Daenerys Stormborn - A Re-Read Project Part I: AGoT

[SeanF]

Dany is depicted as having good observational powers- she picks up on small nuances of Illyrio's actions that Viserys misses. In the early chapters of aGoT, someone else was also portrayed as being a good observer.

Jon Snow

It will be interesting to contrast how good her observational powers are in Pentos, with how out of her depth she is, in her dealings with the Ghiscari, in Meereen.

[MoIaF]

Dany is depicted as having good observational powers- she picks up on small nuances of Illyrio's actions that Viserys misses. In the early chapters of aGoT, someone else was also portrayed as being a good observer.

Jon Snow

I noticed that as well, it's very common in their chapters in many ways Dany and Jon are very much alike. For all of Dany's later bravado she is still very introverted, like Jon.

[MoIaF]

As you said in your analysis, Queen Alysanne, this chapter makes a very sharp contrast between Dany and Viserys, who is immediately portrayed as arrogant, delusional, incompetent, not too bright, and abusive. This can be partially explained by his bitterness over what has happened to his family, but Dany has a lot of reasons to be bitter, and still hasn't turned out like that. Viserys is truly his father's son.

Some other remarks after re-reading this chapter:

1. - Dany was born 9 months after her mother fled to Dragonstone; queen Rhaella left King's Landing shortly after Dany's conception. From the later books, we know that running away from the "Usurper" may not have been the only reason why Rhaella wanted to get away from her brother/husband. Dany has been mostly shielded from the harsh truths about her father - Barristan, who knows most on the subject of the people she's been in contact with, has hinted at some of it, but has shied away from telling her the ugly truth. In particular, I can't see him ever telling Dany that she was conceived through a brutal rape, which I imagine would be really hurtful to know.

2. - No matter how frightening a prospect of being sold as a bride to an adult stranger at age 13, the fate that Dany had believed was in store for her would have been much worse - being married to her abusive brother (and reliving the fate of her mother).

3. - Dany notes that Viserys never forgave her for "killing" her mother. I've seen people try to defend Viserys with the argument that this makes his attitude to Dany more understandable, but I don't have any sympathy for people who blame newborn babies for their mother's deaths in childbirth. And looking at the other characters whose mothers died birthing them and their families' attitudes, we see that this is not an attitude shared by all or most people; it says a lot that Viserys' attitude is shared by Tywin and Cersei's regarding Tyrion, but not by Jaime, nor by Catelyn regarding Edmure (and there is no account that Hoster Tully hated or abused his son either) nor (if you believe that R+L=J and Lyanna died of the consequences of childbirth, which I do believe) by Ned regarding Jon.

4. - When we first read this chapter, it seems as if the habit of marrying very young girls (for instance, aged 13) to adult men is something peculiar to Essos, and Viserys makes it seem as if only a "barbarian" would be attracted to and want to bed a girl of Dany's age. But later, we see that "she has had her blood, so she can be wed and bedded" is an attitude shared by at least some of the Westerosi lords, at least when it's not about their daughters and when they need to use girls of that age for their claims. There is officially no slavery in Pentos, but Illyrio clearly has slaves; Dany is not official a slave, but practically she is; but 12-year old Sansa is in no better position (and Tywin can get away with ordering his adult son to rape her to secure her claim), not to mention poor Jeyne Poole, 13-year old and standing in for 11-year old Arya. Generally, the position of a highborn Westerosi girl isn't much better than Dany's and doesn't allow her more freedom or choice - or isn't any better; the extent of her choice depends on the character and benevolence of her father or guardian.

5. (If I can make a few observations about things that are more for discussion for later chapters: Like most men in Dany's life, with the exception of Barristan, Jorah is a morally ambiguous figure. Dany abhors rape, but Dany loved Drogo, who, like most Dothraki, saw rape as a normal part of the war and conquest. Dany hates slavery, but Dany trusted Jorah, who had no problems with selling people into slavery and advocating using a slave army. While I am not a fan of the Dany/Daario relationship, it could be argued that this relationship is much healthier by comparison, since Dany has no illusions about who Daario is and doesn't gloss over the problematic aspects of his character and behavior.)

A few more observations:

6. - One of Viserys' favorite catchphrases, other than "waking the dragon", is "The dragon remembers" - similar to "The North remembers".

Annara, fantastic summary!! :bowdown:

ETA: Sorry was in a hurry before - here is a more proper responce.

1. I was thinking about this when we were discussing Dany on a different thread. Although cruel I wonder if this information might help Dany to finally see how truly mad and cruel her father was. Seeing her father as a madman that her people you never knew is not the same as knowing he hurt your mother (even if you didn’t know her). His madness and cruelty would have touched her personally.

2. I was reading Dany’s second chapter and the only thing that kept her from completely loosing it at the wedding was her fear that she would “awaken the dragon” in Viserys – which goes nicely with your point above.

3. Well this is just a great contrast between the types of people Viserys, Tywin and Cersei are in comparison to Catelyn, Ned and in this respect Jaime. There is an innate cruelty and immaturity to the former in comparison to an understanding and compassion to the latter.

4. Indeed – if your father loves you than you might have a better life then your peers. But looking at all these girls you see a theme of survival. Some have suffered crueler fates than other (poor Jeyne) and yet they continue to survive as best they can. This is a very important theme in Dany’s arc, whenever fate (or sometimes herself) kicks her down she manages to get right back up. What is it that they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

5. This is something Dany struggles with, she still hasn't accepted theat her "sun and stars" wasn't such a nice person. There is a bit of a cognitive dissonance there; eventually she has to accept what these people are / were, doesn’t mean you can’t love them (see Daario) but it does mean you need to be realistic about their faults. Seeing them through others eyes.

6. Very interesting, this comes up a couple of times and I wonder if they relate to Quaithe's words to Dany at the end of ADWD:

"Remember who you are Daenerys, the dragons know, do you?"

[MoIaF]

Just an FYI for all - I added 3 links to the OP with previous Dany re-reads. I thought they might be helpful to us suring our own re-read.

