D/J/T - A Proposed Confluence

[Lance Corporal Underpants]

D/J/T  

 

I'm long time lurker, rare contributor.  I thought I’d share the results of some idle thinking during a recent self-directed re-read.  While I don’t claim that anything here is conclusive, I do think that what is here could be instructive (or at least casually interesting) when considering and analysing the futures of our central characters.  It struck me that three of these most central characters, and I argue that they are the most central, share a shocking number of similarities in their make up as characters.  In fact those similarities are so strong that even when the differences between these characters are observed, they appear to dovetail rather nicely together.

 

Given the enormous volume of material that constitutes The Song of Ice and Fire and it’s several appendices (The Tales of Dunk and Egg, Fire and Blood, and The World of Ice and FIre) -- a tome which will make up the better part of 10,000 pages when all is set and pressed and delivered -- I think it is fair to interpret George R.R. Martin as having created his own patterns, tendencies and archetypes which exist within the scope of his saga.  It is the last of these, the archetypes, which concern us now.

 

While Martin has worked very hard, and been very successful, at playing his audience’s expectations against them for dramatic, if often frustrating, effect, archetypical character types of his own devising, should they exist, would give readers valuable thematic insight.  As a reader there is an important difference between a plot twist which is a surprise, and one which is unnatural.  The Red Wedding was not unforeshadowed, even if it was emotionally jarring and upsetting to readers.  Rickon appearing on the shores of Westeros and being immediately stuck by a wayward meteor and killed would be unnatural, from a literary perspective.

 

What I propose is not an effort to put every single character within a defined box; and, as you will see, there are many characters who have some, but not all, traits of the several archetypes.  Rather, this is an attempt at a rough classification merely for the purposes of analyzing the characters.

 

As such, I find that upon analysis there is a certain confluence of character traits and experiences which warrant observations and discussion.  The characters in question are Daenerys, Jon Snow and Tyrion.

 

First Things First

 

I have tried as much as possible to keep speculation and theorizing to a minimum, though certain popular fan theories would, if true, support rather than detract from, this approach.  I have, however, made the basic assumption that Jon Snow will continue to be an actor on the stage in the next two novels.  While I think this assumption is safe, we will, in the end, have to read for ourselves.

 

Secondly, I believe that there are other archeypical forms which are similar in depth, if not as well fleshed out, at present.  They are discussed at the end; this first is the most central, most important, and most thoroughly considered.  By me.  For now.  Here goes nothing....

 

Archetype 1: The Hero

Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Tyrion Lannister

 

The Hero, or in this case, Heroes, are the protagonists of the Song.  We have to be careful with the term protagonist, as any POV character could, and should, be considered the protagonist of his own story arch. As such, every POV character can been seen as dynamic over the course of their several appearances in the overall narrative, whether they appear in POV or not. I am concerned here with the the characters whose presence and influence is felt across the the whole Song, and whose importance grows.  I use the imperfect term Hero as the best possible approximation of the notion contained below.

 

The following are traits which constitute a Hero in the Song, with some commentary as to how each character satisfies the said criterion:

 

1) Is a POV character: Check. If a character is to be the Hero of a tale, a story or a song, we the reader must know them intimately.

 

2) Age:  They are the children of the generation currently in power in Westeros, chronologically speaking.  This is important because they are not initially influential in the current regime or regimes, but rather are potential members of future regimes.

 

Dany: Though her father was of the generation of Jon Snow’s grandfather, she and he are +/- 1 year apart in age.

 

Jon Snow: Bastard son of the current Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell at the beginning of the narrative.

 

Tyrion: Youngest son of the Warden of the West and Lord of Casterly Rock.  He is approximately 10 years older than the other two.

 

3)  Origins and Youth: They were the child of least importance in their families, were marginalized within their family units and were outsiders within their native environment.  They were born in blood.  (It is interesting to note that two of their fathers were at one time Hand of the King; Dany’s father was a King himself.)

 

Dany: Born a younger sister to two older brothers, both of whom are more likely to inherit and one of whom survives into the Song.  Treated as little more than currency by her older, dominating brother Viserys.  Initially given little credence by the men who surround her, a struggle which continues to a lesser degree throughout the canon.  Largely migratory even before the narrative begins.  Mother died in childbirth.

 

Jon Snow: Bastard son, who could not inherit, though his father acknowledged him from birth.  Though often treated brotherly by his siblings, he was always somewhat on the outside, especially concerning his step-mother Catelyn. Note: if the R+L=J theories are true (here, see subsection “Lyanna”), these elements, while changed, would be replaced with facts even more fitting.  Furthermore, if that theory is true then, then Jon’s mother dies in childbirth.

