DAARIO NAHARIS, SON OF THE RED VIPER (Restored and Completed)

[bemused]

DAARIO NAHARIS , SON OF THE RED VIPER

(RESTORED AND COMPLETED)

 

I began this thread in 2015, but had only posted the first two parts before the board changes were complete. I've pulled those sections out of the archives (with  minor language changes) and finally sorted through the rest of my copious notes and quotes to complete my case. I would never, never have believed there was so much information to be gleaned about Daario when I first set myself to think about him. I'm tagging @Lady Blizzardborn  as promised and a few others who might be interested. @Curled Finger@The Fattest Leech ,  

Part I :  Introduction and Symbolism.

Introduction

I've always thought there was more to Daario than meets the eye, and have never understood why many people write him off as a cardboard character or why he elicits downright hatred in some. Once you start really looking at him, the character is rich in symbolism and (I think) quite the opposite of  the shallow, fickle or untrustworthy figure many readers and even other book characters (including Dany ) often believe him to be.

I started a thread back in 2013...  "Who are Daario and the Stormcrows ".. but my thoughts have become more fully developed since then, so I'm revisiting the topic. And as always, every time you open the books, you're almost guaranteed to find something new. I'm sure there's still more to be discovered. 

My hypothesis (perhaps not shared by many) is that the Stormcrows are the sellsword company founded by Oberyn.. and that they were founded specifically to support Doran's marriage pact, forming a core army for Viserys, when the time for his return came. I also think there's a very strong possibility that Daario is Oberyn's son, installed in the Stormcrows at a relatively young age, to take eventual sole control of the company, when the time was ripe, and when he was ready to lead. I'll come back to this a bit later on.
We don't know if Oberyn formed the company during his early exile, or afterwards. It seems most reasonable to me that his time with the Second Sons probably coincides with his exile, but not necessarily the formation of his own company. There are considerable stretches of time where his movements are unknown, so we can only guess.

We are informed that after Jon Arryn negotiated peace with Dorne following Robrt's Rebellion , Oberyn was "seldom" seen outside of Dorne , but we know he did travel after that - to Braavos, at least -  to arrange the marriage pact. "Seldom", doesn't mean never, and we've known of many characters travelling incognito. Besides, there are certain things, such as Doran's fostering exchange agreement with the Archon, that would likely not have been conducted by letter or trusted to an unrelated third party, since, like the pact, that agreement would also require the utmost secrecy.  

Symbolism..

Symbolically, Daario might be linked to many famous houses or causes from ASOIAF - he could be of the blood of old Valyria.. some Velaryon/Targaryen/Blackfyre/ Brightflame of some kind, or the descendant of some lost Lannister - but I also discern a possible Martell affiliation. I like this last the best. Those Martell clues may be the most subtle, but I think they're the most numerous.. and clues that are so well hidden don't make useful red herrings, so I don't think they're meant to mislead. They're in the text, but they're the ones we're directed away from, time and again.

Quite frankly, I don't see why more than one of those bloodlines can't come together in Daario, since we haven't been told the identity of either of his parents.

First, I want to look at the man himself. - GRRM has built a very intricate puzzle around Daario with clues to be found in his appearance, and also in his behaviour. Descriptions of him are scattered about , beginning in ASoS. I've kept them more or less in order, except for repeats - and I'll comment as we go.. 

- Daario Naharis was flamboyant even for a Tyroshi. 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. His pointed mustachios were painted gold. His clothes were all shades of yellow; a foam of Myrish lace the color of butter spilled from his collar and cuffs, his doublet was sewn with brass medallions in the shape of dandelions, and ornamental goldwork crawled up his high leather boots to his thighs. Gloves of soft yellow suede were tucked into a belt of gilded rings, and his fingernails were enameled blue.  

His beard, cut into three prongs might very subtly suggest a three headed dragon, having the same conformation - three branches extending from the whole - or it may suggest that three "factions" comprise the whole that is Daario.

Blue - blue symbolises (to name but a few) sincerity, loyalty, steadfastness - in short, it suggests he's what we would call  "true blue" - entirely trustworthy, in spite of the contrary reputation of sellswords. Also, he very well may be "blue blooded" in spite of Dany's (too) often repeated sentiment that he's "not the stuff of kings."
Gold - naturally, we immediately associate gold with Lannisters... He has dandelion-shaped medallions on his doublet. "Dandelion" is derived from the French for lion's tooth, 'dent de leon' .. but because of the shape and colour of the flower, dandelions are also strongly connected to sun symbolism and therefore (in-story) to the Martells... Some of Daario's gold is not gold at all. His dandelions (lion's teeth) are brass, his belt is only gilded, and his moustache, of course, is only painted. Some of his gold is genuine,which I'll comment on as the examples come up .. and I want to call to mind our sayings, "Show me the gold", or "That's golden", referring to what has value.. what is real.

(In an odd aside.. Joffrey had named his first sword Lion's Tooth ..Arya misremembers it as Lion's Paw in ASoS [ a paw is far less threatening that a tooth] and says she threw it into the river. They were at the Trident at the time [forever associated with Rhaegar]...and we see Daario more or less throw himself into association with Dany.)

"Ornamental goldwork crawled up his high leather boots to his thighs." - crawled like a snake (viper). I think "ornamental goldwork" might evoke a hint of the exoticism we associate with Dorne.. but "crawling" up to his thighs definitely does. Let's just say it.. the description is sexy.. something entirely compatible with Oberyn. And this gold is real, not brass or merely gilded. It's valuable. So the sexual attraction to Dany on Daario's part is genuine, not put on (and so,I feel, is the subtle evocation of Oberyn). Also, because the genuine goldwork is on his legs, where he says he stands is actually where he stands.

 Gold can also denote nobility, and we shouldn't forget that gold is enduring, implying constancy... Oberyn and Daario are both portrayed as having strong sexual appetites. Both are dangerous and deadly men. Both are charismatic. But we know that Oberyn is capable of great constancy - seen in his relationship with Ellaria and his devotion and support of Doran and his causes. He's Doran's emissary (or Hand) in Braavos and probably Tyrosh.. and in King's landing, he becomes Doran's weapon.
As a warrior, entirely clothed in yellow, Daario can be seen as the human embodiment of the Martell golden spear.
*****
- His hands were large and strong, and there was something in his hard blue eyes and great curving nose that suggested the fierceness of some splendid bird of prey. 
Birds of prey are frequently the symbols of royalty . His eyes are hard and blue... tough (ruthless?) yet sincere.

- ... His garb, rich as it was, had seen hard wear; salt stains patterned his boots, the enamel of his nails was chipped, his lace was soiled by sweat, and she could see where the end of his cloak was fraying.
We know Daario is no more afraid of getting his hands dirty than getting them bloody.. the state of his clothes show he's been through some rough times and though he has a taste for finery, he hasn't had access to it lately.

- A golden tooth gleamed in his mouth when he smiled.  - gold tooth / lion's tooth - another possible Lannister hint and a Martell hint in a roundabout way, which I'll explain  later....But (show me the gold).. his smiles for Dany are genuine and valuable, as is his advice. After many re-reads, I believe the following, his first declaration to Dany, is true...
- “Khaleesi,” he cried, “I bring gifts and glad tidings. The Stormcrows are yours.” A golden tooth gleamed in his mouth when he smiled. “And so is Daario Naharis!” 
His boasts are another thing entirely and I think he purposely makes them too outrageous to be believed ... A thousand women? Daario, please! 
*****
- He stood with his hands crossed at the wrists, his palms resting on the pommels of his blades; a curving Dothraki arakh on his left hip, a Myrish stiletto on his right. Their hilts were a matched pair of golden women, naked and wanton. 
 Hands crossed at the wrists - is the posture of someone whose hands are literally or figuratively tied. In this case, no bonds are apparent, but I believe Daario is subject to unseen restrictions. The hilts are in the palms of his hands, but his palms are inverted. Turn his palms up and they would be in a gesture of giving. Palms down, and with the idea of invisible bonds, he is not (yet) in a position to show or offer what those hilts represent. They are "wrought of gold", though...
... And there are many more references to those hilts...

- His strong hands caressed the hilts of his matched blades, those wanton golden women.

- The hilts of Daario’s arakh and stiletto were wrought in the shape of golden women, naked and wanton. He brushed his thumbs across them in away that was remarkably obscene and smiled a wicked smile.

- Daario brushed his thumbs across his sword hilts and smiled dangerously.

- She found herself thinking of Daario Naharis once again, Daario with his gold tooth and trident beard, his strong hands resting on the hilts of his matched arakh and stiletto, hilts wrought of gold in the shape of naked women.The day he took his leave of her, as she was bidding him farewell, he had brushed the balls of his thumbs lightly across them, back and forth. I am jealous of a sword hilt, she had realized, of women made of gold. Sending him to the Lamb Men had been wise. She was a queen, and Daario Naharis was not the stuff of kings.

Far too much is made of those sword hilts for them to be merely colour , or merely GRRM's way of alluding to the sexual tension between Daario and Dany. They are part of the mystery around Daario, and perhaps a key to it. Some of this I'll revisit later, when Daario gives "his girls" into Dany's care , but for now, just thinking in terms of in-story symbolism - 

First off, here , as elsewhere, Daario's hands are described as strong. So- he's capable, then... The golden women, valuable in themselves, are also valuable for what they represent and what they (perhaps) conceal. Because Dany is sexually attracted to Daario, she picks up on the suggestiveness of his caressing them. She thinks, he makes her want to be his wanton. .. I won't say that he doesn't intend at least something of that, but his caressing and brushing of the hilts also makes me think of the way a person handles worry beads, or a talisman of some kind. There may also be a bit of a parallel to the way Jon is always habitually flexing his sword hand. The hilts may be related to something that is always on Daario's mind, some thought or purpose that is hugely important to him.

One weapon is a Myrish stiletto..and this is a second mention of Myr, the first being his Myrish lace. So I speculate he has some connection to Myr (maybe politically, but it may have to do with the location, if not birthplace, of his mother. I'm waiting for more information... e.g., I don't know if any Blackfyre / Brightflame, Lannister, etc. wound up in Myr).. The other weapon is a Dothraki arakh.. Well , the woman we associate with an arakh is Dany herself...

Here, I think we need to pay attention to GRRM's careful use of language. These hilts are not identical, not cast from the same mould. We're told repeatedly that they are a "matched" set. This can mean that one was commissioned later to match the original. It's quite possible that the first was the Myrish stiletto and is a nod to Daario's mother, or maternal heritage ..his past, if you will... but the hilt for the arakh was matched to it later, and it represents Dany and his future path ... It could have been commissioned at any time since Dany was married off to Drogo. (Her progress has hardly been a secret)

I do find it somewhat amusing to think that Dany wants to be Daario's wanton... when in a way, she may already be.

*****

Now I want to turn from "Golden Daario" to "Purple Daario". From ASoS :

- 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.  
... And repeated later...
- If I want Daario I need only say so. She lay with Irri’s legs entangled in her own. His eyes looked almost purple today... 
Purple is generally the colour of royalty (at least high nobility) and his eyes, looking almost purple, clearly make us think of all the Valyrian-based bloodlines he might represent.. but ambiguities also exist in the description. His purple clothes are plundered, so while he may well have noble blood, he may equally simply be ambitious - deciding to take or claim royalty for himself. It may be a bit of both - knowing he's noble and desiring to have it recognised (and there's another mention of plunder later on).... As for his "almost purple" eyes, looking (or seeming) is not necessarily being... but many Targaryen (etc.) characters have not-quite purple eyes.. So GRRM has still planted a very noteworthy seed.

When Dany's story picks up again in ADWD, as she's longing for Daario's return from his mission to Lhazar , we're reminded immediately of his eyes. Barristan is speaking....
 - “There is no woman more lovely than Your Grace. Only a blind man could believe otherwise, and Daario Naharis was not blind.”
No, she thought. His eyes are a deep blue, almost purple, and his gold tooth gleams when he smiles for me.

Almost purple, but at the same time,  they're deep blue and we're simultaneously reminded of his gold tooth .. so for me, "almost purple" doesn't outweigh all the previous suggestions.

*****
When Daario arrives at last, it's with another new appearance...

- The captain wore striped pantaloons tucked into high boots of purple leather, a white silk shirt, a vest of golden rings. His trident beard was purple, his flamboyant mustachios gold, his long curls equal parts of both.

Striped pantaloons - oh, boy.. where to start? We don't know if these are horizontal stripes, vertical stripes, diagonal stripes... or if diagonal, would they  be seen to represent the heraldic bar dexter or bar sinister? If bar sinister - high on the wearer's left, low on his right (methinks) ... they'd denote bastardy.. but no device would be associated with a common bastard. We don't know the colours or how many are included, or if they're equal in width or not..Is one colour or another obviously the background or the foreground ? During our own medieval period, stripes of any kind were often associated with prostitutes, brigands, jesters, servants, all manner of low life, and even the Devil himself.. Of course this would also include bastards...so I'm sticking with that interpretation.

