Ice

Ice is the Valyrian greatsword of House Stark, described as the pride of the house. During the executions at the Red Keep, Cregan Stark drew it to enforce the sentences himself, making the sword both a family emblem and the instrument of a northern practice that placed responsibility for a death on the person who ordered it.

Identity and Northern Custom

Ice is identified as a Valyrian greatsword and a source of pride for House Stark. Its significance in this episode comes not only from its origin and status, but from the rule governing its use: in the North, the person who passed sentence was also expected to wield the sword, so that responsibility for the condemned’s death rested with that person alone.

Ice at the Red Keep

On the morning of the executions, Cregan unsheathed Ice after the condemned men had been brought into the Red Keep’s outer ward and Septon Eustace had finished leading them in prayer. Many prisoners then asked to take the black, and Cregan spared them for service in the Night’s Watch. The sword was used against those who did not accept that alternative: Cregan killed Ser Gyles Belgrave with a single swift swing, and later granted Larys Strong’s final request to use the great sword to remove his clubfoot after death.

Consequences and Significance

The executions made Ice the means by which Cregan enacted both the sentences and the distinction between those who would die and those who would be sent to the Wall. Gyles’s refusal to take the black and Larys’s request concerning his clubfoot give the sword two different functions within the same scene: it carries out the judgment, and it grants a final personal wish. The account thus presents Ice as an emblem of Stark authority whose use also makes that authority answerable for its consequences.