Resources:

There have been a few Daenerys re-reads in the past and I though I'd add links to them as they might be helpful to us in our own re-read.

• A Daenerys CHaracter Arc Reread
  
• Daenerys: Rethinking and Remapping a Protagonist
  
• Dragon stirring - A Heretical look at Dany
  

[Suzanna Stormborn]

Haha. congrats Suzanna.

Thank you so much :)

Annara, fantastic summary!! :bowdown:

ETA: Sorry was in a hurry before - here is a more proper responce.

1. I was thinking about this when we were discussing Dany on a different thread. Although cruel I wonder if this information might help Dany to finally see how truly mad and cruel her father was. Seeing her father as a madman that her people you never knew is not the same as knowing he hurt your mother (even if you didn’t know her). His madness and cruelty would have touched her personally.

2. I was reading Dany’s second chapter and the only thing that kept her from completely loosing it at the wedding was her fear that she would “awaken the dragon” in Viserys – which goes nicely with your point above.

3. Well this is just a great contrast between the types of people Viserys, Tywin and Cersei are in comparison to Catelyn, Ned and in this respect Jaime. There is an innate cruelty and immaturity to the former in comparison to an understanding and compassion to the latter.

4. Indeed – if your father loves you than you might have a better life then your peers. But looking at all these girls you see a theme of survival. Some have suffered crueler fates than other (poor Jeyne) and yet they continue to survive as best they can. This is a very important theme in Dany’s arc, whenever fate (or sometimes herself) kicks her down she manages to get right back up. What is it that they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

5. This is something Dany struggles with, she still hasn't accepted theat her "sun and stars" wasn't such a nice person. There is a bit of a cognitive dissonance there; eventually she has to accept what these people are / were, doesn’t mean you can’t love them (see Daario) but it does mean you need to be realistic about their faults. Seeing them through others eyes.

6. Very interesting, this comes up a couple of times and I wonder if they relate to Quaithe's words to Dany at the end of ADWD:

"Remember who you are Daenerys, the dragons know, do you?"

I also really liked Annara's post! Great Job!! I think the way Viserys views his family history is so interesting. Dany has had basically nothing to go on her whole life except what her brother has told her. And yes much and more of what he has said is simply not true. it is exaggerations and visions of grandeur and lies that he has told himself (and presumably maybe his father filled his head with before he died). But what I find so interesting is how GRRM only gives us Viserys' view of his families history at the beginning of the book, so we have him and Dany, everything Dany knows, he told her, and everything he tells her is just propaganda. What I want to know is why would he do this to himself and his little sister? why tell yourself so many lies that are obviously not true. As stated above "Dragons do marry lesser beasts" they married them all the time. And as we see from PATQ not only do Targ's marry outside their family but they also have lots of bastard children with whoever. So why does Viserys feel the need to trump up the stories to his little sister and (basically) the only surviving member of his family? If he were slightly more realistic about his current refugee situation he might have fared better in the long run. I guess we should be grateful he had not already raped and abused Dany to the point of insanity by the age of 13. It sure seems like he wanted to. I just think the contrast between the 2 siblings is such a perfect example of how no rules apply to everyone.

"All Targ's are this" or "everyone from Dorne feels this way".....these statements are not true. Every single situation comes down to the individual. Dnay makes her own choices in life just like Viserys, and while Dany does buy into some of the propaganda about her family she is not nearly as delusional as Viserys. Espeically when Viserys (to my knowledge) never had any extraordinary events happen to him like Dany does. I know she mentions that she doesn't ever remember being sick growing up, but I doubt Viserys was the same way. What I am saying is, why does Viserys feel so entitled and above everyone else? his current situation is nothing to brag about. he has no children, hardly any family, and I doubt he ever walked out of a pyre unburnt like Dany did. So why lie to yourself so much? what good does it do? It doesn't make you look better to anyone, Illyrio obviously thinks Viserys is a joke (even if he kisses his ass). Could all of Viserys' talk really just be to impress Dany and put the fear of God in her?? She is clearly frightened of 'waking the dragon' in Viserys, but what does that even mean......that he has a screaming temper tantrum like a 2 year old and hits her? Why is that equated with a dragon? anyone can do that....

But the good news is that Dany came out of the horrible situation with a good head on her shoulders and a caring demeanor, she managed to stay a relatively good person throughout all his torment and abuse and I love that about her. She was strong enough at the age of 13 to not go crazy and hide in a corner and cry herself to sleep every night until she felt suicidal. I think this chapter alone is so telling about her extremely strong and resilient character. A lot of people, dragon or not, would have done a whole lot worse than her.

[Dany Girl]

Wow, great job everyone! There is so much depth here in this first chapter that I initially glossed right over, and really becomes apparent on rereads once you have a basic understanding of the character.

The relationship between Dany and Visaerys is very important in this chapter as many of you have pointed out. It really sets the stage for what I call "Dany's indoctrination" by Visaerys. He's her only source of information regarding her family and Westeros. She obviously loves/respects/needs him at this point, she believes him too, up to a point. Her entire view of the Rebellion has been set by Visaerys, and been promoted by their benefactors over the years. At this poiny Dany has no reason to not believe her brother about any of it. Why wouldn't she believe him when he says their father was a loved king? Why wouldn't she believe Robert to be evil? Why would she doubt the Stark's involvement in the butchery of her family? She's had no one to tell her the truth. Yet she still does not develop into the bitter person het brother became. She also does not believe all the pretty words that are rained on them by their host. She already seems to realize getting back the IT will not be as easy as Visaerys claims. Visaerys looks to Illirio to agree that the majority of the nobles/ small folk will flock to his cause, and we see Dany start to internally questioning this already.

[WeirwoodTreeHugger]

Great thread everyone. It's refreshing to see a Dany thread where one can just sanely discuss her arc without it being about fans vs. haters.

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“He had friends in all of the Nine Free Cities…it was also said that he’s never had a friend he wouldn’t cheerfully sell for the right price”

Somehow this didn't jump out in my own recent reread, but know that a couple people brought it up it made me wonder if it's foreshadowing something. Does this line imply that Ilyrio would be willing to even turn on Varys if it suited him? Perhaps in the dance of dragons 2.0 Varys will stick with Aegon while Ilyrio sides with Daenerys, especially if the red priests back her. Perhaps a bit off topic but I thought it was worth mentioning.