 

Tyrion: A dwarf, called The Imp; despised by his father and older sister.  Blocked from inheriting Casterly Rock (more on this below.  See:  Birthright).  Blamed by his immediate family for the death of his mother, who died in childbirth.

 

4) Relationships: They have experienced a tumultuous unanticipated on-screen relationship which challenges their character, carries issues of acceptance by those around them and ultimately ends with the violent death of the lover. An emotional penumbra cast by this relationship still falls on the character’s thoughts and actions.  The character feels some guilt due to actions of their own which may have contributed to the death of their beloved.  The relationship results in a reduction of the character’s social standing.

 

Dany: Sold into marriage by her brother to Khal Drogo, despite her misgivings.  She overcomes social, personal, cultural and linguistic barriers and eventually loves him.  He enters a coma after Dany chooses a controversial healer and her controversial methods for his survival.  She ultimately smothers him to death in mercy.  As a result of his death the once proud Khalasar, in which she was of most high prominence, is almost entirely destroyed as they abandon her.

 

Jon Snow: While undercover with Wildlings beyond the Wall, he is pursued by a woman named Ygritte and eventually violates his vow of chastity with her.  He justifies this initially as following his orders but ultimately falls in love with her.  In the end, he must choose whom to betray: Ygritte and the Wildlings, with whom he has earned some trust and respect; or his swon brothers of The Night’s Watch.  He chooses to betray his love in favor of the Watch, although his apparent defection and violation of his vows results in the men of the Watch viewing him with suspicion and distrust, ultimately leading to his arrest.  When Ygritte’s Wildling group attempt to take Castle Black where Jon is stationed she is killed.

 

Tyrion: A camp follower named Shae is procured for him prior to a battle.  He forms an uncharacteristic attachment to her and decides to bring her to King’s Landing with him, against the direct command of his father.  Tyrion is conflicted because he loves her, but knows he has put her in danger by bringing her to the capitol.  He worries her presence may undermine his own tenuous hold on power.  During his fall from power, Shae betrays him and begins an affair with his father.  In Tyrion’s escape he discovers this and strangles her to death.

 

5) Leadership: Character is given an unsought-for position of leadership.  They grow into the leadership position not without growing pains, but manage to use their skills to feed the powerless in their charge in a time of crisis.  Their willingness to forego trivial short-term victories in pursuit of lasting long term success is lost on those in power about them, leading to dissent and removal from power.  Survives an assassination attempt.

 

Dany: Asserts the unprecedented position of a female head of a khalasar after Khal Drogo’s death.  Though the khalasar is initially nothing more than old men, women, children and the infirm, she makes of her khalasar a conquering army through shrewd negotiation, chutzpah, calculation and, at times, sheer force of will.  Her nascent khalasar is starving and without water when, through her intuition, they come upon an ancient and abandoned city where they can regroup.  She seeks the abolition of slavery on principle against the more pragmatic policies of many of her new allies and is faced with dissent within and aggressors without.  She is ultimately forced to leave the city of the back of one of her dragons.  She survives an attempt on her life by agent’s of King Robert Baratheon.

 

Jon Snow: Despite his young age and recent suspicion of desertion, Jon is elected as a compromise candidate to the position of Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, in part due to the machinations of his friend Sam Tarly.  He struggles to consolidate power within the watch and without, as the presence of Stannis Baratheon and his priestess Melisandre complicate the political picture at the wall, though he manages to do so through smart decision making, charisma and principle.  He chooses to settle the Wildlings south of the Wall, realizing that this will help in the upcoming battle against the Others and also potentially bolster the numbers of the defenders of the North.  He makes financial arrangements to increase the supplies of food held by the watch.  In the confusion surrounding the Battle of Winterfell (not as yet clarified, considering the various opinions on the authorship of the Pink Letter) he rashly decides to defend his former home of Winterfell and is stabbed repeatedly by some of his sworn brothers in mutiny.  Survives (?) the mutiny.

 

Tyrion: To his surprise he is asked by his father to be his Acting Hand of the King at King’s Landing as a counterbalance to his sister, Cersei.  He previously had shown political cunning by uniting some Hill Tribes of the Vale to act as his personal army.  He excels in the capital, expertly navigating the rough and unpredictable political waters while establishing himself as a central power player.  He makes successful, controversial and woefully unappreciated plans for the defence and provisioning of the city prior to the Battle of the Blackwater, in which he fights and is critically wounded, though his valor and the traitorous circumstances of his injury are disregarded by those about him.  His power is depleted almost completely during his convalescence. He finds himself accused of treason and jailed.  Survives an attempt on his life by Ser Mandon Moore of the Kingsguard, perhaps at the behest of his sister Cersei.

