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Ser Jaime Lannister knights Brienne of Tarth right before the Battle of Winterfell inGame of Thrones. It is a proud moment for her, and her squire, Podrick Payne, who has stayed with her through thick and thin. She kneels as Brienne and rises as Ser Brienne of Tarth, a knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The moment is a real tear-jerker, and it becomes more special when Podrick sings a ballad about Jenny of Oldstones.
Podrick’s soulful rendition plays against a montage of the alliance of the living riding into the battle against the Dead at Winterfell. Jenny of Oldstones is carefully woven intothe Battle of Winterfell’s prelude to convey the grief and loss ofGame of Thronescharacters and the life-and-death situation at hand. Surely Jenny must have been quite a woman to have a touching tribute dedicated to her.
Who Is Jenny Of Oldstones?
Prince Of Dragonstone Vs. Prince Of Dragonflies
Jenny’s song is most likely sung in memory of a half-royal, i.e., Duncan Targaryen’s wife, known in lore as Jenny of Oldstones. Despite being promised to Lord Lyonel Baratheon’s daughter, Duncan abdicated as Prince of Dragonstone and King Aegon V’s heir to marry Jenny. His devotion to his wife earned him the nickname - the Prince of Dragonflies.
Prince Duncan Targaryen, also known as Duncan the Small, met Jenny of Oldstones on his trip to the Riverlands in 239 AC. He fell head over heels in love with her and broke his betrothal.Game of Throneslore paints Jenny as a"strange, lovely, and mysterious peasant woman"and the love of Prince Duncan’s life.Duncan’s father, King Aegon V, who ironically had dedicated his life to the betterment of the smallfolk, tried in vain to separate the two. It is pertinent to mention that King Aegon the Fifth had himself married Betha Blackwood out of love, and yet he expected his heir to cast his wife aside. Due to the mounting pressure of the Faith (the High Septon), the Grand Maester, and the small council, Duncan ultimately renounced the Iron Throne in favor of his brother, Jaehaerys Targaryen. As for breaking the betrothal, Lord Lyonel Baratheon took offense and declared himself Storm King. He led a failed rebellion against the Iron Throne, which ended in him yielding toSer Duncan the Tallin a Trial by Combat duel.
Ser Barristan Selmy’s memorable quote fromGame of Throneslore summarizes the forbidden romance:
The Prince of Dragonflies loved Jenny of Oldstones so much he cast aside a crown, and Westeros paid the bride price in corpses.
What Happened To Jenny Of Oldstones?
Game of Throneslore says Jenny wore flowers in her hair and claimed to be a descendant of the bygone kings of the First Men. The latter part of her name - Oldstones - is a dilapidated stronghold in the northern Riverlands which once served as the seat of House Mudd. The castle’s real name is lost in history, and the smallfolk simply call it Oldstones. While a few local villagers thought of Jenny as"a half-mad peasant,“she was a"witch"to a few. The nobility and the power corridors in King’s Landing detested her and everything she represented but she was loved by the smallfolk of the Seven Kingdoms.
Duncan was determined to make his and Jenny’s marriage last, but the haunting nature of Jenny of Oldstones conveys that the pair wasn’t meant to be. Jenny lost Duncan inthe Tragedy at Summerhall, which was born out of King Aegon V’s burning desire to bring back dragons to the Seven Kingdoms. In 259 AC, the Targaryens, mages, pyromancers, and Maesters assembled at Summerhall (a pleasure castle of House Targaryen) to try and hatch seven dragon eggs. The fire raged out of control and destroyed the castle and killed those within. King Aegon V, his Lord Commander and dear friend, Ser Duncan the Tall, and the Prince of Dragonflies and Maester Corso perished in the great fire.Game of Throneslore is ambiguous about Jenny’s fate, and the song lyric"danced with her ghosts in the hall of kings"is open to interpretation. Jenny’s friend, a woods witch of the Riverlands, who was present at Summerhall, is believed to have survived the catastrophe, butSer Barristan Selmybelieves otherwise. That said, the woods witch’s description in lore matches that of the ghost of High Heart who mysteriously returned to the Riverlands and continued to mourn Jenny’s fate.
Jenny Of Oldstones: The Song
While the HBO show refers to the ballad as Jenny of Oldstones, it is also known inA Song of Ice and Fireseries as “Jenny’s song.“The Brotherhood without Bannersbarter the song for prophetic dreams of the ghost of High Heart. While one of many, Jenny of Oldstones is more famous in the fandom because it is part of a poignant moment.
Podrick sings the first stanza of Jenny of Oldstones inGame of Thronesseason 8, episode 2 “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” but George R. R. Martin’s books feature only a line, viz:
“High in the halls of the kings who are gone, Jenny would dance with her ghosts…”
It is to be noted thatGame of Thrones'“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” also features a rendition by Florence & The Machine that plays over the closing credits.
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones, based on the Song of Ice and Fire book series by George R.R. Martin, tells the sprawling story of warring families in Westeros. This includes the Starks, the Lannisters, the Baratheons, and the Targaryens. Along with human conflicts, Westeros is also threatened by the re-emergence of dragons, and an undead enemy from beyond the Wall.
