Tyrion and the Dragon skulls

[Jô Maltese]

Introduction and credits: I develop below an old analysis initially made by Ragnorak (can't find the original post) and supported by Corbon on the first A+J = T and other early T=T threads. Although the quotes below do support those theories in my view, my point here is to show how strong the connection between Tyrion and Dragons is, even when they are blind (if not dead), NOT to prove A+J. For those interested, these quotes can be compared with my belief that Tyrion will ride Viserion (check my signature for the full topic).

 

aGoT - Tyrion II

Tyrion had a morbid fascination with dragons. (...)

Tyrion stood in that dank cellar for a long time, staring at Balerion's huge, empty-eyed skull until his torch burned low, trying to grasp the size of the living animal, to imagine how it must have looked when it spread its great black wings and swept across the skies, breathing fire.

Morbid fascination indeed.

 

aGoT - Dany I

Yet sometimes Dany would picture the way it had been, so often had her brother told her the stories. (...) The polished skulls of the last dragons staring down sightlessly from the walls of the throne room while the Kingslayer opened Father's throat with a golden sword.

 

aGoT - Eddard II

"I cannot answer for the gods, Your Grace … only for what I found when I rode into the throne room that day," Ned said. "Aerys was dead on the floor, drowned in his own blood. His dragon skulls stared down from the walls. (...)

"I was still mounted. I rode the length of the hall in silence, between the long rows of dragon skulls. It felt as though they were watching me, somehow.

 

aGoT - Daenarys IV (tHotU)

Beyond loomed a cavernous stone hall, the largest she had ever seen. The skulls of dead dragons looked down from its walls. Upon a towering barbed throne sat an old man in rich robes, an old man with dark eyes and long silver-grey hair. "Let him be king over charred bones and cooked meat," he said to a man below him. "Let him be the king of ashes." Drogon shrieked, his claws digging through silk and skin, but the king on his throne never heard, and Dany moved on.

Same account from different sources, the dragons (skulls) stared down (and Drogon shrieked) when Aerys (and Rhaenys and Aegon) died... Defeated dragons? Sad dragons? And Ned is the first character to feel as if they were not completely dead, only blind.

 

aGoT - Tyrion II

When he had first come to King's Landing for his sister's wedding to Robert Baratheon, he had made it a point to seek out the dragon skulls that had hung on the walls of Targaryen's throne room. King Robert had replaced them with banners and tapestries, but Tyrion had persisted until he found the skulls in the dank cellar where they had been stored. He had expected to find them impressive, perhaps even frightening. He had not thought to find them beautiful. Yet they were. As black as onyx, polished smooth, so the bone seemed to shimmer in the light of his torch. They liked the fire, he sensed. He'd thrust the torch into the mouth of one of the larger skulls and made the shadows leap and dance on the wall behind him. The teeth were long, curving knives of black diamond. The flame of the torch was nothing to them; they had bathed in the heat of far greater fires. When he had moved away, Tyrion could have sworn that the beast's empty eye sockets had watched him go.

 

aSoS - Tyrion VII

Tyrion waddled along a long dark passageway until he found the door he wanted, and pushed through.

Within, the dragon skulls were waiting, and so was Shae.

Can't you feel love emanating from the dragon skulls towards Tyrion (and his torch)? I can.

 

If you can't, compare it to Arya's experience:

aGoT - Arya III

"It's dead," she said aloud. "It's just a skull, it can't hurt me." Yet somehow the monster seemed to know she was there. She could feel its empty eyes watching her through the gloom, and there was something in that dim, cavernous room that did not love her. She edged away from the skull and backed into a second, larger than the first. For an instant she could feel its teeth digging into her shoulder, as if it wanted a bite of her flesh.

No love here. But nobody has ever suspected Arya to have any Targaryen blood after all, she is 100% wolf-blood this one, it is known.

 

And Tyrion made the shadows leap and dance on the wall...

aCoK - Tyrion II

Varys smiled. "Here, then. Power resides where men believe it resides. No more and no less."

"So power is a mummer's trick?"

"A shadow on the wall," Varys murmured, "yet shadows can kill. And ofttimes a very small man can cast a very large shadow."

