Westeros being dwelling to so many unusually tall individuals naturally raises questions like “What’s within the water over there?” “Why aren’t the doorways larger?” “And are any of those tall individuals associated?” Whereas solutions to these first two questions stay elusive, we’d really have the ability to handle the third. That’s as a result of Martin has left some breadcrumbs suggesting that Ser Duncan the Tall does have an equally tall descendent. You would possibly know her as Brienne of Tarth.
Born on the island of Tarth some 70 years after A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place, Brienne has many unambiguously heroic traits that made her a Sport of Thrones favourite. Like a sure Ser Duncan earlier than her, Brienne takes chivalry and her obligation as a warrior much more severely than her contemporaries. In reality, one would possibly argue that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is known as after the Thrones episode “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” through which Brienne takes her knightly vows. She’s additionally unusually statuesque for a girl of Westeros (or actually for anybody on a Medieval weight loss plan), coming in at properly over six ft tall and performed by the 6’3″ actress Gwendoline Christie. For Dunk actor Peter Claffey, Dunk and Brienne’s shared peak and values alone is compelling sufficient to substantiate some form of familial connection.
“[Martin] hasn’t confirmed it to me, however yeah I believe there’s in all probability some lineage, for positive,” Claffey tells Den of Geek. “There are loads of commonalities between Brienne and Dunk. They’ve a really related form of ethical compass, related form of demeanor, related form of nearly vulnerability and gullibility with talking and interacting with individuals. I completely liked Brienne and Gwendoline Christie within the present. I hope I get to satisfy her a while, it will be so cool.”
The proof for Brienne being a descendent of Ser Duncan the Tall goes past the beauty. In considered one of Brienne’s chapters within the ebook A Feast for Crows, she remembers coming throughout a protect adorned with a sigil depicting an elm tree and a falling star in her father’s armory. That ought to sound acquainted to those that simply watched A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 2. In that installment, Dunk should select a brand new sigil for himself since he isn’t a blood relation to the person who knighted him, Ser Arlan of Pennytree.
Together with his squire Egg’s assist, Dunk requests {that a} Dornish painter named Tanselle (Tanzyn Crawford) craft him a sigil that includes “an elm tree, an enormous one just like the one by the river. Brown trunk and inexperienced branches. However with a capturing star above.” The similarities between Dunk’s sigil and the sigil present in Brienne’s Evenfall fort dwelling on Tarth isn’t a lot of a “trace” that the 2 are associated as it’s an outright affirmation. Martin himself agreed, affirming Brienne and Dunk’s familial connection in 2016.
But when Ser Duncan is Brienne of Tarth’s grandfather or great-grandfather then who’s her grandmother or great-grandmother? Effectively, would you imagine that the aforementioned Dornish painter named Tanselle is one other considered one of Westeros’ Very Tall People? And would you imagine that Ser Duncan the Tall seems to be completely smitten along with her? Certain, Dunk shows completely zero rizz when interacting with “Tanselle-Too-Tall” however his story is way from completed. And Martin has entrusted A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner Ira Parker with the blueprints to many future Dunk and Egg tales. It’s fully potential that Tanselle can be revealed to be part of Brienne of Tarth’s household historical past as properly. The actress who performs her actually hopes so.
