The Longclaw is one of the rarest swords in the world of Game of Thrones because of the material that it is made of. Much about the sword is also a mystery as not a lot of its history is known. It’s the sword wielded by one of the protagonists in the series, Jon Snow.
Longclaw has become one of the most popular swords from the Game of Thrones not only because of its sheer nature but also because it was wielded by Jon Snow. On top of that, the previous owner of the sword was the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.
Soon after the sword was given to Jon Snow, he became the new Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. The Lord Commander is an honorable title and the sword being wielded by two lord commanders only adds up to its reputation.
But before being given to Jon, the sword was supposedly an ancestral weapon that a family kept for five centuries. Moreover, the sword is made of an ultra-rare material, Valyrian steel. There are only very few Valyrian steel weapons and typically, only noble families had one or two of them.
Being made of Valyrian steel, Longclaw also played a great role in defeating mankind’s greatest threat in the show, the White Walkers. This is because the race of white walkers are mostly immune to ordinary weapons.
They can only be killed by fire and weapons made of either two rare materials, dragonglass or Valyrian steel.
If you would like a Longclaw for yourself, check it out here on Amazon.
What Does Longclaw Look like?
The long claw is a bastard sword that has a very minimalistic design with the exception of its pommel. In the show, we only really got to see it with the wolf’s head design for its pommel. But initially, it actually was a bear’s head.
It has a simple, silver guard design and the handle is covered with what seems to look like black leather. As for the dimensions of the sword, no official measurements were given for the Longclaw.
Although we can make a guess with how it compares to Jon as he wields it. As mentioned earlier, the pommel initially had a bear’s head for its design. However, no clips or footage were ever shown when the Longclaw still had it.
When it was first shown, it already had the wolf’s head for its pommel design. The reason for this was because Jeor ended up giving the Longclaw to Jon Snow after Jon saved him from a wight.
Since Jon was adopted by Ned Stark and since the Starks had a wolf for their sigil, he had the pommel design changed before he gave it to Jon. Jeor mentioned how the Longclaw was also a good fit for a wolf.
Another characteristic of the Longclaw, because it’s made of Valyrian steel, is that it has ripple patterns along its blade. This is how one can immediately tell that a weapon is made of Valyrian steel.
Although the ripples might not be clearly visible on the show, this is a distinct characteristic of Valyrian steel.
Who Was Able to Wield John Snow’s Sword?
When the sword was given to Jon, it was revealed to him that Longclaw was an ancestral weapon of the Mormonts.
“It’s my father’s sword, and his father before him. The Mormonts have carried it for five centuries. It was meant for my son, Jorah. He brought dishonor to our House… but he had the grace to leave the sword before he fled from Westeros.”
―Lord Commander Jeor Mormont
Since the Longclaw couldn’t be in the hands of Jorah anymore, Jeor decided to give it to Jon Snow.
What is the John Snows Sword Made Of?
The Longclaw is made of Valyrian steel. Valyrian steel has become extremely rare because the process of being able to recreate it has been lost. It’s so rare that according to Tywin Lannister, only three blacksmiths in the world know how to rework Valyrian steel.
However, not one can forge or recreate Valyrian steel. The recipe for creating Valyrian steel was lost during the Doom of Valyria. Typically, only noble and large houses have Valyrian steel weapons. It’s actually surprising how the Mormonts, previous owner of the Longclaw, came upon the sword.
Who Made the Longclaw?
It’s not known who made the Longclaw. A lot of the history of renowned swords in the Game of Thrones is yet to be revealed. However, for now, there are a lot of theories going around as to what the true origin of the Longclaw is.
But what is known is that Valyrian steel was forged a long time ago during the time of the Valyrian Freehold. Even then, Valyrian steel was said to be expensive. It’s said that Valyrian steel is forged with magic and dragon fire. None of these were ever verified though.
Though no name ever surfaced to whomever was the one that forged the Longclaw, it was the Valyrians that did forge all the Valyrian steel during their time. After the Doom of Valyria, the Valyrian steel swords were then owned by different houses typically making them their ancestral heirlooms.
What Are the Abilities of the Longclaw?
The Longclaw isn’t just an ordinary weapon. Because it’s made of Valyrian steel, it possess some type of magic, of which not all is probably even known yet. Although the process of creating Valyrian steel is unknown, the magic imbued to the mystical weapons do exist and have been proven by time and combat with the white walkers.
These are but a few mystical properties that the Longclaw has because of being made of Valyrian steel:
One of the Most Magical Weapons – we’ll discuss much about the known magical properties of the Longclaw later. Being made of Valyrian steel, the Longclaw is one of the most magical and powerful weapons in the world of Game of Thrones.