... Has Tyrion projected Power with Fire in the RK cellar? He certainly has on the Blackwater anyway.

 

There is another almost dead and blind dragon meeting Tyrion:

aGoT -Tyrion III

"Oh, I think that Lord Tyrion is quite a large man," Maester Aemon said from the far end of the table. He spoke softly, yet the high officers of the Night's Watch all fell quiet, the better to hear what the ancient had to say. "I think he is a giant come among us, here at the end of the world."

Tyrion answered gently, "I've been called many things, my lord, but giant is seldom one of them."

"Nonetheless," Maester Aemon said as his clouded, milk-white eyes moved to Tyrion's face, "I think it is true."

For once, Tyrion Lannister found himself at a loss for words. He could only bow his head politely and say, "You are too kind, Maester Aemon."

The blind man smiled. He was a tiny thing, wrinkled and hairless, shrunken beneath the weight of a hundred years so his maester's collar with its links of many metals hung loose about his throat. "I have been called many things, my lord," he said, "but kind is seldom one of them."

Why does a blind dragon suddenly feels kindness and awe towards Tyrion???

 

And Dany woke the dragons, we know. But did Tyrion help?

aSoS - Tyrion VII

The skulls of the Targaryen dragons were emerging from the darkness around them, black amidst grey. "Day comes too soon." A new day. A new year. A new century.

 

aDwD - Tyrion IV

Tyrion had drunk himself blind his first night on the Shy Maid. The next day he awoke with dragons fighting in his skull.

The dragons are alive now, and Tyrion is almost dead. Did the dragons helped in resuscitating him like he might have done for them earlier?

 

Oh, and a little extra:

aCoK - Tyrion X

"I believe in steel swords, gold coins, and men's wits," said Tyrion. "And I believe there once were dragons. I've seen their skulls, after all.

"Let us hope that is the worst thing you ever see, my lord."

Bligh me! Is Varys implying Tyrion is going to meet living dragons..?  ;)

 

EDIT 1 - The last dragon:

aGoT - Tyrion II

There were nineteen skulls. The oldest was more than three thousand years old; the youngest a mere century and a half. The most recent were also the smallest; a matched pair no bigger than mastiff's skulls, and oddly misshapen, all that remained of the last two hatchlings born on Dragonstone. They were the last of the Targaryen dragons (...)

Were the last dragons dwarf dragons?

 

EDIT 2 - Introduction rewritten: this is not (necessarily  ^_^ ) a A+J=T discussion.

[aryagonnakill#2]

While I believe in A+J=T, I think the bit about him helping wake the dragons should seriously be removed, its jibberish.  Dany woke the dragons, no matter how many people want to take credit away from her on that.

[Jô Maltese]

While I believe in A+J=T, I think the bit about him helping wake the dragons should seriously be removed, its jibberish.  Dany woke the dragons, no matter how many people want to take credit away from her on that.

I do not say otherwise. I just wonder if he helped, like a catalyst.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

Love from bones of dead animals?  I don't think so.

 

Tyrion is not a Targaryen, but the hints are there to make it seem possible because when he shows up on a dragon, people are going to wonder (because they mistakenly assume only Targs can ride dragons).  The whole thing is all about how the characters react to the idea of it, Tyrion and Dany especially.

[Jô Maltese]

Love from bones of dead animals?  I don't think so.

We are in fantasy, remember?

 

 

Tyrion is not a Targaryen, but the hints are there to make it seem possible because when he shows up on a dragon, people are going to wonder (because they mistakenly assume only Targs can ride dragons).  The whole thing is all about how the characters react to the idea of it, Tyrion and Dany especially.

I have made it a separate thread from A+J=T on purpose, I actually do not draw any A+J or T=T conclusion here (even if I am a believer and have published it in the A=J thread as well), I just want to stress how strong is the Tyrion - Dragons link in the series. That said, my introduction does somewhat contradict this and I will edit it accordingly.

[King Jaime Lannister]

Good job piking these things up.  

What conclusion are you drawing here?  Just the symbolic connection that Tyrion has with dragons?  Or do you hypothesize that the dragon skulls may have some Weirwood like ability to be a vessel to see through?  