Purple leather boots - He stands and moves with some royal/ noble purpose in mind .. Dany's purpose , for sure, but perhaps not only hers.

White silk and golden rings -  screams "wedding" - and this is in the chapter where he begins to suggest she marry him. White is also the colour of purity, wholeness, completion, understanding, faith, etc. ..and represents new beginnings (a clean slate) . Silk is a fabric associated with wealth and/or nobility... and in ASOIAF and related works , often associated with Dorne.

Daario's hair (purple and gold in equal parts) says "royalty" better than any other colour combination.

We're told so little about Daario directly , but he's simply immersed in symbolism and veiled hints.

There will be more symbolic references as we go ahead; some are reminders, some related to what's going on in the story at that moment. I'll leave them for now, until they come up in later sections.

Just going by appearance, I think we have ample reason to suspect that Daario is far more noble than Dany or anyone around her would believe and that probably more than one important bloodline can be identified.

I think as we move ahead, the Martell line will prove to be his paternal line.

UPDATE : At the time I wrote the first two parts, I felt that Blackfyre was most likely to be the Valeryan bloodline represented and I had found a few references, and I've found more since. But in the meantime, Lady Blizzardborn has been working on Daario's identity from the Blackfyre perspective, and and is making a convincing and more detailed Blackfyre case in her own thread.. Daario Naharis, International man of Mystery.. I'll link to it at the end.

(As soon as I get this epic up, I'm off to read her thread in detail.)

So, as we move on, I feel Oberyn is Daario's father, a Blackfyre woman his mother, and Lannister most probably comes in somewhere along the way. There's a chance the Lannister references connect to Doran and Oberyn's anti-Lannister agenda, but I somehow feel it may be more than that.

 

Daario Naharis, Son of the Red Viper  - Part II

Comparing Daario to Oberyn

I'm not sure when I ceased to be swayed by "viper's eyes" and the famous widow's peak, but at some point during my compulsive re-reads, they began to seem like a distraction to me. 
In AFfC, The Captain of the Guard, when Hotah and Doran are met by Tyene, Hotah tells us..
Her hair was gold as well, and her eyes were deep blue pools . . . and yet somehow they reminded the captain of her father's eyes, though Oberyn's had been as black as night. All of Prince Oberyn's daughters have his viper eyes, Hotah realized suddenly. The color does not matter.
Alright, what does he mean by viper's eyes ? I'm quite sure he doesn't mean this..
https://www.google.ca/search?q=snake+eye&num=100&espv=2&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj2namclazSAhUXzGMKHQedBl0QsAQIJw&biw=991&bih=427#imgrc=HW5WK2hSaM9K2M:

... that is, lidless eyes with a vertically slit pupil. He means there is a similarity to Oberyn about his daughters' eyes .. maybe spacing and shape, perhaps an intense gaze or something in their expression... Oberyn is not called the Red Viper because of his eyes, but originally because of his reputed use of poison against Lord Yronwood. He IS the viper in "his viper's eyes".

I have to ask, how is it that Areo just comes to his realisation at that point, all of a sudden ? He's known all of the sand snakes for a long time - for Ellaria's young ones, perhaps practically from birth. The physical similarity in shape can't be that striking, or he would have noticed before. It would have been given to us as something he had often remarked, not a sudden realisation.

However, to look at an outside source, according to Martin S.Banks, a vision scientist at UC Berkley (regarding different pupil shapes in animals) .. "If you have a vertical slit, you're very likely to be an ambush predator." ... He may not have slit pupils, but "ambush predator" seems to suit Oberyn well.. I'm perfectly willing to accept that there may be something predatory about the eyes of Oberyn and his daughters.

Dany has noticed something predatory about Daario as well ... there was something in his hard blue eyes and great curving nose that suggested the fierceness of some splendid bird of prey. ...ASoS , Daenerys IV

Though only a subtle connection, this still puts Oberyn and Daario in the same general ballpark for me. Vipers and raptors are both deadly predators. As for Oberyn's widow's peak.. These can be shaved or plucked. I don't believe that someone who dyes his hair and dyes and shapes his beard, wouldn't resort to plucking, if he had a reason (or even if it just suited his fashion sense).. Besides, it's Dany who dwells on his physical appearance for us, and a widow's peak might not be something she finds particulary remarkable.We have no way of knowing. I'm very curious to see what Daario might look like in TWoW, through another POV (e.g.,Tyrion), after he's spent some time as a hostage (maybe without access to his usual grooming aids).

Yes, there are people around Dany who know, or have met, or have at least seen Oberyn - Quentyn and his friends, Barristan, even Jorah ... but there are plenty of attention-grabbing details in Daario's appearance to distract them. They have no reason to connect him to Oberyn or Dorne in any way, and besides, they "know" that Oberyn has only fathered daughters.

In all other physical aspects, Oberyn's daughters seem to favour their mothers. They are very distinct from each other. They're not peas in a pod, feminine replicas of their father. Why would a son be any different? ... And we have no way of knowing whether, if Daario was seen next to a sand snake, there might be a resemblance about the eyes.

For me, it's the similarities in character implied in the use of similar descriptors for Daario and Oberyn (and by association the sand snakes) that stand out. I'm quoting these from various points across the novels..

Daario.. Fickle, faithless, brutal... dangerous, even cruel... fierce
Oberyn...  Deadly, dangerous, unpredictable.... carnal... fierce 
Sand Snakes (variously)... deadly, prickly, hot-tempered, dangerous ... unruly)

Then, there's the sexual "bad boy" charisma that both Oberyn and Daario exude. We witness it's effects on Arianne ... I sat beside the well and pretended that some robber knight had brought me here to have his way with me, she thought, a tall hard man with black eyes and a widow's peak. The memory made her uneasy.  "I dreamed," she said, "and when the sun went down I sat cross-legged at my uncle's feet and begged him for a story." .... AFfC, The Queenmaker (Robber knight = plunderer?)
...and it's effects on Dany ... Dany looked down at the sellsword again. He gave her such a smile that she flushed and turned away .... ASoS Dany IV

Before we meet Oberyn, Tyrion informs us... He knew the man only by reputation, to be sure ... but the reputation was fearsome. ...  ASoS, Tyrion V

We don't hear anything negative of Daario, specifically, when he's introduced, but we do have a general mistrust of sellswords. His reputation is built for us through his actions, and his treatment of Prendhal and Sallor makes for quite a "fearsome" start.

 Building his own image

Daario himself, contributes to the disapprobation that many characters hold him in (and that many readers share), with his over the top braggadocio and theatrical overstatement. For just a few examples, among others..

I count no day as lived unless I have loved a woman, slain a foeman, and eaten a fine meal... and the days that I have lived are as numberless as the stars in the sky. I make of slaughter a thing of beauty, and many a tumbler and fire dancer has wept to the gods that they might be half so quick, a quarter so graceful. I would tell you the names of all the men I have slain, but before I could finish your dragons would grow large as castles, the walls of Yunkai would crumble into yellow dust, and winter would come and go and come again.” 

(He spins a good story - like Oberyn)
*****
Dany laughed. She liked the swagger she saw in this Daario Naharis. “Draw your sword and swear it to my service.” 
In a blink, Daario’s arakh was free of its sheath. His submission was as outrageous as the rest of him, a great swoop that brought his face down to her toes. “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.” 
****
" .. You boasted that you’d had a hundred women.”
“A hundred?” Daario chuckled through his purple beard. “I lied, sweet queen. It was a thousand.
But never once a dragon.”
I think his boastfulness is misleading. The question in my mind is, does he intend it to mislead, and if so, why?

GRRM and the Great Snake Set-up

Before I go on to the various opinions about Daario in Meereen, I want to point out what I think has been a careful build-up by GRRM. - Oberyn displays the sun and spear of Dorne, but unlike others, he is never spoken of as his sigil personified. He's known as the Red Viper, and is referred to by that name, or simply as the viper - as in Doran's, "Oberyn was ever the viper". But in ASoS, George goes out of his way to make sure that when we read "the snake" or "a snake" it will evoke Oberyn.

 Lady Olenna starts it off, while speaking of Willas' injury.. "That snake of a Dornishman was to blame, that Oberyn Martell, .."  ...ASoS, Sansa I ... Then, throughout Tyrion's chapters (IV through X), there's a steady drumbeat... 
 
1.. It might serve, Tyrion had to concede, but the snake will not be happy. 
2.. Does the snake think I have Sansa squirreled away somewhere, like a nut I’m hoarding for winter? 
3.. Tyrion had to skip and run to keep up with Prince Oberyn’s long strides. The snake is eager, he thought. 
4.. for an instant Prince Oberyn had wings. The snake has vaulted over the Mountain 
5.. the Red Viper was . . . well, a snake
6.. I hope to seven hells that you know what you are doing, snake. 

More often than not, when Tyrion thinks of Oberyn, it's as "snake" rather than viper.. why is that ? Why not "viper" for the Red Viper? 

The pattern is kept alive in AFfC by Cersei.. ".. that smiling Dornish snake" .. Cersei I

"These Dornishmen cannot be trusted. That red snake championed Tyrion, have you forgotten that?" ... Cersei, in Jaime III

(Throughout AFfC and beyond, no character in or from Dorne refers to Oberyn as "snake".)

In ADWD,  both Cersei and Tyrion offer up reminders...

"Is this Dornish wine?" Tyrion asked him once, as he pulled a stopper from a skin. "It reminds me of a certain snake I knew. A droll fellow, till a mountain fell on him." ...Tyrion I

All Dornishmen were snakes, and the Martells were the worst of them. The Red Viper had even tried to defend the Imp, ... Cersei I

Taking into acount that so many of these come from Tyrion, and knowing Tyrion's present location, I'll be watching to see if more hints come when he meets Daario.

What are they saying about Daario ?

There's potentially a lot to be gleaned in other characters' opinions of Daario. However, we need to be mindful that those characters may not always be right. Like us, they can be misled. Sometimes ideals or personal rivalries colour their perceptions. Daario's flamboyant appearance and his sometimes rash behaviour certainly sway them, as does the well known reputation of sellswords... So, there's a general consensus among the characters that Daario is simply too low-born for Dany... including in Dany's own too-oft repeated opinion, that cries out to be de-bunked. 

At this point, thanks to the snake set-up, we've been primed to receive a number of hints that follow in ADWD, that put Daario and snakes/ vipers/ the Red Viper side by side in conversations and thoughts, without the characters ever connecting them directly. 

First from Daenerys V...

The Shavepate's scowl turned his ugly face even uglier. "A mistake. The Great Master Hizdahr plays Your Worship for a fool. Do you want a serpent in your bed?"
I want Daario in my bed, but I sent him away for the sake of you and yours.

 They're speaking about Hizdahr, but Dany's thoughts take us in a heartbeat (hers) from serpent straight to Daario.

In The Queensguard, Barristan merely keeps Daario in our minds by pondering the events at Daznak's pit ... Would Daario have moved more quickly if he had been beside the queen that day? Selmy thought he knew the answer to that, though it was not one he liked.

But in The Discarded Knight, his thoughts of Daario begin to increase. Here, he unwittingly gives his most direct hint to my hypothesis, as he watches Quentyn & co. and realises the danger they are in... 

Martell was dancing in a vipers’ nest, and he did not even see the snakes. 

By "dancing in a vipers’ nest" Barristan means Meereen is very dangerous place for Quentyn, just as Doran similarly warns Nymeria that King's landing is "a pit of snakes" ... It's simple, on the surface, but if we mentally change snakes to the singular, instead of plural,

Martell was dancing in a viper's nest, and he did not even see the snake. 

A "nest" is generally associated with mating and procreating. Daario and Dany have been retreating to their 'love nest' every night. If I'm right about Daario, it is a viper's nest, but the snake is hidden. .. I think GRRM uses "vipers' nest" in an intentionally suggestive way, when he could as easily have used Doran's "pit of snakes" , or "nest of adders", as Maynard Plumm/Bloodraven does in The Mystery Knight, to convey the same superficial meaning.

Aside: Back in Daenerys II, Dany informed us.. The old knight neither liked nor trusted Daario, she knew. ...In spite of this, Barristan tries to be fair to Daario, giving credit where credit is due (as he sees it) and even defends him on occasion, for Dany's sake.

Still in The Discarded Knight, Barristan calls up the Red Viper twice, in thought ... Nor was Prince Lewyn his only uncle. He is kin to the Red Viper. ... and in conversation ...

Quentyn Martell went pale. “Me? I would never … you cannot think I had any part in any …”
That was the truth, or he is a master mummer. “Others might,” said Ser Barristan. “The Red
Viper was your uncle. And you have good reason to want King Hizdahr dead.”
“So do others,” suggested Gerris Drinkwater. “Naharis, for one. The queen’s …”
“… paramour,” Ser Barristan finished, before the Dornish knight could say anything that might
besmirch the queen’s honor. 
 ... <snip> ...
 “Daario would kill Hizdahr in a heartbeat if he dared,” Ser Barristan went on. “But not with
poison. Never. And Daario was not there in any case.... ... No, my prince. If His Grace needs a poisoner, he will look to you.”

