There is only one person who can save WesterosWhite Walkers, and it is notjon snow,Daenerys Targareyn, or equalpure bran. No, the only person who can save Westeros is Tommy Dunne, an Irish blacksmith and master of dragon glass.
Dunne is the "Armsmaster" forZu War Two Thrones; the person responsible for creating the Vidriagón weapons to defend against the Night King in the eighth and final season of the HBO series.
Dunne was a professional film gunsmith with 25 years of experience making guns for television and filmThroneChampion from the beginning and has even made a few cameos over the years.
Is saidturning backthat his inspiration for crafting the weapons that could defeat the White Walker army did not come from medieval legends, like many of the images in the series, but from the other side of the world, in Mexico and present-day Central America.
Viewers last season saw the Dragonvine hidden in a huge cave on Dragonstone Island in preparation for the White Walkers' invasion. Behind the scenes, it was Dunne's turn to outfit the army.
Dragonglass is the common name on the show forObsidian, a natural volcanic glassand one of several rare materials that can defeat White Walkers.
Jon Snow enters the cave beneath the Dragonmont volcano on Dragonstone Island in Blackwater Bay.
"What's the point of having another weapon?" says Dunneturning back. “Nothing normal works with wights [people who become zombies after being killed by white walkers] and white walkers. Everything must become obsidian; every form, every form of weapon known to us... must be turned into dragonglass."
There was only one problem with Dragonglass. Because obsidian is so fragile in both Westeros and the real world, crafting effective weapons was a unique challenge.
"What's the point of having another weapon?"
Obsidian is formed when viscous lava cools rapidly, creating opaque natural glass that is usually black. When it breaks, shell fractures occur, meaning it breaks into curved surfaces with incredibly sharp edges, even sharper than contemporary ones.Steel surgical scalpels.
Due to its brittleness, not much can be done with the material obsidian. The only way to sharpen it is through a process calledbutton up- Cut as with a stone knife.
The longest blade a dragonglass can have is about 10 inches. In comparison theMountain steel greatswordmeasures 5 feet 4 inches long.
"I think even that's a little tight," Dunne says of a 10-inch obsidian blade. “But it depends on how you do it. Many of these weapons are placed in wooden poles so that they can still be built on. But as a prominent feature, it would not exceed 8 or 9 inches.”
A little longer for an obsidian blade and the pressure of cutting can break it. Don't expect to see obsidian longswords, as cool as an all-black sword might lookZu War Two ThronesSaison 8
At the right length and crafted in the right way, Obsidian can be a deadly asset whether you're battling the frozen undead or not. Because of this, ancient Mesoamerican cultures are like thatAztecsjThe Mayans used obsidianbecause of their weapons and why their weapons often look unconventional compared to traditional swords and spears.
These are the practical reasons why the Aztec sword is calledmacuahuitl, doesn't look like a sword at all and whychildren of the forestMost of the time he just glues pieces of dragonglass to the ends of sticks when it comes to crafting weapons.
"You would never make a long blade out of obsidian"
"You would never make a long blade out of obsidian, but you could put it in a frame that would take all the weight and all the power," says Dunne. "You would just spread the blade or blades out on another object and maybe have your obsidian at the bottom just like the Aztecs."
Dunne credits his workApocalypse(2006), set at the height of the Mayan Empire, for his help in creating dragonglass weapons in Season 8 ofZu War Two Thrones. He even used an obsidian dagger as a reference when making weapons forZu War Two Thrones.
"When I was in Mexico for work, I carried a lot of real obsidian," says Dunne. “I collect rare or special items. Our entire crew on this film was Mayan - exactly the kind of look, feel and time period I wanted to try and replicate. These are the weapons that were used in the same way as the people in themThroneI would use them.”
“These are the weapons that were used as well as the people in themThroneI would use them."
Despite the reference to actual obsidian fragments, including the dagger, all replicas were built for itZu War Two Thronesthey are completely harmless. "Unfortunately, the 'Obsidian' that we use is 99% rubber: a rubber compound sheet and a rubber mold," Dunne said. "They're all traced, hand-carved, and obviously sculpted and created to be sure."
However, when the script calls for a dragonglass blade to make an actual cut through the screen, Dunne confirmed that these support weapons are made of steel and then blackened to look like obsidian.
What does it take to equip an army with Dragonglass?
In Season 7 Episode 6, "Beyond the Wall", Snow brings a group of some of Westeros' greatest warriors north of the Wall to retrieve an undead spirit. Prior to this episode, Dunne had to design a variety of dragonglass weapons for the characters involved.
"I didn't have a chance to say who had what," says Dunne. "I like having a few weapons that the director can use depending on what he wants to do or how we're feeling. We had to make sure we were prepared for a lot of things, so we made a lot of different daggers, axes and spears so everyone could pick up any weapon.”
Ser Jorah Mormont trades his long sword for two long daggers.Tormund MatagigantesHe has a big axe. Sandor "the Hound" Clegane has a hand ax and aDrachenglasdolch, reminiscent of the handcrafted steel dagger asIndonesiantremHe's carried it since the beginning of the series, making this weapon a throwback.
"The Hound likes to fight," says Dunne. "He's someone who boldly uses that to his advantage to hit and stab at the same time. This is part of your character's appearance. He just goes back to his weapon of choice.
Some unnamed wildlings are getting more generic dragonglass spears, which is likely to be the case for many of Stark's minions in Season 8. We'll never see anyone with a sword unless it's something more like a sword.macuahuitl, but Jon's soldiers have the ability to wield a variety of weapon types. When asked about the potential for characters to order custom weapons, Dunne says, "You'll find that they have information... they will have an opinion."
This suggests that many soldiers in the final season could end up with custom-made dragonglass weapons, or maybe just the biggest characters in themZu War Two Thrones. At least a lot of archers have dragonglass-tipped arrows and who knows what else.
Dunne's hard work will pay off on Sunday, April 14, when Jon Snow's dragonglass-armed army begins their battle against the Night KingZu War Two ThronesSaison 8
For his part, Dunne has already moved on to his next project. happy forZu War Two ThronesFans, your next project isa prequel series that dates back thousands of yearsthe events of the 8
Dunne hasn't said much about the upcoming spin-off, but with his involvement confirmed, we can expect one thing: lots and lots of guns.