 

6) Magic: Direct observation of the return of magic to the world.

 

Dany: Witnesses and is responsible for -- though to some uncertain degree -- for the return of dragons to the world.

 

Jon Snow: Despite the stigma against it and its apparent rarity, Jon and at least two of his half siblings have the ability to skinchange with their direwolf companions.

 

Tyrion: He is privy to speculation the the recent decrease in the difficulty of making wildfire may be due to the -- to Tyrion, rumored --  reappearance of dragons in the world.

 

7) The Hero’s Journey: Chooses to make an unplanned journey which challenges the character and from which he grows.

 

Dany: Travels into the unknown with her nascent khalasar after the death of Khal Drogo and the dissipation of his khalasar.  Consolidates her leadership, purpose and principles despite great struggles and challenges.

 

Jon Snow: Under the orders of Qhorin Halfhand, he infiltrates the Wildling host lead by Mance Rayder.  This brings his loyalty to The Night’s Watch in question upon his return and potentially stains the honor of House Stark.  He further violates his oath by sleeping with and eventually falling in love with Ygritte.  His respect for the Wildlings as people and his dedication to the cause of The Night’s Watch are strengthened by this experience and inform many of his leadership decisions.

 

Tyrion:  With the aid of his brother Jaime and the reluctant involvement of Varys, he escapes from his imprisonment in King’s Landing and escapes to Essos, where he drunkenly pursues Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons. He sobers up, survives a brush with greyscale and begins to see himself as independent of the machinations of his Lannister roots and prior environment.

 

Areas of partial confluence:

 

A) Repeated phrases highlighting the character’s ignorance:

 

Dany: “It is known.”  Said about ideas she does not know, has not heard, or are are contrary to the conventional wisdom.  Said by Dany’s closest servants and retainers.

 

Jon Snow: “You know nothing, Jon Snow.” Said about ideas he does not know, has not heard, or are are contrary to the conventional wisdom.  Said specifically by Ygritte.

 

Tyrion: No known equivalent.

 

B) Birthright:

 

Dany: Born as the youngest sister of a Crown Prince with children of his own, Dany had little real expectation of meaningful inheritance at her birth.  She consistently views Westeros as her home and her kingdom-by-right throughout the Song.  The apparent reappearance of her nephew Aegon, who would have a better claim to the throne than she, complicates the matter for the reader.

 

Jon Snow: At face value, Jon doubly is without inheritance: first, he is a bastard; and second, he is a sworn brother of the Night’s Watch. Has been legitimized but does not  know it. If R+J=J, however, the question of birthright becomes much more important.

 

Tyrion: Is expressly denied his inheritance to Casterly Rock by his father.

 

Areas of suggestive difference:

 

Dany: Maternal.  Called the Mother of Dragons and viewed by freed slaves in a maternal fashion. Trueborn.  Appreciated her brother’s expendability when he was killed.  Blond.  Purple eyes.

 

Jon Snow: Motivated, ultimately, by honor and doing what is right.  A strong fighter and leader.  A bastard.  Considers violating his vows to the Night Watch to defend Winterfell.  Dark brown haired.  Grey eyes.

 

Tyrion: Cunning, learned, a planner and a schemer.  Trueborn, but under wayward circumstance, his mother having died and rumors of his parentage being not, perhaps, as true as would at first appear.  A kinslayer.  Blond.  One green and one black eye.

 

So what does it all mean?

 

On its face, all this proves nothing.  Could it be coincidence?  Sure, though I don’t think Martin is as inartful as all that.  I believe, rather, that the preponderance of the evidence above suggests that there are meaningful and thematically-important strings that bind these characters together.  How will that play out in the future books? Speculate on; I’d argue that the confluence above provides a particularly strong foundation for character analysis and reasonable speculation based upon the same.

 

The first seeds of this idea were a thought experiment in which I explored my own distaste at the idea of Victarion being a dragon rider.  What I have done is just that: explored the reasons why I think these particular characters are closely linked to the detriment of others.  Does that mean Victarion will never mount a dragon, in my opinion?  No.  I do not presume to know what the future has in store for these characters. I think, however, that the above argument suggests that Victarion will not be a dragonrider.

 

So What about other POV characters?

 

As I mentioned above, other POVs overlap with some particulars of this archetype.  Some overlap in several particulars.  When you focus on the details which bind the three above, however, you discover that all these others slip by without purchase.