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Annara Snow, on 07 Jan 2014 - 6:30 PM, said:

- Dany notes that Viserys never forgave her for "killing" her mother. I've seen people try to defend Viserys with the argument that this makes his attitude to Dany more understandable, but I don't have any sympathy for people who blame newborn babies for their mother's deaths in childbirth. And looking at the other characters whose mothers died birthing them and their families' attitudes, we see that this is not an attitude shared by all or most people; it says a lot that Viserys' attitude is shared by Tywin and Cersei's regarding Tyrion, but not by Jaime, nor by Catelyn regarding Edmure (and there is no account that Hoster Tully hated or abused his son either) nor (if you believe that R+L=J and Lyanna died of the consequences of childbirth, which I do believe) by Ned regarding Jon.

Good catch. The parallel with Tyrion is interesting since their stories seem to be converging. I'll be keeping my eye out for more of these.

The places she mentions when she thinks of Westeros; Casterly Rock, Eyrie/Vale, Highgarden, and Dorne. Why these specific places? A hint at the places she will occupy or have as allies when she gets to Westeros? Strange that Isle of Faces is mentioned. Why would Viserys who was still a little boy when he left Westeros even know about this obscure island? This lends credence to the theory that Rhaegar and Lyanna married there IMO.

Somebody, I think it was Fire Eater mentioned the significance of Dany being born in a storm. That she causes a storm wherever she goes. That was a good analysis and I'll just add that during the storm;

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...huge stone blocks were ripped from the parapets and sent hurtling into the wild waters of the narrow sea.

[Queen‍‍‍‍‍‍ Alysanne‍‍™]

Great thread everyone. It's refreshing to see a Dany thread where one can just sanely discuss her arc without it being about fans vs. haters.

Somehow this didn't jump out in my own recent reread, but know that a couple people brought it up it made me wonder if it's foreshadowing something. Does this line imply that Ilyrio would be willing to even turn on Varys if it suited him? Perhaps in the dance of dragons 2.0 Varys will stick with Aegon while Ilyrio sides with Daenerys, especially if the red priests back her. Perhaps a bit off topic but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Yea it is very refreshing :D

And I agree that's what came to my mind, Illyrio could betray Varys. I also always have that gut feeling that Varys and Illyrio both have their own end games.

[Fire Eater]

When Ilyrio comes to send Dany off, the color yellow is mentioned a few times in one paragraph. His beard is described once as yellow and once as gold. His teeth are yellow and crooked. There's the obvious connection with gold and wealth and also cowardice. However there's also this interesting tidbit from Wikipedia.

A further hint that Ilyrio is absolutely not to be trusted. That he will betray an ally or several?

That's a nice catch. I don't think Illyrio will betray Aegon given that the boy is likely his son.

Dany could smell the stench of Illyrio's pallid flesh through his heavy perfumes.

A way of saying Dany knows this man isn't truly the friend he presents himself as, and can smell that he has ulterior motives.

The places she mentions when she thinks of Westeros; Casterly Rock, Eyrie/Vale, Highgarden, and Dorne. Why these specific places? A hint at the places she will occupy or have as allies when she gets to Westeros? Strange that Isle of Faces is mentioned. Why would Viserys who was still a little boy when he left Westeros even know about this obscure island? This lends credence to the theory that Rhaegar and Lyanna married there IMO.

I think she will visit all those places. I think she will land in the Vale with her army, and she will head to Dorne in the second DoD to fight against Aegon. Tyrion will have her take CR, his seat, and I think she will pay HG a visit as well. The Isle of Faces, I am more partial to, seeing as it isn't a stronghold, but then GRRM said we would see the Isle of Faces.

The Isle of Faces is an important landmark, given it was where the Pact was made, and likely has plenty of lore surrounding it with the Order of Green Men.

[MoIaF]

AGOT Daenerys II

Birth of a Khaleesi

Summary

The chapter begins with the wedding of Daenerys and Khal Drogo outside the walls of Pentos where Dogos khalasar of 40,000 men (plus women and children) have gathered. Danys guest at the wedding are Viserys, Illyrio and Ser Jorah. The night of her betrothal to Drogo Ser Jorah swore his sword to her brother Viserys and since then he has been their content companion.

Prior to the wedding, Dany, Viserys and Ser Jorah stayed at Drogos manse (while Drogo joined his khalasar). There we see both Illyrio and Ser Jorah assuring an inpatient Viserys that the Dothraki will keep their part of the bargain, to help Viserys regain his familys throne. However, we also learn that the Dothraki do things on their own time, Ser Jorah warns Viserys that "A lesser man may beg a favor form the khal, but must never presume to berate him" which Viserys ignorantly scoffs off.

Dany has her first dragon dream and wakes from it more afraid than shed ever been. Soon is the day of the wedding. For the first time Viserys must sit beneath her, this infuriates him and he fumes throughout the day.

Sitting there next to Khal Drogo Dany had never felt so alone, she could not speak to her companions because they are seated too far from her, and she could not speak to her new husband as he did not speak either the common tongue or Valyrian. However, as per the warning Viserys gives her she smiles and plays the part of a good khaleesi.

Soon, its time for the gifts and then the consummation. Dany receives and abundance of gifts, amongst those the fossilized dragon eggs from Illyrio and a silver filly from Drogo, afterwards Drogo takes her to a secluded area to consummate their marriage.

Observations

• Dany is very aware that she was sold like property
• Our first impression of the Dothraki are that they are savage people
• For the first time in her life Dany now is in a higher position than her brother
• Illyrio is paid a handsome brokers fee for arranging the marriage, so much so that Dany notes he could well afford the gift of the fossilized dragon eggs.
• As frighten as Dany is of her new bridegroom she is still more afraid her brother
• We see the beginning of magical elements to come

Analysis

My Sister for a Crown

Viserys agrees to marry his sister to Khal Drogo with the promise that Drogo will eventually help him conquer Westeros. He is assured by both Illyrio and Ser Jorah that the Dothraki are true to their word.

