Jorah Mormont
Jorah Mormont, the exiled knight of Bear Island, enters the story as a man stripped of honor and home, yet he emerges as the most steadfast pillar of Daenerys Targaryen's nascent reign. His trajectory from a spy for the Usurper to the first knight of the dragon queen's Queensguard is the arc of a man who, having lost everything to his own dishonor, finds a new purpose in a cause greater than himself. He is a figure of contradictions: a learned man who quotes history, a brutal fighter who counsels patience, and a self-serving exile who ultimately pledges his life to a teenage girl and her unborn child.
Exile and Early Service
Jorah Mormont's fall from grace began when he sold poachers to a Tyroshi slaver, a crime that forced him to flee Westeros to escape the justice of Eddard Stark, his liege lord. He found refuge in the Free City of Pentos, where he became an agent for Varys, the Spider, reporting on the movements of the last Targaryens. At the wedding feast of Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo, he was presented as a knight, anointed by the High Septon himself. He offered his sword to Viserys Targaryen, who accepted eagerly, and from that night, he became a constant companion to the Targaryen siblings. His initial loyalty was to Viserys, but he quickly recognized the king's weakness, observing that Viserys "could not sweep a stable with ten thousand brooms."
The Turn to Daenerys
As Daenerys grew into her role as Khaleesi, Jorah's allegiance shifted. He became her teacher, explaining the ways of the Dothraki and the politics of the Seven Kingdoms. He was the one who told her that the Dothraki sea was not just grass but a land of a hundred kinds of grasses, and that the common people "pray for rain, healthy children, and a summer that never ends," not for the return of a Targaryen king. When Viserys threatened Daenerys, Jorah stood by her, and after Viserys's death, he became her primary counselor. He was the one who warned her that the Dothraki would not follow a suckling babe and that her son would be killed if Drogo died. He urged her to flee to Asshai, but she refused to abandon her khal.
The Blood Magic and Its Aftermath
When Khal Drogo's wound festered, Jorah was powerless to save him. He carried Daenerys into the tent where Mirri Maz Duur performed her blood magic, a decision that would haunt him. He witnessed the shadows dancing within, and when Daenerys emerged, she had lost her son, Rhaego, and Drogo was a living corpse. Jorah was the one who found her amidst the ashes of Drogo's pyre, naked and soot-covered, but unhurt, with three newborn dragons suckling at her breasts. He fell to his knees, wordless, and was the first to swear a new oath, not as a spy or a sellsword, but as a knight of her Queensguard. "I vow to serve you, to obey you, to die for you if need be," he said, and she kissed him and named him the first of her Queensguard.
Character and Significance
Jorah Mormont is a man defined by his contradictions. He is a knight who sold men into slavery, a spy who fell in love with his target, and a learned man who chose exile over honor. His love for Daenerys is the central force of his later life, a devotion that is both chivalric and deeply personal. He is her protector, her teacher, and her most honest critic, telling her truths that others would not dare speak. His journey from a dishonored lord to the first knight of a dragon queen is a testament to the power of redemption through service, and his presence anchors Daenerys's story in the harsh realities of the world she seeks to conquer.
