Is Dunk a Real Knight on A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS?

What truly makes a knight? This question is central to George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, and especially explored in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms through the character of Dunk. While knighthood seems straightforward – brave and honorable men pledging to protect others – it’s often much more complex and frequently leads to disillusionment. As Maester Aemon points out, love can conflict with duty. And Jaime Lannister discovers that conflicting oaths make it nearly impossible to uphold all promises. The title of ‘Ser’ isn’t always deserved; for every noble knight like Barristan Selmy, there’s someone like the brutal Gregor Clegane.

Watching the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, I was really impressed with Ser Duncan the Tall – he truly lived by the knight’s code. It really made me think about what defines a true knight, and honestly, it seems likely that Ser Arlan of Pennytree never actually knighted Dunk in the world of Game of Thrones. He just embodied everything a knight should be, even without the official title.

Is Dunk Actually a Knighted Knight on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? The Evidence Says ‘No‘

HBO’s series based on George R.R. Martin’s ‘The Hedge Knight’ explored a question fans have long wondered about Dunk: Was he legitimately knighted, or was his knighthood just a story? Martin himself hasn’t given a definitive answer, but the show suggests Dunk likely wasn’t a true knight. While it’s impossible to say for sure, the evidence strongly implies his knighthood was never official.

Dunk’s Ears Give Him Away

As a huge fan of the A Knight of the Kingdoms stories and the novella they’re based on, I’ve always found it fascinating how the hints about Dunk’s background start dropping even before he heads to Ashford. After Ser Arlan dies, he’s clearly unsure of his next step, even considering becoming a squire for someone else – which is odd, because knights wouldn’t usually be squires. He even thinks about joining the City Watch! And it’s a lovely detail that Martin includes – Dunk’s ears turning red whenever he’s embarrassed. The show really captured that awkwardness when he’s questioned about his knighthood while trying to enter the tourney – it felt so genuine and relatable.

Throughout Martin’s story, Dunk frequently questions himself, and these thoughts take on a deeper meaning when you consider he’s likely not telling the truth about becoming a knight. For example, he wonders what right he has to be a knight if Raymun is just a squire. Even while facing death in the Trial of Seven, he sarcastically thinks of himself as a foolish dreamer who believed he could be a knight. And after the trial, he questions whether he’s really earned the title.

Dunk’s Thoughts in the Novella Imply He Was Not Knighted

Dunk and Martin practically admit the truth to the reader when Egg explains why he pretended to be someone else. Here’s what happens when the young prince confesses his lie, and how the disguised knight reacts:

Dunk studied him, understanding the desperation that could drive someone to lie, even a terrible lie, to achieve their desire. “I believed we were similar,” he said. “Perhaps we are, but not in the way I initially assumed.”

Dunk’s Hesitation at Knighting Raymun Fossoway Makes More Sense If He Is Not a Knight Himself

In the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Ser Duncan’s reluctance to knight Raymun Fossoway seems odd, especially since he really needed Raymun’s support. However, it makes sense when you realize Duncan was keeping secrets. He wasn’t worried about Raymun’s safety during the Trial of Seven – that’s why he allowed him to participate. Instead, the usually honorable Dunk didn’t want to compromise a friend by giving him a meaningless knighthood.

It’s true anyone with the title of knight can bestow knighthood on another. However, Dunk realizes he isn’t a legitimate knight himself, and understands it would be wrong to falsely knight someone else – especially since he wasn’t properly knighted to begin with. It’s one thing to deceive others about his own status, but quite another to involve an innocent, helpful man in his deception, making him both a participant and a victim of the lie.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Never Shows Us Dunk’s Knighting

The first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms further suggested that Dunk wasn’t truthful about Ser Arlan supposedly knighting him on his deathbed. While Dunk repeatedly insisted Arlan intended to knight him at the very last moment, the series never actually showed this happening. Instead, it hinted at it constantly, even leading viewers to believe it would finally be revealed in the finale—but it wasn’t. The closest we got was a brief flashback of Ser Arlan simply shrugging at Dunk as he knelt. Dunk later claimed a robin in a thorn tree witnessed the knighting, a bird he conveniently noticed while relieving himself after Arlan’s funeral.