 

So if we admit this archetype, are there any others?

 

I would argue for several other looser, less considered (by me) archetypes.  If the first was speculative, these are even more so.

 

Archetype 2: The Demiurge

Littlefinger, Varys

 

A non POV character who embodies the ineluctable fluctuations of power, influence and politics.  Mysterious, unpredictable, frustratingly pragmatic.  Several lesser characters, such as Tywin, Illyrio, the Queen of Thorns and Mance Rayder, could be considered here as well.   One should not, however, consider this a dumping ground for flat but vaguely influential characters.

 

The Priest:

Bran, Damphair, Melisandre, Arya; perhaps Samwell

 

The interface with forces divine.  Interestingly, Sam (“Slayer”) could become, or at least attempt to become, a Maester.  If so you would have a character connected to the religions of the North (Bran), the Iron Islands (Damphair), the Seven (Sam, despite . . . swearing in before . . . oh boy), and the faiths of the East: Melisandre (Monotheism) and Arya (Nihilistic Pantheism? Is that even a thing?).

 

Archetype 3: The Redeemed, or the Merely Redeemable:

Brienne, Jaime, Theon

 

All POV characters are dynamic to a lesser or greater degree.  There are are certain ones who appear to follow paths of (Fall and) Redemption.  

 

Brienne: Girl in a man’s world, rejected, placed in uncomfortable circumstances and asked to rise to true honor.  (We’ll see how this plays out)

 

Jaimie: Detestable child murderer turned arrogant ass turned defyer of honor turned . . . good guy, perhaps?

 

Theon: Betrayer who cuts at the heart of those he’s betrayed, but with a merciful side.  Mangled, deformed, flayed, humbled beyond humanity.  But he has a chance at redemption...

 

Archetype 4: The Good Soldier:

Eddard, Davos, Arys, Areo, Catelyn, Victarion, Asha, Quentyn, Barristan, Jon Connington

 

Several of these have the potential to shift categories in future novels.  But for now . . . A decent character, at heart.  They give us insight into the world we are experiencing, flowing generally along with the events which surround and influence them.  The do as they ought, without challenging their ideals or assumptions about the world too much.  They play their part in the Song of Ice and Fire as it plays out, but they do not challenge the melody, meter or harmony.  They have their place and their place is often admirable, but they effect no fundamental change, in the end, they are rather more likely to find themselves cornered by forces external to and greater than themselves.  These are not flat characters, but they lack the dynamism and importance of their more central counterparts.

 

And others?

Sansa, Arienne

 

Sansa is, as yet, to make the turn which would determine her categorization.  Is she a mere tool?  A Good-Soldier?  A plotter?  Redeemed?  A POV Demiurge?  We shall see.

 

And Arienne?  It’s too early to tell.

 

Will Sam turn out otherwise?  Arya?  Davos?  Victarion?

 

Oh, I welcome the next 3,000 pages or so . . .

 

Conclusions:

 

To suggest a cogent conclusion from all of the above is to misrepresent or misunderstand the argument.  From a literary perspective, the characterizations up to this point have been, perhaps, suggestive of the line of thinking above.  I would be not in the least shocked if one, or more, or all, of the placements above were tossed aside by the tempestuous plotting of the next two novels.  However, I argue that there are certain patterns which are non-trivial and which warrant consideration by those who, like I, think so long, so damn long, on these things

 

[BlackBethaRidesAgain]

I've often noticed during my rereads that GRRM left enough archetypes and characteristics to constitute the basic make-up of a fantasy story, yet turns many of these inward when several characters skim the lines of multiple archetypes like Brienne has a redemption arc of sorts yet she also has a good soldier quality to her. But one of the things that makes these books so interesting is the transcendence of the archetypes by the characters. Unlike other fantasy novels like the Chronicles of Narnia and the Once and Future King, the ASOIAF characters continually challenge these archetypes we first see them in. They don't follow the exact/natural path of classic archetypes of other characters. GRRM was not afraid to question why a character has to stick to one path when in reality humans have many facets and stray from the predictable path often. 

 

Your analysis of the characters is an interesting read in terms of how their character archetype (and eventual transition into a different archetype or path) will affect the next two novels. Thanks for putting this together. It inspires me to pick a different literary theory lens through which to read for each reread. As you say, we can only speculate what looking into the text will glean for the future. 

[Snows Queen]

I very much enjoyed reading your post.  This was all very well thought out and explained extremely well.  Thank you for introducing a different lens for me to view through.

I do have a question...

