Mellario of Norvos.

[Jon's Queen Consort]

Since I couldn’t find a thread about her, I decided to do one myself.

I find her fascinating. She is an “exotic” woman, married someone she loved but their marriage wasn’t a good one, is a love marriage ever worked out in GRRTH?, and they finally broke up when Doran send Quentyn to Bloodroyal to be fostered.

Now, the interesting part for me is that she was mad with Doran that he send Quentyn away and she abandons her two children to go back to Norvos? I don’t buy it.

What do you think? Is something more in Mellario’s departure from Dorne? Maybe she has some secret agenda?

[N/A]

Since I couldn’t find a thread about her, I decided to do one myself.

I find her fascinating. She is an “exotic” woman, married someone she loved but their marriage wasn’t a good one, is a love marriage ever worked out in GRRTH?, and they finally broke up when Doran send Quentyn to Bloodroyal to be fostered.

Now, the interesting part for me is that she was mad with Doran that he send Quentyn away and she abandons her two children to go back to Norvos? I don’t buy it.

What do you think? Is something more in Mellario’s departure from Dorne? Maybe she has some secret agenda?

well, some have speculated about her being lemore but i don't buy it

to be honest i don't even remember how she looks like but i am just as intrigued as you

[illrede]

Since I couldn’t find a thread about her, I decided to do one myself.

I find her fascinating. She is an “exotic” woman, married someone she loved but their marriage wasn’t a good one, is a love marriage ever worked out in GRRTH?, and they finally broke up when Doran send Quentyn to Bloodroyal to be fostered.

Now, the interesting part for me is that she was mad with Doran that he send Quentyn away and she abandons her two children to go back to Norvos? I don’t buy it.

What do you think? Is something more in Mellario’s departure from Dorne? Maybe she has some secret agenda?

It seemed a straight cautionary tale to me. Doran treating his children as prospective political agents in training served to destroy their marriage, likely among other things along that vein; introducing realpolitik into the married life of a person that didn't anticipate it and wasn't willing to endure it. Doran acquiescing to giving Arianne a real childhood made her worse than useless to House Martell. Another case of "Introduce modern sensibilities to this context, witness disaster as the system breaks a gear-tooth trying to accommodate the unconventional event."

At least she just left him after clear communication, and didn't poison him to further the ends of her seducer in a fog of self-centered delusion.

[Jon's Queen Consort]

snip

I am sorry I am confused. Can you explain what cautionary tale means?

[illrede]

I am sorry I am confused. Can you explain what cautionary tale means?

It's an isolated example of how a something can go wrong.

[Arya kiddin']

It seemed a straight cautionary tale to me. Doran treating his children as prospective political agents in training served to destroy their marriage, likely among other things along that vein; introducing realpolitik into the married life of a person that didn't anticipate it and wasn't willing to endure it. Doran acquiescing to giving Arianne a real childhood made her worse than useless to House Martell. Another case of "Introduce modern sensibilities to this context, witness disaster as the system breaks a gear-tooth trying to accommodate the unconventional event."

At least she just left him after clear communication, and didn't poison him to further the ends of her seducer in a fog of self-centered delusion.

I like this idea, that marrying for love can actually end in a disaster. :)

[Ser Greg of House House]

What is this GRRTH? What a weird word. I don't even know how to pronounce it. Are there alternatives to this world that I don't know the meaning of?

[The Fourth Head]

Well Mellario is younger than Doran, and presumably spent a considerable time in Westeros- thus able to pass off a convincing accent, albeit flavoured perhaps (or not) with a subtle, Rhoynish, Dornish drawl. Tyrion probably wouldn't have been able to pick the difference. I'm not sure on what basis she can't be Lemore. There is little excuse to have a middle aged woman of good breeding around Aegon other than as a Septa, and I'm sure she picked up enough in Westeros to get by on the pretence- at least for Tyron's sake, if not for Aegon's. She wouldn't agree to be a washerwoman or Cook.

If Mellario did just leave Doran and go back to Norvos, it seems curious that a short way away on the Rhoyne lurks her daughter's potential future Targaryan husband.

For me, it makes a lot of sense that Quentyn's fostering with the Yronwood's was an excuse for Mellario to leave, and not a trigger. Was it really so pressing and issue for Martel to risk losing his wife over? If the Yronwoods were posing a real threat, surely Martell wouldn't have trusted his eldest son to be in their hands?