..so, Oberyn's relation to Quentyn has twice been brought to our minds, but then GRRM has Gerris butt in and place Daario right next to them, making him equal to Quentyn in motivation. Barristan undoes this only somewhat, by flatly disassociating Daario from poison.

Ahead in The Kingbreaker, in Barristan's confrontation with Hizdahr, not only does Barristan's prediction of where Hizdahr will place the blame come true, but the main beats of his exchange with Quentyn & co. are repeated, with Hizdahr performing the function of Gerris...

“Was the poison your work, Magnificence?”
King Hizdahr backed away a step. “The locusts? That … that was the Dornishman. Quentyn, the
so-called prince. Ask Reznak if you doubt me.”...<snip>... " ... They’re all poisoners, these Dornish. Reznak says they worship snakes.”
...<big snip>...
“Lust? You dare speak to me of lust?” The king’s mouth twisted in anger. “I lusted for the crown, aye … but not half so much as she lusted for her sellsword. Perhaps it was her precious captain who tried to poison her, for putting him aside. And if I had eaten of his locusts too, well, so much the better.”
“Daario is a killer but not a poisoner.”

Hizdhar makes Quentyn and Daario equally suspect, so mentally we could include Daario in "these Dornish" .. But is there any reference to Oberyn? - ".. They’re all poisoners, these Dornish. Reznak says they worship snakes.”... We know that Dorne has no snake worshipping religion. However, Oberyn "the snake" is nothing short of worshipped in Dorne - by pretty well every character we meet, and the populace in general.

Again, while acknowledging Daario is deadly, Barristan uncouples him from poison. But curiously, before confronting Hizdahr (while with Skahaz), his thoughts offer up a slight contradiction to his assertion ...

Her love for Daario is poison. A slower poison than the locusts, but in the end as deadly.

Her love for Daario is the poison, but we know that she was seduced by Daario. If you like, he made her love him.This poison traces back to him.

(Among these many connections to Oberyn , I also found one or two that hint at a Lannister or possible Blackfyre/Brightflame connection. I'm not ignoring them. I'll refer to them in a later section.)

No Fit Consort

Dany thinks so very often of Daario's unsuitability as a husband, I'm sure that this will ultimately be disproved (even if it happens after it's too late to do anything about it). She's like a kid who's continually sticking her tongue out. Sooner or later, someone's going to give it a pinch.

Dany constantly feels the attraction between them (though overpowering) is inappropriate, and many other characters must echo the sentiment. Of course, since she's the Queen, it's a risky thing to express. Even so, though we have only her POV and Barristan's, occasionally we se some of those feelings surface.

Early in ADWD, she's worried that he's too long away, and may have betrayed her.. or that he's found someone more beautiful. Barristan is telling her stories of her family to soothe and distract her - this time of her mother and the love between her and Bonnifer Hasty.
 
"... His passion was impossible, of course. A landed knight is no fit consort for a princess of royal blood.”
And Daario Naharis is only a sellsword, not fit to buckle on the golden spurs of even a landed knight. ... Barristan's words, Dany's thoughts - Daenerys II

From here on , she repeatedly reminds herself.. (taken at random)..

She was a queen, and Daario Naharis was not the stuff of kings.

He was only a sellsword, no fit consort for a queen.

He will never be more than he is. He will never be the stuff of kings.Why couldn't he be better born?  

(to Daario).. “We cannot wed, my love. You know why.”

In The Kingbreaker, we learn Skahaz' opinion when he's ready to let the hostage Daario die..
".. Let theStormcrows choose another captain, one who knows his place. ...<snip> .... she will
never forget him, no … but better for all of us if he is dead, yes? Better for Daenerys too.”

Inwardly, Barristan agrees... Better for Daenerys, and for Westeros. Daenerys Targaryen loved her captain, but that was the girl in her, not the queen. 

You know, sometimes a cigar is not just a cigar, but a prank cigar that explodes when you least expect it... Already there have been two intriguing instances that begin to give the lie to the consensus. In Daenerys VI when Barristan Interrupts Dany's dinner with Hizdahr to tell her the Stormcrows had returned...

A flicker of annoyance crossed the noble face of Hizdahr zo Loraq. “The queen is at her supper. These sellswords can wait.”
Ser Barristan ignored him. “I asked Lord Daario to make his report to me, as Your Grace had commanded. He laughed and said that he would write it out in his own blood if Your Grace would send your little scribe to show him how to make the letters.”

... Hizdahr is usually announced  as "the noble Hizdahr". Barristan takes no orders from him and no doubt resents he should presume to answer for Dany, and that one of Dany's companies should be waved off as "these sellswords", so he elevates Daario's status to "Lord Daario". Yes, it's a jab at Hizzy, but it just might hint at Daario's actual status. Barristan may not like Daario much, but he likes Hizdahr less... he already respects Daario to a degree -  might his opinion improve further, if he discovered Daario is more than he seems to be?

Then, poor  doomed Quentyn, who seems resigned to accepting Barristan's characterization of Daario as "paramour", reacts to Hizdahr like this... Anger flashed in the prince's dark eyes. "This Ghiscari lordling is no fit consort for the queen of the Seven Kingdoms."  .. I think he's right, but the like opinions of Daario are wrong.

 

Daario Naharis, Son of the Red Viper - Part III
 
Lust, Love, Marriage and More 

 Dany and Daario's relationship begins with lust - it's obvious in the behaviour of both from the outset, and she will later confirm ... I wanted you from the first time that I saw you, but you were a sellsword, fickle, treacherous. ... Daenerys VI, ADWD

Through ASoS, we see Dany's feeings evolve from liking Daario's swagger, to blushing and turning away from his suggestive glances and smiles, to imagining  his kisses, to wondering if she could love him, and through ADWD, we see that she does come to love him. She thinks that her desire and love are against her better judgement , but I question whether it's a case of lust leading her astray, or some deeper instinct impelling her onto the right path.

 I should never have taken him into my bed. He was only a sellsword, no fit consort for a queen, and yet …
I knew that all along, but I did it anyway. ... Dany VIII

I've frequently noticed with other characters (notably Jon, but not only Jon) that their instinctive response to a problem often leads to a better, or truer course, than adhering to conventional wisdom. I sense the same is true here, because generally, Dany is not particularly self-indulgent.

I say the right path because whatever his initial motivations, I believe Daario does genuinely love Dany. Although he began with an agenda, I believe his agenda is not opposed to her interests. I think he's been caught between a rock and a hard place and has not yet been in a position to reveal his identity or purpose.

Their meeting when Daario returns from his mission in Dany IV is loaded with information. From her preparation through to sending him away, it's worth reading over and over. 

When she's dressing to receive him, what would she like to wear ?
Starlight and seafoam, Dany thought, a wisp of silk that leaves my left breast bare for Daario’s delight. Oh, and flowers for my hair. When first they met, the captain brought her flowers every day, all the way from Yunkai to Meereen.

But she opts against self indulgence ...
“Bring the grey linen gown with the pearls on the bodice. Oh, and my white lion’s pelt.” She always felt safer wrapped in Drogo’s lionskin. 

Grey represents maturity, neutrality, experience - but can also hint at sadness, indecision and bleakness. Pearls are strongly associated with the moon, all things feminine and wisdom...Then there's the safety of Drogo's lionskin. She's arming herself against the attraction she feels for Daario... and here's an interesting tidbit - some ancient chinese cultures saw pearls as protection against dragons. ... She's attempting to save herself from herself.

I dwelt on Daario's appearance in the first section - the royal colours, the white silk and gold rings of weddings. There's more to find in the setting and scattered throughout their conversation.

Daenerys received the captain on her terrace, seated on a carved stone bench beneath a pear tree. A half-moon floated in the sky above the city, attended by a thousand stars. Daario Naharis entered swaggering. He swaggers even when he is standing still. The captain wore striped pantaloons tucked into high boots of purple leather, a white silk shirt, a vest of golden rings. His trident beard was purple, his flamboyant mustachios gold, his long curls equal parts of both. On one hip he wore a stiletto, on the other a Dothraki arakh. “Bright queen,” he said, “you have grown more beautiful in my absence. How is this thing possible?”

The half moon is "attended by a thousand stars" - attended, like a queen. (Though this moon queen is only halfway to her full power).. and attendant like those stars, Daario, as the son of Oberyn, would represent the Dornish sun. ..Echoes of "My sun and stars"? ... He calls her "bright queen" who has "grown more beautiful" - as if he's calling her the moon - and farther on..  Moonlight glimmered in his eyes - eyes, the windows of the soul - combined with even his parting, "I live to obey" , hold echoes of "Moon of my life". 

(Side note: In ASOIAF, stone so often hides something or someone (in this case Daario) ..and this stone has been carved (shaped) to perform a useful function.It supports Dany.)

Though their desire and growing love for each other is not consummated at this meeting, this is where Daario first proposes marriage. Does this foreshadow their marriage ? Maybe.. I think there definitely is important foreshadowing in another matter.

Dany is seated beneath a pear tree - a symbol of enduring friendship and love because the tree lives so long. The pear is a feminine symbol - connected to sexuality and pregnancy because of it's shape.

“I have not eaten in two days, but now that I am here, it is enough for me to feast upon your beauty.” 
“My beauty will not fill up your belly.” She plucked down a pear and tossed it at him. “Eat this.” 
“If my queen commands it.” He took a bite of the pear, his gold tooth gleaming. Juice ran down into his purple beard. ... (Oh, ladies! Break out your fans..)

Later, Dany will call Daario beautiful. Her beauty cannot fill up his belly, but his beauty can fill up hers. As they continue to converse... “I trust all my men. Just as far as I can spit.” He spat out a seed and smiled at her suspicions. ... Could that be more suggestive?

I think Dany is definitely miscarrying at the end of ADWD, and that the locusts were not intended to kill her, but to bring on an abortion in case she was pregnant by Daario. And indeed, in this conversation, Daario identifies What the GG and Hizdhar want from Dany, for their own dynastic ambitions ... (Of course, killing would follow later.)

Daario shrugged. “Most queens have no purpose but to warm some king’s bed and pop out sons for him. If that’s the sort of queen you mean to be, best marry Hizdahr.” 
Her anger flashed. “Have you forgotten who I am?” 
“No. Have you?” 
... If consummation of their desire is foreshadowed here (and it is) and pregnancy is also foreshadowed (I believe it is), why not an eventual marriage?

Even though Dany ends the scene by sending Daario away in anger...  When Dany stood, the lion pelt slipped from her shoulders and tumbled to the ground. ... Drogo has been supplanted in her affections..

I'll come back to Daario's advice later.. for now I want to stay on what we can discern about his feelings for Dany.

Daario and Beloved

The word beloved is used fairly often in the ASoIaF novels and related material (I've searched). Usually, it's used in broad terms, such as in public or group opinions, or as a polite compliment, or to denote favourite things. Some random examples ...  "Aegon the Unlikely, beloved by the common folk,"  ... or... "That had not made him beloved of his guards" ... or... "I declare upon the honor of my House that my beloved brother Robert, our late king, (Pylos' draft of Stannis' letter, soon to be corrected.) ... or... "tokars, that peculiar garment beloved by the old blood of Slaver's Bay" ... "his beloved books" ... and so on.

Frequently, it's used sarcastically, ironically or disingenuously, as in ...
 "If it is Sandor Clegane that we encounter, what would you have me do?"
Pray hard, Jaime thought, and run. "Send him to join his beloved brother and be glad the gods made seven hells. One would never be enough to hold both of the Cleganes." .. AFfC, Jaime III 
... or...

"Some masters free their slaves when they die," said Penny.
Sweets tittered. It was a ghastly sound. "Only favorites. They free them from the woes of the world, to accompany their beloved master to the grave and serve him in the afterlife." ...ADWD,Tyrion XI 
... or...

Pycelle's mouth opened and closed. "Your Grace must know, I did all that could be done for the poor man."
"As you did for Joffrey? And his father, my own beloved husband? ...AFfC, Cersei IX... Of course, sometimes it's used sincerely, to describe a personal relationship, e.g. "Shiera Seastar who became the greatest beauty in the Seven Kingdoms, beloved of both her half brothers, Bittersteel and Bloodraven, whose rivalry would ripen to hatred"...or.. "his beloved wife", "their beloved daughter"..etc. ...This category is scattered throughout all ASoIaF works, but never repeated twice using "beloved" in connection to the same two people, that I can find - with one exception. 

