A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms premiered on January 18 and introduced viewers to Ser Duncan the Tall / Dunk, a knight who must traverse Westeros following his master’s demise. In the first episode, the term “hedge knight” is used several times to describe Dunk.
Some characters consider it to be a lowly status among the warriors of the Seven Kingdoms and mock Dunk, who feels ashamed of being called a hedge knight. Here is what the term means within the context of the story and why it matters in the Game of Thrones universe.
What does a Hedge Knight mean in A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms?
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The show stars Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall / Dunk, who is described as a “hedge knight” several times in the first episode, a reference to the 1998 novella The Hedge Knight, written by George R. R. Martin.
In the source material, hedge knights are described as wandering knights without a master. They usually travel across the Seven Kingdoms, searching for employment, but do not swear their allegiance to one particular lord like most traditional knights.
They also do not possess any land of their own, and their wealth is mostly limited to their arms and horses.
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Martin briefly suggested the origin of the name “hedge knight” in an excerpt in Martin’s A Dance with Dragons.
In the book, it is revealed that Daenerys Targaryen had heard stories from her brother of knights “so poor that they had to sleep beneath the ancient hedges that grew along the byways of the Seven Kingdoms.”
The idea is reinforced in the premiere, which sees Dunk making his pavilion in the hedges, usually under a giant oaktree.
How are Hedge Knights different from Sellswords and Freeriders?
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Although most hedge knights are chivalrous, their lack of allegiance to any lords or the Great Houses essentially makes them mercenaries, not unlike sellswords or freeriders, who are a common presence during the War of the Five Kings in Game of Thrones.
However, sellswords have no loyalty or honor, and Freeriders tend to lack discipline. A notable sellsword in the main GOT series is Bronn (Jerome Flynn), who eventually rises to knighthood but is still denied a fight as Tyrion’s champion in a trial by combat.
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In contrast, hedge knights are loyal, as evidenced by Dunk’s master, Ser Arlan of Pennytree, taking an arrow to his knee during a battle with the Vulture King before the spin-off’s events.
Therefore, hedge knights are practically “true knights” without the status or wealth that comes from pledging their allegiance to the nobility of the Seven Kingdoms.
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms is streaming on HBO Max.