Faith of the Seven Background Presence in The Hedge Knight
Dunk embodies the knightly virtues without being a religious man. He is a man who specifically says he doesn’t know a single prayer (all the way through) yet Dunk’s also sworn into a brotherhood of knights, a specifically religious order, yet is wholly secular. He is culturally faith of the seven in the same way many people are culturally Christian imo. But I think that George is very much riffing on the fact that, amongst all these other men, these *true knights* who’ve taken vows to protect women/children, who’ve stood vigil in a sept— it’s dunk roaring across the field
ARE THERE NO TRUE KNIGHTS AMONG YOU
It’s dunk who epitomizes the ideals he’s never spoken vows to uphold.
He’s a knight by values, he holds himself to account, by the sheer fact he believes in them. It reveals how hollow most other knights are. That in this tourney, the only one helping a poor young puppeteer from a cruel prince is a down on his luck squire. Dunk from flea bottom who’s betting his last coin on not dying tomorrow.
Dunk’s life, tanselle’s life, and everyone else’s at the tourney and in all of Westeros beholden to Aerion or the Targaryen name. A family that claims to be closer to gods than men. But Aerion’s no greater than the puppets Tanselle makes dance— he can burn just as easily.
