Place 3: Jaime Lannister
Jaime Lannister is regarded as one of the best fighters in Westeros. He gained fame early on for his exceptional sword skills. He was the youngest knight of the Kingsguard ever. And his abilities only increased with age and growing experience.
He could take on ten soldiers by himself and was nearly unbeatable in duels. He claimed that only three men in all of Westeros might stand a chance against him – and that is probably not an exaggeration.
He suffered a severe setback with the loss of his sword hand. Although he eventually managed to become a good swordsman with his left hand through much training, he will likely never regain his former strength.
Place 2: Barristan Selmy
By the time of Game of Thrones, Ser Barristan Selmy is already older, so we unfortunately do not see him in his prime as a warrior. The saying “Beware of an old man in a profession where men typically die young” is therefore all the more fitting.
Ser Barristan is one of the legendary swordsmen in the history of Westeros. His extraordinary skills are often praised and admired, for example, by Jaime Lannister, Ned Stark, Robert Baratheon, and Jorah Mormont.
At just 16 years old, he defeated the then Lord Commander of the Kingsguard in a tournament and was subsequently knighted. In the following years, he made a name for himself in further tournaments and wars.
He served loyally and honorably as a knight of the Kingsguard to two kings. His downfall ultimately comes in Meereen, where he is overwhelmed by the “Sons of the Harpy”. However, not without taking many of his opponents down with him first.
Place 1: Arthur Dayne
Ser Arthur Dayne, known as the “Sword of the Morning”, is a true legend. He was an honorable member of the Kingsguard during the reign of King Aerys II.
By the time of Game of Thrones, he was already dead, which is why we only see him in a short flashback. There we see how he can effortlessly take on four adversaries at once – probably just a taste of his true abilities. He also shows that he masters not just one, but two swords at the same time.
He fought gracefully yet lethally, always in perfect balance between offense and defense. Even after his death, he is generally regarded as the greatest swordsman in history, admired by many characters.
As legendary as Dayne himself is his sword “Dawn”, forged from the heart of a fallen star and possessing similar qualities to Valyrian steel. Only a knight of House Dayne who proves himself worthy may wield “Dawn”.
Do you agree with the ranking? Who would you have ranked differently? Feel free to write it to us in the comments! We did not include characters from the prequel series House of the Dragon in this ranking, although there are some strong candidates there. However, we have already covered them in another list here on MeinMMO: House of the Dragon: The 10 best swordsmen of Westeros in the power ranking