In The Watcher in ADWD.. Areo Hotah acknowledges that Ellaria was Oberyn's "beloved paramour" twice ... Doran Martell sat in his rolling chair between his daughter Arianne and his dead brother's beloved paramour, Ellaria ... and later in the chapter... Ellaria Sand, Prince Oberyn's beloved paramour, who had been with him in King's Landing when he died.
..These are Hotah's inmost thoughts, so he's not being polite for anyone's benefit. That Ellaria had been Oberyn's paramour for some 15 yrs. and bore 4 of his daughters also makes it believable for us.

There is one other unusual use of the word. I couldn't find , across all the ASoIaF works to date , 'beloved' used as a spoken term of endearment between one character and another - with one exception ...

"I will leave my girls with you," her captain had said, handing her his sword belt and its gilded wantons. "Keep them safe for me, beloved. We would not want them making bloody mischief amongst the Yunkai'i." ... ADWD Daenerys VIII
... and then she repeats the memory in her last chapter ...
She wondered if her captain's blades still hung upon the wall beside her bed, waiting for Daario to return and claim them. "I will leave my girls with you," he had said. "Keep them safe for me, beloved."  ... ADWD, Daenerys X

No other examples of that usage, two repetitions from Hotah about Oberyn, and the same number of repetitions from Dany quoting Daario.. I can't think that's coincidental (not from GRRM, in all the thousands of words he's written), so I must think it's meant to form a parallel - to prompt a comparison of the two men.

Daario and Sharing

Daario brings Dany flowers every day on the road to Meereen. Not just as a compliment, but sharing his knowledge of them ,  "to help her learn the land".
In ADWD, Dany X ...  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.

Though this doubles as one of my Blackfyre mama clues (in behaviour, Daario = Dany, who is a dragon) it also evokes this, from ASOS, Tyrion V.. Tyrion to Oberyn..
"Did you tire of your paramour on the road?"
"Never. We share too much." 

A Harmony in Dorne

I've compared how Oberyn's sexual charisma affected Arianne with the way Daario's affects Dany .. but this next example took me completely by surprise and and hardened my opinion.

First, I'll note that although others address Dany as sweet queen, e.g. Xaro and Hizdhar, both with dubious sincerity ... and although Daario calls her variously, my queen, bright Queen, cruel Queen etc. - he only ever addresses her as sweet queen twice, in Dany VI  (when he returns having accepted Quentyn & co.) and twice again in Dany VII (when he will introduce Quentyn & co.) Keeping that in mind... 
Back in AFFC, The Queenmaker, following Arianne's "uneasy" memory of Oberyn, Myrcella and Arys arrive to join her company..

As Ser Arys helped her (Myrcella) from the saddle, Drey went to one knee before her. "Your Grace."
"My lady liege." Spotted Sylva knelt beside him.
"My queen, I am your man." Garin dropped to both knees.
...Arianne performs the introductions...
Garin was next, a loose-limbed, swarthy, long-nosed fellow with a jade stud in one ear. “Here is gay Garin of the orphans, who makes me laugh,” said Arianne. “His mother was my wet nurse.” 
“I am sorry she is dead,” Myrcella said. 
“She’s not, sweet queen.” Garin flashed the golden tooth Arianne had bought him to replace the one she’d broken. 

Garin drops to both knees in a more exaggerated gesture than his counterparts, with a slight hint of Daario's declaration..
"Khaleesi," he cried, "I bring gifts and glad tidings. The Stormcrows are yours." A golden tooth gleamed in his mouth when he smiled. "And so is Daario Naharis!"... ASOS, Dany IV .. also from ASOS, Dany V ... And Daario Naharis made her laugh, ...
No-one is as over the top as Daario, but Garin's behaviour is exaggerated. ... Garin will be banished to (wait for it) Tyrosh for two years for his part in Arianne's debacle... I can't help but wonder if another Martell broke and replaced Daario's tooth ... and if Daario's mother is alive.

 

Part IV -  Blackfyre and Lannister , Fury and Stormcrows

Blackfyre and Lannister

If, as I suppose, Oberyn had a son with a Blackfyre woman and that child is Daario, he would have been born during Aerys' reign, which would be a very good reason not to mention his existence, given Aerys' insane paranoia, and the vulnerability of Elia ... and later, Robert was unlikely to make a distinction between Targaryens and Blackfyres. Both would be seen as a threat to his crown. He would be after the child and probably wanting to make Dorne pay, as well.

Here are the Blackfyre clues that turned up for me along the way ... From ADWD, the first standout for me, was Daario saying a crossbowman tried to put a quarrel in his eye (Dany VI) and Dany's image of Daario sharing in Drogo's kill with her. (Dany X) 

Then there's "monster"  ....
 I am the blood of the dragon, she thought. If they are monsters, so am I. ...  Dany II ..thinking of her dragons.

He is a monster. A gallant monster, but a monster still.. ... Dany IV...hammered home 3 times

I have waited so long for him to come back, and I send him away. "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. .. Dany IV

"Pets?" screeched Reznak. "Monsters, rather. ..."  ... Dany V

... and this one that at first seems somewhat tacky ... 
"Once I am wed it will be high treason to desire me." Dany pulled the coverlet up over her breasts.
"Then I must be a traitor." He slipped a blue silk tunic over his head and straightened the prongs of his beard with his fingers. He had dyed it afresh for her, taking it from purple back to blue, as it had been when first she met him. "I smell of you," he said, sniffing at his fingers and grinning. ... Dany VII 

..  I smell of you (same, same)...But in the very next sentence we're reminded of his gold tooth, bringing back the Dornish influence... 
Dany loved the way his gold tooth gleamed when he grinned. 

There's even more to be said, here. A few months ago, after a reading of The Mystery Knight, I realised that Daario's hair and three pronged beard , when blue and gold, are the colours used by Daemon, son of Daemon as John the Fiddler, and so,  "Then I must be a traitor" made me think of, "This is a traitor's tourney, ser."

Following along that track, there's another point of resonance in Daario's assessment of the Qartheen...  "Qartheen have milk in their veins. Let them see your dragons, and they'll run."... Dany IV ... This called to mind Lord Butterwell. According to Maynard Plumm ... "These Butterwells have milk running in their veins," ... and to Tommard Heddle, speaking to Butterwell...  "Not all of us have milk running in our veins, Your Lordship .." ... Of course, when Lord Butterwell saw dragons in the person of Egg with Maekar's ring, he ran.
All of these clues are enough to convince me that Daario's mother was a Blackfyre, but I think Lady Blizzardborn has done a more exhaustive search, so I'm recommending her thread again. (Link below) 

But what about the Lannister influence?

First there's the dandelions (dent de leon) on his doublet previously mentioned, then there's the fact that his hair is curly, a strong Lannister trait shared by Jamie, Cersei and their children..

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. ...ASOS, Dany IV

he had redyed his trident beard and curly hair a deep rich purple ...ASOS, DanyVI

His trident beard was purple, his flamboyant mustachios gold, his long curls equal parts of both. ... ADWD, Dany IV

Back in ASOS, we read.. On the road from Yunkai, Daario had brought her a flower or a sprig of some plant every evening when he made his report . . . to help her learn the land, he said. Waspwillow, dusky roses, wild mint, lady's lace, daggerleaf, broom, prickly ben, harpy's gold  ...ASOS, Dany V

We're reminded of this in ADWD, Dany IV ..  When first they met, the captain brought her flowers every day, all the way from Yunkai to Meereen.

It comes up again in ADWD Dany VII ...  
"Once you brought me flowers."
"Let Hizdahr bring you flowers. He is not one to stoop and pluck a dandelion, true, but he has servants who will be pleased to do it for him. Do I have your leave to go?"

... Dandelions (representing both Lannister and Martell) weren't mentioned in the other two instances.. but Daario uses it here, and it has double meaning. Hizdhar is not one to share with Dany the way Daario does and we all know plucked flowers soon wither and die... but Hizdhar is not man enough (in any sense) to "pluck" Daario.

Daario rolled toward her, his eyes open. "Daenerys." He smiled a lazy smile. That was another of his talents; he woke all at once, like a cat. ...Dany VII, ... This speaks for itself.. and I love this next ..

"They say all Lannisters are twisty snakes."
"Snakes?" Tyrion laughed. "That sound you hear is my lord father, slithering in his grave. We are lions, or so we like to say. But it makes no matter, Kem. Step on a snake or a lion's tail, you'll end up just as dead."..Tyrion XII ADWD

What ? NO, Kem, 'They' don't say that at all - only you have ever said such a thing. Tyrion is right about those tails..  and maybe, if you step on the tail of something that is both snake and lion, and dragon too, you end up dead three times as fast.

I toyed with the idea of the Lannister hints referring to Doran and Oberyn's anti-Lannister agenda, but it doesn't feel right.. So I wonder if Daario's mother's forbears are connected to..

The sword Brightroar came into the possession of the Lannister kings in the century before the Doom, and it is said that the weight of gold they paid for it would have been enough to raise an army. But it was lost little more than a century later, when Tommen II carried it with him when he sailed with his great fleet to ruined Valyria, with the intention of plundering the wealth and sorcery he was sure still remained. ..TWOIAF, The Westerlands 

"Plundering" reminds me of Daario's new clothes and his advice...

"Kill them all and take their treasures, I say. Whisper the command, and your Daario will make you a pile of their heads taller than this pyramid.".. Dany IV ... In other words, plunder (though this quote also evokes "conqueror") ..

 Not to mention that ..
"Then winkle them out of their pyramids on some pretext. A wedding might serve. Why not? Promise your hand to Hizdahr and all the Great Masters will come to see you married. When they gather in the Temple of the Graces, turn us loose upon them." ... smacks of Tywin.
 
It makes me wonder if there isn't a hidden history implicit in Daario's report...
"... One of my serjeants said we should go over to the Yunkai'i, so I reached down his throat and pulled his heart out. I meant to bring it to you as a gift for my silver queen, but four of the Cats cut me off and came snarling and spitting after me. One almost caught me, so I threw the heart into his face."  ... Familial differences brought about by greed and/or love ? ??? who can say.. I'm sure we'd all like to know more about Tommen II and the golden fleet.

I feel (like Lann the Clever) a Lannister has snuck into Daario's bloodline.

Fury and Stormcrows

To reiterate from part I : Oberyn was banished when he was 16 (about 273) and returned in 283 . Although he was seldom seen outside of Dorne thereafter, we can't say that he never traveled incognito. He did negotiate the the marriage pact in Braavos, and someone later negotiated the agreement involving Arianne and the Archon's daughter. Since that agreement was made to facilitate the secret marriage pact, they would not be wanting to expand the number of people in the know.

Daario may be no more that 7-8 years older than Dany. It's easy to think of him as older because of his boasts of the many women had, foes he's slain.. but these are patently extreme exaggerations, so they actually tell us nothing.

One of the things that first got me thinking about Daario was the fact that his fury, supposedly over being lied to by Quentyn and the other deserters, seemed out of all proportion. And while it may display something of "waking the dragon", I now think it's really much more rational than it seems. 

He displays much less anger over Hizdhar, who Dany is going to marry, who will be sleeping with her, than over Quentyn who Dany turns down. Yes, he's been trying to do what he can to prevent the marriage, offering himself, repeatedly.. finally going so far as...

 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. Ser Grandfather had been so wroth that Dany feared blood might be shed. ... Dany VII, (before Daario brings Quentyn & co. to court)

Barristan probably sees it mainly as an affront to Dany. Daario is hoping it will be an affront to Hizdhar and the GG; one great enough that they will cancel the wedding. But when it doesn't work, he still doesn't fly off the handle.

 Thinking of him as Oberyn's son, when he brings Quentyn & co to court...

 Dany addressing Greenguts/Archibald Yronwood : "... It is ser, is it not? Daario tells me that you are a knight.” 
“If it please Your Grace, we are all three knights.” Dany glanced at Daario and saw anger flash across his face. He did not know.  <snip> ...So, this is anger at being lied to. It's visible to dany, but contained.

Gerrold/Gerris addressing Dany.... Your Grace, I beg your pardon, but we have come before you under false names.” ..<snip>.. 
...They ask for more privacy before revealing their names. And if Dany is thinking "Games within games", I'm sure Daario is, too ... but maybe a bit more colourfully.  

After clearing the court and learning Gerris and Arch's real names she comes to Frog... 
“And you, ser?” the queen asked the boy called Frog.
 “If it please Your Grace, may I first present my gift?” “If you wish,” Daenerys said, curious, but as Frog started forward Daario Naharis stepped in front of him and held out a gloved hand. 
“Give this gift to me.”
Stone-faced, the stocky lad bent, unlaced his boot, and drew a yellowed parchment from a hidden flap within. 
“This is your gift? A scrap of writing?” Daario snatched the parchment out of the Dornishman’s hands and unrolled it, squinting at the seals and signatures. “Very pretty, all the gold and ribbons, but I do not read your Westerosi scratchings.” 