In Archetype 1: Section 6 Magic   you state Jon and at least 2 of his siblings are wargs or skinchangers.

Which 2 siblings are you referring to?

 

From my perspective the reader is told 3 of his siblings are wargs who have all clearly warged.  The only 2 Stark children I didn't clearly see warg are Robb and Sansa who were robbed of their warging time with their direwolves early in story.  Rickon is clearly in Shaggydog when Tyrion is given his inhospitable welcome upon his return to WF.  (I don't have book on hand but I remember it being noticed Rickon was unresponsive, etc)  Arya clearly uses her warging ability, most notably the cat when dealing with the KM.  Bran... well, I don't think anyone reading the series missed his warging abilities. 

 

I have never questioned Jon, Arya, Bran, or Rickons' warging abilities, am I wrong?  Please explain if I misunderstood any of these instances.  Now I am questioning what I remember reading as I have learned so many new things on this forum that I missed myself.

[Curled Finger]

Very nicely done.  Hope you have the time and inclination to apply your critical eye to the next round of contestants for the Iron Throne.  As to your areas of partial confluence, it is less obvious than the constant uttering of "it is known" or "you know nothing", but Tyrion is constantly discounted by Tywin and Cersei.   Robb even tries to blow him off when Tyrion returns to Winterfell with plans for a saddle for Bran.   Sort of the inverse of Jon & Dany's naivete; Tyrion's sound advice and acts of bravery and brilliance are perpetually ignored.  For all it's worth.   

[dembones10]

"Wherever whores go..."

[dornishdame]

D/J/T

 

I'm long time lurker, rare contributor. I thought I’d share the results of some idle thinking during a recent self-directed re-read. While I don’t claim that anything here is conclusive, I do think that what is here could be instructive (or at least casually interesting) when considering and analysing the futures of our central characters. It struck me that three of these most central characters, and I argue that they are the most central, share a shocking number of similarities in their make up as characters. In fact those similarities are so strong that even when the differences between these characters are observed, they appear to dovetail rather nicely together.

 

Given the enormous volume of material that constitutes The Song of Ice and Fire and it’s several appendices (The Tales of Dunk and Egg, Fire and Blood, and The World of Ice and FIre) -- a tome which will make up the better part of 10,000 pages when all is set and pressed and delivered -- I think it is fair to interpret George R.R. Martin as having created his own patterns, tendencies and archetypes which exist within the scope of his saga. It is the last of these, the archetypes, which concern us now.

 

While Martin has worked very hard, and been very successful, at playing his audience’s expectations against them for dramatic, if often frustrating, effect, archetypical character types of his own devising, should they exist, would give readers valuable thematic insight. As a reader there is an important difference between a plot twist which is a surprise, and one which is unnatural. The Red Wedding was not unforeshadowed, even if it was emotionally jarring and upsetting to readers. Rickon appearing on the shores of Westeros and being immediately stuck by a wayward meteor and killed would be unnatural, from a literary perspective.

 

What I propose is not an effort to put every single character within a defined box; and, as you will see, there are many characters who have some, but not all, traits of the several archetypes. Rather, this is an attempt at a rough classification merely for the purposes of analyzing the characters.

 

As such, I find that upon analysis there is a certain confluence of character traits and experiences which warrant observations and discussion. The characters in question are Daenerys, Jon Snow and Tyrion.

 

First Things First

 

I have tried as much as possible to keep speculation and theorizing to a minimum, though certain popular fan theories would, if true, support rather than detract from, this approach. I have, however, made the basic assumption that Jon Snow will continue to be an actor on the stage in the next two novels. While I think this assumption is safe, we will, in the end, have to read for ourselves.

 

Secondly, I believe that there are other archeypical forms which are similar in depth, if not as well fleshed out, at present. They are discussed at the end; this first is the most central, most important, and most thoroughly considered. By me. For now. Here goes nothing....

 

Archetype 1: The Hero

Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Tyrion Lannister

 

The Hero, or in this case, Heroes, are the protagonists of the Song. We have to be careful with the term protagonist, as any POV character could, and should, be considered the protagonist of his own story arch. As such, every POV character can been seen as dynamic over the course of their several appearances in the overall narrative, whether they appear in POV or not. I am concerned here with the the characters whose presence and influence is felt across the the whole Song, and whose importance grows. I use the imperfect term Hero as the best possible approximation of the notion contained below.

 

The following are traits which constitute a Hero in the Song, with some commentary as to how each character satisfies the said criterion:

 

1) Is a POV character: Check. If a character is to be the Hero of a tale, a story or a song, we the reader must know them intimately.

