Why did Illyrio give Dany the dragon eggs?

[Davjos]

The topic recently opened by @The Fresh PtwP regarding the origin of Dany's dragon eggs opened a question is my mind.

Why would Illyrio give Dany the incredibly valuable dragon eggs, THREE of them, if he supported fAegon's claim on the IT. They could have bought a decent army, are a well known status-symbol for the Targs and they very unexpectedly hatched. 

It makes very little sense for Illyrio to give such an important historical relic to a Targ-claimant he only wants to wreak havoc on Westeros, not actually take the throne. If Westeros sees fAegon+Golden Company vs. Dany+Dothraki I imagine people would often side with the most doubtless claim and the eggs could play a role in convincing people their claim is legit. A nice amount of Unsullied could also be bought with them, potentially making Dany stronger than fAegon.

So why not give her one and give fAegon two?

If you ask me there are a few options:

• Illyrio had other eggs laying around to give fAegon. This seems quite doubtful, since fAegon doesn't knowingly have them yet and there is no mention of hatching-attempts following Dany's succes (although only her Khallessar know how to). 
• Illyrio sees Dany as a decent second choice and wants to strengthen her position/army/claim. 
• The most logical and realistic option is that our lord and savior GRRM had not thought of fAegon and Illyrio+Varys supporting him when he gave Dany the dragon eggs. 

So what do you guys think? A small mistake in the story? A mistake by Illyrio? What happened here?

 

[Dorian Martell's son]

1: A ostentatious display of wealth at the wedding of the most powerful horse lord 
2: something appropriate for a dragon queen. The last of them. (f)Aegon is still a secret at that point 
3: She was never expected to survive for long. Neither was her brother 
4: He very well may have eggs for (f)Aegon, but since Griff and co had lived in hiding for most of young griff's life, carrying around a dragon's egg would give up his secret. The same would go for a Targaryen ancestral sword.  
5: Illyrio didn't see Dany as anything until word got back to him about a little targ girl who had three baby dragons. That is when he decided to support her 

[Davjos]

@Dorian Martell's son

The display of wealth could very well have been necessary to put him and the Dothraki on an 'even' level. Could very well be a powerplay by Illyrio. 
2. Not really a strong point because he knew about fAegon before he gave the eggs so to him it wasn't secret to him.
3. So he wanted to reclaim the eggs after Dany's death? Seems far too uncertain and risky.
4. Yes.
5. He gave her the marriage and the eggs before they hatched. So he was already faking support for her, setting her up for his fAegon-plan.

So yeah, showing off could have been a factor in his actions. 

[Dorian Martell's son]

24 minutes ago, Ethelarion said:

@Dorian Martell's son

The display of wealth could very well have been necessary to put him and the Dothraki on an 'even' level. Could very well be a powerplay by Illyrio. 
2. Not really a strong point because he knew about fAegon before he gave the eggs so to him it wasn't secret to him.
3. So he wanted to reclaim the eggs after Dany's death? Seems far too uncertain and risky.
4. Yes.
5. He gave her the marriage and the eggs before they hatched. So he was already faking support for her, setting her up for his fAegon-plan.

So yeah, showing off could have been a factor in his actions. 

1: Everything with him is a power play. Powerful guests, displays of wealth, and Dragon eggs for the last dragon queen 
2: Of course it wasn't a secret to him. It is a secret to everyone else. That is why (f)Aegon didn't get one yet 
3:  Who ever said that? Illyrio can always get more rocks if he wanted to 
4: We are in agreement 
5: pretty much. She was a pawn in his game of thrones. Little did he know that she would be a player 

[Davjos]

1 minute ago, Dorian Martell's son said:

1: Everything with him is a power play. Powerful guests, displays of wealth, and Dragon eggs for the last dragon queen 
2: Of course it wasn't a secret to him. It is a secret to everyone else. That is why (f)Aegon didn't get one yet 
3:  Who ever said that? Illyrio can always get more rocks if he wanted to 
4: We are in agreement 
5: pretty much. She was a pawn in his game of thrones. Little did he know that she would be a player 

2. It doesn't make sense giving them to Dany though. I understand him not giving them to fAegon yet but you don't give away something just because you don't need it in a couple of years. He could have kept them safe for a year and just give them to fAegon as soon as he intended to sail West.
3. If he expects Dany to die it doesn't make sense giving her any dragon eggs, so I assumed you meant he could get them back from Dany when he needed them for fAegon. 

