Game Of Thrones: 6 Reasons Why Valyrian Steel And The Night's King Matter

4. Why It Matters

As an extremely powerful metal, anyone who wields a sword made from it is likely to be a fairly expert fighter, while there€™s also a lot of history and nobility connected with it. Why it really matters, though, is because of the events in Hardhome. As we see Jon Snow raise his sword in what he believes is a desperate, futile attempt to block the White Walker€™s assault, there€™s surprise from both sides as it actually works, and he is then able to use the blade to vanquish the Walker. Up until that point, the only known weapon that could be used against them was dragonglass, which the Night€™s Watch did have a big bag full of, but then forgot about and ended up having to leave it behind. Although there is reportedly an abundance of obsidian at Dragonstone just waiting to be mined, it€™s obviously important to know that there is another way of defeating them, even if there isn€™t that much Valyrian steel around at present. In terms of the larger story, there€™s also quite a clear connection between the two objects that can defeat White Walkers, and dragons. While we saw in this episode they are resistant to fire, there€™s a good chance that won€™t be the case for dragonfire, which will presumably come into play more in the series endgame. It also served as a marker to the White Walkers, a sign that they can be beaten - as clearly they did not know about their weakness to Valyrian steel - and one that leads to a sort of respect from the leader, and a show of force on his part€