In 1998, George R.R. Martin published the first story in The Tales of Dunk and Egg series, called The Hedge Knight. The story centers on Ser Duncan the Tall, who becomes a squire to Egg after his previous knight, Ser Arlan of Pennyworth, dies. A popular theory among fans of A Song of Ice and Fire ever since The Hedge Knight was released is that Ser Arlan never officially made Dunk a knight, and that Dunk has been falsely claiming knighthood throughout the stories.
The new Game of Thrones prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, subtly confirms a long-held fan theory about the character Dunk: he was never officially knighted. In the original Dunk and Egg books, Dunk avoids eye contact when talking about being knighted by Ser Arlan, suggesting heās being dishonest. While the show hasnāt shown this detail yet, the way the first episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is filmed strongly hints that Arlan didnāt have the opportunity to knight Dunk.
Was Ser Duncan the Tall Knighted?
Okay, so after watching the first episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, itās pretty clear Dunk didnāt actually get knighted by Ser Arlan. This series is doing something different than Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon ā itās using flashbacks to reveal Dunkās past. We see Ser Arlan pop up whenever Dunk is remembering him, and honestly, itās not a particularly flattering portrayal. Lots of ear-clouts, and a really awkward scene where Dunk asks if he’ll ever be knighted, only for Arlan to justā¦ ignore him and spit out an orange. It definitely doesn’t feel like a traditional knighting story is unfolding.
Interestingly, we don’t see a flashback when Plummer asks Dunk if he was knighted, even though Dunk says Arlan knighted him before he died. This is the only time in the episode Dunk mentions Ser Arlan without a corresponding flashback to confirm his story. Dunk claims a robin was the only witness to the knighting, but earlier we saw that robin actually witnessed Dunk relieving himself ā hinting that Dunk is jokingly referring to his rear end.
Throughout The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight, Dunk consistently looks down when he mentions Ser Arlan’s knighting ceremony. Interestingly, in Game of Thrones, Bran Stark displays the same habit when heās being dishonest. The recent collection, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, seems to avoid mentioning this detail, potentially to create uncertainty about whether Dunk was actually knighted. However, the way flashbacks are used ā or not used ā largely confirms a long-held belief among fans of A Song of Ice and Fire: Ser Duncan the Tall never officially became a knight.
Just Because Dunk Wasn’t Knighted Doesn’t Mean He’s Not a True Knight
Ultimately, the fact that Dunk never officially became a knight seems deliberate on the part of George R.R. Martin, suggesting that true knightly qualities aren’t about titles. By the time of Game of Thrones, Ser Duncan the Tall is remembered as one of the most legendary knights in Westeros. Both Bran Stark and Jaime Lannister greatly admire him. Jaime views Dunk as a genuinely noble knight, and Joffreyās observation about the number of pages dedicated to Dunk in the White Bookācompared to Jaimeāmotivates Joffrey to strive for greater honor.
As a huge fan of the world, Iām really excited about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. What Iām getting from it is that Ser Duncan the Tall, or Dunk, is going to be a genuinely good knight ā way more than a lot of the supposedly noble characters we saw in Game of Thrones. Season one seems to be showing him really living up to the ideals of knighthood, actually caring about the common people and fighting with real honor. The big question, of course, is whether he ever officially became a knight. Honestly, though? I hope both A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and The Tales of Dunk and Egg leave that a mystery. It kind of feels like whether he had the title doesnāt even matter ā it’s his actions that define him.
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2026-01-19 23:04