If he intended the eggs to reach fAegon before he would take the throne, he wouldn't have given them to Dany right. 

[WalkinDude]

Why wouldn't he just kill Viserys and have Dany marry Aegon?  He gets his Blackfyre on the Throne and has the Targaryen heir who would pose a threat to his plan under his thumb as well.  Even if Varys and Illyrio know about Jon, having Rhaegar's eldest son and sister on the throne removes any claim Rhaegar's bastard would have.

 

Maybe Aegon wasn't part of the story from the start (I tend to think not, because he wasn't in the published outline Martin originally submitted). so the eggs were a plot device that later hatched.  While Dragon Eggs are priceless, they're still worth a lot less than the 7 kingdoms and the Iron Throne.  Providing the eggs to Dany removes any doubt of his loyalty.  You can come up with any reason you want, but I think the simplest answer is Martin didn't plan on Aegon being in the story.

[Lost Melnibonean]

The Mother of Dragons needed eggs to hatch, and a wedding gift from a wealthy (apparent) benefactor was a much less clumsy plot device than having her stumble upon them in the Dothraki Sea. Especially since that wealthy benefactor was a trader in dragon bone and had dealings in Asshai where dragons stirred beneath the sunrise. And they had to be stone since the red herring would be less effective if Daenerys had woke dragons from egg shells. 

Really, there is no rational reason for Illyrio to give her the eggs other than to buy Drogo or at least put the balance of gift giving back in his favor. (Illyrio gave Drogo the dragon bride, and Drogo gave Illyrio fortune in horses and slaves.)

[Lost Melnibonean]

20 minutes ago, WalkinDude said:

Why wouldn't he just kill Viserys and have Dany marry Aegon?  He gets his Blackfyre on the Throne and has the Targaryen heir who would pose a threat to his plan under his thumb as well.  

 

Maybe Aegon wasn't part of the story from the start (I tend to think not, because he wasn't in the published outline Martin originally submitted). so the eggs were a plot device that later hatched.  While Dragon Eggs are priceless, they're still worth a lot less than the 7 kingdoms and the Iron Throne.  Providing the eggs to Dany removes any doubt of his loyalty.  You can come up with any reason you want, but I think the simplest answer is Martin didn't plan on Aegon being in the story.

Perhaps he planned to make Viserys an offer he could not refuse: recognize your nephew or swim with the fishes in the Bay of Pentos. And he was using Daenerys to get the khalasar. 

I have no doubt that Aegon was part of the story from the start. That's why his face was bashed in, so he couldn't be recognized. 

[Chris Mormont]

There doesn't appear to be any logic for Illyrio to back 2 Targaryens.  Remember, although he gave the eggs to Danny, Viserys was supposed to get the Dothraki army to take Westeros.  And he wasn't expecting Viserys to die, he tried to convince him to stay with him at his Manse until Drogo was ready to give him the army.

I don't think he ever considered that they would ever hatch.  He was probably just showing off his wealth

[Dorian Martell's son]

9 minutes ago, Ethelarion said:

2. It doesn't make sense giving them to Dany though. I understand him not giving them to fAegon yet but you don't give away something just because you don't need it in a couple of years. He could have kept them safe for a year and just give them to fAegon as soon as he intended to sail West.
3. If he expects Dany to die it doesn't make sense giving her any dragon eggs, so I assumed you meant he could get them back from Dany when he needed them for fAegon. 