[Jô Maltese]

Basically, my bottom-line conclusion is that, as Gemma states it or like the Skinchangers in the North, Tyrion is one of a thousand, if not one in a ten thousand like the Greenseers (IIRC): there is something in him that connects him to dragons, no one can deny it, whatever the further implications we think there are  (or not).

[King Jaime Lannister]

Basically, my bottom-line conclusion is that, as Gemma states it or like the Skinchangers in the North, Tyrion is one of a thousand, if not one in a ten thousand like the Greenseers (IIRC): there is something in him that connects him to dragons, no one can deny it, whatever the further implications we think there are  (or not).

 

I agree.  He is, "Snarling in the midst of it all." 

[VenezuelanLord]

I fail to find connection between several of the passages you quote and your interpretation, how did tyrion helped with the birth of the dragons? It certainly don't say so in the quote, Aemon wasn't the mad King, I'm pretty sure he would have treated decently anyone, let alone someone as educated and knowledge thirsty like tyrion, the skull love part, well I don't feel it either, there's a world of difference between tyrion an arya, arya is a child in a dark cellar with Dragons skulls surrounding her, any child would be scared shitless, tyrion as you pointed out is just deeply fascinated by them, so he doesn't feel fear, he just admires them... I do agree that tyrion connection with Dragons is strong, but he doesn't need to mount one to be of huge importance in the wars to come

[Jô Maltese]

I fail to find connection between several of the passages you quote and your interpretation, how did tyrion helped with the birth of the dragons? It certainly don't say so in the quote, Aemon wasn't the mad King, I'm pretty sure he would have treated decently anyone, let alone someone as educated and knowledge thirsty like tyrion, the skull love part, well I don't feel it either, there's a world of difference between tyrion an arya, arya is a child in a dark cellar with Dragons skulls surrounding her, any child would be scared shitless, tyrion as you pointed out is just deeply fascinated by them, so he doesn't feel fear, he just admires them... I do agree that tyrion connection with Dragons is strong, but he doesn't need to mount one to be of huge importance in the wars to come

Fair enough. But I don't assert anything, I'm just saying that the descriptions made (and the words chosen) by GRMM are intriguing enough to make us wonder.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

We are in fantasy, remember?

 

 

I have made it a separate thread from A+J=T on purpose, I actually do not draw any A+J or T=T conclusion here (even if I am a believer and have published it in the A=J thread as well), I just want to stress how strong is the Tyrion - Dragons link in the series. That said, my introduction does somewhat contradict this and I will edit it accordingly.

True, we are in fantasy.  But it still seems rather without precedent in the story.  You'd think someone else would have some kind of story, maybe Viserys having told Dany about how he always felt close to the dragon skulls in the throne room.

[Jô Maltese]

True, we are in fantasy.  But it still seems rather without precedent in the story.  You'd think someone else would have some kind of story, maybe Viserys having told Dany about how he always felt close to the dragon skulls in the throne room.

Yes, you would! Which makes Tyrion even more special, don't you think? Also, both Ned and Arya recall sensing feelings emanating from the skulls, so it's not out of the blue...

[The Bold Wolf]

This is kind of a stretch. I won't deny that Tyrion is a possible Dragon rider, but to suggest that Tyrion had anything to do with the waking of the dragons is far fetched. There is no supporting evidence for that theory. The dragon skulls seem alive to everyone, and everyone has different awareness in the presence of them.

[Jô Maltese]

This is kind of a stretch. I won't deny that Tyrion is a possible Dragon rider, but to suggest that Tyrion had anything to do with the waking of the dragons is far fetched. There is no supporting evidence for that theory. The dragon skulls seem alive to everyone, and everyone has different awareness in the presence of them.

Yes, I won't deny that. But we are dealing with GRRM here, so stretching and far fetching is fair game IMHO!

[The Bold Wolf]

Yes, I won't deny that. But we are dealing with GRRM here, so stretching and far fetching is fair game IMHO!

Well thats true to an extent, but with all the other things happening in the books, this theory is nothing substantial to the plot, so why would he put it in?

