Skip to main content

a song of ice and fire - Why is Jorah Mormont called Ser when he’s from the North?


Jorah Mormont is from the North (from Bear Island) and they are supposed to worship the old gods.


Being knighted requires a Septon and the Northeners don't believe in Septons, I guess. I thought knighthood was mostly in the rest of Westeros.



Answer



Knighthood doesn't always require to follow the Faith of the Seven, all that is required is another knight to hear you swear your vows to the Seven.



Knighthood is intimately tied to the Faith of the Seven, and the ideal of knighthood is to be not only an honorable warrior but a devout follower of the Seven.


Eddard Stark himself was not a knight, because he proudly continued to worship the Old Gods of his ancestors, yet still a great warrior. Sometimes, however, a soldier who does not follow the Faith of the Seven may nonetheless be rewarded for exemplary service with the title of knighthood by a lord who does worship the Seven. Examples are Ser Rodrik Cassel and Ser Jorah Mormont, both of the North.

Knighthood, Game of Thrones Wiki (source)



Note that though the wiki seems to imply that only soldiers can be knighted, any man can either buy knighthood or earn it with a great deed (as Davos Seaworthy did, who was a smuggler, not a soldier).


Jorah Mormont received a knighthood from King Robert I Baratheon, in recognition of his bravery during the siege of Pyke.


According to Illyrio Mopatis, Jorah was anointed by the High Septon when he became a knight.



Illyrio whispered to them. "Those three are Drogo’s bloodriders, there", he said. "By the pillar is Khal Moro, with his son Rhogoro. The man with the green beard is brother to the Archon of Tyrosh, and the man behind him is Ser Jorah Mormont".
The last name caught Daenerys. "A knight?".
"No less". Illyrio smiled through his beard. "Anointed with the seven oils by the High Septon himself".
— George R. R. Martin, A Game of Thrones, Chapter 3 (Daenerys), Series: A Song of Ice and Fire - 1




It's customary to be anointed by a septon, but not always required either. The only requirement seems to be another knight to hear your vows, and witnesses are generally customary to add validity to the knighthood.



“Hmpf.” The man Plummer rubbed his nose. “Any knight can make a knight, it is true, though it is more customary to stand a vigil and be anointed by a septon before taking your vows. Were there any witnesses to your dubbing?”
- The Hedge Knight



Credit: see more detailed info on the different ways one can become a knight, and the intricacies in this answer here, and how the procedure has changed over time in this answer here, two great answers provided by @Aegon.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.

harry potter - How could Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra?

I want to be very careful about how I ask this question – I am not asking How did Voldemort die? [CLOSED] Below the text is the relevant passages from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows if anyone wants to review them (I'm sorry for the amount of text). How did Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra and kill Voldemort? I feel the reason Harry's Expelliarmus overpowered Voldemort's Avada Kedavra curse has to do with who was master of the Elder Wand and how the Elder Wand works. I've always had trouble understanding fully how the Elder Wand works, though. How much did the fact that Voldemort never truly won or mastered the Elder Wand factor into how Expelliarmus reacted to Avada Kedavra and caused Avada Kedavra to rebound and kill Voldemort? An answer based in book canon would be especially welcome, but any canon source really is fine. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he, too, yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco’s wand: ‘ Avada Kedavra !’ ‘ Expelliarmus !...

game of thrones - Is Syrio Forel dead?

In the episode 'The Pointy End' (Season 1 Episode 8) when Arya runs from the Lannister guards you hear the sound of a sword being dropped (around 4:56): [embedded content] After that neither Syrio or Ser Meryn Trant is never mentioned or seen in the show again, except when Arya mentions to the Hound that Ser Meryn Trant killed Syrio. Is there any mention in the books that Syrio actually dies?

tolkiens legendarium - Difference between elves and dwarves blacksmithing in the Lord of the Rings

Both the elves and the dwarves were famous for their metal work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but what is the difference between what they made, and which one had the better skill of making amours and swords? Answer James Christopher's answer sums up the second part of your question well, but as to the difference in what they made, a little more detail is needed. Once the Elves learned to forge with steel, the shape of the sword changed, now being able to take on the form of a great broadsword or a light and agile curved sword. Additionally, they took great pride in decorating their swords. As we see in the Lord of the Rings , some swords like Sting had magical properties such as glowing blue when orcs are near. As far as the use of Mithril, lotr.wikia has two contradictory passages: Thus, Elven blades became renowned as great weapons, capable of performing deeds beyond the skill of their handlers and were even more glorious when the use of Mithril was allowed to the Elves. ...