Original artwork, not a still
The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword.
— Game of Thrones · 2011
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the Stark code in one sentence: if you take a life, you look the man in the eye and do it yourself, and you answer for it. The line sets Ned apart from the cruel lords around him, and in a show where those who cheerfully order deaths from a distance tend to survive, it reads as both a virtue and, as the series goes on, a trap. Fans quote it for any leader who passes the buck.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Game of ThronesShow the scene
In "Winter Is Coming", the first episode of Game of Thrones (HBO, 17 April 2011, written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss), a Night's Watch ranger named Will has fled the Wall after seeing the White Walkers. Lord Eddard Stark finds him and, as an oathbreaker, must put him to death. Ned takes his sons Robb, Jon and young Bran to watch, and after Will accepts his fate, Ned beheads him himself with the Valyrian greatsword Ice. Bran, aged ten, does not flinch. On the ride home, Ned explains to him why he did the killing in person.
Sources (1)
- Game of Thrones Wiki: Winter Is ComingInfobox, Synopsis and QuotesReference checked
Context reviewed
