Heartsbane wielded by Samwell Tarly at the Battle of the Vulture King

Heartsbane wielded by Samwell Tarly at the Battle of the Vulture King is identified as Samwell Tarly’s great Valyrian steel blade. During the fighting against the first Vulture King’s forces, Samwell wielded it as the rebel host was caught between his men and the marcher lords pursuing it.

Identity and Material

The account identifies Heartsbane as a Valyrian steel blade belonging to Samwell Tarly of Horn Hill. It gives no account of the sword’s origin, appearance, or earlier history; its significance here comes from what it does in battle and the reputation attached to its wielder.

Use in the Battle

The Vulture King’s large but largely untrained host broke when faced by armored forces to its front and rear. Samwell Tarly had appeared across the Dornish line of march with several thousand knights and archers, and wielded Heartsbane in the bloody fighting that followed. The account credits him with killing dozens of Dornishmen with the blade.

Reputation and Narrative Significance

Samwell was known as Savage Sam, and the episode presents Heartsbane as an instrument of the martial prowess behind that name. Its appearance is brief but concrete: amid a rebellion’s defeat, the Valyrian steel blade links Samwell’s personal reputation to the force that helped destroy the rebel army. The fighting became known as the Vulture Hunt, and the Vulture King’s death is generally counted as the end of the Second Dornish War.