The true purpose of Duskendale: The Night's Queen

[Daendrew]

The true purpose of Duskendale is that the Night’s Queen isn’t as bad as we have been told.

EndGame of Thrones: Part 19

The Defiance of Duskendale is a big moment in the history of the Seven Kingdoms. It solidified Ser Barristan as an unparalleled hero, it is a literary tool to entrench Aerys' madness, it helped make Dontos into the drunkard Littlefinger needed for the plot and more. But the most important thing has not been mentioned yet.

The lords there were of House Darklyn and the land is called Duskendale. Dusk falls right before Night does. They are provide clues for The Long Night in at least one major way.

The Lace Serpent Lady Serala is a Metaphor for Nights Queen

The ancient harbor town of Duskendale had been a seat of kings of old, in the days of the Hundred Kingdoms. Once the most important port on Blackwater Bay, the town had seen its trade dwindle and its wealth shrink as King's Landing grew and burgeoned, a decline that its young lord, Denys Darklyn, wished to halt. Many have long debated why Lord Darklyn chose to do what he did, but most agree that his Myrish wife, the

Lady Serala, played some part. Her detractors blame her entirely for what transpired

; the

Lace Serpent

, as they name her, poisoned Lord Darklyn against his king with her pillow talk.** Her defenders insist that the folly lay with Lord Denys himself;

his wife is

hated

simply

because she was a woman of foreign birth who prayed to gods alien to Westeros.

The Lace Serpent

was burned alive, poor woman, though her tongue was torn out first, and her female parts, with which it was said that she had

enslaved her lord.

As to Lady Serala, hers was a crueler death. Aerys had the

Lace Serpent's tongue and her womanly parts torn out before she was burned alive

(yet her enemies say that she should have suffered more and worse for the ruin she brought down upon the town).

Like The Nights Queen, Lady Serala was a woman of foreign birth who prayed to gods alien to Westeros, and she was hated only because she prayed to Other gods. She is accused of “enslaving” pardon the pun, others and she was killed by fire like the Others are, after horrendous violence against her body.

Let’s look at passages about The Nights Queen:

A woman was his downfall;

a woman glimpsed from atop the Wall, with skin as white as the moon and eyes like blue stars. Fearing nothing, he chased her and caught her and loved her, though her skin was cold as ice,

and when he gave his seed to her he gave his soul as well.

What this tells us is that a woman was not his downfall. She is not the primary motivator. There was something else. Stop blaming the woman. The man did it himself. Get with the times people. It is like the year 302 AC. Get with the program. Now with that in mind, re-read my IceBrandon post or the part where Bran gives Bloodraven his “seed”… the corn.

It was cold here in the darkness. There was no sun, no stars, only the ground below coming up to smash him, and the grey mists, and the whispering voice. He wanted to cry.

Not cry. Fly.

"Help me," he said.

I'm trying, the crow replied. Say, got any corn?

Bran reached into his pocket as the darkness spun dizzily around him. When he pulled his hand out, golden kernels slid from between his fingers into the air. They fell with him.

The crow landed on his hand and began to eat.

Bran just gave Bloodraven the corn "seed" to his soul

That line about the Nights King again:

"When he gave his seed to her he gave his soul as well."

Corn! Corn! Seed! Soul!

Bonus extra credit partially hydrogenated tinfoil: It is interesting to think about whether if Lady Serala Darklyn is the Serra Illyrio has finger bones of? Could Illyrio = Lord Darklyn?

TL;DR: This is the story about two women who were falsely accused of being the "downfall" of their husbands, they called both them slavers. They did all of this because they are of foreign birth and pray to a different god. The Nights King stories blame his "downfall" on the Nights Queen. But this story is GRRM showing us that is not true in a parallel narrative. A woman wasn't the Night King’s downfall. He gave his seed and his soul for other reasons.

EndGame of Thrones is a multipart series. Click here to see the other parts of the series

Corn! Corn!

[Daendrew]

No comments?

[ilikethesebooks]

It's possible that by now the people interested have read all your theories already and are waiting for the next

[Daendrew]

It's possible that by now the people interested have read all your theories already and are waiting for the next

LOL somehow I don't think that is so likely.

[ilikethesebooks]

Does LF do anything ?

[Daendrew]

Does LF do anything ?

Of course. He is Loki the trickster. My ideas on him aren't anything special that hasn't been written.Chaos, chaos chaos, Sansa kills him with "the" dagger.

