Character Tribute: Barristan Selmy

Hey Throners! A long time ago, what feels like years by now, but are only a few months, I made a blog about Kevan Lannister, one of the most underrated characters in all of ASOIAF in my opinion. Back then I said I wanted to make a series of Character Tributes to minor characters but never cashed in that promise, so now I finally will!

Now I know that Barristan Selmy isn't exactly a minor character since he has POVs and all, but since he is easily one of my favorite characters (if you couldn't tell by my name) and he only get's really important towards the end, I'll make an exception on this one. I apologise beforehand for any possibly biased opinions :wink:

This is also my first blog since ing the bloggers group #IceMPyre. They're really cool dudes there and I'm glad they invited me!

But enough of the prelude, let's get into it!

Ser Barristan Selmy is one of the last great Westerosi knights from an era of such renowned knights as Ser Arthur Dayne, Ser Gerold Hightower and the Smiling Knight and at an age of over 60 years he is still ired as the greatest knight alive (which doesn't exactly speek for the other knights). His legend however begins way earlier and is pretty much unmatched by anyone alive.

Barristan Selmy was born the son and heir of Ser Lyonel Selmy, the Knight of Harvest Hall, in 236 or 237 AC and his legend begins at the young age if ten, when he entered a tourney at Blackhaven as a mystery knight. Challenging the attending knights in a childs voice made everybody laugh except for Prince Duncan Targaryen, called Duncan the Small, son and then heir if King Aegon V, who took pity on the boy and accepted his challenge, unhorsing the young squire nonetheless. However this episode gained Barristan Selmy the name "Barristan the Bold" and is still ed to this day.

At the still young age of sixteen he earned his knighthood at a tourney at King's Landing, this time unhorsing Duncan the Small and Duncan the Tall, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, and winning the tourney.

Although an accomplished tourney knight, still winning tourneys being in his sixties, he is mostly known for his feats on the battlefield. Not long after being knighted, he fought in the War of the Ninepenny Kings, also known as the fifth Blackfyre Rebellion and there fought his way through the Golden Company to slay Maelys the Monstrous, last of the Blackfyre pretenders, thus ending the male line of the Blackfyres. This made Ser Barristan famous throughout the entire Seven Kingdoms and not much later earned him the white cloak of a Kingsguard by Jaeherys II at the age of 23. He would serve ever loyally as a member of the Kingsguard, fighting against the Kingswood Brotherhood for example, a band of outlaws infamous for having the of the smallfolk and kidnapping lords and ladys only to be released for huge ransoms.

Selmy would continue serving in the Kingsguard under Jaeherys II's son Aerys II, during whose reign he would accomplish his most daring feat at the Defiance of Duskendale of which songs are sung until this day.

When Denys Darklyn, Lord of Duskendale, rebelled against King Aerys II., Hand of the King Tywin Lannister surrounded and besieged Duskendale and after negotiations failed saw no other choice than to storm the Dark Den, the castle of Duskendale. Selmy however asked Lord Tywin to be sent in alone to free his liege from the dungeons. He snuck into Duskendale in beggar's clothes and managed to infiltrate the Dark Den and the dungeons. He freed Aerys II. from his cell and managed to get him to the city walls by single-handedly killing every guard before they could raise alarm and so managed to save his liege.

Ser Barristan continued to serve Aerys II. when things got worse and turned into open rebellion, Robert's Rebellion. He led troops at the Battle of the Trident, the deciding battle of the war, but was unable to help his forces win. He was gravely wounded in the battle, but was tended to by Robert Baratheon's own maester, being a respected knight on both sides. Robert Baratheon, now Robert I., even offered him to be Lord Commander of his new Kingsguard, which he accepted. This however was one of the few things he would later regret.

Following the death of Robert after the hunting "accident", he was dismissed from the Kingsguard by Joffrey "Baratheon", something that had never been done before and was a huge slight to his honor. He refused the lands he was offered as a sort of pension and in one of the most awesome scenes ever (sorry, fanboy broke through) he flung his sword at Joffrey's feet and told him to add it to the others on the Iron Throne.

After that, he fled from the court and easily killed the guards sent after him (without a sword, keep that in mind!), a thing we sadly don't get to see on either book or show.

He disappears for a while and reemerges some time later as Arstan Whitebeard, an old man squiring for Strong Belwas, a former pit fighter sent by Illyrio Mopatis to aid Daenerys Targaryen. He keeps up his disguise for a while to first judge whether Daenerys has the same madness in her as her father, Aerys II. After he's convinced she hasn't, he reveals himself, which leads to Daenerys being furious and sending him on a suicide mission into Meereen through the sewers to open the gates for her army. He succeeds (together with Jorah Mormont and others) to do just that and is accepted into the Queen's service, now as Ser Barristan Selmy, Lord Commander of her Queensguard.

He continues to serve her and later, after Daenerys presumed death, which he doesn't believe in, stages a coup d'état against Hizdahr zo Loraq together with the Shavepate and appoints himself as Hand of the Queen and Regent of Meereen, where he plans to hold out until his queen returns.

In the near future he will lead the so called Battle of Fire, a battle between the Meereenese and the besieging Yunkai'i, Ghiscari and Volantenes.

Now there is not much more I have to say about Ser Barristan, but since the show just butchered him in this ridiculous way I felt the need to show the full story of this truly great knight and I think the story speaks for itself.

Well, that's it for now, for once something not tinfoily, but don't worry, I've still got plenty of more tinfoil to be dealt with, so keep your tinfoil hats close by!

#CharacterTribute

#DBD