 

2) Age: They are the children of the generation currently in power in Westeros, chronologically speaking. This is important because they are not initially influential in the current regime or regimes, but rather are potential members of future regimes.

 

Dany: Though her father was of the generation of Jon Snow’s grandfather, she and he are +/- 1 year apart in age.

 

Jon Snow: Bastard son of the current Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell at the beginning of the narrative.

 

Tyrion: Youngest son of the Warden of the West and Lord of Casterly Rock. He is approximately 10 years older than the other two.

 

3) Origins and Youth: They were the child of least importance in their families, were marginalized within their family units and were outsiders within their native environment. They were born in blood. (It is interesting to note that two of their fathers were at one time Hand of the King; Dany’s father was a King himself.)

 

Dany: Born a younger sister to two older brothers, both of whom are more likely to inherit and one of whom survives into the Song. Treated as little more than currency by her older, dominating brother Viserys. Initially given little credence by the men who surround her, a struggle which continues to a lesser degree throughout the canon. Largely migratory even before the narrative begins. Mother died in childbirth.

 

Jon Snow: Bastard son, who could not inherit, though his father acknowledged him from birth. Though often treated brotherly by his siblings, he was always somewhat on the outside, especially concerning his step-mother Catelyn. Note: if the R+L=J theories are true (here, see subsection “Lyanna”), these elements, while changed, would be replaced with facts even more fitting. Furthermore, if that theory is true then, then Jon’s mother dies in childbirth.

 

Tyrion: A dwarf, called The Imp; despised by his father and older sister. Blocked from inheriting Casterly Rock (more on this below. See: Birthright). Blamed by his immediate family for the death of his mother, who died in childbirth.

 

4) Relationships: They have experienced a tumultuous unanticipated on-screen relationship which challenges their character, carries issues of acceptance by those around them and ultimately ends with the violent death of the lover. An emotional penumbra cast by this relationship still falls on the character’s thoughts and actions. The character feels some guilt due to actions of their own which may have contributed to the death of their beloved. The relationship results in a reduction of the character’s social standing.

 

Dany: Sold into marriage by her brother to Khal Drogo, despite her misgivings. She overcomes social, personal, cultural and linguistic barriers and eventually loves him. He enters a coma after Dany chooses a controversial healer and her controversial methods for his survival. She ultimately smothers him to death in mercy. As a result of his death the once proud Khalasar, in which she was of most high prominence, is almost entirely destroyed as they abandon her.

 

Jon Snow: While undercover with Wildlings beyond the Wall, he is pursued by a woman named Ygritte and eventually violates his vow of chastity with her. He justifies this initially as following his orders but ultimately falls in love with her. In the end, he must choose whom to betray: Ygritte and the Wildlings, with whom he has earned some trust and respect; or his swon brothers of The Night’s Watch. He chooses to betray his love in favor of the Watch, although his apparent defection and violation of his vows results in the men of the Watch viewing him with suspicion and distrust, ultimately leading to his arrest. When Ygritte’s Wildling group attempt to take Castle Black where Jon is stationed she is killed.

 

Tyrion: A camp follower named Shae is procured for him prior to a battle. He forms an uncharacteristic attachment to her and decides to bring her to King’s Landing with him, against the direct command of his father. Tyrion is conflicted because he loves her, but knows he has put her in danger by bringing her to the capitol. He worries her presence may undermine his own tenuous hold on power. During his fall from power, Shae betrays him and begins an affair with his father. In Tyrion’s escape he discovers this and strangles her to death.

 

5) Leadership: Character is given an unsought-for position of leadership. They grow into the leadership position not without growing pains, but manage to use their skills to feed the powerless in their charge in a time of crisis. Their willingness to forego trivial short-term victories in pursuit of lasting long term success is lost on those in power about them, leading to dissent and removal from power. Survives an assassination attempt.

 

Dany: Asserts the unprecedented position of a female head of a khalasar after Khal Drogo’s death. Though the khalasar is initially nothing more than old men, women, children and the infirm, she makes of her khalasar a conquering army through shrewd negotiation, chutzpah, calculation and, at times, sheer force of will. Her nascent khalasar is starving and without water when, through her intuition, they come upon an ancient and abandoned city where they can regroup. She seeks the abolition of slavery on principle against the more pragmatic policies of many of her new allies and is faced with dissent within and aggressors without. She is ultimately forced to leave the city of the back of one of her dragons. She survives an attempt on her life by agent’s of King Robert Baratheon.