Need to think on him more. But he doesn't inspire my shower daydream theorizing where all this happens :)

If truly he is from Braavos or backed by The House of Black and White (see my True Enemy post) that is bad news for Planetos. If he is a secret lion Rayne/Tarbek then it is different.

[ummester]

I must admit, I never paid that much attention to Duskendale. But, I never thought the Nights Queen was some evil and totally otherworldly female demon either - otherwise, how could the Nights King even breed with her without his willy freezing off :D I got strong Robert E Howard Frost giants Daughter vibes from her.

But, even if the giving of his soul is more metaphorical, I do think it is meant to imply some kind of sexual male-female union. I think this also relates to Crasters sons, praying to old gods and all of that.

I can see, however, that both the Nights King and Queen were outcast for being different or no longer accepted - for whatever reason. It is possible the Nights King and Queen are symbolic of people that prayed to old gods being cast out. It is possible the Nights King and Queen, who once lived on the wall, were the metaphorical mother and father of the wildlings.

[Daendrew]

If she wasn't his downfall then he did not give his soul to her. He gave it to someone else. That's a big deal.

[Daendrew]

Does LF do anything ?

I didn't have anything unique to add about Littlefinger yesterday. But I do today.

The Gates of Dawn and The Veil of Darkness. You can see all my theories listed there. I am not going to post on reddit often. I might set up an email list to blast out when there is a new post.

[ummester]

If she wasn't his downfall then he did not give his soul to her. He gave it to someone else. That's a big deal.

But is bran giving his soul to Bloodraven his downfall, or his awakening?

I think the foreigner similarities between Duskendale and The Nights Queen are fair enough, and I think her being his 'downfall' are kind of a false accusation.

Though, it's more about painting a picture of something expansive, that is tempting and forbidden, I think. Eve and the apple were Adams downfall, but humans awakening, as per Bran giving his soul to Bloodraven and the Nights King giving his soul to The Nights Queen.

[Daendrew]

But is bran giving his soul to Bloodraven his downfall, or his awakening?

I think the foreigner similarities between Duskendale and The Nights Queen are fair enough, and I think her being his 'downfall' are kind of a false accusation.

Though, it's more about painting a picture of something expansive, that is tempting and forbidden, I think. Eve and the apple were Adams downfall, but humans awakening, as per Bran giving his soul to Bloodraven and the Nights King giving his soul to The Nights Queen.

Bran is unBran. He gave his seed and in doing so gave his soul. As in The Nights King story. My next post I will show you how he isn't Nights King.

He is King of Winter. The meaning of Kings of Winter was based on the ice dragon Winter and their Othersword Ice. They lost both in the Long Night. Thats a longer story.

It is very funny you mentioned Adam and Eve and the forbidden. My post The Garden of Edenos I think is a foundational underpinning theory,.

[The Agency of Sansa Stark]

Except for Euron was too young to be involved in the Degiance of Duskendale so I don't see it

[Daendrew]

Except for Euron was too young to be involved in the Degiance of Duskendale so I don't see it

Daario had nothing to do with Duskendale. What are you talking about?

[The Agency of Sansa Stark]

Daario had nothing to do with Duskendale. What are you talking about?

:lol:

Somebody gets it! :thumbsup:

[Daendrew]

:lol:

Somebody gets it! :thumbsup:

But did you know that Euron was the Hooded Man of Winterfell, but forrealsies?

[The Agency of Sansa Stark]

But did you know that Euron was the Hooded Man of Winterfell, but forrealsies?

Holy face palm...

We're better than this people!

[Daendrew]

Read it.

"Urrathon" and Theon are the only ones to utter the phrase night walker. Theon blamed the murder on the Night Walker, not him.

People have done horrible things sleep walking

Homicidal sleepwalking exists.

and people have gotten away with murder

[Daendrew]

Holy face palm...

We're better than this people!

lol it wasn't in corporial form. Read it :)

[The Agency of Sansa Stark]

lol it wasn't in corporial form. Read it :)

Hmm. That was a lot more interesting then I expected. I've long wondered who the Hooded Man is, that's as reasonable of a prediction as I've seen so far.

[Daendrew]

Hmm. That was a lot more interesting then I expected. I've long wondered who the Hooded Man is, that's as reasonable of a prediction as I've seen so far.

You're better than that!

People!