The Hedge Knight: Dunk & Egg #1 Explained (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms)

The Game of Thrones book series is called A Song of Ice and Fire.

There are five books so far, with more still being written to finish the story.

There are also some side books which describe the history and world of Westeros [and beyond].

And there’s a prequel series called the Tales of Dunk & Egg – three novellas about

a knight and his squire set ninety years before A Game of Thrones.

Compared to the main story, which is huge and complex and intense, the Tales of Dunk

& Egg are [relatively] short simple and sweet, with a lighter tone and smaller scale.

But they do have mysteries and secrets of their own, as well as interesting interconnections

with the main series.

The first story is called The Hedge Knight – it introduces our heroes Dunk and Egg,

as they’re caught up in events that change the course of history in Westeros.

The Hedge Knight was adapted to a graphic novel [comic book] with artwork by Mike S.

Miller and Mike Crowell – which you’ll see throughout this video.

So what happens in The Hedge Knight, and what does it mean?

Our hero is a young man called Dunk.

He wasn’t born into a noble family or magic bloodline like the Starks or Targaryens – he

was an orphan, in the slums of King’s Landing, growing up in the alleyways and pot shops

of Flea Bottom [like Davos!].

Dunk isn’t particularly smart or skilled, but he is extremely tall and strong, and he

has a good heart – a sense of right and wrong.

When Dunk was a kid, a knight called Ser Arlan took Dunk in as his squire.

Arlan wasn’t a fancy noble knight – he was a hedge knight, which is more like a mercenary

wandering from place to place, wherever a lord needs their sword.

Hedge knights have a bad reputation – some of them become bandits or robbers.

But Ser Arlan taught Dunk the values of a true knight – to protect the weak and innocent,

and to fight for what’s right.

At the start of the story, Ser Arlan dies – so Dunk feels lost.

He spent his whole life serving Arlan, so what now?

[Who should Dunk become?]

Dunk takes up Arlan’s sword and decides to be a knight himself.

Thing is, you can’t just decide to be a knight.

You have to be knighted by another knight in a special ceremony.

And it's implied that Dunk was never knighted.

He tells people that Arlan knighted him, but it's hinted that’s a “lie”.

Dunk always gets awkward and evasive when people ask about his knighting, and he thinks

to himself that he’s not a knight.

But maybe being a true knight is about more than a ceremony – the story explores what

it really means to be a hero in a complex unfair world.

Dunk heads for a tournament at Ashford – a chance to prove himself as a knight.

And along the way, Dunk meets a young boy.

He’s completely bald, and he says his name is Egg.

He’s confident and cheeky and asks Dunk to take him to the tourney as his squire.

Dunk refuses at first, so Egg just follows him until Dunk accepts.

They’ve got sort of a Shrek and Donkey odd couple dynamic where they annoy each other

at first, but gradually become unlikely best friends.

The tournament is full of excitement and splendour – colourful tents and banners, merchants

and entertainers, famous lords and knights..

Warriors from all over Westeros come to joust and fight – Lannisters, Baratheons and Tyrells,

Tarlys Freys and Dondarrions – and Targaryens.

The Hedge Knight is set ninety years ago, when the Targaryens ruled Westeros.

So the king is Daeron Targaryen, and his queen is Myriah Martell [Daeron made peace with

Dorne by marrying a Dornish princess].

Daeron's son and heir and Hand of the King is Prince Baelor Targaryen, called Breakspear.