The Dothraki might be true to their word but it struck me the Viserys sold his sister for a promise from a man he didnt even know. We eventually learn that the Dothraki are weary of traveling in open water. It makes you wonder if they would have ever gone to war for Viserys, especially after Drogo got to know him and saw how weak he was. Illyrio got his compensation for arranging the wedding but I dont believe Viserys would have gotten his, in the end he gave his sister up for nothing.

There are no more dragons...

"There are no more dragons, Dany though, staring at her brother, though she did not dare say it aloud.

Yet that night she dream of one. Viserys was hotting her, hurting her. She was naked, clumsy, with fear. She ran form him, but her body seemed think and ungainly. He struck her again. She stumbled and fell. "You woke the dragon," he screamed as he locked her. "You woke the dragon, you woke the dragon." Her thighs were slick with blood. She closed her yes and whimpered. As if in answer, there was a hideous ripping sound and the crackling of some great fire. When she looked again, Viserys was gone, great columns of flames rose all around, and in the midst of them was the dragon. It turned it's great head slowly, when it's molted eyes found hers, she woke, shaking and covered with a fine sheen of sweat. She had never been so afraid...

...until the day of her wedding came at last."

This is Danys first dragon dream and it appears that it is prophetic in nature as it seems to depict the birth of her dragons.

Her brother is abusing her, screaming at her that she woke the dragon then he disappears and is replaced by an actual dragon. Through the dream we see foreshadowing of how the dragons will come back to life.

"Her thighs were slick with blood" this is likely a depiction of the stillbirth of Rhaego. "she closed her eyes and whispered" and this could be a representation of the time Dany spent recovering from the stillbirth.

"there was a hideous ripping sound and the crackling of some great fire" this is after her recovery once the funeral pyre has been lit and the eggs begin to hatch.

"When she looks again, Viserys was gone,great columns of flame rose all around, and in the midst of them was the dragon. It turns its great head slowly. when its molted eyes found hers" Viserys is now gone, now she is the only one left. She is inside the funeral pyre when she comes face to face with the dragon. I think this is both a representation of Drogon molten eyes and of Dany herself. Also note she refers to it as the dragon not a dragon

"she woke, shaking and covered with a fine sheet of sweat. She had never been so afraid." At this point Dany is not yet ready to confront her inner dragon, she is afraid of it, waking the dragon has never been a good thing for her.

Outside the bubble

For the first time we the readers and Dany get to see what Dothraki culture is really like. The Dothraki being a nomadic people "believe that al things of importance in a mans life must be done beneath the open sky". The wedding celebration is a day long event, filled with "feasting, drinking and fighting." Death at a Dothraki wedding is a source of luck, and anything less than three deaths is considered a dull affair, there were at least a dozen death at Danys wedding

This is a real culture shock for Dany, she has never encounter a culture like this before, which is in contrast to the fact that at her young age Dany is well traveled having lived in 7 of the Free Cities. Their language and culture is completely foreign to her and frightening. Her upbringing had been mostly western, this is her first taste of an easter culture.

I do have to say that a find the description of the Dothraki culture a bit too much, the killing, the public sex it all seems a bit over the top.

Smile for the camera

Even with Danys fear of the Dothraki she smiles and pretends to be happy. As afraid as she is of Khal Drogo and the Drothraki she is still more afraid of her brother. This is obviously something Dany is accustomed to doing, at the end of the last chapter we see Viserys telling her to wipe away her tears and smile as Khal Drogo is approaching to meet her.

Dany has had to learn to internalize her fears and to preteen to be poised and happy.

Blood of the dragon

We see for the first time Dany tell herself she is the blood of the dragon, a motto or prayer of a sorts that she uses throughout the books in an effort to give herself courage and strength. Being (at this point) one of the last two Targaryens left she knows that she must always play the part - to show any weakest would be to disgrace her familys name.

All her life she has been fed stories of the supernatural greatest of the Targaryens by her brother, if she does not play the part she incurs the wrath of her brother. So, she tells herself shes the blood of the dragon her ancestors were great and she must be great as well.

A present for me, a present for you

Fo her wedding Dany receives a array of gifts, Viserys gives her three handmaids, Irri, Jhiqui, and Doreah, Jorah her a stack of old books of histories and songs of Westeros, Drogos bloodriders give her the traditional three weapons which she then gifts to Drogo.

"Other gifts she was given in plenty by other Dothraki: slippers and jewels and silver rings for her hair, medallion belts and painted vests and soft furs, sandsilks and jars of scent, needles and feathers and tiny bottles of purple glass, and a gown made from the skin of a thousand mice. A handsome gift, Khaleesi, Magisterial Illyrio said of the last, after he had told her what it was. Most lucky. The gifts mounted up around her in great piles, more gifts than she could possibly imagine, more gifts than she could want or use."

The big ticket items

Three fossilized dragon eggs

Illyrios gift is quite extravagant and we are told extremely valuable. He claims the fossilized dragon eggs come from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai. I see no reason to doubt this claim, he simply could have omitted this piece of information if they had come form her familys stash in Westeros (if such exist). They are describe as beautiful as "porcelain, delicate enamel, and blown glass yet they were heavy as if they were all of solid stone." Dany also notes that although Illyrios gift is lavish, he could afford it as he had collected a fortune in horses and slaves from brokering the marriage.

The silver filly

Drogo gives Dany a silver filly "the pride of the khalasar." Dany can instantly tell that the filly is indeed special, she describes her as grey as the water sea, with a mare like silver smoke. Dany considered herself a fair rider, yet the moment she mounted her silver she was one with the horse "and for the first time in hours she forgot to be afraid. Or perhaps it was for the first time ever." As she continues to ride she became embolden and fearless - she became free "the silver horse leapt the flames as if she had wings." wink, wink.

This ride is special, almost magical. Dany bonds with the horse almost immediately the horse instinctively know what Dany wants.

