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Dragons in Asshai?


devilrob6

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I was rereading the prologue of AFFC and i was wondering about the discussion that Armen, Mollander and the others had about dragons:

“The tales are not the same,” insisted Armen. “Dragons in Asshai, dragons in Qarth, dragons in Meereen, Dothraki dragons, dragons freeing slaves . . . each telling differs from the last.” “Only in details.” Mollander grew more stubborn when he drank, and even when sober he was bullheaded. “All speak of dragons, and a beautiful young queen"

I wonder why Asshai was mentioned here. We know that the tales about Qarth, Meereen, dothraki's and freeing of slaves are true and linked to Dany. But what about Dragons in Asshai? Dany has never been there. Would this be a false tale or can we expect other dragons to show up from Asshai?

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If only Dany had established her reign in Asshai instead of Meereen... Dreams. Unfortunately, we probably won't get much more reliable information on the shadow lands, so this quote might end up as pure literary embellishment.

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Asshai is associated with dragons before Dany hatches her dragons. I don't think having it mixed in with rumors of events we know to be true is that important, given that rumors of dragons in Asshai appear to be commonplace.

She had heard that the first dragons had come from the east, from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai and the islands of the Jade Sea. Perhaps some were still living there, in realms strange and wild.

"Dragons are gone, Khaleesi," Irri said.

"Dead," agreed Jhiqui. "Long and long ago."

Viserys had told her that the last Targaryen dragons had died no more than a century and a half ago, during the reign of Aegon III, who was called the Dragonbane. That did not seem so long ago to Dany. "Everywhere?" she said, disappointed. "Even in the east?" Magic had died in the west when the Doom fell on Valyria and the Lands of the Long Summer, and neither spell-forged steel nor stormsingers nor dragons could hold it back, but Dany had always heard that the east was different. It was said that manticores prowled the islands of the JadeSea, that basilisks infested the jungles of Yi Ti, that spellsingers, warlocks, and aeromancers practiced their arts openly in Asshai, while shadowbinders and bloodmages worked terrible sorceries in the black of night. Why shouldn't there be dragons too?

The common belief is that dragons came from Asshai, or the East more generally, and whispers of wonders in the East are common enough for Dany to believe that there are dragons there.

He lifted his eyes and saw clear across the narrow sea, to the Free Cities and the green Dothraki sea and beyond, to Vaes Dothrak under its mountain, to the fabled lands of the Jade Sea, to Asshai by the Shadow, where dragons stirred beneath the sunrise.

Bran's vision in GoT is interesting, because the wording is somewhat ambiguous. It suggests that either he is, in fact, seeing dragons or that the association between Asshai and dragons is so strong that he thinks of it as the place 'where dragons stir.' In any case, it seems that rumors of dragons in Asshai and an association between Asshai and dragons more generally is quite common and probably nothing beyond the norm.

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RE dragons 'coming from' Asshai... i think you're confusing with Valyria and the 14 flames.

Originally dragons were 'all over' (according to GRRM), but faded away. Were rediscovered in the 14 flames.

"She had heard that the first dragons had come from the east, from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai and the islands of the Jade Sea"

I don't know where this fits in with the timeline, or if it's true(?)

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I have always interpreted this quote of "dragons in Asshai, dragons in Qarth (...)" as a result of the corruption of information. The stories come from sailors, but not every sailor has personally seen the dragons, so one tells to the other, that tells to the other and so on, and by the time the news get to Oldtown, they are somewhat embellished and contradictory.

That is a recurring theme throughout Feast, of the reliability of information (think of Sam's take on the official history, or the various reports on the rape of Saltspan). To most sailors in the west, the lands beyond the free cities are fabled and blurry, the Jade Sea more so than anything else, and doesn't seem to me difficult that a report of "dragons in Qarth" would become "dragons in the far east", and that becoming "dragons in Asshai", or something of that sort.

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I was thinking of unreliable information too, but wasn't sure because all the other mentioned rumours are true and there was not a rumour that we, as readers, know for sure to be false.

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"He lifted his eyes and saw clear across the narrow sea, to the Free Cities and the green Dothraki sea and beyond, to Vaes Dothrak under its mountain, to the fabled lands of the Jade Sea, to Asshai by the Shadow, where dragons stirred beneath the sunrise."

The quote about bran is interesting...

From the wiki about glass candles.. "It claimed that when the glass candles burn the sorcerers could see across mountains, seas and deserts, give men visions and dreams and communicate with one another half a world apart. [1]"

So maybe he was actually seeing that being that he will be the last greenseer, if that could be counted as a sorcerer.

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  • 1 month later...

I too was rereading the book! Good thing I searched for this topic instead of starting one hahaha.

Anyway, I think that this is why Daenerys has to go to Asshai. I think this is related to the truth she will find there. Because the rest of it is true and we know that Quaithe was saying how important it is for her to go to Asshai, I think this is absolutely true. I think she could find that Euron's egg he "threw away" has hatched. If it did, it may be the wake-up call Daenerys needs. She's not "mother of dragons," she isn't as special as she thinks she is. Or perhaps Euron did pay the faceless man with the dragon's egg and Jaqen is part of a reconnaissance team to help them learn to control them. Another of the task force could have been sent to Asshai to learn about the dragons. The dragon was accidentally reborn. This fits with what GRRM said about Dany and the pyre being a very special event. And her learning that she is not immune to fire because she got burned in DwD.

To go west, she has to go east....in order to put an end to the madness that has plagued the Targaryens because they all think they're more special than they are.

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Due to Brans vision, which was pretty accurate, I think there are actual dragons in asshai.

Due to Brans vision, which was pretty accurate, I think there are actual dragons in asshai.

Ashaii trades with other cities, including some in Westeros. Odds are dragons would be noticed. Perhaps dragons originated in Ashaii and Bran was just doing his traveler of all time and space thing and saw the first dragons.

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