If he intended the eggs to reach fAegon before he would take the throne, he wouldn't have given them to Dany right. 

what doesn't make sense? Varys is most likely how he got the rocks, and he is filthy rich, so he can probably just buy more rocks, because that is all they were until the end of the first book. Rocks. Pretty rocks, but only rocks. She is  the last dragon queen, and that is a selling point to Drogo. He is wedding the last dragon. (f)Aegon has nothing to do with this. He is still being hidden and groomed for kingship. The big show is Dany, the last dragon queen riding east into the land of savages and grass. 

Again, what doesn't make sense about sending dany off to die with lavish gifts? By sending her away, her brother follows and Viserys is out of Illyrio's hair. Assume nothing. Fatty McFatterton cared nothing about dany and her rocks or any other gift he got her. she was a pawn left to die. Illyrio is super mega rich. If he feels he needs an egg for (f)Aegon he would get another. There was no plan 

[Maxxine]

I've always leaned toward option 3 when it come (f)aegon & Varys/Illyrio support not bc of the dragon eggs though. I think Illyrio is so rich the dragons eggs meant nothing to him. He can buy an army without them and he had no idea they would hatch. They were just something used to build trust and show off. 

But the whole Varys & Illyrio always supported faegon is complete bs to me. You're support someone but you would give his biggest threat to throne an army. How does that make sense? At the very least you kill Viserys & marry Dany to Aegon. 

[Lost Melnibonean]

7 minutes ago, Maxxine said:

I've always leaned toward option 3 when it come (f)aegon & Varys/Illyrio support not bc of the dragon eggs though. I think Illyrio is so rich the dragons eggs meant nothing to him. He can buy an army without them and he had no idea they would hatch. They were just something used to build trust and show off. 

But the whole Varys & Illyrio always supported faegon is complete bs to me. You're support someone but you would give his biggest threat to throne an army. How does that make sense? At the very least you kill Viserys & marry Dany to Aegon. 

He intended to keep Viserys close, and he apparently sent Jorah to keep tabs on the Targlings. 

[Dolorous22]

I'm quietly confident Iilyrio expected the Targ kids to die in the Dothraki sea. Viscerys didn't stand a chance. He was too far gone and too unpredictable not to mention that his culture and customs were completely at odds with the Dothraki. And Dany was this meek and shy thing. I kind of expected her to hand them straight over to Drogo as is customary with many wedding gifts a Khaleesi receives on her wedding day. OR, if we look at Targs throughout recent history, we could speculate that he intended to drive her mad with dreams of dragons, resulting in a similar catastrophe to that of Summerhall. 

I could never believe that Dany hatching dragons was Iilyrio's plan to begin with. It's a huge risk to pack off the Mother of Dragons with a horde of barbarians. I think it's also worthwhile to note that handing precious and valuable things to the Dothraki is nothing strange in the slightest. The whole 'package' Iilyrio gifts the Dothraki is by and large a very good one. There was no arrangement in place at all, there doesn't need to be one. Give them stuff and they won't kill you. Combine that with the fact that the Dothraki like their trophies and pile them up at Vaes Dothrak. Especially the remains of people they've defeated. A targ Queen with dragon eggs to boot is a massive boon from Iilyrio. 

[Cersei's Nachos]

1 hour ago, Maxxine said:

I've always leaned toward option 3 when it come (f)aegon & Varys/Illyrio support not bc of the dragon eggs though. I think Illyrio is so rich the dragons eggs meant nothing to him. He can buy an army without them and he had no idea they would hatch. They were just something used to build trust and show off. 

But the whole Varys & Illyrio always supported faegon is complete bs to me. You're support someone but you would give his biggest threat to throne an army. How does that make sense? At the very least you kill Viserys & marry Dany to Aegon. 

The best would be to kill Viserys, and instead of marrying Dany to Aegon, keep them both single for future alliances through marriage if needed. She's the last female Targ, Aegon's heir and beautiful surely her hand is worth a good deal.

