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

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

harry potter - Did Dolores Umbridge Have Any Association with Voldemort (or Death Eaters) before His Return?

I noticed that Dolores Umbridge was born during the first Wizarding War, so it's very likely she wasn't a Death Eater then (but she is pretty evil -- who knows?). After that Voldemort was not around in a way that could affect many people, and most wouldn't know he was planning to rise again. During that time, and up through Voldemort's return (in Goblet of Fire ), did Umbridge have any connection with the Death Eaters or with Voldemort? Was she doing what she did on her own, or was it because of an association with Voldemort or his allies? Answer Dolores Umbridge was definitely not a good person. However, as Sirius points out, "the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters". Remember that he also says that he doesn't believe Umbridge to be a Death Eater, but that she's evil enough (or something like that). I think there are two strong reasons to believe that: Umbridge was proud to do everything according to the law, except when she trie...
Post a Comment
Read more

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.
Post a Comment
Read more

aliens - Interstellar Zoo story

I vaguely remember this story from my childhood: it was about an interstellar zoo that came to Earth with lots of bizarre and unusual species, and humans would file through and gape at all the crazy looking creatures from other planets. The twist came at the end when the perspective shifted to the other side of the bars and we discovered that the "creatures" were traveling through space on a kind of safari. They thought they were the visitors and we were the animals. Neither side knew that the other side thought they were the zoo creatures. Answer Got it. Zoo, by Edward D. Hoch. Published in 1958. Link to Publication History Link to PDF
Post a Comment
Read more

harry potter - What is the difference between Diffindo and Sectumsempra?

In the Harry Potter books, Diffindo is called the 'Severing Charm' and it’s most commonly used to cut ropes and the like. However, in the last book Hermione uses it on Ron but misses, creating a 'slash in his jeans' and his knee gets cut, causing him to 'roar in pain'. We've only seen Sectumsempra used once on screen when Harry directly uses it on Malfoy in the sixth book, but there it's mentioned that he is 'waving his wand wildly'. Wouldn't Diffindo, if used in such a fashion also cause a similar effect? Similarly, if it was able to cut Ron, it would also be able to, say, chop off an ear (George's)? In that case, how are these two spells different, except for Sectumsempra seemingly used exclusively to hurt humans? Answer While Diffindo and Sectumsempra both can be countered by other spells, Diffindo is far more easily countered. Reparo, a relatively common spell, can completely reverse its effect when used once. “He pulled the old cop...
Post a Comment
Read more