It’s known mystical properties possess such power. However, much is yet to be known about the forgotten knowledge of the Valyrian steel. Because of its rarity and magical properties, the Longclaw can easily be considered a very expensive item.
Lightweight – A distinct characteristic of the Longclaw and all other Valyrian steel weapons is that they are quite lightweight. They are lighter than any other typical steel weapons. This helps to give the wielder of the Longclaw an advantage in battle.
It might not sound like much but weight is actually a huge factor when it comes to weapons. During short fights, weight might not be much of a hindrance. But during long battles, a heavy weapon will become a burden as the wielder can then tire and be unable to use the weapon effectively.
With the Longclaw, its user can last in battle longer. Not only that, but the performance of the wielder in battle can also be better. With Longclaw, the wielder is able to save stamina and can swing the weapon better than other ordinary swords.
It Never Loses Its Edge – One of the other things the Longclaw and other Valyrian steel weapons are known for is that their edge doesn’t dull over time. No other types of sword, weapon or material have this unique property.
This unique characteristic is another reason why the Longclaw and other Valyrian steel weapons are very renowned and expensive. Since no other weapon is like Valyrian steel swords, houses that have them wont part with them.
They became priceless ancestral weapons and are only either passed down or given away under special circumstances.
Super Durable and Doesn’t Shatter – The Longclaw being made of Valyrian steel is more durable than ordinary weapons. It’s said that the reason for its incredible durability is that it’s forged with dragon fire.
The Longclaw being nearly indestructible along with its extreme sharpness that doesn’t degrade is a deadly combination. In the hands of a very skilled warrior, the Longclaw can vanquish any foe.
In the world of Game of Thrones, any weapon that comes in contact with the weapons of the white walkers instantly shatters. The only exception for this are those that are made of dragonglass and Valyrian steel.
Against any weapon of the white walkers, even that of the Night King, the Longclaw can go head to head with them.
Can Kill White Walkers – More than being able to withstand the mystical weapons of the white walkers, the Longclaw can just as well slay them. This is a remarkable ability as no ordinary weapon can kill white walkers or even wights.
Who Were the Original Owners of John Snows Sword?
The Longclaw wouldn’t come into the possession of the Mormonts after being forged. It had to be owned by someone else. Large or noble houses typically get to have Valyrian weapons but this was after the doom of Valyria.
Regardless, the house of the Mormonts wouldn’t be large enough for them to be able to claim a Valyrian steel sword. Just to give you an idea, even the Lannisters, one of the most prominent families, only had one Valyrian weapon, Brightroar.
They even ended up losing it. There are actually impoverished houses that do possess a Valyrian weapon but typically, Valyrian weapons were in the hands of bigger noble houses. Another scenario that gives emphasis to just how priceless Valyrian weapons are was when Tywin of house Lannister tried to purchase the Valyrian weapons of lesser houses.
Not even one agreed to his offers. No one knows exactly how a lot of the swords made their way to the different houses. As for the Longclaw, there have been theories as to how it made its way to the house of the Mormonts.
One was that Longclaw was actually a sword named Blackfyre. Blackfyre was the sword wielded by Aegon I Targaryen himself. What makes this theory considerable is that Blackfyre and Longclaw are the same types of swords, which are a bastard sword and both also have the same size.
Blackfyre was since lost and its whereabouts became unknown. For some reason, a member from the house of the Mormonts must have been able to retrieve the sword, had it reforged and renamed it Longclaw.
But again that is just a theory. Regardless, all Valyrian swords including the Longclaw will originate to the heyday of the Valyrians. Even if no specific names have been mentioned, it is known that they forged each and every Valyrian steel weapon in existence.
Summary:
The Longclaw is the sword wielded by Jon Snow. It was given to him by the previous Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, Jeor Mormont, after Jon saved him. As a family heirloom of the house of the Mormonts, the sword pommel initially had a bear’s head for its design.
Before giving it to Jon, Jeor had the pommel design changed and had it remade to a wolf’s head. The Longclaw is made of an ultra-rare material called Valyrian steel. Its rarity is caused by the process of making the mystical material being lost since the doom of Valyria.
Although there are less than a handful of blacksmiths that could rework Valyrian steel weapons, no one knows how to truly make them. Being made of Valyrian steel, the Longclaw has some unique properties.
This includes being incredibly strong because it was forged with dragon fire. The sword is also extremely sharp and doesn’t get blunt. It doesn’t shatter against the weapons of the white walkers and Valyrian steel is one of the only two types of material that can kill the white walkers.
While it is known that the house of Mormonts had the Longclaw for 500 years, the ownership of the Longclaw before the Mormonts is unknown. Currently, the Longclaw is still owned by Jon Snow.