Do we believe that Daario can't read the document ? I'm pretty damned skeptical, but even if he can't, squinting at the seals and signatures might tell him a lot, if he's Oberyn's son and has knowledge that the pact existed.
“Bring it to the queen,” Ser Barristan commanded. “Now.”
<snip>
“It is a secret pact,” Dany said, “made in Braavos when I was just a little girl...<snip>..Prince Oberyn Martell signed for Dorne, with the Sealord of Braavos as witness.” ..<snip>.. In return for Dorne’s help overthrowing the Usurper, my brother Viserys is to take Prince Doran’s daughter Arianne for his queen.” 
(She has given the document to Barristan to read.)

The old knight read the pact slowly. “If Robert had known of this, he would have smashed Sunspear as he once smashed Pyke, and claimed the heads of Prince Doran and the Red Viper … and like as not, the head of this Dornish princess too.”
<snip>
“No doubt that was why Prince Doran chose to keep the pact a secret,” suggested Daenerys. “If my brother Viserys had known that he had a Dornish princess waiting for him, he would have crossed to Sunspear as soon as he was old enough to wed.” 
“And thereby brought Robert’s warhammer down upon himself, and Dorne as well,” said Frog. “My father was content to wait for the day that Prince Viserys found his army.” 

This language is important. It's not, until Prince Viserys raised an army, but until he found his army.. It can imply that the army (or the beginnings of one) already existed, waiting for him.. but with all that has gone wrong - Illyrio's scheme to marry Dany off, Viserys going with her and dying, Oberyn's death, etc. - the company had been left at loose ends, until Daario took a hand. It seems Doran must have known there was an army, but would he have known about Oberyn's son?... I'd say .. mmm.. probably (close as the brothers were), but not necessarily what name Daario would be using or where the company might be at a given time.... maybe not even the company's name. ...We continue..

“Your father?” 
“Prince Doran.” He sank back onto one knee. “Your Grace, I have the honor to be Quentyn Martell, a prince of Dorne and your most leal subject.” ..<snip>... Daario must really be fuming now, because he can see where this is going... right where he hoped to go himself. His frustration and anger are mounting.

You mean to marry me. Is that the way of it? The gift you bring me is your own sweet self. Instead of Viserys and your sister, you and I must seal this pact if I want Dorne."
“My father hoped that you might find me acceptable.” 
Daario Naharis gave a scornful laugh. “I say you are a pup. The queen needs a man beside her, not a mewling boy. You are no fit husband for a woman such as her. When you lick your lips, do you still taste your mother’s milk?” 
Ser Gerris Drinkwater darkened at his words. “Mind your tongue, sellsword. You are speaking to a prince of Dorne.” 
“And to his wet nurse, I am thinking.” Daario brushed his thumbs across his sword hilts and smiled dangerously.

Gerris is probably speaking to a prince of Dorne, himself... and here we see Daario brush his thumbs across his sword hilts again, and smile dangerously. It's definitely not meant to be a seductive gesture in this case. I'm sure those hilts conceal the proof of his identity.

When Barristan points out a few home truths to Quentyn in The Discarded Knight, he simultaneously reveals Daario's difficult position..
Prince Quentyn flushed. "The marriage pact—"
"—was made by two dead men and contained not a word about the queen or you. It promised your sister's hand to the queen's brother, another dead man. It has no force. Until you turned up here, Her Grace was ignorant of its existence. Your father keeps his secrets well, Prince Quentyn. Too well, I fear. If the queen had known of this pact in Qarth, she might never have turned aside for Slaver's Bay, but you came too late. I have no wish to salt your wounds, but Her Grace has a new husband and an old paramour, and seems to prefer the both of them to you."

So we can see the position Daario would be in.. He and Doran have never met or corresponded, there's even a slight chance Doran doesn't know about him. But Daario would have been told about the pact, since it relates to the purpose of the company. If his mother was a Blackfyre we know good reasons for keeping him hidden .. and if the Stormcrows were to form the core of Viserys' army, that doubles the need for secrecy. With Viserys and Oberyn dead, but Dany within reach, he could figure out for himself that he and Dany could still fill the roles of Viserys and Arianne. But he would have to get to Doran to prove who he was, and he didn't have a copy of the pact to show to Dany.. If he mentioned it , it would seem pure invention.

I think this explains his continued rage after the wedding..
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....  Dany VIII

He'd like to take it all out on someone ... but not Dany. He began with an agenda that was in tune with hers.. and I think he has fallen in love with her along the way. He rankles when she commands him to fuck her... He's resentful (he doesn't want a future of being merely a plaything) but he doesn't take his anger out on her. 

She had meant it playfully, but Daario's eyes hardened at her words. "Fucking queens is king's work. Your noble Hizdahr can attend to that, once you're wed. And if he proves to be too highborn for such sweaty work, he has servants who will be pleased to do that for him as well. Or perhaps you can call the Dornish boy into your bed, and his pretty friend as well, why not?" He strode from the bedchamber. 
... and again she thinks ... Seven save me. Why couldn't he be better born?

In Dany X, she remembers... She wondered if her captain’s blades still hung upon the wall beside her bed, waiting for Daarioto return and claim them. “I will leave my girls with you,” he had said. “Keep them safe for me, beloved.” And she wondered how much the Yunkai’i knew about what her captain meant to her. 

(He calls her beloved, after all that has happened). The Yunkai'i would know full well that he's her paramour (the GG would have told them, if they had no other source), they may even believe she loves him ... but they wouldn't know, and nor can Dany, how much he could mean to her politically. I think he left his girls to keep the Yunkai'i from finding out about him and to give her the opportunity of finding out, and at least knowing him for who he is, if he should die.

I've always thought that the Stormcrows would be a good candidate for the company formed by Oberyn - that the triumverate of captains would be a good set-up for someone to leave in place, if he had to be absent but intended to return at some point. And it would also be a way to let your son learn leadership as he grew into manhood by sharing command. I somehow doubt that Prendahl and Sallor had been captains from the founding. It's been an active company and men get killed in battle.

In ASOS, Dany V, outside Meereen  Yunkai, Dany thinks... If I ignore this any longer, my own people will think me weak. Yet who could she send? She needed Daario as much as she did her bloodriders. Without the flamboyant Tyroshi, she had no hold on the Stormcrows, many of whom had been followers of Prendahl na Ghezn and Sallor the Bald.

I think she's wrong. If Prendahl and Sallor had many (any?) loyal followers, there would have been a bloody fracas inside their camp.. yet it appears this was not the case...

 After Daario swears to her, Dany asks, " Can you get back safely?" (meaning inside Meereenese lines)
"If they stop me, I will say I have been scouting, and saw nothing." The Tyroshi rose to his feet, bowed, and swept out. .. All quiet on the Meereenese Yunkai'i side, then. ... It appears the Stormcrows' loyalty is entirely to Daario.

I may have left out a few odd things, and I could say even more about what I've written.... but that's pretty much it.

I can hardly believe I finally managed to wade through all those notes..

Don't forget to check out Lady Blizzardborn's thread.. I intend to get over there and read it all properly, now....
http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/145144-advanced-crackpottery-4-daario-naharis-international-man-of-mystery/

I don't know why my tag didn't work for Curled Finger at the top.. I'll try it again @Curled Finger ..hmmm.
 

 

 

 

[Lady Blizzardborn]

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I don't know if any Blackfyre / Brightflame, Lannister, etc. wound up in Myr

Not that we know of. Gerion Lannister is the only one I can think of unless...didn't Aerys send Tywin to Essos to look for a bride for Rhaegar some time before sending the Steffon Baratheon? The Blackfyres are associated closely with Tyrosh and no other city. Aerion Brightflame spent a few years of exile in Lys, but then joined the Second Sons and could have gone many places. But...Tyrosh, Lys, and Myr once formed an alliance known as the Triarchy, or the Kingdom of the Three Daughters (or the Three Whores, some said). That alliance broke up long ago, but it's possible that ties still remain through certain families.

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they'd denote bastardy.. but no device would be associated with a common bastard

In GRRM's world the heraldry has some definite differences and bastardy is denoted by a son using his father's sigil with the colors inverted. So if Daario wanted to claim to be Oberyn's son (as Fireball claimed to be the son of Ser Quentyn Ball) he would adopt a sigil of a red spear piercing a golden sun, probably still on the orange field. I think if GRRM meant the stripes to be a hint he would have indicated what kind and in what direction they ran. But you have plenty without the stripes.

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White silk and golden rings -  screams "wedding" 

Not in a medieval setting. But there's an argument to be made for GRRM having to make some compromises for the benefit of the modern audience and what they know/expect.

I don't think the Lannister aspect is promising. Gold isn't only associated with them, and it would work much better if the Daario gold references also included crimson. The Lannisters are known for their crimson as much as for their gold. It's the particular shade of red that sort of belongs to them in the series.

Thanks for mentioning my thread.

On to part II...

[Lady Blizzardborn]

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I have to ask, how is it that Areo just comes to his realisation at that point, all of a sudden ? 

Narrative necessity. It's something the author needs us to know and we didn't have this POV before AFFC.  Areo works for Doran, not for Oberyn. And he comes to the realization when standing in a room with three of Oberyn's daughters. I doubt he's seen so many of them in the same place at the same time. And what is more striking to him is probably that the older three, who all have different mothers, all have that same Oberynesque quality about their eyes. Could be the shape, how deep-set they are, the arch of the brows, or a combination of those factors.

I consider this to be on par with things like that crossbow attempt on Daario's life. I know I read it before, but it didn't really jump off the page at me until I was doing research. Sometimes things just strike us at a particular time. We have that one thread about things we've never noticed before and it is full of such moments regarding the text.

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As for Oberyn's widow's peak.. These can be shaved or plucked. I don't believe that someone who dyes his hair and dyes and shapes his beard, wouldn't resort to plucking, if he had a reason (or even if it just suited his fashion sense)..

Shaving or plucking wouldn't work unless he had time to do it every single day. The widow's peak stubble would be noticed. But the good news is that the widow's peak isn't something all of Oberyn's children have inherited anyway. Daario not having it is not a strike against the theory.

The snake parallels are pretty thin, but I've got thin stuff in my own Daario theory.

Now for Part III.

 

[The Fattest Leech]

Eggggcellent. I will check this out after dinner and a dogs walk. 

I am not sure if @Curled Finger got his tag yet? Here ya go. 

[Lady Blizzardborn]

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“I trust all my men. Just as far as I can spit.” He spat out a seed and smiled at her suspicions. ... Could that be more suggestive?

I actually don't find that remotely suggestive. But I don't like spitting, so that could just be me.

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I think Dany is definitely miscarrying at the end of ADWD, and that the locusts were not intended to kill her, but to bring on an abortion in case she was pregnant by Daario. 

Agreed on the first part but not on the second. Poison is best used in proportion to weight. Enough poison to make Strong Belwas as sick as he was would have killed Dany. You can't predict other peoples' food preferences, and it's unlikely whoever was behind it was using way more than necessary in the hopes that Dany would eat just enough of the poisoned locusts to cause a miscarriage, but not enough to cause her death. 

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 two repetitions from Hotah about Oberyn,

Those were about Ellaria, not Oberyn. I get that the point is that Ellaria was beloved by Oberyn, and that Dany is beloved by Daario, but if we had quotes from Oberyn directly calling Ellaria his beloved, that would be stronger.

Oberyn and Ellaria share way more than Dany and Daario do. But you might want to use the flower thing in another way. Many poisons come from plants, and Daario appears to be quite the botanist where the flowering plants are concerned...something I hadn't realized before (me and Hotah, LOL).

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Garin was next, a loose-limbed, swarthy, long-nosed fellow with a jade stud in one ear. “Here is gay Garin of the orphans, who makes me laugh,” said Arianne. “His mother was my wet nurse.” 
“I am sorry she is dead,” Myrcella said. 
“She’s not, sweet queen.” Garin flashed the golden tooth Arianne had bought him to replace the one she’d broken. 

Garin drops to both knees in a more exaggerated gesture than his counterparts, with a slight hint of Daario's declaration..
"Khaleesi," he cried, "I bring gifts and glad tidings. The Stormcrows are yours." A golden tooth gleamed in his mouth when he smiled. "And so is Daario Naharis!"... ASOS, Dany IV .. also from ASOS, Dany V ... And Daario Naharis made her laugh, ...
No-one is as over the top as Daario, but Garin's behaviour is exaggerated. ... Garin will be banished to (wait for it) Tyrosh for two years for his part in Arianne's debacle... I can't help but wonder if another Martell broke and replaced Daario's tooth ... and if Daario's mother is alive.

 

While outrageous behavior is more a function of temperament than genetics, this is really interesting. I was going to say that siblings don't usually share temperaments, but in a large family they would (there are only so many temperament combinations after all).

I don't see any reason a Martell would have had to break Daario's tooth. But his mother being alive is a tantalizing prospect.

Now for Part IV.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

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Dany loved the way his gold tooth gleamed when he grinned. 

