The needle is the weapon wielded by Arya Stark, the youngest daughter, and third child of Ned and Catelyn Stark. Her sword would become her signature weapon as she grows and makes her own destiny defying that of how a lady should become.
From childhood, Arya always had a passion for combat, warfare and the use of weapons. More than having sheer passion, she displayed potential with her physical abilities. Unfortunately, as a Lady of the House of Stark, she is expected to be “ladylike” which she abhors.
Her father would eventually give in seeing her practicing with her sword, Needle. Instead of discouraging her from doing what she loves, her father had her trained by a master swordsman from Braavos, Syrio Forel.
Arya gives her sword, Needle, much importance. More than her love of fighting with weapons, this is also because the sword symbolizes her family’s love. As Arya’s story progress, the sword will be of great use to her saving and serving her countless times.
She will then also possess a second weapon that is considered very rare in the world of Game of Thrones. Aside from Needle, she’ll then wield a dagger made of valyrian steel. The dagger also has quite a reputation as it was a weapon initially used to assassinate one of her brothers.
We’ll be going through both her weapons starting with her sword, Needle. If you would like Needle for yourself, you can check it out here on Amazon. If you would like the dagger instead, you can get it here.
What Does Needle Look Like?
Needle is a very thin sword purposely designed the way it is for its then would be owner, Arya Stark. Arya was still quite young when she was given the sword and with her small frame, the dimensions of Needle was ideal for her.
It’s very thin that it would be better used for piercing more than cutting through things. The needle has a very simple handle. Meanwhile, its guard and pommel has very small but sophisticated details.
Who Gave Arya Stark the Needle?
Among her siblings, Arya Stark was close to Jon Snow. Although Jon Snow is actually just her bastard brother, they were fond of each other. When Jon had to leave for the wall, he had the sword made for Arya.
The sword was created by a blacksmith in Winterfell named Mikken. Before Jon left, he went to Arya and presented the sword to her as a parting gift. Jon told her that it was not a toy and the Arya had to be careful with it.
Arya loved the sword and ever since then, she would keep it by her side always. Jon then mentioned that a lot of good swords have names. For that, Arya already had an idea.
Why Did Arya Name her Sword Needle?
While Jon and Arya were very fond of each other, Arya, at the time Jon gave her the sword, would always get into a quarrel with her older sister, Sansa Stark. Sansa was quite the opposite of Arya.
While Arya was rambunctious, Sansa was very ladylike. Because of this, the two couldn’t get along. During that time, they were taught to sew. Sansa was very good at this. Arya wasn’t. When Jon gave her the sword and was told about good swords having names, Arya then said, “Sansa can keep her sewing needles, I’ve got a needle of my own.”
For the shape and form of her weapon, the name Needle was very fitting. It was thin and sharp like one.
What is the Needle Made Of?
For some reason, some people get to think that Arya’s sword, Needle, is made of Valyrian steel. It’s not. Valyrian steel is very rare and expensive. It would be difficult for Jon to have the materials for the blacksmith to forge a valyrian sword.
Arya’s sword is made of castle-forged steel. It was made in Winterfell before Jon left for the wall and join the night’s watch. Regardless, Arya’s needle is still made of high quality materials.
What Are the Abilities of Needle?
The show has weapons that are somehow enchanted or are made of special materials such as dragonglass that gives weapons unique powers. As for Arya’s Needle, although made of high quality castle-forged steel, her sword doesn’t possess any special enchantments or abilities.
Arya has to rely on her training and skills to make the best use of Needle. Although an “ordinary” sword, a lot of high profile people met their demise from Needle.
Where Was the Needle When Arya Became “No One”?
During Arya’s time in Braavos, she was put into a situation wherein she needed to discard everything she owned to become “no one”. This means throwing away her old clothes, money and even Needle.
Arya was able to throw away everything into the lagoon. Everything but her sword, Needle. Instead of just throwing it away, she hid under a pile of rocks at a nearby sea wall. That was how much she treasured Needle.
When Did Arya Get Needle Back?
Arya faced a lot of challenges while serving the many-faced god. She was with the Faceless Men until she decided not to kill a target. Because of this, she became a target herself and was tracked by Waif.
While escaping her, she sustained an injury but was still able to get inside a cell. There, Waif followed her. Arya then pulled out the Needle beneath a bed. They fought with Arya becoming the victor killing Waif.
Arya then carried the sword with her as she went on her way home to Westeros.
Arya’s Valyrian Steel Dagger
There’s a lot of mystery that surrounds Arya’s Valyrian steel dagger. As mentioned earlier, it was the weapon used in the attempted assassination of Bran Stark, her brother. However, not much was really explained about its history.
The only thing shown was that the valyrian steel dagger is in one of Sam Tarly’s books from the Citadel. While it was not stated who originally owned the dagger, being in one of the books means that the dagger is ancient.
