Advanced Crackpottery 4 - Daario Naharis: International Man of Mystery

[Lady Blizzardborn]

Hello and welcome back to Advanced Crackpottery: the series where it’s mostly made up and no points are awarded. If you are looking for a comprehensive, well-supported, bulls-eye of a theory…this is not the thread for you. And really the title of my series should have clued you in. But if you’d like a bit of fun with possibilities, buckle up ’cause this may be my best one, and I will tell you up front that it is definitely the longest one.

Seriously, you might want to take a few days to cover this (read a post, take a break, come back tomorrow, repeat). I’ve separated it into seven posts so that no one ends up crushed by the Wall of Text. Please note the disclaimer at the end, and I hope you enjoy the ride.

In an odd way, Valentine’s Day is really appropriate for posting this theory. Daario is both a lover and a fighter and is certainly a romantic—bringing Dany flowers all the time early in their relationship, spouting poetic phrases, praising her beauty, etc. If they celebrated this holiday in Westeros, Mr. Naharis would be a master at it. Let’s take a look at what could be going on with Dany’s valentine.

Some people think Daario is hiding something. Some say he’s Benjen. Some say he’s Euron. Some say he’s a Faceless Man. I have another idea.

 

Theory: Daario Naharis is (wait for it) a descendant of Daemon Blackfyre through the female line.

 

Why can’t he just be Daario Naharis? You ask. Well he is Daario Naharis. Naharis is the surname of his father. His Blackfyre blood would come from his mother.

Please allow me to draw your attention to a young man I like to call King Aegon the Smokescreen. When we meet little Aegy, his hair is dyed blue to mask his Valyrian looks, with a cover story that his mother was from Tyrosh and he dyes it in her honor. Remember that in addition to hiding the silvery Targ hair, this also makes his purple eyes look blue.

When we meet Daario, who actually is from Tyrosh so far as we know, his hair and beard are dyed blue, and his eyes are blue.

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ASoS, Dany IV:

His beard was cut into three prongs and dyed blue, the same color as his eyes and the curly hair that fell to his collar.

 

Yet when he later dyes his beard (and half of his hair) purple, his eyes look “almost purple.” Dany thinks of this twice and even muses that he looks like “some lost Valyrian.”

 

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ASoS, Dany VI:

Daario had plundered himself a whole new wardrobe in Meereen, and to match it he had redyed his trident beard and curly hair a deep rich purple. It made his eyes look almost purple too, as if he were some lost Valyrian.

…

 His eyes looked almost purple today...

 

I know, almost purple is not the same as actual purple. But not all Valyrians/Targaryens have purple eyes. Good Queen Alysanne’s eyes were described as a clear blue. Prince Valarr (son of Baelor Breakspear, and grandson of Daeron II) also had blue eyes. Daario’s eyes get a lot of play in the text. Five mentions, two of them in the same paragraph. I haven’t counted mentions of other characters’ eyes in the series so I can’t assign a specific weight to this; I just find it interesting. It is also worth noting that Tyrosh is where the remaining Blackfyres settled, Daemon’s widow Rohanne having been the daughter of a Tyroshi archon.

But back to King Diversion…plant the Golden Company with Aegon and the smokescreen works even better. About half the readers who are active on this forum are convinced that Aegon is a Blackfyre; if he’s not, then GRRM has them right where he wants them…looking in the wrong place. That doesn’t guarantee Daario is a Blackfyre, but I think you’ll find the case I lay out worthy of consideration.

Let us look at Mr. Naharis in greater depth in the next post.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

When Daario first arrives on the page, Dany thinks he’s flamboyant even for a Tyroshi. She should know, because she lived in Tyrosh longer than any other place, long enough that she has a Tyroshi accent. He’s got his blue three-pronged beard—the only three-pronged beard in the series, by the way—blue hair falling to his collar, gold mustachios, various shades of golden clothing, suede gloves, blue fingernail polish even. He not only attracts attention, he demands it. The guy is wearing Myrish lace, and his doublet has dandelion-shaped medallions. You don’t dress the way Daario does unless you’ve got money. Yellow is not the best color for practical clothing, and yellow suede gloves are definitely not intended for anything much more strenuous than waving. If House Naharis had house words, they’d probably be “If you’ve got it, flaunt it.”

As he and his Stormcrows co-captains are leaving, he looks back and gives a polite inclination of the head. His mama taught him manners apparently. Even sellswords have mothers.