I did a quick search for "gold tooth" and found another one...Jaqen H'ghar. The persona of Jaqen is from Lorath, so the gold tooth thing is not exclusive to Dorne. Considering the lack of dental knowledge I'd imagine gold teeth are not uncommon among those who can afford them. Daario has gained quite a bit of wealth from his sellswording, Arianne comes from a wealthy family, Jaqen works for the FM who are not short on cash. I don't think the gold tooth is as good a clue as many of the others.

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then there's the fact that his hair is curly,

Curly hair is not specifically a Lannister trait. Cersei and Jaime have a double dose of Lannister genes so they're an anomaly to begin with. There were several Targaryens who had curly hair. Beth Cassel has curly hair. One of the young men who comes to take the gift at the HoBaW has curly hair. Arianne Martell has curly hair. The Blue Bard has curly hair. Penny has curly hair. 

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One of the things that first got me thinking about Daario was the fact that his fury, supposedly over being lied to by Quentyn and the other deserters, seemed out of all proportion. And while it may display something of "waking the dragon", I now think it's really much more rational than it seems. 

This was a mistake I made as well. Daario's not upset with Quentyn and his two buddies, only the others from the Windblown who deserted on orders of The Tattered Prince. He knows why Quent and the other two came over, and their desertion was genuine. It's the ones who had no true reason to join Dany that he wants to kill...possibly because he suspects they may be there to kill her.

Daario snatched the parchment out of the Dornishman’s hands and unrolled it, squinting at the seals and signatures. “Very pretty, all the gold and ribbons, but I do not read your Westerosi scratchings.” 

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Do we believe that Daario can't read the document ? I'm pretty damned skeptical, but even if he can't, squinting at the seals and signatures might tell him a lot, if he's Oberyn's son and has knowledge that the pact existed.

Daario's earlier comment about writing his reports in blood if Missandei will show him how to make the letters may indeed indicate that he can neither read nor write the Common Tongue. But it also makes sense that if he can read and write the CT, he doesn't want anyone to know it, or know why he learned.

Why would Oberyn's son know that a pact existed if Arianne didn't and she was one of the people involved?

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This language is important. It's not, until Prince Viserys raised an army, but until he found his army.. It can imply that the army (or the beginnings of one) already existed, waiting for him.. but with all that has gone wrong - Illyrio's scheme to marry Dany off, Viserys going with her and dying, Oberyn's death, etc. - the company had been left at loose ends, until Daario took a hand. It seems Doran must have known there was an army, but would he have known about Oberyn's son?... I'd say .. mmm.. probably (close as the brothers were), but not necessarily what name Daario would be using or where the company might be at a given time.... maybe not even the company's name. ...We continue..

If the point was for an army to be built for Viserys, much like the GC were formed to keep Blackfyre supporters from scattering, why would Oberyn leave them and risk letting someone else mismanage the group? The Stormcrows are not an army, and have never been one. They could have, if Oberyn indeed founded them for that purpose and had stayed to ensure they grew and were properly run. I don't think Doran and Oberyn would have left the fate of Viserys' army to chance like that.

Finding an army would be easier than raising one in Essos, especially for a Westerosi prince who had no assets, friends, or resources. In Doran's eyes Viserys getting an army would have been proof that he was serious and capable, and worthy of the support he'd already promised. 

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Gerris is probably speaking to a prince of Dorne, himself..

Not if Daario is Oberyn's bastard. Only the trueborn Martells are called princes and princesses. Daario would need to be legitimized to count as a prince of Dorne.

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Daario would have been told about the pact, since it relates to the purpose of the company. 

I wouldn't bet on that. Viserys and Arianne themselves didn't know about it. Leaving Daario in the dark as well would be par for the course here.

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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.

See, this is what I was referring to above. Yes he was furious about what Quentyn did, but that was not on par with his reaction to these "other Westerosi." His fury over them was so bad it overrode any sense he has. He didn't try to kill Quent (didn't even consider him an actual threat) but he has to be held back by multiple people to be kept from killing the "other Westerosi."  

Note that the next line mentions the false deserters being imprisoned, but Quent and his friends were not imprisoned. Two separate groups, both angered Daario, but only one incurred wrath so great that interference was necessary.

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 I think he left his girls to keep the Yunkai'i from finding out about him and to give her the opportunity of finding out, and at least knowing him for who he is, if he should die.

Hostages aren't allowed to carry weapons with them, but he apparently didn't trust anyone else to keep "his girls." They would have been safe in Barristan's keeping, or Grey Worm's, but he'll only give them to Dany. 

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I've always thought that the Stormcrows would be a good candidate for the company formed by Oberyn

Why is that? I've seen this mentioned before but I don't recall any really good Oberyn and storm or crow symbolism, or really anything else that indicates a link. I always assumed the company Oberyn founded died out, much like the maester's chain he never finished. He has a rather long track record of not sticking with things and people. That doesn't change until he settles down, so to speak, with Ellaria.

The only thing he has been constant about is his desire for justice/revenge for Elia and her children. So I don't see him leaving an army in the making that will help accomplish that goal and never going back. People do get side-tracked but this would be a pretty big thing to leave unfinished, and a young son could not necessarily be counted on to see it through with or without the knowledge of why it was important.

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After Daario swears to her, Dany asks, " Can you get back safely?" (meaning inside Meereenese lines)
"If they stop me, I will say I have been scouting, and saw nothing." The Tyroshi rose to his feet, bowed, and swept out. .. All quiet on the Meereenese side, then. ... It appears the Stormcrows' loyalty is entirely to Daario.

That's actually from when they first meet, when she's about to go after Yunkai. Daario isn't talking about any of the Stormcrows stopping him, but the Yunkai stopping him. He will tell them exactly what they want to hear, that he saw nothing while scouting. Seeing nothing means Dany's forces aren't attacking by night, which means those on the Yunkai side can sleep. 

Thank you for including the link to my theory.

Next post will be general comments.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

This is very well put together and has some interesting stuff to it. Definitely a more comprehensive case for Daario as Oberyn's son than I've seen discussed before. 

I think you should drop the Lannister aspect because it's the weakest part, and there's really nothing plot-wise that would change if he's part Lannister because he probably wouldn't know about it. Dany's going to have Tyrion on her side, so she doesn't need Daario to be part-Lannister.

One thing that always comes to me with Daario as Oberyn's, and Oberyn knowing about him, is why not claim him and have his name be Daario Sand? He did it with each of his daughters, including one whose mother was an Essosi lady. The Blackfyre angle doesn't really explain it because this much after the fact, descending from the female line instead of the male, Daario's mother probably wouldn't have the Blackfyre name, and even if she did Robert wouldn't know it. Nobody seems to have kept track of what happened to Daemon's daughters other than Calla, and he did have at least one other daughter. There's little chance that Robert would find out. And I don't think he would equate Blackfyres with Targaryens. This is Robert--he'd probably need to be reminded that the two houses were even related. Then there's that the kid is a bastard, and Robert certainly won't be legitimizing him. I really don't think Robert would consider him a threat. He makes no attempt to go after any descendants of Aegon IV, and he left bastards everywhere.  I figured that bit out, so nevermind.

Other than that, I thought this was great. You've put together a comprehensive look at the potential clues, even some that I missed in my theory. Well done, bemused! 

[Curled Finger]

Thanks for making sure I got the memo!   Ah @bemused, I've just read this all through from the top and I recall some of the points you made from before.   No matter who he is, Daario is someone.   Ah the intrigue.  

I have to ask because I've read so many of your posts and enjoyed your conversation in others.   What put you on this path?   Was it simply recognizing that something wasn't as it appeared with Daario?   Did you catch it the 1st read or during subsequent reads?  I can't really speak to Lannisters, but I do think it would behoove all Westeros to have a whole lot more mixed family blood.  I see you are still as open as you ever were to alternate scenarios.   Old gods and new love you!  I will read again because you know it takes me at least twice to gather my thoughts, but I would like to know what got you here with Daario, specifically.   Looking so forward to the conversation.  This guy is quite a character.   

[Lady Blizzardborn]

19 hours ago, Lady Blizzardborn said:

<snip

One thing that always comes to me with Daario as Oberyn's, and Oberyn knowing about him, is why not claim him and have his name be Daario Sand? He did it with each of his daughters, including one whose mother was an Essosi lady. The Blackfyre angle doesn't really explain it because this much after the fact, descending from the female line instead of the male, Daario's mother probably wouldn't have the Blackfyre name, and even if she did Robert wouldn't know it. Nobody seems to have kept track of what happened to Daemon's daughters other than Calla, and he did have at least one other daughter. There's little chance that Robert would find out. And I don't think he would equate Blackfyres with Targaryens. This is Robert--he'd probably need to be reminded that the two houses were even related. Then there's that the kid is a bastard, and Robert certainly won't be legitimizing him. I really don't think Robert would consider him a threat. He makes no attempt to go after any descendants of Aegon IV, and he left bastards everywhere. 

<snip

It's amazing the things that come to me when I'm trying to get to sleep. Answering my own question...

Obviously, Oberyn wouldn't want word to get out about the Stormcrows being formed for Viserys, and the knowledge that one of his children was a Stormcrow rising star and later captain would raise questions if anyone knew about it. If knowledge of the marriage pact leaked out, then it would be of even greater importance that no one know Oberyn still had any connection to the Stormcrows or Daario.

Again, well done, bemused!

[bemused]

21 hours ago, Lady Blizzardborn said:

 

Not in a medieval setting. But there's an argument to be made for GRRM having to make some compromises for the benefit of the modern audience and what they know/expect.

I don't think the Lannister aspect is promising. Gold isn't only associated with them, and it would work much better if the Daario gold references also included crimson. The Lannisters are known for their crimson as much as for their gold. It's the particular shade of red that sort of belongs to them in the series.

 

The first was re: white silk and gold rings.. and yeah, I think George includes hints that really only have a modern context. ... I think the Lannister crimson doesn't need to be present for the gold to apply, what with Tywin shitting gold and "all the gold in Casterly Rock", etc.

21 hours ago, Lady Blizzardborn said:

I actually don't find that remotely suggestive. But I don't like spitting, so that could just be me.

Re: Daario spitting out a seed - I meant suggestive of a coming pregnancy. (I don't find it particularly sexy, either  )

 

21 hours ago, Lady Blizzardborn said:

Agreed on the first part but not on the second. Poison is best used in proportion to weight. Enough poison to make Strong Belwas as sick as he was would have killed Dany. You can't predict other peoples' food preferences, and it's unlikely whoever was behind it was using way more than necessary in the hopes that Dany would eat just enough of the poisoned locusts to cause a miscarriage, but not enough to cause her death.

I disagree,here... Dany's food preferences have been easily observable. And e.g., for the GG and Hizzy, there are all those little cup bearers who could have been asked seemingly innocent questions. She shies away from the exotic, and strange spices.. and her preferred nibblies, figs and dates, have also been provided.

She would not be expected to pig out, especially while on show in public, and it would have been so easy for Hizzy to knock over the bowl, or pretend to try one himself and declare them not up to standard (have them taken away) when she had eaten enough. He would have easily had control of the situation, if not for Belwas.

I think this is a second attempt at feeding her an abortifacient - the first being the "magical cake"

"But," said Reznak mo Reznak, blinking, "but you must, Your Worship. Before a marriage it is traditional for the women of the man's house to examine the bride's womb and, ah … her female parts. To ascertain that they are well formed and, ah …"
"… fertile," finished Galazza Galare. "An ancient ritual, Your Radiance. Three Graces shall be present to witness the examination and say the proper prayers."
"Yes," said Reznak, "and afterward there is a special cake. A women's cake, baked only for betrothals. Men are not allowed to taste it. I am told it is delicious. Magical." ... Dany VI

After pausing to come up with "female parts" in substitute for more common vernacular (e.g., cunt), I think Reznak is searching for a diplomatic way to say "not pregnant" when the GG saves him by supplying "fertile". Fertile should not be a difficult word to remember, and no-one could take offense at its use. 

When she refuses, Dany says..  "Let his mother and his sisters examine one another and share the special cake. I shall not be eating it. Nor shall I wash the noble Hizdahr's noble feet." ..

GG and Reznak actually said nothing about all the women present sharing the cake... I have a feeling that it's only for the prospective brides, and maybe only those without intact hymens, since the cake is preceded by the examination.

".. Oft have I heard that yours is the blood of Aegon the Conqueror, Jaehaerys the Wise, and Daeron the Dragon. The noble Hizdahr is of the blood of Mazdhan the Magnificent, Hazrak the Handsome, and Zharaq the Liberator." ... Dany IV, the GG

Putting Hizdahr's forbears (no doubt kings, like Dany's) together with his ancient tapestries of victories of Old Ghis, I think they do want Dany around long enough to provide heirs, but want no question that anyone else could be the Papa.

Anyway, oops! .. I'm hijacking my own thread, here..

Errands to run. I'll be back.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

9 minutes ago, bemused said:

The first was re: white silk and gold rings.. and yeah, I think George includes hints that really only have a modern context. ... I think the Lannister crimson doesn't need to be present for the gold to apply, what with Tywin shitting gold and "all the gold in Casterly Rock", etc.