I want to compare this to the first time Dany flew Drogon:

"The lash was still in her hand. She flicked it against Drogons neck and cried, Higher! Her other hand clutched at his scales, her fingers scrabbling for purchase. Drogons wide black wings beat in the air. Dany could feel the what of him between her thighs. Her heart felt as if it were about to burst. Yes, she thought, yes, now, now, do it, do it, take me, take me, FLY!"

Both rides are highly liberating for Dany. Her ride with her silver is freeing in the sense that for the first time in her life she wasn't afraid, she was free of the shackle that was her brother for at least that moment. Her ride atop Drogon is freeing in a different way, it is described in an almost orgasmic way - a sexual release. Drogon took her away from the shackle of Meereen.

(HOTU speculation: if we believe that her silver (gray) was her first mount, and Drogon (black) was her second mount, I wonder if her third mount will be white?)

Consummation

The freedom and fearlessness she had felt a few minutes before left her as the time had come to consummate her marriage. She once again began her prayer of I am the blood of the dragon terrified that she would disappoint her brother, terrified of what was to come.

Drogo is surprisingly gentle with Dany and although I understand why GRRM wrote the scene this way (he needed Dany to give consent) I found it inconsistent with the way Drogo will behave in the next two chapters. For me if you are going to show the Dothraki as savages you should commit to it all the way.

This chapter begins to show us Dany in a sexualized way. She enjoys Drogos caresses and eventually guides his hand to the wetness between her thighs and gives Drogo the yes.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed this chapter, there is a lot of information given to us and a lot of foreshadowing as well. Its really quite a transition for Dany, we begin with her terrified of the man she has just married, the consummation, and waking the dragon within her brother if she fails him, however, by the end she has taken control of herself and her body (although she looses it in the next chapter).

[Queen‍‍‍‍‍‍ Alysanne‍‍™]

AGOT Daenerys II

Birth of a Khaleesi

Summary

The chapter begins with the wedding of Daenerys and Khal Drogo outside the walls of Pentos where Dogos khalasar of 40,000 men (plus women and children) have gathered. Danys guest at the wedding are Viserys, Illyrio and Ser Jorah. The night of her betrothal to Drogo Ser Jorah swore his sword to her brother Viserys and since then he has been their content companion.

Prior to the wedding, Dany, Viserys and Ser Jorah stayed at Drogos manse (while Drogo joined his khalasar). There we see both Illyrio and Ser Jorah assuring an inpatient Viserys that the Dothraki will keep their part of the bargain, to help Viserys regain his familys throne. However, we also learn that the Dothraki do things on their own time, Ser Jorah warns Viserys that "A lesser man may beg a favor form the khal, but must never presume to berate him" which Viserys ignorantly scoffs off.

Dany has her first dragon dream and wakes from it more afraid than shed ever been. Soon is the day of the wedding. For the first time Viserys must sit beneath her, this infuriates him and he fumes throughout the day.

Sitting there next to Khal Drogo Dany had never felt so alone, she could not speak to her companions because they are seated too far from her, and she could not speak to her new husband as he did not speak either the common tongue or Valyrian. However, as per the warning Viserys gives her she smiles and plays the part of a good khaleesi.

Soon, its time for the gifts and then the consummation. Dany receives and abundance of gifts, amongst those the fossilized dragon eggs from Illyrio and a silver filly from Drogo, afterwards Drogo takes her to a secluded area to consummate their marriage.

Observations

• Dany is very aware that she was sold like property
• Our first impression of the Dothraki are that they are savage people
• For the first time in her life Dany now is in a higher position than her brother
• Illyrio is paid a handsome brokers fee for arranging the marriage, so much so that Dany notes he could well afford the gift of the fossilized dragon eggs.
• As frighten as Dany is of her new bridegroom she is still more afraid her brother
• We see the beginning of magical elements to come

Analysis

My Sister for a Crown

Viserys agrees to marry his sister to Khal Drogo with the promise that Drogo will eventually help him conquer Westeros. He is assured by both Illyrio and Ser Jorah that the Dothraki are true to their word.

The Dothraki might be true to their word but it struck me the Viserys sold his sister for a promise from a man he didnt even know. We eventually learn that the Dothraki are weary of traveling in open water. It makes you wonder if they would have ever gone to war for Viserys, especially after Drogo got to know him and saw how weak he was. Illyrio got his compensation for arranging the wedding but I dont believe Viserys would have gotten his, in the end he gave his sister up for nothing.

There are no more dragons...

"There are no more dragons, Dany though, staring at her brother, though she did not dare say it aloud.

Yet that night she dream of one. Viserys was hotting her, hurting her. She was naked, clumsy, with fear. She ran form him, but her body seemed think and ungainly. He struck her again. She stumbled and fell. "You woke the dragon," he screamed as he locked her. "You woke the dragon, you woke the dragon." Her thighs were slick with blood. She closed her yes and whimpered. As if in answer, there was a hideous ripping sound and the crackling of some great fire. When she looked again, Viserys was gone, great columns of flames rose all around, and in the midst of them was the dragon. It turned it's great head slowly, when it's molted eyes found hers, she woke, shaking and covered with a fine sheen of sweat. She had never been so afraid...

...until the day of her wedding came at last."

This is Danys first dragon dream and it appears that it is prophetic in nature as it seems to depict the birth of her dragons.

Her brother is abusing her, screaming at her that she woke the dragon then he disappears and is replaced by an actual dragon. Through the dream we see foreshadowing of how the dragons will come back to life.

"Her thighs were slick with blood" this is likely a depiction of the stillbirth of Rhaego. "she closed her eyes and whispered" and this could be a representation of the time Dany spent recovering from the stillbirth.

"there was a hideous ripping sound and the crackling of some great fire" this is after her recovery once the funeral pyre has been lit and the eggs begin to hatch.