Later he returns with the heads of his fellow-captains. He drops them on the floor and the dragons go to town. Let’s take a look at his reaction to that…

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ASoS, Dany IV:

If her dragons discomfited Daario Naharis, he hid it well. For all the mind he paid them, they might have been three kittens playing with a mouse. 

 

Dany is described as queasy over it, but not Daario.  Odd for a guy who is new to dragons, don’t you think? Not that anybody on the planet—Blackfyre or otherwise—is used to seeing them around, but you’d think he’d at least glance at them while they’re eating the head of his former colleagues. I don’t think he was attached to them or anything, just…come on, their heads are being fried and eaten in his presence by the only dragons living and he doesn’t even look over once?

He continues to display absolutely no nerves, concern, or worries over the dragons, even suggesting letting Rhaegal and Viserion loose after they’ve been confined—the only other person in Dany’s entourage who I remember doing this is Brown Ben Plumm…and he has dragonblood.

Daario also displays a rather interesting vocabulary for a sellsword, especially one who can’t read or write as is suggested in ADwD when he offers to write his reports in his blood if Dany will send her “little scribe” to show him how to make the letters. Look at some of the things he says to Dany:

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"My sword is yours. My life is yours. My love is yours. My blood, my body, my songs, you own them all. I live and die at your command, fair queen."

"Two have presented themselves to bask in your radiance."

"You need not even say the word, my radiance. Only give the tiniest nod, and your Daario shall fetch you back his ugly head."

"Bright queen," he said, "you have grown more beautiful in my absence. How is this thing possible?"

“…I was hurrying home to my queen, to bask in the warmth of her smile."

"Would I steal from my sweet queen? If it were a gift worthy of you, I would have put it into your soft hands myself." 

 

Where did this guy, who implies to Barristan that he cannot read or write, learn to speak like a poet? Not that it can’t be done, but most of the sellswords we’ve seen are about a million miles from being as smooth as Daario is with words.

Generally, such speech and manners belong to the noble class, yet we’ve been given no background on this guy. Given how close he is to Dany, we should know more. We know the basics of Brown Ben’s story. We know Barristan’s, and Jorah’s, and even some about the Meereenese who are in Dany’s court.

Why so little on Daario, George? Are we maybe hiding something?

As Jorah said, even Daario’s beard wears false colors. And while Jorah was jealous when he said this, that doesn’t make him wrong.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

Next let’s us move on to a section I call Game of Quotes. This game will be played over four rounds, and separated into three posts (because two of the rounds are a lot longer than the other two).

 

Round One: examining how Daario tends to pop up in Dany’s thoughts in connection with her identity as a Targaryen.

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ASoS, Dany V:

The dragon has three heads, but I have only one. She thought of Daario.

…

What would it mean, if I took him into my bed? Would that make him one of the heads of the dragon?

 

ADwD, Dany IV:

"He would make a monster of me," she whispered, "a butcher queen." But then she thought of Drogon far away, and the dragons in the pit. There is blood on my hands too, and on my heart. We are not so different, Daario and I. We are both monsters.

 

ADwD, Dany VI:

Get the heads of all the noble houses out of their pyramids on some pretext, Daario had said. The dragon's words are fire and blood.

 

 

Three chapters, four references. And I didn’t include a couple of blood references that I found interesting despite their lacking the fire half of the Targ words, but I will be happy to share those as well upon request.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

Round Two: some dragon-ish things about Daario.

 

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ASoS, Dany V:

"The harpy is a craven thing," Daario Naharis said when he saw it. "She has a woman's heart and a chicken's legs. Small wonder her sons hide behind their walls."

Now I ask you, who but the dragon would so scorn the harpy? I mean the harpy has been running things pretty successfully for a long time without interruption, and is not going down without a fight. Seems to be a bit of a sneer in the quality of those words, and why should some nobody sellsword have such opinions? Maybe it’s just that he happens to be on Team Dragon. *shrug*

 

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ASoS, Dany V:

"I must have this city," she told them, sitting crosslegged on a pile of cushions, her dragons all about her. Irri and Jhiqui poured wine. "Her granaries are full to bursting. There are figs and dates and olives growing on the terraces of her pyramids, and casks of salt fish and smoked meat buried in her cellars."

"And fat chests of gold, silver, and gemstones as well," Daario reminded them. "Let us not forget the gemstones."

Dragons in literature are rather known for their love of treasure. Dany’s thinking food, Daario’s thinking hoard. One of these people is, at the very least, far more practical than the other.