 

Jon Snow: Despite his young age and recent suspicion of desertion, Jon is elected as a compromise candidate to the position of Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, in part due to the machinations of his friend Sam Tarly. He struggles to consolidate power within the watch and without, as the presence of Stannis Baratheon and his priestess Melisandre complicate the political picture at the wall, though he manages to do so through smart decision making, charisma and principle. He chooses to settle the Wildlings south of the Wall, realizing that this will help in the upcoming battle against the Others and also potentially bolster the numbers of the defenders of the North. He makes financial arrangements to increase the supplies of food held by the watch. In the confusion surrounding the Battle of Winterfell (not as yet clarified, considering the various opinions on the authorship of the Pink Letter) he rashly decides to defend his former home of Winterfell and is stabbed repeatedly by some of his sworn brothers in mutiny. Survives (?) the mutiny.

 

Tyrion: To his surprise he is asked by his father to be his Acting Hand of the King at King’s Landing as a counterbalance to his sister, Cersei. He previously had shown political cunning by uniting some Hill Tribes of the Vale to act as his personal army. He excels in the capital, expertly navigating the rough and unpredictable political waters while establishing himself as a central power player. He makes successful, controversial and woefully unappreciated plans for the defence and provisioning of the city prior to the Battle of the Blackwater, in which he fights and is critically wounded, though his valor and the traitorous circumstances of his injury are disregarded by those about him. His power is depleted almost completely during his convalescence. He finds himself accused of treason and jailed. Survives an attempt on his life by Ser Mandon Moore of the Kingsguard, perhaps at the behest of his sister Cersei.

 

6) Magic: Direct observation of the return of magic to the world.

 

Dany: Witnesses and is responsible for -- though to some uncertain degree -- for the return of dragons to the world.

 

Jon Snow: Despite the stigma against it and its apparent rarity, Jon and at least two of his half siblings have the ability to skinchange with their direwolf companions.

 

Tyrion: He is privy to speculation the the recent decrease in the difficulty of making wildfire may be due to the -- to Tyrion, rumored -- reappearance of dragons in the world.

 

7) The Hero’s Journey: Chooses to make an unplanned journey which challenges the character and from which he grows.

 

Dany: Travels into the unknown with her nascent khalasar after the death of Khal Drogo and the dissipation of his khalasar. Consolidates her leadership, purpose and principles despite great struggles and challenges.

 

Jon Snow: Under the orders of Qhorin Halfhand, he infiltrates the Wildling host lead by Mance Rayder. This brings his loyalty to The Night’s Watch in question upon his return and potentially stains the honor of House Stark. He further violates his oath by sleeping with and eventually falling in love with Ygritte. His respect for the Wildlings as people and his dedication to the cause of The Night’s Watch are strengthened by this experience and inform many of his leadership decisions.

 

Tyrion: With the aid of his brother Jaime and the reluctant involvement of Varys, he escapes from his imprisonment in King’s Landing and escapes to Essos, where he drunkenly pursues Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons. He sobers up, survives a brush with greyscale and begins to see himself as independent of the machinations of his Lannister roots and prior environment.

 

Areas of partial confluence:

 

A) Repeated phrases highlighting the character’s ignorance:

 

Dany: “It is known.” Said about ideas she does not know, has not heard, or are are contrary to the conventional wisdom. Said by Dany’s closest servants and retainers.

 

Jon Snow: “You know nothing, Jon Snow.” Said about ideas he does not know, has not heard, or are are contrary to the conventional wisdom. Said specifically by Ygritte.

 

Tyrion: No known equivalent.

 

Birthright:

 

Dany: Born as the youngest sister of a Crown Prince with children of his own, Dany had little real expectation of meaningful inheritance at her birth. She consistently views Westeros as her home and her kingdom-by-right throughout the Song. The apparent reappearance of her nephew Aegon, who would have a better claim to the throne than she, complicates the matter for the reader.

 

Jon Snow: At face value, Jon doubly is without inheritance: first, he is a bastard; and second, he is a sworn brother of the Night’s Watch. Has been legitimized but does not know it. If R+J=J, however, the question of birthright becomes much more important.

 

Tyrion: Is expressly denied his inheritance to Casterly Rock by his father.

 

Areas of suggestive difference:

 

Dany: Maternal. Called the Mother of Dragons and viewed by freed slaves in a maternal fashion. Trueborn. Appreciated her brother’s expendability when he was killed. Blond. Purple eyes.

 

Jon Snow: Motivated, ultimately, by honor and doing what is right. A strong fighter and leader. A bastard. Considers violating his vows to the Night Watch to defend Winterfell. Dark brown haired. Grey eyes.

