What is the Widow’s Wail?
The Widow’s Wail is one of the swords that were forged out of Eddard Stark’s Valyrian steel blade, Ice. The sword Ice was initially an ancestral sword of House of Stark before it was eventually re-forged and became Widow’s Wail and Oathkeeper.
On the subsequent series, it was revealed that the Widow’s Wail was given by Tywinn Lannister to his grandson, King Joffrey Baratheon, as a wedding gift. Also, its sister blade, the Oathkeeper, was initially given to Jaime Lannister as an heirloom of their House.
What does the sword Widow’s Wail look like?
Since it was made out of Valyrian steel, Widow’s Wail’s blade has a rippled pattern. This rippled pattern is one of the many recognizable characteristics of Valyrian steel. Aside from that, as it was mentioned in George R. R. Martin’s novel, A Song of Ice and Fire, Widow’s Wail’s blade has a cherry-red hue when it was exposed under strong light. It also featured a red leather grip handle and golden lion paws for the sword’s crossguard.
However, in the series, the sword has a ruby in the middle of its guard, which symbolizes the Lannister-Baratheon alliance. Additionally, the Widow’s Wail scabbard is decorated with gold, cherry wood, and red lion head.
The Appearances of the Widow’s Wail on the TV Series
Game of Thrones Season 4: In the Game of Thrones series, the sword was given to Joffrey Baratheon on his wedding ceremony. A Kingsguard had presented the sword along with its sheath, and Joffrey quickly withdraws the blade from its holder. However, Pycelle, the Grand Maester, warned the overjoyed Joffrey about the Valyrian steel’s notable sharp edge.
Subsequently, Joffrey then asked the guests present at the breakfast table to suggest a name for his new sword. After a couple of suggestions, Joffrey thought of the Widow’s Wail, for the sword’s name. He also added that using the sword would be like beheading Eddard Stark.
Joffrey was also seen using the Widow’s Wail for slicing the ceremonial pigeon pie. He sliced the crust savagely that some pigeon’s inside it were decapitated. Moments later, Joffrey died after ingesting a wine with poison. He was poisoned using a dark purple crystal called ‘the strangler,’ an extremely deadly and rare poison. Joffrey’s last act was to point his finger to his uncle, Tyrion.
During his funeral service held in the Great Sept of Baelor, the Widow’s Wail was placed along with Joffrey’s corpse. Naturally, the sword was supposed to be passed down to Tommen Baratheon, Joffrey’s younger brother. However, he didn’t takethe sword. The sword was unseen after the funeral, and it was assumed that the sword resides somewhere within the Red Keep.
Game of Thrones Season 7: The sword was seen again in the series during Jaime Lannister’s return from the Riverlands. Later in the series, it was confirmed that the sword was indeed the Widow’s Wail. After the Sack of Highgarden, when Jaime was asked by the elderly matriarch, Olenna Tyrell, of what Joffrey called his sword, Jaime answered “Widow’s Wail.”
During the Battle of the Goldroad, Jaime used the sword against the horde of Dothraki, a race of nomadic horse-mounted warriors. Also, when Jaime left the King’s Landing and heads to the north, he was still seen carrying the sword.
Game of Thrones Season 8: Upon Jaime’s return on the Winterfell, the sword was confiscated by Grey Worm, the chosen commander of Unsullied. However, the sword later returned to Jaime, after Sansa allowed him to stay in the Winterfell and fight an army of White Walkers.
Jaime Lannister was also seen using the Widow’s Wail against Brienne of Tarth, a Knight in the House of Tarth. Subsequently, the sword was then used when Jaime killed dozens of Wights, in the Battle of Winterfell. Upon Jaime’s return to King’s Landing, the sword was once again confiscated when he was arrested by Daenerys’ army. Unfortunately, the sword was not reclaimed after Tyrion released him. Since then, the whereabouts of the sword is unknown.