 

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ADwD, Dany II:

On the road to Yunkai, when Daario tossed the heads of Sallor the Bald and Prendahl na Ghezn at her feet, her children made a feast of them. Dragons had no fear of men.

Seems Daario has no fear of men either. Granted we don’t get his POV.  He could be scared all the time and just never show it.

 

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ADwD, Dany IV:

“I told them they would live longer fighting with your dragons than against them, and they saw the wisdom in my words."

…

Daario tossed away the pear stem. "Qartheen have milk in their veins. Let them see your dragons, and they'll run."

That’s two mentions of the dragons, who are currently chained up, in one scene. The only other adviser of Dany’s who wants to let the dragons out  IIRC is Brown Ben Plumm…who has dragonblood.

 

This next quote is my favorite.

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ADwD, Dany VI:

As Daario Naharis took a knee before her, Dany's heart gave a lurch. His hair was matted with dried blood, and on his temple a deep cut glistened red and raw. His right sleeve was bloody almost to the elbow. "You're hurt," she gasped.

"This?" Daario touched his temple. "A crossbowman tried to put a quarrel through my eye, but I outrode it. I was hurrying home to my queen, to bask in the warmth of her smile."

Traditionally, one of the best ways to kill a dragon, is a crossbow quarrel/bolt or arrow through the eye.

 

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ADwD, Dany VIII:

Daario was war and woe.

…

If he did not betray her, he would master her. She did not know which of those she feared the most.

War and woe. Fire and blood. Dragons plant no trees. Et cetera.

As to the second sentence, who but a dragon can master a dragon?

 

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ADwD, Dany X:

The carcass was too heavy for him to bear back to his lair, so Drogon consumed his kill there, tearing at the charred flesh as the grasses burned around them, the air thick with drifting smoke and the smell of burnt horsehair. Dany, starved, slid off his back and ate with him, ripping chunks of smoking meat from the dead horse with bare, burned hands. In Meereen I was a queen in silk, nibbling on stuffed dates and honeyed lamb, she remembered. What would my noble husband think if he could see me now? Hizdahr would be horrified, no doubt. But Daario …

Daario would laugh, carve off a hunk of horsemeat with his arakh, and squat down to eat beside her.

Yeah. Dragons like their meat charred.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

Round Three: a note on betrayals.

 

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ADwD, Dany IV:

The Second Sons have gone over to the Yunkai'i." Daario turned his head and spat. "That's for Brown Ben Plumm. When next I see his ugly face I will open him from throat to groin and rip out his black heart."

Well that’s one for gold. And Jorah’s was for love of home. So if we don’t count MMD for blood, that’s the only one left. If Daario betrays Dany, it will be for blood. The only way that makes sense to me is if he’s a Blackfyre. If you’ve got a better explanation for Daario betraying Dany for blood, do let me know—there’s no chance I’ve thought of everything.

Also, is it just me or did Daario take this a bit personally? Which brings us nicely to round four.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

Round Four: waking the dragon, and Targaryen/Blackfyre madness.

 

Aside from his obvious displeasure at Brown Ben’s turncloaking, our Daario has quite the temper, and the further we go in the story the more it’s in evidence, as is the boldness of his behavior. When we meet him, he’s ostentatious and over-the-top in his manner, but look what happens later…

 

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 ADwD, Dany VII:

… of late he grew too bold. On the day that he returned from his latest sortie, he had tossed the head of a Yunkish lord at her feet and kissed her in the hall for all the world to see, until Barristan Selmy pulled the two of them apart.

ADwD, Dany VIII:

If Daario were here, this meal would end in blood.

…

Daario had only grown wilder since her wedding. Her peace did not please him, her marriage pleased him less, and he had been furious at being deceived by the Dornishmen. When Prince Quentyn told them that the other Westerosi had come over to the Stormcrows at the command of the Tattered Prince, only the intercession of Grey Worm and his Unsullied prevented Daario from killing them all. The false deserters had been imprisoned safely in the bowels of the pyramid … but Daario's rage continued to fester.

…

“You made Daario look a fool, and he is not a man to forget such a slight."

 Note that Grey Worm and his men had to restrain Daario from killing the little Dornish group (read that wrong before) fake turncloaks. Daario surely isn’t the only hothead in the series who has an ego issue, but add the four of those together and mix in his reaction to Brown Ben’s betrayal. Could be a bit of Targ madness coming to the surface in bits and pieces.