"When she looks again, Viserys was gone,great columns of flame rose all around, and in the midst of them was the dragon. It turns its great head slowly. when its molted eyes found hers" Viserys is now gone, now she is the only one left. She is inside the funeral pyre when she comes face to face with the dragon. I think this is both a representation of Drogon molten eyes and of Dany herself. Also note she referees to it as the dragon not a dragon

"she woke, shaking and covered with a fine sheet of sweat. She had never been so afraid." At this point Dany is not yet ready to confront her inner dragon, she is afraid of it, waking the dragon has never been a good thing for her.

Outside the bubble

For the first time we the readers and Dany get to see what Dothraki culture is really like. The Dothraki being a nomadic people "believe that al things of importance in a mans life must be done beneath the open sky". The wedding celebration is a day long event, filled with "feasting, drinking and fighting." Death at a Dothraki wedding is a source of luck, and anything less than three deaths is considered a dull affair, there were at least a dozen death at Danys wedding

This is a real culture shock for Dany, she has never encounter a culture like this before, which is in contrast to the fact that at her young age Dany is well traveled having lived in 7 of the Free Cities. Their language and culture is completely foreign to her and frightening. Her upbringing had been mostly western, this is her first taste of an easter culture.

I do have to say that a find the description of the Dothraki culture a bit too much, the killing, the public sex it all seems a bit over the top.

Smile for the camera

Even with Danys fear of the Dothraki she smiles and pretends to be happy. As afraid as she is of Khal Drogo and the Drothraki she is still more afraid of her brother. This is obviously something Dany is accustomed to doing, at the end of the last chapter we see Viserys telling her to wipe away her tears and smile as Khal Drogo is approaching to meet her.

Dany has had to learn to internalize her fears and to preteen to be poised and happy.

Blood of the dragon

We see for the first time Dany tell herself she is the blood of the dragon, a motto or prayer of a sorts that she uses throughout the books in an effort to give herself courage and strength. Being (at this point) one of the last two Targaryens left she knows that she must always play the part - to show any weakest would be to disgrace her familys name.

All her life she has been fed stories of the supernatural greatest of the Targaryens by her brother, if she does not play the part she incurs the wrath of her brother. So, she tells herself shes the blood of the dragon her ancestors were great and she must be great as well.

A present for me, a present for you

Fo her wedding Dany receives a array of gifts, Viserys gives her three handmaids, Irri, Jhiqui, and Doreah, Jorah her a stack of old books of histories and songs of Westeros, Drogos bloodriders give her the traditional three weapons which she then gifts to Drogo.

"Other gifts she was given in plenty by other Dothraki: slippers and jewels and silver rings for her hair, medallion belts and painted vests and soft furs, sandsilks and jars of scent, needles and feathers and tiny bottles of purple glass, and a gown made from the skin of a thousand mice. A handsome gift, Khaleesi, Magisterial Illyrio said of the last, after he had told her what it was. Most lucky. The gifts mounted up around her in great piles, more gifts than she could possibly imagine, more gifts than she could want or use."

The big ticket items

Three fossilized dragon eggs

Illyrios gift is quite extravagant and we are told extremely valuable. He claims the fossilized dragon eggs come from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai. I see no reason to doubt this claim, he simply could have omitted this piece of information if they had come form her familys stash in Westeros (if such exist). They are describe as beautiful as "porcelain, delicate enamel, and blown glass yet they were heavy as if they were all of solid stone." Dany also notes that although Illyrios gift is lavish, he could afford it as he had collected a fortune in horses and slaves from brokering the marriage.

The silver filly

Drogo gives Dany a silver filly "the pride of the khalasar." Dany can instantly tell that the filly is indeed special, she describes her as grey as the water sea, with a mare like silver smoke. Dany considered herself a fair rider, yet the moment she mounted her silver she was one with the horse "and for the first time in hours she forgot to be afraid. Or perhaps it was for the first time ever." As she continues to ride she became embolden and fearless - she became free "the silver horse leapt the flames as if she had wings." wink, wink.

This ride is special, almost magical. Dany bonds with the horse almost immediately the horse instinctively know what Dany wants.

I want to compare this to the first time Dany flew Drogon:

"The lash was still in her hand. She flicked it against Drogons neck and cried, Higher! Her other hand clutched at his scales, her fingers scrabbling for purchase. Drogons wide black wings beat in the air. Dany could feel the what of him between her thighs. Her heart felt as if it were about to burst. Yes, she thought, yes, now, now, do it, do it, take me, take me, FLY!"

Both rides are highly liberating for Dany. Her ride with her silver is freeing in the sense that for the first time in her life she wasn't afraid, she was free of the shackle that was her brother for at least that moment. Her ride atop Drogon is freeing in a different way, it is described in an almost orgasmic way - a sexual release. Drogon took her away from the shackle of Meereen.

(HOTU speculation: if we believe that her silver (gray) was her first mount, and Drogon (black) was her second mount, I wonder if her third mount will be white?)

Consummation

The freedom and fearlessness she had felt a few minutes before left her as the time had come to consummate her marriage. She once again began her prayer of I am the blood of the dragon terrified that she would disappoint her brother, terrified of what was to come.

Drogo is surprisingly gentle with Dany and although I understand why GRRM wrote the scene this way (he needed Dany to give consent) I found it inconsistent with the way Drogo will behave in the next two chapters. For me if you are going to show the Dothraki as savages you should commit to it all the way.

This chapter begins to show us Dany in a sexualized way. She enjoys Drogos caresses and eventually guides his hand to the wetness between her thighs and gives Drogo the yes.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed this chapter, there is a lot of information given to us and a lot of foreshadowing as well. Its really quite a transition for Dany, we begin with her terrified of the man she has just married, the consummation, and waking the dragon within her brother if she fails him, however, by the end she has taken control of herself and her body (although she looses it in the next chapter).

Great analysis MOIAF :bowdown:

Some things that also stood out to me in that chapter:

1. Dany's (or GRRM) use of the word sold, so another piece of evidence that she saw herself as a slave. Dany had been sold to Khal Drogo;
2. Illyrio's intentions for Dany and Viserys is shown as questionable from this quote: “He will have the girl first, and after they are wed he must make his procession across the plains and present her to the dosh khaleen at Vaes Dothrak. After that, perhaps. If the omens favor war.” So Illyrio clearly knew that Drogo might not want to go to westeros, so this is another hint that he just wanted to put Dany and Viserys in the limelight? so Aegon isn't noticed.