[Clegane'sPup]

I got questions but first I'll start off with:

"Why does he give us so much?" she asked. "What does he want from us?" For nigh on half a year, they had lived in the magister's house, eating his food, pampered by his servants. Dany was thirteen, old enough to know that such gifts seldom come without their price, here in the free city of Pentos.

 

Magister Illyrio was a dealer in spices, gemstones, dragonbone, and other, less savory things. He had friends in all of the Nine Free Cities, it was said, and even beyond, in Vaes Dothrak and the fabled lands beside the Jade Sea. It was also said that he'd never had a friend he wouldn't cheerfully sell for the right price.

Quote

 

A Game of Thrones - Daenerys II

Magister Illyrio murmured a command, and four burly slaves hurried forward, bearing between them a great cedar chest bound in bronze. When she opened it, she found piles of the finest velvets and damasks the Free Cities could produce … and resting on top, nestled in the soft cloth, three huge eggs. Dany gasped. They were the most beautiful things she had ever seen, each different than the others, patterned in such rich colors that at first she thought they were crusted with jewels, and so large it took both of her hands to hold one. She lifted it delicately, expecting that it would be made of some fine porcelain or delicate enamel, or even blown glass, but it was much heavier than that, as if it were all of solid stone. The surface of the shell was covered with tiny scales, and as she turned the egg between her fingers, they shimmered like polished metal in the light of the setting sun. One egg was a deep green, with burnished bronze flecks that came and went depending on how Dany turned it. Another was pale cream streaked with gold. The last was black, as black as a midnight sea, yet alive with scarlet ripples and swirls. "What are they?" she asked, her voice hushed and full of wonder.

"Dragon's eggs, from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai," said Magister Illyrio. "The eons have turned them to stone, yet still they burn bright with beauty."

 

Why did ? Illyrio give her the eggs? I gotta wonder. I mean FfC was when it was revealed by Doran that Arianne had been secretly promised to Viserys. Were Varys and Illyrio involved in that transaction?

Combine that with Illyrio wanted Viserys to stay in Pentos when Dany left with Drogo and that Illyrio didn’t think that Dany would survive her life with the Dothraki.

Throw into that JonCon has been with the boy, Aegon, for approximately twelve years. As was revealed in DwD.

Quote

 

A Dance with Dragons - The Lost Lord

Griff wondered how many of them knew who he was. Few enough. Twelve years is a long time. Even the men who'd ridden with him might not recognize the exile lord Jon Connington of the fiery red beard in the lined, clean-shaved face and dyed blue hair of the sellsword Griff. So far as most of them were concerned, Connington had drunk himself to death in Lys after being driven from the company in disgrace for stealing from the war chest. The shame of the lie still stuck in his craw, but Varys had insisted it was necessary. "We want no songs about the gallant exile," the eunuch had tittered, in that mincing voice of his. "Those who die heroic deaths are long remembered, thieves and drunks and cravens soon forgotten."

What does a eunuch know of a man's honor? Griff had gone along with the Spider's scheme for the boy's sake, but that did not mean he liked it any better. Let me live long enough to see the boy sit the Iron Throne, and Varys will pay for that slight and so much more. Then we'll see who's soon forgotten.

 

Why did Illyrio give her the dragon eggs that are supposedly more precious than rubies. I guess the easy answer is that Illyrio just thought they were pretty painted rocks and he had them dressed up in a fancy box to impress the party goers.

Interestingly, Bran, like Illyrio, makes reference to Asshai and dragons. Why? Illyrio says he the eggs are from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai and in Bran's dream he saw:

Quote

 

A Game of Thrones - Bran III

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.

 

If I were to water and feed my garden and let my weeds grow… why does Varys shave his head and why did that the man pay a hefty sum for Varys’ man parts?  If Illyrio thought the gift he gave Dany were actual dragon eggs wouldn’t he have saved them for Aegon?

