Longclaw

Longclaw is the ancestral Valyrian steel hand-and-a-half sword of House Mormont, given by Lord Commander Jeor Mormont to Jon Snow after Jon saved his life from a wight attack. The blade, originally named Longclaw and passed down through five centuries of Mormont lords, was reforged with a new wolf's-head pommel to suit its new bearer, symbolizing Jon's acceptance into the Night's Watch and his bond with his direwolf Ghost.

Origin and History

Longclaw was the sword of House Mormont for five centuries, wielded by Jeor Mormont in his day and passed on to his son, Jorah Mormont, when Jeor took the black. When Jorah fled into exile after selling poachers into slavery, he left the sword behind. Jeor's sister returned it to his keeping, but the very sight of it reminded him of Jorah's shame, so he put it aside and thought no more of it. The original pommel was a silver bear's head, so worn from age that its features were all but indistinguishable.

Reforging and New Purpose

After the wight attack in the Lord Commander's Tower, the fire that Jon started to destroy the undead Othor melted the silver off the pommel and burnt the crossguard and grip. The Valyrian steel blade itself was unharmed—Mormont noted that one would need a fire a hundred times as hot to harm it. The Old Bear had the rest made anew: a new pommel carved from pale stone into the likeness of a snarling wolf's head, with chips of garnet set into the eyes, and a grip of virgin black leather. The blade was a good half foot longer than the swords Jon was used to, tapered to thrust as well as slash, with three fullers deeply incised in the metal. When Jon turned it sideways, he could see the ripples in the dark steel where the metal had been folded back on itself again and again, the unmistakable mark of Valyrian steel.

Significance and Thematic Weight

Mormont gave the sword to Jon as payment for saving his life, saying "A sword's small payment for a life." Jon initially hesitated, feeling he had no right to it, but Mormont insisted. The Old Bear noted that the original pommel was a bear's head, but for Jon he thought a white wolf more apt, and had one of the builders, a fair stonecarver, create the new design. Jon found the blade exquisitely balanced, and when he tried a practice cut, the steel seemed to flow through the air as if it had a will of its own. He noted that "Longclaw" was an apt name, adding that "Wolves have claws, as much as bears." The sword became a symbol of Jon's new identity as a brother of the Night's Watch, replacing his lost dreams of wielding his father's greatsword Ice. It also marked his acceptance by the Lord Commander, who saw in Jon the potential for command and honor that his own son had squandered.