A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Finale Confirms Major Game of Thrones Theory

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As a longtime fan, I was really excited to read A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and finally get confirmation on something we’ve speculated about since The Hedge Knight came out back in 1998! For years, many of us have wondered if Dunk was actually knighted. The way George R.R. Martin wrote him – always looking down and avoiding talking about it – definitely made it seem like he wasn’t being truthful about being a knight. This new collection pretty much confirms what we suspected all along!

In Season 1, Episode 6 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, titled “The Morrow,” it’s made clear that Ser Arlan of Pennytree never officially made Dunk a knight. This means Dunk isn’t a true knight throughout the series. While this detail doesn’t significantly alter the plot of either The Hedge Knight or the show, it does confirm a fan theory that’s been around for 28 years, with George R.R. Martin’s involvement. Crucially, it reveals that the knight Jaime Lannister admired and Brienne of Tarth is a descendant of achieved his legendary status through deception.

Dunk Considers Himself a Fraud While Talking to Lyonel Baratheon

Right from the start of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the story hints that Dunk isn’t a knight. The very first scene shows him arguing with Lyonel after the Maester leaves. They’re debating the death of Prince Baelor Breakspear. Dunk thinks Lyonel should be more respectful, but Lyonel argues that Baelor didn’t face real danger in the Trial of Seven – two opponents couldn’t touch him, and three were family members who wouldn’t fight him seriously.

Dunk is deeply upset that Baelor died because of him. He’s told that Baelor’s death was meant to be, as the Gods don’t support deceitful people. Dunk questions why he, then, is being favored. Lyonel replies that Dunk isn’t favored, but rather, everything happening is a cruel joke. Looking back, this joke seems to be about Dunk’s false knighthood and the Trial by Seven that followed – though Lyonel doesn’t realize this at the time. The Prince didn’t die for a simple hedge knight, but for someone pretending to be one. However, despite lacking official recognition, Dunk’s bravery and actions demonstrate that he is a true knight.

A Flashback in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 6 Reveals That Ser Arlan Never Knighted Dunk

Towards the end of the final episode, Dunk tells the prince he won’t be his squire, which leads to Egg questioning if Dunk is the knight he believed him to be. The scene immediately cuts to a flashback showing Dunk with Ser Arlan, shortly before the series began. Ser Arlan is dying under a tree—the same one where the story started—and as he struggles to finish a story about the origin of the Pennytree name, Dunk directly asks him, “Why didn’t you ever make me a knight?”

It appears Ser Arlan dies when Dunk asks his question, but this is a trick – he continues telling his story, and the flashback ends. This likely mirrors the ambiguity of Dunk’s knighthood as presented in the original novellas. However, everything suggests Arlan died soon after this scene. The flashback takes place in the same location as the show’s beginning, implying Arlan didn’t live long enough to officially knight Dunk. While it’s possible he knighted Dunk between the flashback and his death, it seems very unlikely.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Hinted at Dunk’s False Knighthood as Early as Episode 1

Even before it was officially revealed, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms subtly suggested that Dunk wasn’t a true knight. In the first episode, when talking about how he became a knight, Dunk jokes that a robin in a thorn tree was his only witness. A robin does appear in a thorn tree in that episode, but it’s watching Dunk relieve himself, not being knighted. This implies Dunk is exaggerating – or outright lying – about his story.

Like other stories, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms uses flashbacks. However, there’s one major event – Dunk being knighted – that’s talked about but never actually shown. Episode 6 reveals this is because it didn’t happen. Dunk even directly refuses to knight Raymun in Episode 5, stating a false knight can’t create a real one and admitting he never witnessed a knighting ceremony. It becomes obvious that Ser Arlan never officially made Dunk a knight before his death, and Dunk pretends to be one throughout the story. This also clarifies why Ser Arlan was initially reluctant to accept Dunk as a squire.

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2026-02-23 07:34