[Queen‍‍‍‍‍‍ Alysanne‍‍™]

Also on Dothraki culture most people think theya re just savages that wear vests but the text shows hear they aren't.

The horselords might put on rich fabrics and sweet perfumes when they visited the Free Cities, but out under the open sky they kept the old ways.

So it seems they may choose to dress wealthy where needed.

Also your points on the filly are spot on.

Nervously Dany gathered the reins in her hands and slid her feet into the short stirrups. She was only a fair rider; she had spent far more time traveling by ship and wagon and palanquin than by horseback. Praying that she would not fall off and disgrace herself, she gave the filly the lightest and most timid touch with her knees.And for the first time in hours, she forgot to be afraid. Or perhaps it was for the first time ever. The silver-grey filly moved with a smooth and silken gait, and the crowd parted for her, every eye upon them. Dany found herself moving faster than she had intended, yet somehow it was exciting rather than terrifying. The horse broke into a trot, and she smiled. Dothraki scrambled to clear a path. The slightest pressure with her legs, the lightest touch on the reins, and the filly responded. She sent it into a gallop, and now the Dothraki were hooting and laughing and shouting at her as they jumped out of her way. As she turned to ride back, a firepit loomed ahead, directly in her path.A daring she had never known filled Daenerys then, and she gave the filly her head. The silver horse leapt the flames as if she had wings.

I think there is something to this, I am not sure if it is specific to Dany or her ancestral blood but its seems very "interesting". Dany is timid at this point and afraid of almost everything going and she also describes herself as a fair rider not experienced, yet with the slightest touch all her fears go away and she is able jump a "firepit". Also when Dany rode Drogon she said she felt "whole". And even considered riding him in the Dothraki sea for the rest of her days.

So I'm not sure if there is something going on in connection to animals that can be ridden.

[MoIaF]

Great analysis MOIAF :bowdown:

Some things that also stood out to me in that chapter:

1. Dany's (or GRRM) use of the word sold, so another piece of evidence that she saw herself as a slave. Dany had been sold to Khal Drogo;

2. Illyrio's intentions for Dany and Viserys is shown as questionable from this quote: “He will have the girl first, and after they are wed he must make his procession across the plains and present her to the dosh khaleen at Vaes Dothrak. After that, perhaps. If the omens favor war.” So Illyrio clearly knew that Drogo might not want to go to westeros, so this is another hint that he just wanted to put Dany and Viserys in the limelight? so Aegon isn't noticed.

Thanks - I tried. :)

1. Good quote, she's very much aware that she is being sold, and deals with it quite maturely.

2. Well, it served two purposes for Illyrio. He made a fortune off the deal and he made Viserys and Dany visible to the IT, keeping their focus away from Aegon.

Also on Dothraki culture most people think theya re just savages that wear vests but the text shows hear they aren't.

The horselords might put on rich fabrics and sweet perfumes when they visited the Free Cities, but out under the open sky they kept the old ways.

So it seems they may choose to dress wealthy where needed.

Also your points on the filly are spot on.

Nervously Dany gathered the reins in her hands and slid her feet into the short stirrups. She was only a fair rider; she had spent far more time traveling by ship and wagon and palanquin than by horseback. Praying that she would not fall off and disgrace herself, she gave the filly the lightest and most timid touch with her knees.And for the first time in hours, she forgot to be afraid. Or perhaps it was for the first time ever. The silver-grey filly moved with a smooth and silken gait, and the crowd parted for her, every eye upon them. Dany found herself moving faster than she had intended, yet somehow it was exciting rather than terrifying. The horse broke into a trot, and she smiled. Dothraki scrambled to clear a path. The slightest pressure with her legs, the lightest touch on the reins, and the filly responded. She sent it into a gallop, and now the Dothraki were hooting and laughing and shouting at her as they jumped out of her way. As she turned to ride back, a firepit loomed ahead, directly in her path.A daring she had never known filled Daenerys then, and she gave the filly her head. The silver horse leapt the flames as if she had wings.

I think there is something to this, I am not sure if it is specific to Dany or her ancestral blood but its seems very "interesting". Dany is timid at this point and afraid of almost everything going and she also describes herself as a fair rider not experienced, yet with the slightest touch all her fears go away and she is able jump a "firepit". Also when Dany rode Drogon she said she felt "whole". And even considered riding him in the Dothraki sea for the rest of her days.

So I'm not sure if there is something going on in connection to animals that can be ridden.

About the Dothraki, that a good way to put it. The can if they choose to act the part of a "western gentlemen", however, they chose to keep to the "old ways". They embrace their culture.

I think there really is something to both her ride with silver and her ride with Drogon, both seem like instant bondings.

[Fire Eater]

Good job, Maester of Ice and Fire

There are no more dragons, Dany thought

"No," Tyrion admitted, "not me. I seldom dream of dragons anymore. There are no more dragons"

Qotho, a double-curved dragonbone bow

Dragonbone bows are greatly prized by the Dothraki [from the book Tyrion is reading]

There are some connections between Tyrion and Dany's chapters, hinting at a shared destiny together as Dany and Tyrion are going to meet in TWoW.

She was grey as the winter sea, with a mane like silver smoke.

TPatQ

This brings to mind Seasmoke who was a pale silver-grey dragon.

Dany's silver could be inspired by the Tolkien's Shadowfax. Shadowfax was a grey Meara, with intelligence and extraordinary speed and stamina, and bore no men except the princes or kings of the Mark.

[Ray D. Targaryen]

This thread is great, and you all are doing a great job, finally a thread where we can civilly discuss about Dany.

[Nictarion]

MoIaF

Really enjoyed your analysis.

I was wondering about your comment about Dany's third mount possibly being white?