 

[Lost Melnibonean]

14 minutes ago, Clegane'sPup said:

Why did ? Illyrio give her the eggs? I gotta wonder. I mean FfC was when it was revealed by Doran that Arianne had been secretly promised to Viserys. Were Varys and Illyrio involved in that transaction?

I don't think so. I recall an SSM stating Varys and Illyrio were not aware of that arrangement. 

[SFDanny]

I'm still leaning to the eggs being a gift from someone else who could not be openly named. Prince Doran, perhaps, or other hidden Targaryen supporters who might have access to Targaryen treasures. The prime suspect for bringing them to the wedding is the Archon of Tyrosh's brother. Illyrio giving them to Dany while plotting for Aegon makes no sense.

One of the oldest and as yet unresolved plot holes Martin hasn't answered.

[Frey family reunion]

Well one possibility is that Illyrio thought that Dany might be able to hatch the dragons as opposed to Aegon.  As to why Illyrio thought Dany might be able to is unknown, but do recall that present at Dany's wedding shower was a red priest as big as Illyrio.  Perhaps Moqorro?  And if we do have a red priest, it's possible that Illyrio could have been advised of a specific prophecy concerning Dany.

[Clegane'sPup]

46 minutes ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

I don't think so. I recall an SSM stating Varys and Illyrio were not aware of that arrangement. 

Doran told Arianne it made no difference who she was promised to because the cause of her betrothed death was a pot of molten gold. Do you have any ideas about how Doran came by that knowledge?

 

9 minutes ago, Frey family reunion said:

Well one possibility is that Illyrio thought that Dany might be able to hatch the dragons as opposed to Aegon.

Illyrio stated he did not think Dany would survive the Dothraki.

17 minutes ago, Frey family reunion said:

but do recall that present at Dany's wedding shower was a red priest as big as Illyrio.

I didn't notice that before you mentioned it. Yes, there was a red priest present and prior to that Illyrio says: "May the Lord of Light shower you with blessings on this most fortunate day, Princess Daenerys," the magister said as he took her hand, and "The Lord of Light would hold our city walls against a million Dothraki, or so the red priests promise … yet why take chances, when their friendship comes so cheap?"

Quote

Yet among them moved bravos and sellswords from Pentos and Myr and Tyrosh, a red priest even fatter than Illyrio, hairy men from the Port of Ibben, and lords from the Summer Isles with skin as black as ebony. Daenerys looked at them all in wonder … and realized, with a sudden start of fear, that she was the only woman there.

 

[Lord Varys]

1 hour ago, Clegane'sPup said:

I got questions but first I'll start off with:

"Why does he give us so much?" she asked. "What does he want from us?" For nigh on half a year, they had lived in the magister's house, eating his food, pampered by his servants. Dany was thirteen, old enough to know that such gifts seldom come without their price, here in the free city of Pentos.

Those and other thoughts of Dany's in the first book make it clear that Illyrio was always a person with his own agenda. He used the Targaryens for his plans, but they didn't know what they were. Dany's view on Illyrio later changed, of course, because he gave her her sun-and-stars, her dragon eggs, and later even Barristan Selmy and a bunch of ships. We see this happening in ADwD.

1 hour ago, Clegane'sPup said:

Why did ? Illyrio give her the eggs? I gotta wonder. I mean FfC was when it was revealed by Doran that Arianne had been secretly promised to Viserys. Were Varys and Illyrio involved in that transaction?

We know they weren't. Else we would not have seen both Aegon and Quentyn go to Daenerys.

1 hour ago, Clegane'sPup said:

Combine that with Illyrio wanted Viserys to stay in Pentos when Dany left with Drogo and that Illyrio didn’t think that Dany would survive her life with the Dothraki.

That's what he says later. Is it the truth? Difficult to say.

He cannot have wanted Viserys III and Dany both to die, however, since he and Varys both were really invested in the Dothraki invasion - which would never have happened if both Targaryens were dead. And the dragon eggs would then have been lost, too, of course.

