The Valyrian steel dagger was first seen in the hands of an assassin who made an attempt on Bran Stark’s life during Season 1 of Game of Thrones. This led to Catelyn Stark accusing Tyrion Lannister of murder, and eventually the war between the Starks and the Lannisters.
Most book-readers believe Joffrey was behind the attempted murder, though it’s also possible that Cersei was responsible. Either way, the question remains: Who owned this knife?
Petyr Baelish
Petyr Baelish, better known as Littlefinger, grew up on a dismal stretch of rocky shore called the Fingers. He was the son of a minor nobleman and had a small lordship on that tiny peninsula, but he was not heir to his forefathers’ sellsword strength.
Despite his meager origins, Petyr was in love with Catelyn Tully from the moment he came to live at Riverrun. She was betrothed to Brandon Stark, who had five years of experience and a much larger, stronger frame than Petyr.
However, when he challenged Brandon to a duel for Catelyn’s hand, he was soundly defeated and has carried a massive chip on his shoulder ever since.
When Littlefinger came to King’s Landing, he used his position on the Small Council to acquire vast wealth and accrue intelligence on political rivals. In his quest for power, he orchestrated the start of the War of the Five Kings, causing widespread devastation and the death of numerous important characters.
Tyrion Lannister
The youngest son of Tywin Lannister, Tyrion grew up at Casterly Rock and was often abused by his older siblings. He was also born a dwarf, which he and his siblings hated because it tarnished their reputation.
Despite his imperfections, he was a loyal servant to his elders and was given various positions of authority by them. He was named heir to Casterly Rock and master of coins, as well as married against his will to Sansa Stark.
In season 1, he was a prisoner in Winterfell and had an assassin attempt to kill Bran, the youngest Stark. Several characters think that it was Littlefinger who hired the assassin.
In the books, Littlefinger says that he lost the dagger to Tyrion in a joust, but it’s never made clear whether or not that’s actually true. Ultimately, it’s a bit of a hoax that helps set off a war between House Lannister and House Stark, which is what Littlefinger probably wanted.
Joffrey Baratheon
In season one, an assassin (known as a catspaw) was sent after Bran Stark with a Valyrian steel dagger. The blade was a rare and valuable metal, forged long ago in Essos, and had a dragonbone hilt which indicated that it was made by the Targaryens.
In the books, it is believed that it was Joffrey Baratheon who sent the assassin after Bran because he heard his father Robert mention that killing Bran would be a mercy since he was a cripple.
This is a big assumption that fans have come up with but it doesn’t appear to be true. In fact, the show never really focused on this whole development and fans took it as Benioff and Weiss subtly confirming that it was not Joffrey who sent the catspaw after Bran but it was Littlefinger.
He explains that it was because he wanted to gain favour with his distant ‘father’ by sending the assassin after Bran. It’s a shame that they didn’t make more of this storyline as it was actually quite interesting.
Cersei Lannister
Cersei Lannister is a ruthless, egotistical queen who is known to take out other Stark family members in the past. She is described as being very beautiful, with green eyes, golden hair and a slender figure.
Cersei is a woman of few words and a very self-serving person who has always seen people from a narrow perspective. She is an incredibly cold-hearted person who sees all other people as threats to her power.
She also has a very weak empathy for other people, something that is a hallmark of a true narcissist. This is evident in her treatment of Sansa Stark and her actions to kill Joffrey Baratheon.
In season one, a mysterious assassin attempts to murder Bran, but it is thwarted by dedicated mother Catelyn Stark and his direwolf Summer. The dagger was later found to be made of Valyrian steel, indicating that it might have been Targaryen in origin. We do not know who actually sent the assassin, but it could have been Cersei or Littlefinger, because he is currently working against the Starks.