[MoIaF]

Good job, Maester of Ice and Fire

There are no more dragons, Dany thought

"No," Tyrion admitted, "not me. I seldom dream of dragons anymore. There are no more dragons" [Tyrion said]

Qotho, a double-curved dragonbone bow

Dragonbone bows are greatly prized by the Dothraki [from the book Tyrion is reading]

There are some connections between Tyrion and Dany's chapters, hinting at a shared destiny together as Dany and Tyrion are going to meet in TWoW.

She was grey as the winter sea, with a mane like silver smoke.

TPatQ

This brings to mind Seasmoke who was a pale silver-grey dragon.

Dany's silver could be inspired by the Tolkien's Shadowfax. Shadowfax was a grey Meara, with intelligence and extraordinary speed and stamina, and bore no men except the princes or kings of the Mark.

Thank you.

My first choice for the three heads of the dragon are Dany, Jon and Bran, my second is Dany, Jon and Tyrion.

Both Dany and Jon have magical elements to their story, but Tyrion has been almost primerily political. Now, Tyrion is on his way to meet up with Dany and eventually all three of them will work together. Tyrion is the link between Dany and Jon.

I like that tidbit about Shadowfax. :D

[MoIaF]

This thread is great, and you all are doing a great job, finally a thread where we can civilly discuss about Dany.

Than you very much! :)

That's one of the purpoces of the re-read - we want to discuss and delve into her character without all the hate post.

MoIaF

Really enjoyed your analysis.

I was wondering about your comment about Dany's third mount possibly being white?

Thanks - glad you enjoyed it. :D

You know it was a color observation - her silver is gray, Drogon is black and if her next mount is white then the color spectrum would be complete. Not sure if that makes sense but that's how I saw it.

[Suzanna Stormborn]

"she woke, shaking and covered with a fine sheet of sweat. She had never been so afraid." At this point Dany is not yet ready to confront her inner dragon, she is afraid of it, waking the dragon has never been a good thing for her.

I agree, she is afraid and not yet mentally strong enough to even control her own power and her own connection to the dragons. I think this is foreshadowing of what it really means to be "the blood of the dragon" it takes a strong Targaryen to do it, shown by the sharp contrast between her and Viserys. VIserys has probably never had any dreams like this, he is not a 'worthy' member of his family to have the Midas touch like Dany. I like the was you said this is an example of Dany 'waking her dragon'. I agree it is the beginning of her dragon waking, which is not nearly as stupid and meaningless as when Viserys "wakes his dragon". As I said before Viserys has nothing except temper tantrums, he has no real power of heart, mind or blood. He is a bad seed, a selfish, pretentious bully who has no idea what he is even talking about most of the time. Dany is the exact opposite, she has power that she cannot even understand yet. She needs marriage, sex, betrayal, motherhood to bring out the life in her, only when she has experienced some real life will her "dragon be woken". Which is why I think the first dragon dream is in this chapter, it shows that something real is happening in her life and she is curious about marriage and sex and everything even if she is also scared of it.

I think it's great how scared Viserys is of her and how he can't stand that she is above him. He should be nervous, he probably secretly knows his little sisters worth and has been trying to subdue her for years, now she finally has her chance to get our from under him. And she immediately is blessed with her families signature dragon dream to welcome her into womanhood and start her powerful life.

Love it!!

[Parwan]

Two very important points for me as we go forward:

I think Daenerys is interesting.

I think Daenerys is magical.

AGOT Daenerys II

Birth of a Khaleesi

...

1.

• 
  We see the beginning of magical elements to come

...

2.
The silver filly

Drogo gives Dany a silver filly "the pride of the khalasar." Dany can instantly tell that the filly is indeed special, she describes her as grey as the water sea, with a mare like silver smoke. Dany considered herself a fair rider, yet the moment she mounted her silver she was one with the horse "and for the first time in hours she forgot to be afraid. Or perhaps it was for the first time ever." As she continues to ride she became embolden and fearless - she became free "the silver horse leapt the flames as if she had wings." wink, wink.

This ride is special, almost magical. Dany bonds with the horse almost immediately the horse instinctively know what Dany wants.

I want to compare this to the first time Dany flew Drogon:

"The lash was still in her hand. She flicked it against Drogons neck and cried, Higher! Her other hand clutched at his scales, her fingers scrabbling for purchase. Drogons wide black wings beat in the air. Dany could feel the what of him between her thighs. Her heart felt as if it were about to burst. Yes, she thought, yes, now, now, do it, do it, take me, take me, FLY!"

...

1. This is true. Exactly what the magical elements are can be debated.

2. I think the ride is magical. I developed this idea in a thread entitled "Dany the Rider":

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/97825-dany-the-rider/

I'll have more to say about this later, after we have covered more chapters. Here I'll just mention a few relevant parts of my opinion.

I frequently say that some things are plausibly due to magic instead of maintaining that they are definitely due to magic.

Certain events might be explained by magic or by more mundane factors. We are reading a fantasy, so I don't believe that the "everyday" explanation should always be the default choice. Some things might have a touch of magic to them, but only a touch. This can be a small but still worthwhile fact.

I claim that there is more than a little similarity between some of Dany's abilities (e.g. riding ability of various sorts). If one of these abilities shows a talent for magic, then it is plausible to argue that similar abilities have at least a bit of magic to them.

Some readers assert things along the line of "Dany herself attributes her initial ease with the silver horse to the particular quality of the horse itself." I don't think this is an accurate and full description of the event or Dany's feelings about it.

I think there is something to this, I am not sure if it is specific to Dany or her ancestral blood but its seems very "interesting". Dany is timid at this point and afraid of almost everything going and she also describes herself as a fair rider not experienced, yet with the slightest touch all her fears go away and she is able jump a "firepit". Also when Dany rode Drogon she said she felt "whole". And even considered riding him in the Dothraki sea for the rest of her days.

So I'm not sure if there is something going on in connection to animals that can be ridden.

For me, it's not just a connection with animals that can be ridden. There is a question of bonding. There is an aspect of the animal in some sense choosing the rider. A very important fact: Things like riding the silver so well and riding the dragon at all happen with remarkable speed for Dany. It seems to me that this fact argues against ideas that what is going on is just a natural development or the revelation of the young woman's natural abilities.