Davos Seaworth

Davos Seaworth is a character in Game of Thrones. He will debut in the second season and will be played by Liam Cunningham. It has been confirmed that he is one of the favorite characters of producer and showrunner David Benioff.

Ser Davos Seaworth is a landed knight and a former (and reformed) smuggler. His ship used to ply the Narrow Sea, smuggling goods from the Free Cities into the Seven Kingdoms and back again. During Robert's Rebellion, Davos relieved the siege of Storm's End by delivering smuggled onions into the castle, helping Stannis Baratheon's forces survive until the end of the war. For this service, Stannis forgave Davos his smuggling crimes and knighted him. He was disparagingly called 'the Onion Knight' for his services, but he has embraced this title proudly and adopted an onion on the sail of a ship as his sigil.

Stannis also took several fingers from Davos's right hand as punishment for his smuggling crimes. Davos submitted to this punishment willingly, judging it a fair exchange in return for improving his family's future prospects.

Davos is one of Stannis' most loyal and reliable vassals, but is treated with disdain by some of the other lords of Westeros for his low birth. Davos has several sons, including Matthos, who serves with him on his ship. Davos is left-handed.

In the books
In the Song of Ice and Fire novels, Davos was born in Flea Bottom, the poorest district in King's Landing. He became a sailor whilst very young and has spent most of his life sailing the Narrow Sea. His black-sailed ship became infamous for stealing into harbors in the dead of night whilst avoiding detection.

When Stannis forgave him his crimes, he also took the fingertips from each finger on his left hand. Davos judged this a fair exchange for titles, lands and the future of his family. He keeps his finger bones in a pouch tied around his neck, believing they bring him and his family luck.

Davos is married to Marya Seaworth, the daughter of a carpenter, who rarely leaves their home on Cape Wrath. They have seven sons: Dale, Allard, Matthos, Marc, Devan, Stannis and Steffon, the eldest five of whom are also in the service of House Baratheon.

The hand that Davos loses fingers from has been changed from his left to his right, a result of actor Liam Cunningham being left-handed.