Maester's Chain

The Maester's Chain is the collar worn by every maester of the Citadel, forged from links of different metals, each link representing mastery of a specific discipline. The chain is a symbol of learning and service, but in A Dance with Dragons, it is also a focus of political mistrust and conspiracy theory, most explicitly articulated by Lady Barbrey Dustin of Barrowton.

Symbolism and Function

The chain is the defining mark of a maester's identity. When a man forges his chain at the Citadel, he sets aside his family name and is known thereafter only by a single name, a practice that Barbrey Dustin finds deeply suspect. She argues that this custom is a deliberate obfuscation, preventing lords from knowing a maester's true origins. "That way we cannot know who they truly are or where they come from," she tells Theon Greyjoy, "but if you are dogged enough, you can still find out" . She uses the example of Maester Walys, who served Lord Rickard Stark at Winterfell. Before forging his chain, Walys was known as Walys Flowers, a baseborn name that marked him as a bastard. Dustin claims that Walys had a Hightower mother and an archmaester father, and that once he forged his chain, his secret father and his friends dispatched him to Winterfell to fill Lord Rickard's ears with "poisoned words as sweet as honey" . She credits Walys with the notion of the Tully marriage, a union that she believes was a key factor in the chain of events leading to Robert's Rebellion and the downfall of House Stark.

Political Significance

Barbrey Dustin's critique extends beyond a single maester to the entire order. She describes maesters as "grey rats" who "scurry everywhere, living on the leavings of the lords, chittering to one another, whispering in the ears of their masters" . She questions the fundamental power dynamic, asking, "who are the masters and who are the servants, truly?" . She notes that every great lord has his maester, and every lesser lord aspires to one, and that the maesters read and write letters for lords who cannot read themselves, giving them the power to twist words for their own ends. She argues that maesters are most dangerous when their lords are weakest and most vulnerable—when they are sick, injured, or grieving—and that through gratitude for healing and comfort, they gain a place beneath the roof and become privy to all shames and secrets, eventually making "the ruler has become the ruled" .

The Chain as a Symbol of Knowledge and Power

Despite the suspicion surrounding them, the chain remains a potent symbol of knowledge and authority. Samwell Tarly is commanded by Jon Snow to go to the Citadel and forge a chain, a task he dreads because it requires him to cut up corpses, a prospect that makes him faint . Jon insists, telling Sam that the Night's Watch has hundreds of men who can loose an arrow but only a handful who can read or write, and that he needs Sam to become his new maester . The chain, therefore, represents a form of power that is distinct from martial strength, a power that the Night's Watch desperately needs. The chain is also a source of identity. Haldon Halfmaester, who has not completed his training, is known by a name that marks his incomplete status, a constant reminder of his place in the hierarchy of knowledge .

The Chain in the Context of the Story

The Maester's Chain is a recurring motif that underscores the tension between knowledge and power, loyalty and manipulation. Barbrey Dustin's conspiracy theory, while extreme, reflects a real anxiety about the influence of learned men who are not bound by the same oaths of fealty as lords and knights. The chain, a physical object worn around the neck, becomes a symbol of a hidden network of influence that operates beneath the surface of the great houses, a network that the characters in the story must navigate with caution.