George R.R. Martin announced yesterday that he has licensed the right to make official swords and other sharp, pointy things based on his series "The Song of Ice and Fire" (which began with A Game of Thrones in 1996) to a start-up company called Valyrian Steel.

The first blade to be produced will be Jon Snow's Longclaw, sometime in 2008, to be followed by many more swords, daggers, and other implements of destruction. Each will be in a limited run of 2500 pieces, with a certificate of authenticity signed by Martin and a plaque bearing the arms of the house associated with the blade.