Dunk Not Being a Real Knight Explains Some of His Odd Comments on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Dunk’s lie about being a knight makes a lot of strange things that happened earlier in the story suddenly make sense. For example, his odd response to Steffon about Arlan’s sword – he claimed it was rightfully his. Steffon thought it was a strange thing to say, and it seemed even stranger to viewers, especially since we saw Dunk explaining to the dead Arlan why he wasn’t burying the sword with him. If the sword was rightfully his, why did he feel the need to justify keeping it from a corpse? This deception also explains his reaction to the upcoming Trial by Combat. He told Raymun he thought he deserved it, and the reason became clear when Dunk admitted he didn’t know his proper place – he didn’t belong with the other knights at the tourney.

Dunk Flat Out Calls Himself a Fraud

Just days after his trial, Ser Duncan practically confessed to his actions. Lyonel Baratheon claimed Baelor died because he was a false pretender, which led Dunk to question why he was being spared. Dunk believed he had done the right thing by helping Tanselle, acting as any proper knight would in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. However, Lyonel’s accusation made Dunk doubt his own worthiness, even his right to live. But it’s not just a simple lack of confidence; Dunk’s reaction makes the most sense if he wasn’t actually a knight to begin with.

The Words ‘You Are no Knight’ Frame Dunk’s Story

Once you understand the likely truth about Dunk, many earlier parts of the story become clearer, as is typical with George R.R. Martin’s work. Dunk truly becomes a knight when he rescues Tanselle, and this single act shapes the rest of his life. Interestingly, the first words Dunk ever hears from the puppeteer during a play about Florian the Fool – a legendary figure who rose to greatness despite not knowing his social standing – are, “You are no knight.”

The night before his trial, he couldn’t stop replaying her words in his mind. He went back to the tent where he’d rescued her, confused about how he was now facing execution. Entering the room where he felt he’d sealed his fate, Dunk heard her voice again: “You are no knight.”

But Is Dunk a ‘True Knight’ in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? Undoubtedly

In the season finale of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Egg unknowingly hit the nail on the head when he questioned Ser Duncan’s character, saying, “Maybe you’re not the knight I thought you were.” And he was right. Ser Duncan the Tall isn’t a true knight at all; he’s Dunk, originally from Flea Bottom, and a squire who served a struggling hedge knight. A desperate attempt to improve his status ultimately led to the death of the King’s Hand.

If you believe that detail is important, you still haven’t grasped the story’s central message.

What truly makes someone a knight? It’s not just receiving the title. In Westeros, knighthoods are frequently purchased or traded, meaning dishonorable people often bestow the honor on those who don’t deserve it. These individuals seek the status and respect of being a knight without earning it, and without any intention of upholding the knight’s duty to protect others. Simply making vows isn’t enough; words are meaningless without actions. True knighthood is demonstrated through courageous deeds and selfless service.

Throughout the history of the Seven Kingdoms, very few knights would have ever defended Tanselle against a Targaryen prince. Does it even matter that the one who did protect her never formally became a knight himself, especially considering he was just a drunken, failing one? And ultimately, did Tanselle even care about any of that?

If you’ve seen Game of Thrones, you’ll remember Brienne of Tarth. Did she only become a true knight when Jaime Lannister gave her the title? Was that when she earned respect and started protecting the helpless? Not at all. Jaime simply recognized a truth that already existed: Brienne was always a noble and exemplary knight. She was the very definition of knighthood, even before any ceremony or title. In fact, she was arguably the best knight in Westeros all along. This is unlike someone like Aerion Targaryen, who, unlike Dunk, needed the ceremony of knighthood – a sword on his shoulder – but didn’t actually earn the title.

Ser Arlan of Pennytree never officially made his squire a knight, and if the people of Westeros found out, they’d likely execute Dunk of Flea Bottom. This would be tragically ironic, as Dunk is the only person in the kingdom who truly embodies the qualities of a noble knight. Despite the fact that he claimed to be knighted when he wasn’t, Ser Duncan the Tall is, at his core, a genuine knight.

Mikey Walsh writes for TopMob and is a passionate supporter of Ser Duncan the Tall. You can find him on Bluesky at @burgermike, and he’s always involved in discussions about ranking the Targaryen kings.

2026-02-23 23:35