1 hour ago, Clegane'sPup said:

Throw into that JonCon has been with the boy, Aegon, for approximately twelve years. As was revealed in DwD.

Why did Illyrio give her the dragon eggs that are supposedly more precious than rubies. I guess the easy answer is that Illyrio just thought they were pretty painted rocks and he had them dressed up in a fancy box to impress the party goers.

Interestingly, Bran, like Illyrio, makes reference to Asshai and dragons. Why? Illyrio says he the eggs are from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai and in Bran's dream he saw:

If I were to water and feed my garden and let my weeds grow… why does Varys shave his head and why did that the man pay a hefty sum for Varys’ man parts?  If Illyrio thought the gift he gave Dany were actual dragon eggs wouldn’t he have saved them for Aegon?

The best way to resolve this is to still expect that Illyrio did not give all his dragon eggs to Dany. Only some of them. We don't know what's in those chests Aegon received. But they wouldn't have needed chests for Blackfyre. They could have handed that over hidden in some oilcloth or something similar. There could be quite a few of dragon eggs in those chests.

53 minutes ago, SFDanny said:

I'm still leaning to the eggs being a gift from someone else who could not be openly named. Prince Doran, perhaps, or other hidden Targaryen supporters who might have access to Targaryen treasures. The prime suspect for bringing them to the wedding is the Archon of Tyrosh's brother. Illyrio giving them to Dany while plotting for Aegon makes no sense.

It certainly does. If there are more than three eggs. And if the plan always sort of included of having Viserys III team up with the Golden Company. That's what Tristan Rivers believes in ADwD. Could be that he has bad or incomplete information from Strickland but still...

They could have used Drogo and Viserys III to violently conquer the Iron Throne and later (after Varys had killed both Viserys III and Drogo) King Aegon VI to rebuild the land, with a widowed Daenerys (if she survived everything) marrying him. Drogo and Viserys actually going to Westeros with an army doesn't mean they have to live to reap the rewards of their labors. Quite the contrary, actually.

53 minutes ago, SFDanny said:

One of the oldest and as yet unresolved plot holes Martin hasn't answered.

It will be resolved. Both Dany and phantom Viserys think about the question in Dany's last chapter. This is a mystery George is very aware of and he most likely has come up with a resolution for this. It is not something the characters have forgotten. And there are hundreds of ways how he could answer it; one of the funnier ways would be Varys yelling at Illyrio while King's Landing is consumed by dragonfire outside the Red Keep: 'You gave her those blasted dragon eggs I provided you with! The ones I stole from cousin Aerys! You fat fool! Why the hell did you do that?!'

56 minutes ago, Frey family reunion said:

Well one possibility is that Illyrio thought that Dany might be able to hatch the dragons as opposed to Aegon.  As to why Illyrio thought Dany might be able to is unknown, but do recall that present at Dany's wedding shower was a red priest as big as Illyrio.  Perhaps Moqorro?  And if we do have a red priest, it's possible that Illyrio could have been advised of a specific prophecy concerning Dany.

That is a possibility. Illyrio and Varys begin to share some of their plans with the reader but it is unlikely that we know everything about them already. If they believed in certain prophecies they would have known that the savior has to go through some ordeals. Nobody told Azor Ahai how to make himself a proper Lightbringer. He had to figure that out all by himself. Just as Dany figured out how to hatch the dragon eggs.

Varys was in a unique position to learn everything about the important prophecies - the prophecy about the promised prince, the Ghost's prophecy to Jaehaerys II, Rhaegar's and Aemon's interpretation of those prophecies, etc. And he could have had his own prophetic dragon dreams if he actually has dragon blood.

Dany meets a lot of criteria for the promised prince. She was born on Dragonstone. Her birth was heralded by signs and portents, and she is Aerys and Rhaella's child - one possible interpretation of the Ghost's prophecy is that it will be one of their children. Viserys III was born in KL, and Rhaegar at Summerhall. Only Dany was born at the place of smoke and salt.