Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Celebrity

    The Real Significance of Bran's Gift to Arya on 'Game of Thrones'

    Watch out, Littlefinger. 😳

    By Kayleigh Roberts
    Published 7 August 2017 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    game-of-thrones-bran-arya
    (Image credit: HBO)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    This post contains spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 7, episode 4, "The Spoils of War."

    On this week's Game of Thrones, Arya Stark finally returned to Winterfell, where she was reunited with her sister, Sansa, and her brother, Bran, AKA the Three-Eyed Raven.

    Luckily for everyone involved, Arya's reunion with Bran wasn't nearly as awkward as Sansa's. Instead of alluding to having witnessed some horror of her past ("Hey Arya, I just wanted you to know you looked really pretty the day you went blind"), he gave her a gift. Well, actually it was a re-gift, but still.

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    First, Littlefinger presented Bran with the Catspaw Dagger—the dagger that was used in the assassination attempt on him in Season 1, because you know, that's a totally appropriate and not traumatizing thing to give a teenager. In one of the most satisfying moments of the episode, Bran responded to the gift by cryptically telling Littlefinger, "Chaos is a ladder," which threw Littlefinger entirely off his game.

    Bran, being the Three-Eyed Raven and all, has no use for fancy Valyrian Steel daggers, so he passed it along to Arya, the resident badass in the Stark family (sorry, Jon).

    You may like
    • Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, standing in front of a large bonfire at night, in 'House of the Dragon' season 3. As You Watch 'House of the Dragon' Season 3, Let Our Targaryen Family Tree Be Your Helpful Guide
    • Maisie Williams wore a red gown to the Practical Magic 2 premiere in London, which was inspired by Sandra Bullock Maisie Williams Channels a '90s Sandra Bullock Look for 'Practical Magic 2'
    • sam worthington as david and britt lower as rachel looking nervous over their shoulders in a kitchen in i will find you Breaking Down the Shocking 'I Will Find You' Ending That You Never See Coming

    The gift is significant for a couple of reasons. First, the dagger is one of the few known weapons in Westeros made of Valyrian Steel—one of the few substances capable of killing White Walkers. Putting more Valyrian Steel into Stark hands—and especially Stark hands that are skilled at fighting—is always a good thing.

    Second, a popular fan theory for the season has Arya adding Littlefinger to her kill list and taking him out. For one thing, the dagger used to belong to him and it would be poetic if it were the weapon used to kill him. Also, Sansa has pointedly said that "no one" can protect her from the dangers she faces. Since one of the biggest of those dangers is Littlefinger and Arya is (or at least was) No One, it only makes sense that she will be the one to save her sister if the time comes.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    And then there's Creepy Bran. As the Three-Eyed Raven, he can see everything that has happened ever and even though Littlefinger isn't currently on Arya's list, he's done plenty that would earn him a spot there if she knew about it (betraying Ned, killing Lysa, and, most horrifically, turning Sansa over to Ramsay Bolton for marriage).

    If Bran wants to put his newfound powers to use for anything other than the battle against the Night King and making his sisters uncomfortable, he could get Littlefinger in a lot of trouble.

    Follow Marie Claire on Facebook for the latest celeb news, beauty tips, fascinating reads, livestream video, and more.

    Explore More
    Game of Thrones Disney Plus Streaming
    Kayleigh Roberts
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

    Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

    Read more
    Maisie Williams wore a red gown to the Practical Magic 2 premiere in London, which was inspired by Sandra Bullock
    Celebrity Style Maisie Williams Channels a '90s Sandra Bullock Look for 'Practical Magic 2'
    By Meguire Hennes
    george russell lays under bertha russell bloodied and sick in a still from the gilded age season 3 finale
    TV shows If You Miss the Russells, Fear Not: 'The Gilded Age' Will Return in 2026 Here's what we know about the next installment of the hit period drama.
    By Quinci LeGardye
     
     
    A blonde woman (Elle Fanning) lies on a pink couch with black-and-white striped pillows, resting her head on a pillow in her mother's (Michelle Pfeiffer) lap. The pair sit in a living room with a kitchen behind them, through a circular doorframe, in Apple TV+'s 'Margo's Got Money Troubles.'
    TV shows I Watch Hundreds of TV Shows Each Year. Here Are the Best Series of 2026 So Far There's a lot to watch, from buzzy book adaptations to the final season of 'Hacks.'
    By Quinci LeGardye
    a split image of author tessa bailey in her headshot wearing a black top and jacket at a train station opposite a split image of the cover of her book broken rival
    Books Tessa Bailey Has Published 65 Books—Her Latest Is Like Nothing She's Ever Written Read an excerpt of the romance novelist's time-travel love story 'Broken Rival' before it hits shelves.
    By Sadie Bell
     
     
    Latest in Celebrity
    Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attend the launch of The Queen's Baton Relay for the XXI Commonwealth Games at Buckingham Palace on March 13, 2017
    Royals Queen Elizabeth Greeted Prince Philip "Wearing a False Beard"
    Nicole Kidman arrives on Day Thirteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Friday, September 11, 2026 in Flushing, NY
    Celebrity Style Nicole Kidman Styles a French Girl Staple at the US Open
     
     
    Jennifer Lawrence in New York City wearing the aqua color trend, transitional fall loafers, and carrying a rare Hermes Kelly bag
    Celebrity Style Jennifer Lawrence Pairs Her Hermès Bag With the Aqua Trend
    Crown Princess Leonor of Spain arrives at Carlos III University on September 07, 2026 in Madrid, Spain.
    Royals One Princess Is "Setting the Blueprint" for Future Royals
     
     
    Latest in News
    Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attend the launch of The Queen's Baton Relay for the XXI Commonwealth Games at Buckingham Palace on March 13, 2017
    Royals Queen Elizabeth Greeted Prince Philip "Wearing a False Beard"
    Nicole Kidman arrives on Day Thirteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Friday, September 11, 2026 in Flushing, NY
    Celebrity Style Nicole Kidman Styles a French Girl Staple at the US Open
     
     
    Jennifer Lawrence in New York City wearing the aqua color trend, transitional fall loafers, and carrying a rare Hermes Kelly bag
    Celebrity Style Jennifer Lawrence Pairs Her Hermès Bag With the Aqua Trend
    Crown Princess Leonor of Spain arrives at Carlos III University on September 07, 2026 in Madrid, Spain.
    Royals One Princess Is "Setting the Blueprint" for Future Royals
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.