 

Tyrion: Cunning, learned, a planner and a schemer. Trueborn, but under wayward circumstance, his mother having died and rumors of his parentage being not, perhaps, as true as would at first appear. A kinslayer. Blond. One green and one black eye.

 

So what does it all mean?

 

On its face, all this proves nothing. Could it be coincidence? Sure, though I don’t think Martin is as inartful as all that. I believe, rather, that the preponderance of the evidence above suggests that there are meaningful and thematically-important strings that bind these characters together. How will that play out in the future books? Speculate on; I’d argue that the confluence above provides a particularly strong foundation for character analysis and reasonable speculation based upon the same.

 

The first seeds of this idea were a thought experiment in which I explored my own distaste at the idea of Victarion being a dragon rider. What I have done is just that: explored the reasons why I think these particular characters are closely linked to the detriment of others. Does that mean Victarion will never mount a dragon, in my opinion? No. I do not presume to know what the future has in store for these characters. I think, however, that the above argument suggests that Victarion will not be a dragonrider.

First off

While I have picked up a number of the similarities you have mentioned, I have not set them down and you do an excellent job of that. I think that some readers pick up on the similarities between Jon and Dany's character arcs at the expense of Tyrion.  And with Tyrion in Slaver's Bay, when Dany returns to Meereen he may be the first character we encounter in the book to have spent time with both of them; the link between the two (but I digress).

What I would perhaps add to the section entitled 'Relationships' is the involvement that each of them has in the death of the lover; Dany insists on Mirri Maz Duur treating Drogo, and later suffocates him herself when sorcery does not save him; Jon is one of the brothers defending Castle Black when Ygritte's group attacks, and although his arrow is not the one that kills her, he is fighting on the other side; Tyrion kills Shae himself.  I would also add that for a Targaryen Princess, for a son of Winterfell (albeit an illegitimate one) and a son of Casterly Rock, these are not conventional lovers.  Drogo is a Dothraki warlord (Aerys baulked at times at the Dornish Elia Martell - do we really think he would approve of Dany's marriage to Drogo?); Ygritte is a wildling, and the Lords of Winterfell have fought her people and their attempts to cross the Wall for thousands of years; Shae is a prostitute, and therefore unacceptable to the Westerosi nobility - and in particular to Tyrion's own family.

Very nicely done. Hope you have the time and inclination to apply your critical eye to the next round of contestants for the Iron Throne. As to your areas of partial confluence, it is less obvious than the constant uttering of "it is known" or "you know nothing", but Tyrion is constantly discounted by Tywin and Cersei. Robb even tries to blow him off when Tyrion returns to Winterfell with plans for a saddle for Bran. Sort of the inverse of Jon & Dany's naivete; Tyrion's sound advice and acts of bravery and brilliance are perpetually ignored. For all it's worth.

I agree with this - the lack of knowledge on the part of all three is implied, and yet they are willing to learn, and learn so much during the series. I also think that it adds to the sense of them being outsiders, even in their own families and among their own class.  And Tyrion's aid comes after Jon asks him to "help him, Tyrion". 

[YouKnowNothingJonSnow]

To the OP, very nicely done. Enjoyed your post a lot. One of the best I've read here recently.

Just in terms of the dragonriders and the dragon having three heads, I happen to agree wholeheartedly, these are the three. To wit:

1) Dany is already a dragonrider on Drogon.

2) In one of the Winds chapters than has been put out already, there seems to be (to my eyes at least) some pretty clear symbolism about Tyrion and a white/cream dragon, though it could be GRRM misleading us intentionally, or just much to do about nothing on the part of the readers (myself included). Add in Tyrion's fascination, and study of, dragons, his weird eye color combination, appearance, rumors about his parentage, and his father not allowing him to inherit, and I think all that smoke means fire.

3) Which would leave one. And no riders (yet) who can warg. I put Jon Snow in the lead, if he survives. As a R+J = L believer, this also makes sense. Though it looks a bit dim for him at the moment.And a dragonrider/warg with a military mind and training would be extremely dangerous.

As for Victarion, I think his brother is playing him somehow.

 

 

[Endymion I Targaryen]

I haven't thought of all the parallels between Jon,Dany and Tyrion.IMO there is another archetype: The Beautyful Lady.Here we have Cersei,Arianne and Sansa (she is evolving to be one them).Beautiful noble women who became/were to become queens,daughters of powerful lords,they use their beauty to seduce men,they have blood on their hands,bad relationship with one cibling,they are married/betrothed to men they don't love but like men they can't marry.