The Song of the Valyrians

The Song of the Valyrians is a traditional song from the world of Westeros and Essos, referenced in the narrative of A Dance with Dragons. It belongs to the repertoire of the singer Abel, a bard who appears at Winterfell during the wedding celebrations of Ramsay Bolton and the woman presented as Arya Stark. The song is one of several performed by Abel and his washerwomen to entertain the assembled lords, knights, and soldiers during the feast that follows the wedding ceremony in the godswood.

Context and Performance

Abel, a singer who arrived at Winterfell with six women he claimed were his sisters, daughters, wife, and mother, is described as having a passable voice and fair playing. During the wedding feast, he performs a variety of songs at the command of Lord Ramsay Bolton and other nobles. After the ceremony, as the guests dine on pork pies and other fare, Abel is called upon to provide music. He sings "Two Hearts That Beat as One" as the newlyweds leave the godswood, and later, at Lord Ramsay's request, he performs a marching song in honor of Stannis Baratheon's trudging army. The Song of the Valyrians is part of this musical interlude, a piece that evokes the ancient and vanished civilization of Valyria, its dragonlords, and its empire.

Thematic Significance

The inclusion of The Song of the Valyrians at Winterfell carries thematic weight. Valyria, destroyed centuries before in the Doom, represents a lost age of dragon-riding power and sorcery. In the context of the wedding feast, where the Boltons and Freys celebrate their political alliance and the false claim to Winterfell, the song serves as a reminder of a more glorious and terrifying past. It contrasts the petty scheming and brutality of the current lords with the monumental scale of Valyrian history. The song also resonates with the broader narrative of A Dance with Dragons, where Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of the dragonlords, struggles to rule in Meereen, and where dragons have returned to the world after a long absence. The performance of this song at a moment of political treachery and false legitimacy underscores the gap between the present's squalid realities and the epic, fire-and-blood legacy of the Valyrian Freehold.

Narrative Role

The Song of the Valyrians functions as a piece of world-building, deepening the cultural and historical texture of the setting. It is not a plot-driving event but an atmospheric detail that enriches the scene. The song's mention, alongside other pieces like "The Dornishman's Wife" and "The Bear and the Maiden Fair," helps characterize Abel as a versatile performer and the wedding feast as a moment of forced merriment amidst underlying tension and violence. The song's subject matter—Valyria and its dragons—also subtly foreshadows the larger forces at play in the world, forces that the characters at Winterfell are largely ignorant of or dismissive toward, such as the return of magic and the threat of the Others.