SPOILER WARNING
This page includes content relating to the Dunk & Egg novellas, and therefore contains potential spoilers for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, as revealed in George R.R. Martin's writings. Anyone wishing to remain completely spoiler free for this prequel series should avoid any pages displaying this tag. |
- This page is about the individual. For the song, see: Jenny of Oldstones (song)
- "It brings to mind the work of Jenny of Oldstones, the charlatan who claimed descent from the Children of the Forest."
- ―Archmaester
Jenny of Oldstones was a woman from the Riverlands who claimed to be descended from the Children of the Forest.
Biography[]
Game of Thrones: Season 7[]
At the Citadel, the Archmaesters discuss a raven they have received from Bran Stark warning of the Night King and his army marching of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. Since Bran claimed to have seen this through warging, one of them compared this to Jenny's claim that she was descended from the Children of the Forest.[1]
Game of Thrones: Season 8[]
Shortly before the Battle of Winterfell, Podrick Payne sings "Jenny of Oldstones," a song composed in her honor.[2]
In the books[]
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Jenny of Oldstones was a poor woman who won the heart of Prince Duncan Targaryen and married him against the wishes of his father, King Aegon V Targaryen, due to the fact that he was already betrothed to the daughter of Lord Lyonel Baratheon. Aegon attempted to have the marriage undone, but Duncan refused to leave Jenny and gave up his right to the throne.
Lyonel was so enraged at the offense, however, of the Targaryens breaking the promised marriage betrothal, that the Stormlands rose up in a brief but bloody rebellion, culminating in an epic trial by combat between Lord Lyonel and his old friend Ser Duncan the Tall, now Aegon V's Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.
She was the inspiration for many songs, which famously remember her "with flowers in her hair". Jenny was a very popular romantic figure in later songs for many a young maiden (like Sansa Stark): Jenny, the commoner girl for whom the heir to the Iron Throne gave up his inheritance out of love.
When Prince Duncan met her, Jenny was a mysterious girl who lived half-wild in the ruins of Oldstones, which had once been the ruling castle for a dynasty of the First Men who were wiped out thousands of years before in the coming of the Andals. She claimed that she descended from those ancient kings of the First Men - though people from the surrounding villages mocked that she had no way of knowing that even if it was true. Jenny did not claim to be descended from the Children of the Forest, but a woods witch named the Ghost of High Heart (a collaborator of the Brotherhood Without Banners, who appears in A Storm of Swords) with whom she was friends, did make this claim about herself. This friend made a prophecy in which she claimed that the prince that was promised would be born of the line of Prince Aerys II Targaryen and Rhaella Targaryen, which caused King Jaehaerys II Targaryen to arrange the marriage between his children.
Jenny was eventually accepted at court, even called "Lady Jenny" out of respect, and was beloved of the smallfolk throughout the realm. Prince Duncan later died in the great fire known as the tragedy at Summerhall, but it is unrecorded exactly what happened to Jenny, or whether she survived or not.
Appearances[]
- – "Eastwatch" (mentioned)
- – "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" (mentioned)
References[]
- ↑ Game of Thrones: Season 7, Episode 5: "Eastwatch" (2017).
- ↑ Game of Thrones: Season 8, Episode 2: "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" (2019).
External links[]
- Jenny of Oldstones on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (potential spoilers for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight)