House of the Dragon's trailers and panel at SDCC have seemingly confirmed the original owner of Game of Thrones' noteworthy Catspaw Dagger.

House of the Dragon is bringing back Game of Thrones’ important Catspaw Dagger and has seemingly confirmed its previously unknown origins. The Catspaw Dagger, a highly valuable Valyrian steel knife, was significant from the beginning of Game of Thrones until the very end. The knife was first introduced in Game of Thrones’ second episode, which saw a mysterious catspaw; hence the nickname, attempt to murder Bran Stark using the blade, but Catelyn Stark successfully stopped the assailant. The Catspaw Dagger returned in Game of Thrones season 7 when Littlefinger gave it to Bran, who in turn gave it to Arya Stark. In one of the best moments of Game of Thrones season 8, Arya used the Valyrian steel dagger to kill the Night King, causing all White Walkers and wights to fall.

The first known owner of the Catspaw Dagger in Game of Thrones was Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish, who claimed to have lost it in a bet to Tyrion Lannister, which the latter character denied. Game of Thrones never confirmed who the Catspaw Dagger originally belonged to, but the characters explained that it had to have come from a particularly wealthy Westerosi. However, Samwell Tarly did realize that a Valyrian steel dagger was drawn in a book about the Long Night, but it’s unclear whether this was the same Catspaw Dagger or one of a similar design. Game of Thrones also suggested it had come from a Targaryen but never confirmed who had owned it before Littlefinger.

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As House of the Dragon reveals many of the backstories for House Targaryen’s notable family members, their fabled dragons, and weapons that are described in Game of Thrones, the prequel appears to have confirmed the original owner of the Catspaw Dagger. House of the Dragon’s trailers depict the Catspaw Dagger in the possession of King Viserys I Targaryen, who is also seen placing the knife in fire (presumably to maintain the dagger) with his daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen. At SDCC, Paddy Considine, who portrays Viserys Targaryen, explained that if he could have taken any item from the set, it would have been “[his] knife.” Considine went on to explain how important the knife was and looked over at Alicent Hightower actress Olivia Cooke, who is seen charging at Rhaenyra with the knife in the trailer. Since House of the Dragon's Viserys also possessed the Targaryen’s ancestral Valyrian steel sword, Blackfyre, it’s possible the king had the dagger forged with repurposed Valyrian steel and decorated as his own personal weapon. While the Valyrian steel was likely used for a different object previously, House of the Dragon has seemingly confirmed that King Viserys I Targaryen was the first owner of the Catspaw Dagger.

Although the Catspaw Dagger is heavily featured in House of the Dragon’s trailers, it was never mentioned in the book that the prequel is adapted from, Fire & Blood. Instead, House of the Dragon’s adaptation seems to be connecting more intimately to Game of Thrones’ lore by diving into the universe’s shared history. Just as the Valyrian steel dagger in Game of Thrones was incredibly significant to the beginning and end of the story, the same seems to be the case for House of the Dragon. Considering Rhaenyra and Viserys seem to be forging the blade together in House of the Dragon’s earlier timeline, it may become an important symbol of Viserys later declaring Rhaenyra as his heir.

While the Catspaw Dagger’s role in House of the Dragon’s beginning is still unconfirmed, it’s clear that the Valyrian steel blade will have great significance shortly before the civil war. Alicent Hightower is seen charging at Rhaenyra with the knife in what seems to be one of the most important moments leading up to the Dance of the Dragons, which has become known as the “eye-for-an-eye” incident. After Rhaenyra’s son, Lucerys, takes out the eye of Alicent’s son, Aemond, Alicent demands that her step-grandchild’s eye also be taken out. The moment became one of the final straws in the feud between Alicent and Rhaenyra before House of the Dragon’s war began.

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Jordan Williams is a Movie/TV Feature Senior Staff Writer for Screen Rant. She graduated from the University of Oregon in 2020 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Media Studies. Jordan is based in Seattle, Washington and enjoys exploring the natural beauty the PNW has to offer. She runs on coffee and classic movies, taking pride in having watched every film on AFI's 100 Greatest Films list and every Best Picture Oscar winner.