Valyrian weapons or ancient weapons in the world of Game of Thrones typically are given much significance. To give some examples, there’s the Longclaw, Hearteater and Heartsbane. All of those are significantly old and are also all made of Valyrian steel.
As shown in the last season of the Game of Thrones, Arya’s Valyrian steel dagger played a major role. Specifically, during the battle of Winterfell.
What Does Arya’s Valyrian Steel Dagger Look Like?
Arya’s Valyrian steel dagger already looks special at first glance. It’s far from looking like an ordinary dagger which is expected of a Valyrian weapon. Because no official dimensions were given, there’s no way to say for sure the measurements of the dagger.
Although seeing the weapon in the show can give us a good idea of just how big the dagger should be. Arya’s Valyrian steel dagger has a very detailed handle. It has a ruby embedded on it and has a sharp tail. It has wide grooves for a firm grip and also has gold accent to its detail.
What is Arya’s Valyrian Steel Dagger Made Of?
Because of the details on Arya’s dagger, it’s safe to say that there are a couple of different materials used to create the weapon. While the blade is made of Valyrian steel, we can only speculate what materials are used for the handle because not much of it was officially stated.
As for the main body of the handle, we don’t know what it could have been made of. However, the gold accent can definitely be made of gold and the red stone is very likely a ruby.
What Are the Abilities of Arya’s Valyrian Steel Dagger?
Unlike Needle, Arya’s acquired valyrian weapon has some unique abilities which have been greatly put to use during the battle of Winterfell. Their greatest challenge then was defeating the white walkers.
The difficult part with dealing with the white walkers was that they could only be killed by fire and certain weapons. These certain weapons are not just any ordinary weapons, they should be made of either valyrian steel or dragon glass.
Another thing is that white walkers can raise the dead and have them in addition to their army. Their one ultimate weakness is that they all get extinguished if the night king happens to be killed.
As Arya fights her way through the horde of wights, she finally finds her way to Bran just in time for the Night King to also be there. She lunges to the Night King but gets caught in mid-air by him, by the neck.
She drops her knife, catches it with her other hand and plunges it into the Night King. Being made of Valyrian steel, she kills the night king with her dagger. The rest of the white walkers soon also died with the death of their leader.
What Was the Name of Arya’s Valyrian Steel Dagger?
A dagger has no name.
From the start, it was unknown what the name of the dagger was. It was either that, or the dagger had no name to begin with. Regardless, Arya didn’t give her dagger a name. Until the end, the dagger remained an unnamed Valyrian steel dagger. Despite the dagger having no name in the story, it is referred to as the “Cat’s Paw” dagger in real life.
Arya’s Needle Vs Her Valyrian Steel Dagger
There are a couple of questions you can ask for Arya’s two weapons: the Needle and the Valyrian steel dagger. To start, which one of the two was more effective? But that can be a very general question because the two are quiet unique from each other.
The question can then still be dissected. From it, we can have, which weapon served her better? Which weapon was her personal favorite? Which weapon was more frequently used? Which can be more reliable? Etc.
In the show, it was evident how Arya treasured Needle. She had it very early on and still had it until the end. She has used it more and even though she may have abandoned or lost the sword more than once, she always managed to get it back.
On the other hand, she got the Valyrian steel dagger when the story was nearing its end and we haven’t really gotten to see much interaction between Arya and her dagger besides her scenes using it in combat.
But, the Needle was with her longer, both the sword and the dagger were given to her by her two brothers; Jon Snow and Bran Stark. This could mean that the two weapons could then have an equal value to her because they were given by her family members.
So, although Needle was with her for longer than the dagger, the time might not mean much as they were both given to her by people who were very close to her. As for use and reliability in combat, each were effective in different situations.
For example, there would be no argument which weapon she’d have to use if she was be fighting against white walkers. She would use the dagger as it is the only weapon capable of doing damage to the white walkers.
But against humans, although it was shown that she was competent with using both weapons, she had way more experience using the sword than that of her newly acquired dagger. In terms of rarity, the Valyrian steel dagger definitely weighs heavier.
But then again, between the two, there might actually be no competition.
BONUS: Arya’s Third Weapon – Dragonglass Spear
More than the two previous weapons mentioned, Arya actually acquired a third weapon. It was a spear made of dragon glass. She had Gendry make it for her for the battle of Winterfell. In fact, it was the weapon she mainly used to kill off wights instead of her Valyrian steel dagger.
A spear has no name.
Like the dagger, the spear was also unnamed and was only shown briefly as she used it in combat. With her spear, she got two have three different weapons made of different materials. The sword was made of high-quality castle-forged steel, the dagger made of valyrian steel and the spear was made of dragonglass.
Simply being used by Arya and additionally being used in the battle against the white walkers, all of her weapons become legendary. However, the spear was never seen again after the battle of Winterfell.
It might or might not have been evident which of Arya’s weapons were her favorite. But what about you? What was your favorite among her weapons?
Did you learn anything new about her sword Needle and her Valyrian steel dagger? Let us know and share this with your friends.