Game of Thrones left out much of A Song of Ice and Fire's lore, and that meant its strongest sword didn't have a chance to shine.
Game of Thrones brought much of the action of A Song of Ice and Fire to life, and more often than not that meant duels of blade against blade. The show brought a visualization to the design of each blade wielded by its swordsmen that was invaluable, and yet in adapting the lore of the books, there were more than a few details that got left on the cutting room floor. That meant that some of the best weapons in the fantasy series never really had their full mythology translated to the screen, which left the strongest sword in Westeros little more than a shade of its full glory.
While Game of Thrones deliberately betrays many of the classic fantasy tropes, there are some which it embraces in its own unique fashion. The magical weapons of many fantasy series grant their wielders an awesome might, but Game of Thrones has a more limited magical system, which meant the emphasis more often went to the material behind a blade's crafting than any kind of spells at work in their design. To that end, Valyrian steel is primarily the strongest metal in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, being both deceptively light and incredibly rare given the finite supply dating back to the ancient days of the Valyrian Freehold.
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With their vast resources at their fingertips, many of the great houses of Westeros had their own signature blades and Valyrian steel weapons, which made their way into the show. One of the first seen was Ice, the greatsword used by Eddard Stark to mete out justice where he saw fit. As a greatsword, the blade was too unwieldy to use in combat proper, and Eddard typically used it in executions instead, but following his death, Ice was melted down and forged into two different swords -- the gaudy Widow's Wail that was a gift to Joffrey Baratheon and the elegant Oathkeeper which passed from Jamie Lannister to Brienne of Tarth. While the two longswords are as strong as any blade of Valyrian steel, they are still not the best swords in Westeros.
Far more prominently featured in the series was Longclaw, the bastard sword used by Jon Snow whose length was between that of a longsword more commonly used for battle and a greatsword like Ice. Longclaw is actually the ancestral sword of House Mormont, but Jeor Mormont gave it to Jon following Jorah Mormont's disgraceful exile. In battle, Longclaw stood up ably anytime Jon used it, but there was little ultimately to distinguish it from other famed ancestral swords forged of Valyrian steel. These blades might be able to stand up to any run-of-the-mill weapon throughout Westeros, but there is only one sword with a truly unique status in power: Dawn.
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Said to be forged from a fallen star, Dawn is the ancestral sword of the House of Dayne, and most often wielded by their greatest swordsman who is proclaimed the Sword of the Morning. Though it is not made from Valyrian steel, it is nevertheless said to be every bit as powerful, but it would be hard for viewers to glean that based on its appearance in the HBO series.
There, a flashback to the tower of joy where Eddard did battle with Arthur Dayne saw Arthur wield the blade alongside a second sword. The dual-wielding swordsman quickly distinguished himself as a singular talent and took on many other knights battling him simultaneously. The problem is that in the books there is nothing said of Arthur Dayne using two swords at once, and showing him doing so removes emphasis from just how special Dawn is.
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Dawn's meteorite blade is said to be as pale as milk-glass. The blade is so potent that author George R.R. Martin has even said that it would make the difference in a duel between Arthur Dayne and Barristan Selmy in their prime, showing that there is something special about the blade that puts it a cut above any other competition. In the timeline of the books, it currently sits in Starfall, the Daynes' castle in Dorne, unclaimed as there is currently no Sword of the Morning worthy of wielding it. However, there are some theories that it's time to be wielded could come soon.
There are many theories surrounding the hero Azor Ahai, a messianic figure in the lore of A Song of Ice and Fire said to wield a glowing sword called Lightbringer. The sorceress Melisandre even manages to enchant a sword for Stannis Baratheon that they name Lightbringer in order to live up to the prophecy, but there are some theories that the real Lightbringer could be Dawn itself. Fitting the description of a glowing and powerful blade, many readers expect the blade to appear in future installments in the series as an important plot device. Regardless of its mythic status, all signs point to Dawn being the most powerful blade in the series.
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Brenton somehow earned a college degree in the middle of a multi-decade pop culture binge he continues to this day. His interests range across philosophy, literature, and the arts to comics, cartoons, television, and Dungeons & Dragons. Follow him on Twitter @BrentonStewart6 or reach out by e-mail at b.dale.stewart@gmail.com if you have nice things to say!