Re: Daario spitting out a seed - I meant suggestive of a coming pregnancy. (I don't find it particularly sexy, either  )

 

I disagree,here... Dany's food preferences have been easily observable. And e.g., for the GG and Hizzy, there are all those little cup bearers who could have been asked seemingly innocent questions. She shies away from the exotic, and strange spices.. and her preferred nibblies, figs and dates, have also been provided.

She would not be expected to pig out, especially while on show in public, and it would have been so easy for Hizzy to knock over the bowl, or pretend to try one himself and declare them not up to standard (have them taken away) when she had eaten enough. He would have easily had control of the situation, if not for Belwas.

I think this is a second attempt at feeding her an abortifacient - the first being the "magical cake"

"But," said Reznak mo Reznak, blinking, "but you must, Your Worship. Before a marriage it is traditional for the women of the man's house to examine the bride's womb and, ah … her female parts. To ascertain that they are well formed and, ah …"
"… fertile," finished Galazza Galare. "An ancient ritual, Your Radiance. Three Graces shall be present to witness the examination and say the proper prayers."
"Yes," said Reznak, "and afterward there is a special cake. A women's cake, baked only for betrothals. Men are not allowed to taste it. I am told it is delicious. Magical." ... Dany VI

After pausing to come up with "female parts" in substitute for more common vernacular (e.g., cunt), I think Reznak is searching for a diplomatic way to say "not pregnant" when the GG saves him by supplying "fertile". Fertile should not be a difficult word to remember, and no-one could take offense at its use. 

When she refuses, Dany says..  "Let his mother and his sisters examine one another and share the special cake. I shall not be eating it. Nor shall I wash the noble Hizdahr's noble feet." ..

GG and Reznak actually said nothing about all the women present sharing the cake... I have a feeling that it's only for the prospective brides, and maybe only those without intact hymens, since the cake is preceded by the examination.

".. Oft have I heard that yours is the blood of Aegon the Conqueror, Jaehaerys the Wise, and Daeron the Dragon. The noble Hizdahr is of the blood of Mazdhan the Magnificent, Hazrak the Handsome, and Zharaq the Liberator." ... Dany IV, the GG

Putting Hizdahr's forbears (no doubt kings, like Dany's) together with his ancient tapestries of victories of Old Ghis, I think they do want Dany around long enough to provide heirs, but want no question that anyone else could be the Papa.

Anyway, oops! .. I'm hijacking my own thread, here..

Errands to run. I'll be back.

Points noted on modern vs medieval and crimson. I still don't think Daario needs any Lannister though.

I will say that it's possible the cake is for that, but I disagree on fertile meaning not pregnant. This goes back to the medieval idea that you could tell how well a woman would bear children based on things like the width of her hips. Sounds like the Meereenese are a bit more scientific about it. Yes a pregnancy would be noticed in such an examination, but I'm not sure that would be the usual point. Granted for Dany it would be a big one because everyone knows about Daario. I could see the magically delicious cake (wonder if it has Lucky Charms baked in?) being just for the celebration or including a fertility potion...which would explain the magical designation. But I guess I can also see them adding something extra special for Dany.

I think she lost the pregnancy because of the heat from riding Drogon. If you can't go in a hot tub while pregnant, you shouldn't ride fire made flesh either. 

Very good points about quietly grilling her cupbearers.

 

[bemused]

7 hours ago, Lady Blizzardborn said:

Points noted on modern vs medieval and crimson. I still don't think Daario needs any Lannister though.

I will say that it's possible the cake is for that, but I disagree on fertile meaning not pregnant. This goes back to the medieval idea that you could tell how well a woman would bear children based on things like the width of her hips. Sounds like the Meereenese are a bit more scientific about it. Yes a pregnancy would be noticed in such an examination, but I'm not sure that would be the usual point. Granted for Dany it would be a big one because everyone knows about Daario. I could see the magically delicious cake (wonder if it has Lucky Charms baked in?) being just for the celebration or including a fertility potion...which would explain the magical designation. But I guess I can also see them adding something extra special for Dany.

I think she lost the pregnancy because of the heat from riding Drogon. If you can't go in a hot tub while pregnant, you shouldn't ride fire made flesh either. 

Very good points about quietly grilling her cupbearers.

 

I guess I'm not being clear.. I don't mean fertility means not pregnant .. I mean the point of the examination normally would be to see if the bride's hymen was intact (like Margaery's examination by the septas) ...if not, the cake (abortifacient) would be a must (or to make the ritual universal, there could be cake 1 and cake 2 - hymen intact bride gets a normal cake, hymen not intact gets a cake with a strong purgative) .. "magically" eliminating any unwanted embryo.. (This is supposing it was an established ritual, and not one made up specifically for Dany..)

I think Reznak was about to say too much. Even if he found a polite way of putting it, it would be insulting to Dany. The GG quickly came up with a word with a more acceptable meaning.

About riding Drogon ... I'm not so sure.. Dany likes her bath scalding hot (Dunk notices something similar about Egg in The Sworn Sword) .. and if Daario's Mama is a Blackfyre,to boot.. I think the little tad would be quite heat resistant.

On 2/28/2017 at 4:50 PM, Lady Blizzardborn said:

That's actually from when they first meet, when she's about to go after Yunkai. Daario isn't talking about any of the Stormcrows stopping him, but the Yunkai stopping him. He will tell them exactly what they want to hear, that he saw nothing while scouting. Seeing nothing means Dany's forces aren't attacking by night, which means those on the Yunkai side can sleep. 

Meereen Yunkai ... Oops! I was so tired when I got to that point.. my bad... But what I was getting at is that there can't have been Prendahl and Sallor loyalists among the Stormcrows. Their deaths would have caused fighting in their camp, which would have alerted the Yunkai'i and made it difficult for Daario to get out or back in safely

 

On 2/28/2017 at 8:34 PM, Curled Finger said:

 I have to ask because I've read so many of your posts and enjoyed your conversation in others.   What put you on this path?   Was it simply recognizing that something wasn't as it appeared with Daario?   Did you catch it the 1st read or during subsequent reads?  I can't really speak to Lannisters, but I do think it would behoove all Westeros to have a whole lot more mixed family blood.  I see you are still as open as you ever were to alternate scenarios.   Old gods and new love you!  I will read again because you know it takes me at least twice to gather my thoughts, but I would like to know what got you here with Daario, specifically.   Looking so forward to the conversation.  This guy is quite a character.   

Even from first read I thought there must be more to him than met the eye. But I've always been so obsessed with the Northern storyline, I didn't pay a lot of attention until probably my third read,or so.  

I couldn't bring myself to get too involved with Daario threads because of the pages and pages of "I hate him, he's a douche !" and "George is losing it as a writer to create such a cardboard character". It was hard to stay on any real discussion. I guess I had the bare bones of the hypothesis back in 2013 because I had an old thread with some wrong turns, back then.

 http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/96091-who-are-daario-and-the-storm-crows/

After that, every time I opened ASOS or ADWD something else would leap out at me.

 

[St Daga]

Very nice essay! You use lots of text to support your ideas, which I think always makes for a stronger argument.

Daario is a very perplexing character. From the start he strikes me as a bit oily, too charming, and very dangerous. However, I enjoy reading him as a character very much. GRRM has fleshed out some nice details and hints about him.

Lot's of  "who Daario is" theories over the years. I can't say that I am sold on anyone of them, although many of them, like yours, are compelling and thought worthy. You make a great argument for him to be Oberyn's son, which I have never thought of before. I have myself considered the Lannisters and the Targaryens. The gold hints at Lannister blood. The dark blue eyes could very well hint at Targaryen/Blackfyre blood, and all that hair dye could be covering up some silver hair. 

Daario's eyes are the reason I would doubt that he his Oberyn's, however, you are correct when you point out the Tyene has her mothers coloring, and there is both snake and viper imagery to Daario.

Those blue eyes are very interesting to me. I think in text Rhaegar is described as having indigo eyes. To me, indigo is a deep, rich shade, more blue than purple, but others might think it is more purple than blue. Hair color and clothing could also influence the shade those eyes appear. 

Those eyes could also hint at Dayne blood.

The blue eyes also make me think of Baratheon blue. Daario strikes me as a man who enjoys both sex and warfare, and Robert Baratheon liked nothing better than to fight and fuck. I am in no way implying that Daario could be Robert's child (the age wouldn't work, I don't think) but I see those similarities. Robert wanted nothing more than to give up his throne and become a sellsword in Essos, and fight and fuck (and drink) his way to an early grave.

What I would like is probably of little matter, but I would like for Daario to be just what he says he is. The son of a whore, who raised himself from slavery to the leader of a strong sell sword organization, through what ever means needed. A macho, oversexed killing machine! I do think Daario loves Dany, or her certainly gives the impression of anger and jealousy at her marriage to Hizdar. I would like for Dany not to be fooled by this, and though I think her character is headed for a dark place, I like that she has found a real love and passion with Daario. I think Dany would actually been better off married to Daario, than Hizdar, because she could trust Daario, and if she hadn't shut away the power of her dragons, she could do any damn thing she wants to, including marry a sellsword who would have her back through any adversity. I think Daario could be her betrayal for love. I also think if something happened to Daario or her dragons, this could be Dany's snapping point, where we finally see how dark she can become.

I don't really see the connection between the Stormcrow's and Oberyn. Mostly because I don't see much crow imagery in Oberyn's story, and when I think of Storms, I think of the Storm lands, storms on the narrow and summer sea, the Storm god - both as the enemy of the Drowned God, but also Euron "I bring the storm" Crows Eye Greyjoy. If the army had been intended to be Dany's from the start, then the Storm idea works, because she is Daenerys Stormborn, but if it was intended to be Viserys' army, he has no storm or crow imagery about him at all.

As much as I want Daario to be just what he says he is, a nobody who is risen up to power, I think he will turn out to be somebody with an important connection. I just get a little tired of everybody being a secret somebody! As to who he might be, I am not convinced on any particular idea yet, but I very much appreciate what you say could be true, and the effort you put into proving it!

I have not yet looked at Lady Blizzardborn's essay on this subject that you have linked, but I will look into that as well. 

 

 

[bemused]

@St Daga

Thanks, .. But you know...

3 hours ago, St Daga said:

What I would like is probably of little matter, but I would like for Daario to be just what he says he is. The son of a whore, who raised himself from slavery to the leader of a strong sell sword organization, through what ever means needed.

..Book Daario never says this, as far as I know....I believe it's only uttered by a certain shabby impostor in some impoverished alternate version of the tale.. 

Re: the Stormcrows (and @Lord Wraith, I'm tagging you because of your post in LB's thread).. Crows fly ahead of a storm (and so in our superstition, are said to bring the storm). With a Blackfyre Mama in mind, in The Mystery Knight, the expected battle is referred to as a storm... 

He said there was a storm coming the likes of which Westeros had not seen for a generation, ... Glendon Ball

 "A few drops of rain, and all the bold lords go squealing for shelter. What will they do when the real storm breaks, I wonder?" ... Alyn Cockshaw

 That boy is fiddling up a storm, and all of us would do well to be gone from here before it breaks." ... Maynard Plumm

.. and in an upcoming Barristan chapter (I believe the one that has only been read)...

Spoiler

The Stormcrows ride in the forefront of the battle, crying Daario! and Stormcrows,fly! ... and IIRC, Barristan notes their loyalty to Daario and bravery..

Even if this gets changed by the time of publication, the company that was formed to support Blackfyres is the Golden Company.. but then, Oberyn's company is out there, and though I tried to see if the NW ship, the Storm Crow fit together somehow, way back when ... I didn't think of the Qorgyll - Martell connection Lord Wraith mentioned in the other thread (at least not in this regard)

On a macro level, I have a growing sense that in the coming conflict with the Others, the old and/or magical bloodlines need to come together to face it, and old rifts will need to be healed or resolved(e.g. Targaryen/Blackfyre) 

... I came to see how some of this might be happening (if I'm right) in the process of wrestling with a number of apparently unrelated questions...E.g. I think Mance is Qorgyle's bastard. The Qorgyles are closely associated with the Martells and if there have been marriage ties between them over the years, Mance's bloodline could trace right back to Nymeria (I'm reminded of Jon thinking Mance was no more royal than himself). Tracing back to Nymeria would also be true for Daario if he's Oberyn's son .... I think Satin is a Hightower bastard (I can link to these, if anyone's interested).... One Baratheon (Stormlord) is currently at the wall (and I think may end there) ... It seems Jeor's neices are gravitating to Jon while Jorah has gravitated to Dany.. and so on and so forth.. 