Let’s add these quotes to the mix…

 

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ADwD, Dany VI:

But Daario is right, I shouldn't have banished him. I should have kept him, or I should have killed him. She played at being a queen, yet sometimes she still felt like a scared little girl. Viserys always said what a dolt I was. Was he truly mad? She closed the book. She could still recall Ser Jorah, if she wished. Or send Daario to kill him.

…

Viserys would have his head off for that insolence. "I am the blood of the dragon. Do not presume to teach me lessons." When Dany stood, the lion pelt slipped from her shoulders and tumbled to the ground. "Leave me."

Daario gave her a sweeping bow. "I live to obey."

 

Hmm. Two Viserys references when she’s thinking about and dealing with Daario. And despite potentially having ‘woken the dragon’ Daario isn’t a bit worried about Dany being upset with him. Dragons fear no men…they are bold creatures.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

I have more information—including Which Targ Daario Most Resembles in Temperament; an accidental and incredibly fun discovery—but honestly this is already way longer than I thought it would be. If anyone is interested, I’ll be happy to go into other and more minor points in the discussion.

 

Final note: per one of his editors, GRRM uses a three-fold strategy on his big things. IF—and I know it’s a big if, that’s why I used all caps—Daario is indeed a hidden Blackfyre then I submit that the first, and most subtle hint is when he pays no attention to the dragons eating the heads of his late colleagues; the second is when he is said to look like some lost Valyrian, and the third…well the third is the reveal and clearly we haven’t gotten to that.

Thank you for reading. If you’re still here, I recommend taking a nap. That’s what I’m going to do. 

 

 

*Disclaimer: some of the information given in this theory comes from my use of the website A Search of Ice and Fire, which I have been told behaves differently for some people than it does for me. This may not be an issue, but thought I should mention it just in case.*

[Sea Dragon]

Wow. This is really cool. I also just posted about Daenerys and Daario. Maybe it is because of Valentine's Day like you said? I think this is really good because the Targaryen blood seems to keep them together so this makes sense.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

Thanks, Sea Dragon. It definitely would add another layer to their interactions. There are so many little lines that take on a whole new meaning if Daario is a Blackfyre descendant.

[KingMance]

Well, it makes way more sense than him being Euron. And it would make me a little less callous towards Dany if she was bedding a "secret targ" rather than just some Elton John dressing sellsword. Great job, Lady B! I'm keeping this pot on the (edge of) shelf.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

Thanks, KingMance.

[bemused]

@Lady Blizzardborn Hi! I'm really liking this so far, Kudos. ...and so far it's not really in disagreement with my own theory  (I don't know if you remember..) I'm still involved with a couple of other things before I get back to it.

[Curled Finger]

I feel like I've been waiting for this for years?   Has it really been years?  Lady B, this is wonderful and very well timed.   I absolutely love the fun you've poked at the subject while keeping facts very straight and relatively brief.   I've read a few Daario is threads and I suppose there is something to all of them.   We've all got quotes that stand out to us and help form the basis for some of our ideas.   But you've been fair with this!   So, I'm in.   Let's have the rest of the quotes and this mysterious resemblance.   Pretty please?  

You've woven a nice answer to a really unforeseen side mystery here.  I wouldn't be sad if Daario is a Targ or Blackyre or Brightflame or whatever Valyrian.   An introduction of this nature holds a great deal of possibility for Dany learning how to control her dragon and learn to actually be a dragon herself.  Makes me rethink all the smartass remarks I made under my breath while reading the latest Dany & Daario thread.  I don't dislike Daario and have long thought he's got an ulterior motive for joining Team Dany.  You may have blown the top off it, Lady. Well worth the wait.  

[Lady Blizzardborn]

Hey @bemused I don't recall your theory but I do remember we had some fun discussions.  Nice to see you.  

@Curled Finger not sure how long you've been waiting, but I think it's been around a year between when I got the idea to actually put this together and my actually getting it put together. I'm not sure I believe this (though that crossbow thing really jumped out at me when I was doing the research), but I do think it's a fair possibility. 

I'll wait a bit on adding all the minor quotes, but I will tell you right now that Daario has a lot in common with Daemon Targaryen, son of Baelon, and brother to Viserys I. Daemon Blackfyre was both descended from AND named for that Daemon, so it's really cool that a potential Blackfyre gives off the same air as the Rogue Prince did. Archmaester Gyldayn said Daemon was as charming as he was hot tempered. Sound like anyone we know? 

