Highlights
- Davos Seaworth, also known as the Onion Knight, earned his nickname through his skills as a smuggler during Robert's Rebellion. He successfully smuggled food, mostly onions, to Stannis Baratheon and his forces at Storm's End.
- Despite being punished by Stannis and having four of his fingertips chopped off, Davos remains fiercely loyal to him, believing him to be a just leader.
- In the books, Davos is still by Stannis' side, negotiating support from House Manderly in the North. He is tasked with retrieving Rickon Stark from the dangerous island of Skagos, where cannibals are known to reside.
Ser Davos Seaworth, head of House Seaworth, debuted in the second season of HBO's Game of Thrones adaptation with Liam Cunningham in the role. Cunningham played the role masterfully, portraying the character with integrity and honor. Davos is one of the many point-of-view characters from the Song of Ice and Fire novel series written by George R.R. Martin. Few characters in the series show as much loyalty as Davos.
Davos is a wonderful character with a rather intriguing backstory. Probably what's most interesting about him is his title, The Onion Knight. Many soldiers earn a nickname through battles or deeds and it's usually in reference to whatever deed they accomplished. The "Onion Knight" paints an odd picture, though. Some might envision a little knight made of onions fighting a platoon of knights. So, how did Davos earn such a title?
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Who is Davos?
The man that many would come to know as Davos Seaworth came from humble beginnings. For starters, his family name, "Seaworth," was not his name from birth but a name he chose later in life. Davos was a commoner born in the Flea Bottom district of King's Landing and coming from the slums of Flea Bottom often puts one at odds with the law in order to survive. Davos learned to sail and leveraged his skills at sailing into a career as a smuggler. One of the best smugglers in the Seven Kingdoms, in fact.
You know how to tell a good smuggler? When you talk to one, there's a head that talks back
He eventually became Stannis Baratheon's most trusted advisor due to his loyalty during Robert's Rebellion. For his service, Stannis knighted Davos, granting him nobility and land on Cape Wrath. This was when Davos took the name Seaworth and put smuggling behind him. Although, his skills as a sailor would come to use down the road.
The former smuggler-turned-advisor showed absolute loyalty to Stannis, believing him to be a strict and just leader who would make a worthy King for the Seven Kingdoms. As the TV series showed before it spiraled into the mess that it became, Davos remained loyal to Stannis until the bitter end when Stannis lost his life. However, such events have yet to transpire in the literary works of George R.R. Martin. Stannis is still alive and kicking and Davos Seaworth is out garnering support for the Baratheon.
Why was Davos Called The Onion Knight?
It was Davos's skills as a smuggler that earned him the name "The Onion Knight." During Robert's Rebellion, Stannis Baratheon and his forces resided on the island of Storm's End. The Baratheons were running low on food to the point that they were literally starving. All the while, they had to fight battle after battle, fending off attacks from Mace Tyrell and his army. They wouldn't have lasted more than a month before Davos showed up.
Davos used his black-sailed ship to smuggle a supply of food into Storm's End for Stannis and his men. The supply mostly consisted of onions, thus earning him the title of The Onion Knight. This deed gave the Baratheons enough food to last them another year, reinvigorating them to hold out until Eddard Stark arrived with reinforcements.
However, Stannis is nothing if not fair and just. While he appreciated Davos's assistance, he also noted that the smuggling couldn't go unchecked and opted to punish the smuggler for it. Stannis opted to forego the standard punishment for smugglers, which was removing an entire hand or all of their fingers. Instead, he chopped off four of Davos's fingertips from his non-dominant hand.
This is the payment that was demanded by King Stannis for my crimes. I consider it an honest accounting.
Davos kept the remains of his fingertips in a pouch that hung from his neck and continues to wear in the books.
What Happens to Davos?
Aside from the obvious (losing the fingertips on his non-dominant hand), Davos ends up in a couple of places because the show and books wildly diverge from each other. In the show, Davos eventually leaves Stannis because a series of poor decisions gets Stannis killed. He finds his way by Jon Snow's side, becoming his chief sailor and one of his most trusted advisors. Davos assists Jon the same way he advised Stannis, pointing out all the players and the different obstacles in their path. It's Davos who discovers Jon Snow's corpse after his assassination and talks Melisandre into resurrecting him.
Davos stays by Jon's side until the end of the series. However, once Jon is sent back to the Night's Watch and Bran is chosen as the new King, Davos serves Bran as an advisor on his small council. He's put in charge of rebuilding fleets and forts. This is a vastly different place than where Davos is at in the books. That's not to say that Martin won't place him there by the end of his series.
Stannis is very much alive in the novels, which means Davos is still very much by his side. George R.R. Martin released an excerpt from The Winds of Winter that showed where he's at. However, the last time fans of the novels saw Davos was in A Dance With Dragons, where he is negotiating support for Stannis Baratheon with House Manderly of the North. The Manderlys want a Stark to claim the North and know Rickon Stark, Bran's younger brother, is on the island of Skagos.
Unfortunately, Skagos is notoriously known to house cannibals. Lord Manderly gives Davos the impossible task of retrieving Rickon from the island. He promises his support for Stannis if Davos succeeds, however. That's incentive enough for Davos, putting the former smuggler en route to an island of cannibals.
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones, based on the Song of Ice and Fire book series by George R.R. Martin, tells the sprawling story of warring families in Westeros. This includes the Starks, the Lannisters, the Baratheons, and the Targaryens. Along with human conflicts, Westeros is also threatened by the re-emergence of dragons, and an undead enemy from beyond the Wall.
- First TV Show
- Game Of Thrones
- Latest TV Show
- House of the Dragon
- First Episode Air Date
- April 17, 2011
- Where to watch
- HBO Max
- Spin-offs
- House of the Dragon