore also says that Randyll found Samwell unworthy of wielding Heartsbane. Naturally, after forcing him to take the Black, Heartsbane should have fallen into Samwell’s younger brother, Dickon Tarly’s possession. Things however took quite a turn when Samwell and Gilly visited Horn Hill inGame of Thronesseason 6.
The keepers of Heartsbane used the greatsword in campaigns such as the Vulture Hunt during the second Targaryen king, Aenys I’s time in 37 AC. At the end of the Second Dornish War, Lord Samwell Tarly (also known as “Savage Sam” in the lore) used Heartsbane to killthe Dornish outlaw/ rebel - the Vulture King’s followers who had risen against King Aenys I Targaryen. For his service to the throne, Savage Sam was rewarded by Aenys I with gold, offices, and honors. As per the events of HBO’sGame of Thrones, Lord Randall Tarly was the last known wielder of Heartsbane, and he intended to pass it down to Dickon. He used his heirloom sword at the Battle of Ashford against the usurper, Robert Baratheon. Wielding Heartsbane, Randyll who led the vanguard of House Tyrell, defeated the usurper’s men in the west. The battle of Ashford remains the only battle that Robert lost to the royalist forces.
Samwell And Gilly’s Trip To Horn Hill
Counted among the handful of Valyrian steel swords inthe Seven Kingdoms, the Tarlys proudly displayed Heartsbane in an antler sword stand. Like Ice, this greatsword is magnificent and absurdly large. Its hilt is fashioned in the shape of a bow, and its pommel, arrow fletching, thereby representing the Tarly sigil - the huntsman. InGame of Thronesseason 6, episode 6 “Blood of My Blood,” after being berated by his father for wanting to be a Maester, and for bringing a Free Folk woman to his house, Samwell and Gilly ran off in the middle of the night. The same night, he stole Heartsbane, intending to use it to study its metal (Valyrian steel) at the Citadel.
After theMassacre at Hardhome, Samwell, and Jon concluded that besides Dragonglass, Valyrian steel is lethal to the White Walkers. Later inGame of Thrones, Samwell gave Heartsbane to Ser Jorah Mormont before the Battle of Winterfell:
It is called Heartsbane. It is my family’s sword
Jorah reminded Samwell that he still had a family, even after the executions of his father and brother by Daenerys Targaryen, only to hear, “But I can’t really hold it [Heartsbane] upright,” in response. Samwell recalled the time he spent as a sworn brother of the Night’s Watch, serving under Jorah’s father, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont. He felt it was right to bestow the greatsword upon Ser Jorah who has use of it in the upcoming war againstthe Night Kingand the Army of the Dead:
It’s Valyrian Steel. I’d be honored if you take it.
Ser Jorah drew Heartsbane from its sheath and promised to wield the greatsword in memory of his father. The two men acknowledged each other by slightly nodding their heads, and Jorah laid down his life fighting for the living side inGame of Thrones.