The funny thing is that I was not remotely looking for this similarity, but stumbled onto it when I was searching wiki articles for male Targaryens being described as "lithe." Also amusing: the only Targ I found who was described as "lithe" was Daena the Defiant. I'm not sure whether her being Daemon Blackfyre's mother makes it less funny or more so.

[bemused]

18 minutes ago, Lady Blizzardborn said:

 

Hey @bemused I don't recall your theory but I do remember we had some fun discussions.  Nice to see you.

I have 2 parts archived..I wanted to wait until after the board changes to finish, then life and distractions intervened.. now you're inspiring me to bump it up my list. (apologies to Barbrey ...)

I don't want to discuss here and throw your thread out of whack.. think we may each have part of the puzzle.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

2 minutes ago, bemused said:

I have 2 parts archived..I wanted to wait until after the board changes to finish, then life and distractions intervened.. now you're inspiring me to bump it up my list. (apologies to Barbrey ...)

I don't want to discuss here and throw your thread out of whack.. think we may each have part of the puzzle.

Awesome. Looking forward to seeing it.

[Curled Finger]

1 hour ago, bemused said:

@Lady Blizzardborn Hi! I'm really liking this so far, Kudos. ...and so far it's not really in disagreement with my own theory  (I don't know if you remember..) I'm still involved with a couple of other things before I get back to it.

I remember and that was what certainly got me thinking about Rico Suave I mean Daario and the weirdness of his appearance.  Standing by for more that too!

[Curled Finger]

1 hour ago, Lady Blizzardborn said:

Hey @bemused I don't recall your theory but I do remember we had some fun discussions.  Nice to see you.  

@Curled Finger not sure how long you've been waiting, but I think it's been around a year between when I got the idea to actually put this together and my actually getting it put together. I'm not sure I believe this (though that crossbow thing really jumped out at me when I was doing the research), but I do think it's a fair possibility. 

I'll wait a bit on adding all the minor quotes, but I will tell you right now that Daario has a lot in common with Daemon Targaryen, son of Baelon, and brother to Viserys I. Daemon Blackfyre was both descended from AND named for that Daemon, so it's really cool that a potential Blackfyre gives off the same air as the Rogue Prince did. Archmaester Gyldayn said Daemon was as charming as he was hot tempered. Sound like anyone we know? 

The funny thing is that I was not remotely looking for this similarity, but stumbled onto it when I was searching wiki articles for male Targaryens being described as "lithe." Also amusing: the only Targ I found who was described as "lithe" was Daena the Defiant. I'm not sure whether her being Daemon Blackfyre's mother makes it less funny or more so.

Years, year--time is skewered in this long wait between books.  I will go back and read both Daemons, but it sure sounds similar, doesn't it? I really enjoyed the premise of this Blackfyre twist.   Wouldn't that just be the best if this is exactly what GRRM has done.  I love a fun speculation and this is fun.   I'll be checking in for the minor quotes then.  

[Sea Dragon]

I thought more about this. I did a little reading to be sure and Tyrosh is known for pear brandy, and then later Viserion is coiled around a pear tree, and then Daenerys gives Daario a pear to eat. It reminded me of the peach Renly gave to Stannis but Daario actually eats his fruit.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

10 hours ago, Sea Dragon said:

I thought more about this. I did a little reading to be sure and Tyrosh is known for pear brandy, and then later Viserion is coiled around a pear tree, and then Daenerys gives Daario a pear to eat. It reminded me of the peach Renly gave to Stannis but Daario actually eats his fruit.

Very cool find, Sea Dragon! I'm now putting Daario firmly in the "might ride Viserion" category. 

The parallel to Renly and Stannis is interesting in that Stannis refusing the peach can be considered symbolic of the two of them coming to a point where reconciliation is impossible. Daario on the other hand seems willing to let Dany take the lead. Of course she has dragons, but if Daario in genuinely love with Dany that would trump any designs he might have had on the throne.

11 hours ago, Curled Finger said:

Years, year--time is skewered in this long wait between books.  I will go back and read both Daemons, but it sure sounds similar, doesn't it? I really enjoyed the premise of this Blackfyre twist.   Wouldn't that just be the best if this is exactly what GRRM has done.  I love a fun speculation and this is fun.   I'll be checking in for the minor quotes then.  

It's really just the first Daemon who reminds me so much of Daario. Picture Daario in the same position as he was and it's not hard to see him acting exactly the same way. I do think that the second Daemon being named for the first, and Daario possibly descending from both is kind of awesome.

So glad you enjoyed this. I put a lot more work into it than I did with my previous theories. I'm actually not sure the other three count as theories.