- "Every swan ship carries a company of archers armed with goldenheart bows, which can hurl the shaft hard enough to pierce steel plate."
- ―Euron Greyjoy
Goldenheart is a kind of tree that grows in the Summer Islands. The Summer Islanders use the wood from these trees to craft bows which are renowned for their great strength, capable of launching a shaft of hardwood with such force that it can penetrate steel plate armor.[1]
In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Goldenheart is one of several types of rare hardwood trees found in the Summer Islands. Goldenheart wood makes some of the best bows in the world, surpassed only dragonbone, though the latter is far more rare (often found only on archaeological digs around Asshai, etc.) and not renewable.
Goldenheart is therefore highly sought after, but the Summer Islanders themselves have a strict ban on any export of it, instead reserving it for their own armies and sailors. This restriction was put into place thousands of years ago after a series of wars against foreign slavers and pirates. Nonetheless, some goldenheart is occasionally smuggled out and used to make a few rare objects in the Free Cities or Westeros; for example, during the Tourney of the Hand, Jaime Lannister rides in the joust using a splendid lance made of goldenheart wood.
There are three major isles in the Summer Islands, from north to south: Walano, Omburu, and Jhala. Walano is the most populous, while Jhala is physically the largest, as big as the other two put together. Goldenheart doesn't grow on Walano, however, only on Omburu and Jhala.
See also
Goldenheart on A Wiki of Ice and Fire