[Lady Blizzardborn]

6 minutes ago, bemused said:

<snip

... I came to see how some of this might be happening (if I'm right) in the process of wrestling with a number of apparently unrelated questions...E.g. I think Mance is Qorgyle's bastard. The Qorgyles are closely associated with the Martells and if there have been marriage ties between them over the years, Mance's bloodline could trace right back to Nymeria (I'm reminded of Jon thinking Mance was no more royal than himself). Tracing back to Nymeria would also be true for Daario if he's Oberyn's son .... I think Satin is a Hightower bastard (I can link to these, if anyone's interested).... One Baratheon (Stormlord) is currently at the wall (and I think may end there) ... It seems Jeor's neices are gravitating to Jon while Jorah has gravitated to Dany.. and so on and so forth.. 

Thanks for explaining the storm crow thing.

I hope you'll allow me the chance of changing your mind on that with my upcoming thread on Mance.

There's a Baratheon at the Wall? Who?

[The Fattest Leech]

Sorry for the delay @bemused Life got way in the way of my productive time here, but I am catching back up fully now. I see a few other comments have been made that also struck out to me, but I will make notes as I go.

[bemused]

1 hour ago, Lady Blizzardborn said:

Thanks for explaining the storm crow thing.

I hope you'll allow me the chance of changing your mind on that with my upcoming thread on Mance.

There's a Baratheon at the Wall? Who?

 I know Stannis is outside WF.. but he intended to return to the Wall, and I think he will ... I'm not sure if he'll ever leave it ...

Re: Mance.. sure .. if you'll allow me the same chance.. 

[Lady Blizzardborn]

17 hours ago, bemused said:

<snip

About riding Drogon ... I'm not so sure.. Dany likes her bath scalding hot (Dunk notices something similar about Egg in The Sworn Sword) .. and if Daario's Mama is a Blackfyre,to boot.. I think the little tad would be quite heat resistant.

<snip

Dany is a grown woman though, not a developing fetus. Pregnant women are advised to avoid hot tubs and hot baths and showers. But wait, there's more...

Aenys I was born weak, and I think part of the reason might have been that his mother wouldn't stay off her dragon during the pregnancy. Rhaenys rode more than Aegon and Visenya did.

Another factor is that Aegon, Visenya, and Rhaenys all used dragon saddles, which would have offered at least some protection from the heat. Dany has no saddle for Drogon. 

This would be the kind of thing that the Targs who came from Valyria would have passed on to their children, and it would have continued to be passed on as long as it was useful info. But once the dragons died out, and it became obvious they weren't coming back, I could see that little bit of info not being considered worth mentioning anymore.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

Just now, bemused said:

 I know Stannis is outside WF.. but he intended to return to the Wall, and I think he will ... I'm not sure if he'll ever leave it ...

Re: Mance.. sure .. if you'll allow me the same chance.. 

Duh. I forgot about Stannis. And Shireen actually is at the Wall right now. For some reason I was thinking of the NW members themselves.

Done.  Anyone who makes a good case deserves to have their ideas considered. 

[The Fattest Leech]

Ok, I am going to have to do this in bits, so pardon any break ups or repeated feedback. I tell you what, between you and Lady Blizz, I have a renewed interest in some of these other parts of the story
 

Also adding, I have walked away and come back to this a few times, so I may not be caught up with all comments just yet.

On 2/28/2017 at 5:04 PM, bemused said:

Part I :  Introduction and Symbolism.

Introduction

I've always thought there was more to Daario than meets the eye, and have never understood why many people write him off as a cardboard character or why he elicits downright hatred in some. Once you start really looking at him, the character is rich in symbolism and (I think) quite the opposite of  the shallow, fickle or untrustworthy figure many readers and even other book characters (including Dany ) often believe him to be.

I don't know either. George has said all along that important characters will die and be introduced along the way. This is a three-part story, so an important character coming in act two is not absurd. All I can think of is that there are many people who do not like change.

Quote

 

I started a thread back in 2013...  "Who are Daario and the Stormcrows ".. but my thoughts have become more fully developed since then, so I'm revisiting the topic. And as always, every time you open the books, you're almost guaranteed to find something new. I'm sure there's still more to be discovered. 

My hypothesis (perhaps not shared by many) is that the Stormcrows are the sellsword company founded by Oberyn.. and that they were founded specifically to support Doran's marriage pact, forming a core army for Viserys, when the time for his return came. I also think there's a very strong possibility that Daario is Oberyn's son, installed in the Stormcrows at a relatively young age, to take eventual sole control of the company, when the time was ripe, and when he was ready to lead. I'll come back to this a bit later on.
We don't know if Oberyn formed the company during his early exile, or afterwards. It seems most reasonable to me that his time with the Second Sons probably coincides with his exile, but not necessarily the formation of his own company. There are considerable stretches of time where his movements are unknown, so we can only guess.

This is true. I do not know much about the other theories that Oberyn started the Stormcrows, but it does has the north and south, ice and fire literary parrallel to it. But as you say, we can only guess.

Quote

Symbolism..

Symbolically, Daario might be linked to many famous houses or causes from ASOIAF - he could be of the blood of old Valyria.. some Velaryon/Targaryen/Blackfyre/ Brightflame of some kind, or the descendant of some lost Lannister - but I also discern a possible Martell affiliation. I like this last the best. Those Martell clues may be the most subtle, but I think they're the most numerous.. and clues that are so well hidden don't make useful red herrings, so I don't think they're meant to mislead. They're in the text, but they're the ones we're directed away from, time and again.

I agree with the previus statements that the Lannister portion is probably not the strongest link. For me, it makes me think of this, which means a Lann mixed in with the other possible dragon/viper sides is either plot overkill, or cancel each other out.

• The wealth of the westerlands was matched, in ancient times, with the hunger of the Freehold of Valyria for precious metals, yet there seems no evidence that the dragonlords ever made contact with the lords of the Rock, Casterly or Lannister. Septon Barth speculated on the matter, referring to a Valyrian text that has since been lost, suggesting that the Freehold's sorcerers foretold that the gold of Casterly Rock would destroy them. Archmaester Perestan has put forward a different, more plausible speculation, suggesting that the Valyrians had in ancient days reached as far as Oldtown but suffered some great reverse or tragedy there that caused them to shun all of Westeros thereafter.

Quote

Quite frankly, I don't see why more than one of those bloodlines can't come together in Daario, since we haven't been told the identity of either of his parents.

I agree and I do hope to all hells now that we do get more backstory on Daario. There has to be a reason why George put someone og high emotional value to Daenerys in such a currently perilous situation.

Quote

 

First, I want to look at the man himself. - GRRM has built a very intricate puzzle around Daario with clues to be found in his appearance, and also in his behaviour. Descriptions of him are scattered about , beginning in ASoS. I've kept them more or less in order, except for repeats - and I'll comment as we go.. 

- Daario Naharis was flamboyant even for a Tyroshi. 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. His pointed mustachios were painted gold. His clothes were all shades of yellow; a foam of Myrish lace the color of butter spilled from his collar and cuffs, his doublet was sewn with brass medallions in the shape of dandelions, and ornamental goldwork crawled up his high leather boots to his thighs. Gloves of soft yellow suede were tucked into a belt of gilded rings, and his fingernails were enameled blue.  

His beard, cut into three prongs might very subtly suggest a three headed dragon, having the same conformation - three branches extending from the whole - or it may suggest that three "factions" comprise the whole that is Daario.

Blue - blue symbolises (to name but a few) sincerity, loyalty, steadfastness - in short, it suggests he's what we would call  "true blue" - entirely trustworthy, in spite of the contrary reputation of sellswords. Also, he very well may be "blue blooded" in spite of Dany's (too) often repeated sentiment that he's "not the stuff of kings."

How cool would it be if he took a bath and all of that blue hair dye washed out (Like Sansa/Alayne's did) and he was as silver Fabio under all that?!?! I do agree that his looks are very suggestive.

Quote

Gold - naturally, we immediately associate gold with Lannisters... He has dandelion-shaped medallions on his doublet. "Dandelion" is derived from the French for lion's tooth, 'dent de leon' .. but because of the shape and colour of the flower, dandelions are also strongly connected to sun symbolism and therefore (in-story) to the Martells... Some of Daario's gold is not gold at all. His dandelions (lion's teeth) are brass, his belt is only gilded, and his moustache, of course, is only painted. Some of his gold is genuine,which I'll comment on as the examples come up .. and I want to call to mind our sayings, "Show me the gold", or "That's golden", referring to what has value.. what is real.

You know I love my symbolism. It is there if you want it, or not if you prefer to read right past it. I had not thought about the Dandelion thing in forever. Good points! Daario also dresses like a dandy, and he is wooing a night lion(ess). Could be a fit.

Also, to the gold vs brass issue, this could be because of his birth status as we have a similarity over in Westeros with the fact that garnets are referred to as the bastard version of rubies. Yup. It has to do with all of that

Quote

- He stood with his hands crossed at the wrists, his palms resting on the pommels of his blades; a curving Dothraki arakh on his left hip, a Myrish stiletto on his right. Their hilts were a matched pair of golden women, naked and wanton. 
 Hands crossed at the wrists - is the posture of someone whose hands are literally or figuratively tied. In this case, no bonds are apparent, but I believe Daario is subject to unseen restrictions. The hilts are in the palms of his hands, but his palms are inverted. Turn his palms up and they would be in a gesture of giving. Palms down, and with the idea of invisible bonds, he is not (yet) in a position to show or offer what those hilts represent. They are "wrought of gold", though...
... And there are many more references to those hilts...

- His strong hands caressed the hilts of his matched blades, those wanton golden women.

- The hilts of Daario’s arakh and stiletto were wrought in the shape of golden women, naked and wanton. He brushed his thumbs across them in away that was remarkably obscene and smiled a wicked smile.

- Daario brushed his thumbs across his sword hilts and smiled dangerously.

- She found herself thinking of Daario Naharis once again, Daario with his gold tooth and trident
beard, his strong hands resting on the hilts of his matched arakh and stiletto, hilts wrought of gold in the shape of naked women.The day he took his leave of her, as she was bidding him farewell, he had brushed the balls of his thumbs lightly across them, back and forth. I am jealous of a sword hilt, she had realized, of women made of gold. Sending him to the Lamb Men had been wise. She was a queen, and Daario Naharis was not the stuff of kings.

Far too much is made of those sword hilts for them to be merely colour , or merely GRRM's way of alluding to the sexual tension between Daario and Dany. They are part of the mystery around Daario, and perhaps a key to it. Some of this I'll revisit later, when Daario gives "his girls" into Dany's care , but for now, just thinking in terms of in-story symbolism - 

There does seem to be importance in what the hilt symbolizes, as it does with Jon's sword "skinchanging" from a bear to a wolf.
He even gives them to Dany for safe keeping while he is captive.

Two golden girls creating bloody mischief. Hmmm...

• "I will leave my girls with you," her captain had said, handing her his sword belt and its gilded wantons. "Keep them safe for me, beloved. We would not want them making bloody mischief amongst the Yunkai'i."

Quote

Now I want to turn from "Golden Daario"

Well, for me, I think the gold could also be gold dragons, as in the coins that the gods flip and also the stuff that has her ancestors heads on it back in Westeros. Maybe? Maybe not?

Quote

 

to "Purple Daario". From ASoS :

- 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.  

Cersei in AFFC also a similar comment about Aurane Waters, but I think Aurane is the herring in this comparison.

Quote

*****

 

White silk and golden rings -  screams "wedding" - and this is in the chapter where he begins to suggest she marry him. White is also the colour of purity, wholeness, completion, understanding, faith, etc. ..and represents new beginnings (a clean slate) . Silk is a fabric associated with wealth and/or nobility... and in ASOIAF and related works , often associated with Dorne.

Daario's hair (purple and gold in equal parts) says "royalty" better than any other colour combination.

We're told so little about Daario directly , but he's simply immersed in symbolism and veiled hints.

There will be more symbolic references as we go ahead; some are reminders, some related to what's going on in the story at that moment. I'll leave them for now, until they come up in later sections.

Just going by appearance, I think we have ample reason to suspect that Daario is far more noble than Dany or anyone around her would believe and that probably more than one important bloodline can be identified.

 

 

Quote

I think as we move ahead, the Martell line will prove to be his paternal line.

UPDATE : At the time I wrote the first two parts, I felt that Blackfyre was most likely to be the Valeryan bloodline represented and I had found a few references, and I've found more since. But in the meantime, Lady Blizzardborn has been working on Daario's identity from the Blackfyre perspective, and and is making a convincing and more detailed Blackfyre case in her own thread.. Daario Naharis, International man of Mystery.. I'll link to it at the end.

(As soon as I get this epic up, I'm off to read her thread in detail.)

So, as we move on, I feel Oberyn is Daario's father, a Blackfyre woman his mother, and Lannister most probably comes in somewhere along the way. There's a chance the Lannister references connect to Doran and Oberyn's anti-Lannister agenda, but I somehow feel it may be more than that.

 

I am going to stop here and catch up on the rest of the thread and get back to you later with the other parts. I am super curious to get more into how he could be a Martell.

The clues are there. This is really good