[Jô Maltese]

Well thats true to an extent, but with all the other things happening in the books, this theory is nothing substantial to the plot, so why would he put it in?

What do you mean exactly, which theory? If you ask why GRRM would make Tyrion a dragon-linked man, the possible reasons are many: to become a dragon rider to start with, therefore a possible head of the dragons. Most importantly, his dragon-riding would make him become someone - not a monster, dwarf, bastard, monkey etc, but a knight a lord or even a hero, whatever his true identity is. Maybe even a giant, as sensed by Aemon and maybe by Sansa as well (the Stone Giant?).

[Lady Blizzardborn]

Yes, you would! Which makes Tyrion even more special, don't you think? Also, both Ned and Arya recall sensing feelings emanating from the skulls, so it's not out of the blue...

Yes, special or delusional.  But with Ned and Arya sensing something, that does lend itself more toward Tyrion actually getting some vibes.  Dragons being magical creatures, vibes are possible.

[Ibbison from Ibben]

The bones remember.

 

When Summer eats the arm of a wight, the meat keeps moving until he cracks the bone. That's what finally destroys it. We also have Davos's finger bones, Rattleshirt's bones helping with a glamour, Stark bones in the crypts of Winterfell. Bones of all types seem to be special, the part of the body where magic is seated. It makes sense that whatever the magic was that made dragons magical, it would be based in the bones, and might remain there until the bones are destroyed.

 

Perhaps the Targs kept those dragon skulls for some purpose other than decor.

[Jô Maltese]

The bones remember.

 

When Summer eats the arm of a wight, the meat keeps moving until he cracks the bone. That's what finally destroys it. We also have Davos's finger bones, Rattleshirt's bones helping with a glamour, Stark bones in the crypts of Winterfell. Bones of all types seem to be special, the part of the body where magic is seated. It makes sense that whatever the magic was that made dragons magical, it would be based in the bones, and might remain there until the bones are destroyed.

 

Perhaps the Targs kept those dragon skulls for some purpose other than decor.

Excellent point!

[Lost Melnibonean]

Introduction and credits: I develop below an old analysis initially made by Ragnorak (can't find the original post) and supported by Corbon on the first A+J = T and other early T=T threads. Although the quotes below do support those theories in my view, my point here is to show how strong the connection between Tyrion and Dragons is, even when they are blind (if not dead), NOT to prove A+J. For those interested, these quotes can be compared with my belief that Tyrion will ride Viserion (check my signature for the full topic).
 
Morbid fascination indeed.
 
 
 
Same account from different sources, the dragons (skulls) stared down (and Drogon shrieked) when Aerys (and Rhaenys and Aegon) died... Defeated dragons? Sad dragons? And Ned is the first character to feel as if they were not completely dead, only blind.
 
 
Can't you feel love emanating from the dragon skulls towards Tyrion (and his torch)? I can.
 
If you can't, compare it to Arya's experience:
No love here. But nobody has ever suspected Arya to have any Targaryen blood after all, she is 100% wolf-blood this one, it is known.
 
And Tyrion made the shadows leap and dance on the wall...
... Has Tyrion projected Power with Fire in the RK cellar? He certainly has on the Blackwater anyway.
 
There is another almost dead and blind dragon meeting Tyrion:
Why does a blind dragon suddenly feels kindness and awe towards Tyrion???
 
And Dany woke the dragons, we know. But did Tyrion help?
 
The dragons are alive now, and Tyrion is almost dead. Did the dragons helped in resuscitating him like he might have done for them earlier?
 
Oh, and a little extra:
Bligh me! Is Varys implying Tyrion is going to meet living dragons..?  ;)
 
EDIT 1 - The last dragon:
Were the last dragons dwarf dragons?
 
EDIT 2 - Introduction rewritten: this is not (necessarily  ^_^ ) a A+J=T discussion.

If this is not an AJT discussion, what is it?

I'm very much on thence about AJT, but I do believe Tyrion will ride, or influence the rider of, Viserion. I also believe that Tyrion will be right in the middle of the Second Dance of the Dragons between Daenerys and Aegon, thus the dragons fighting in his skull, the skull with one black eye and one green eye.