A good possibility is that it was a cover up to allow Mellario to check out her future son in law and see if he is the real deal. I can't think of any prominent missing woman from westeros who has as good an agenda as her.

[Jon's Queen Consort]

What is this GRRTH? What a weird word. I don't even know how to pronounce it. Are there alternatives to this world that I don't know the meaning of?

GRRM's Earth.

[Arya kiddin']

What is this GRRTH? What a weird word. I don't even know how to pronounce it. Are there alternatives to this world that I don't know the meaning of?

It's Planetos basically. :D

[Ser Greg of House House]

GRRM's Earth.

What? I don't understand it. GRRTH is so confusing!

It's Planetos basically. :D

Wow. Planetos is a simple, straight forward word to describe GRRM's world. Thank you. Planetos is so much better.

[Frey family reunion]

Well I posted my theory a while back about what I think is really happening in Dorne which included my suspicions of Mellario's whereabouts. If you want to read it here:

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/90411-somethings-rotten-in-dorne-the-illyrio-varys-doran-yronwood-conspiracy-long-read/

[SeanF]

Since I couldnt find a thread about her, I decided to do one myself.

I find her fascinating. She is an exotic woman, married someone she loved but their marriage wasnt a good one, is a love marriage ever worked out in GRRTH?, and they finally broke up when Doran send Quentyn to Bloodroyal to be fostered.

Now, the interesting part for me is that she was mad with Doran that he send Quentyn away and she abandons her two children to go back to Norvos? I dont buy it.

What do you think? Is something more in Mellarios departure from Dorne? Maybe she has some secret agenda?

She had to leave, when the marriage broke up. She wasn't the Prince. I don't think there's more to it.

[Jon's Queen Consort]

Well I posted my theory a while back about what I think is really happening in Dorne which included my suspicions of Mellario's whereabouts. If you want to read it here:

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/90411-somethings-rotten-in-dorne-the-illyrio-varys-doran-yronwood-conspiracy-long-read/

Very interesting!

She had to leave, when the marriage broke up. She wasn't the Prince. I don't think there's more to it.

She could stay in her own household, she didn't need to leave.

[Mayura]

As far as physical appearance goes, Mellario is apparently 5'2, the same size as Arianne, they are small :-)

I know some of you aren't going to like it, but the WOIAF app (my new best friend in the world gives some details about Mellario that I didn't remember from the books - the suicide threat part):

"When Doran attempts, some year afterwards, to send Arianne to Tyrosh so that she might meet Viserys, his wife violently refuses to allow it. Doran had already sent her son Quentyn to Lord Yronwood some years before, despite her objections, so Mellario threathens to kill herself if her daughter is taken from her. Doran relents, but this proves the last straw for his marriage, regardless. Shortly thereafter, Mellario departs from Norvos, estranged from her husband".

It is also mentionned that Doran overlooked the way Rhaegar treated Elia and ran away with Lyanna Stark because he knew that one day his sister would be queen and that his nephew Aegon would unherit the throne.

---> I didn't recall the "Arianne episode" between Mellario and Doran. But then it seems even weirder that Mellario would willingly leave to Norvos and not see her children while she was so sad to be separated from them. Also, Mellario might not want Arianne to see Viserys because she has another plan up her sleeve under the name of (f)Aegon, who knows. Which would mean that Mellario is working independently of Doran and knows Aegon is alive and lurking in Essos.

Edit: hence it could be possible that all Dorne wants is to have one of their offsprings on the throne, hence they are definitely going to back up (f)Aegon if it means they can have that. However, Doran doesn't seem aware of the existence of Aegon. But Mellario, on the other hand, might have witnessed some agitation in Essos and figured out something.

[Fire Eater]

Mellario left, as that decision had been building up over a long time. GRRM said it was bad marriage based on something exciting and new with Doran being attractive in his youth while Mellario was very engaging. The love fell out, and she left him but was upset with Doran that she couldn't bring her children with her.

I wonder about her reaction when she learns what happened to Quentyn.

[RandomStark]

What? I don't understand it. GRRTH is so confusing!

Wow. Planetos is a simple, straight forward word to describe GRRM's world. Thank you. Planetos is so much better.

Yeah but GRRTH rhymes with Earth (girth). It's easier to say and quicker to type lol. But yeah, Planetos is immediately easier to work out and my own preferred world-reference.