Daenerys Stormborn - A Re-Read Project Part I: AGoT

[Arya kiddin']

On another note, "Rhaegar died for the woman he loved" is a heavily romanticized version of the historical events, just as much as "Robert started the war over Lyanna". In truth, while Lyanna's "abduction" was what started the chain of events that lead to RR, Robert actually started the war because the Mad King had asked for his and Ned's deaths, which Jon Arryn refused (and actually, it would be more correct to say that it was Jon Arryn who started the rebellion, not Robert) and Rhaegar fought in the Trident because he had to, because the lives of his entire family and his own depended on it. Lyanna, being Ned's sister, was the least in danger, though the same can't be said of her child.

I think we should wait to see it revealed, before saying it was heavily romanticized or not. Rhaegar might've married/ abdcted Lyanna to fulfil the prophecy, or he might genuinely have come to love her. Maybe we'll never know. I like the romanticized version better though (which makes it less likely to be true :uhoh: )

I agree with you on this.

Thats where I also lean. Perhaps she was planning on getting into Dany's inner circle and strike at the best oppurtunity and she got the right oppurtunity when Dany allowed her to use magic.

This would be the safest bet, I agree.

She would have been better off giving birth on a blanket out in the sand than in that tent. Jorah didn't understand what he was walking into.

I think we're basing these arguments on the fact that Dothraki took MMD as a Maegi. But we should not assume that Jorah believes in that too - he might've considered all this superstitious BS. So maybe he did take Dany inside only on the whim that MMD has knowledge about childbirth.

[Ser Pollo Loco]

I think we should wait to see it revealed, before saying it was heavily romanticized or not. Rhaegar might've married/ abdcted Lyanna to fulfil the prophecy, or he might genuinely have come to love her. Maybe we'll never know. I like the romanticized version better though (which makes it less likely to be true :uhoh: )

Probably both, i need another kid and then falls in love... two birds one stone. There's no way for Rhaegar to think that he needs a Stark given that he thought he was tptwp and his mother isn't a Stark.

Barristan and Dany both believe it's love

[Annara Snow]

I think we should wait to see it revealed, before saying it was heavily romanticized or not. Rhaegar might've married/ abdcted Lyanna to fulfil the prophecy, or he might genuinely have come to love her. Maybe we'll never know. I like the romanticized version better though (which makes it less likely to be true :uhoh: )

I do think that Rhaegar was in love with Lyanna. And Robert was certainly in love with her - or rather, in his idea of her. But neither of them started the war, the war was not started for love (even though it was something that caused a chain of events) and was not about just that. That's something we know for certain. As I said, Robert wasn't the one who started the rebellion, Jon Arryn was; the real reason for the war were Aerys' actions, not Rhaegar's or Lyanna's; and Rhaegar had to fight for... well, everything, not just Lyanna, after the war started.

[Queen‍‍‍‍‍‍ Alysanne‍‍™]

Mirri's Treatment of Drogo

Here is the passage where she treats Drogo.

She let the rags of her gown fall to her waist as she opened a carved chest, and busied herself with bottles and boxes, knives and needles. When she was ready, she broke off the barbed arrowhead and pulled out the shaft, chanting in the singsong tongue of the Lhazareen. She heated a flagon of wine to boiling on the brazier, and poured it over his wounds. Khal Drogo cursed her, but he did not move. She bound the arrow wound with a plaster of wet leaves and turned to the gash on his breast, smearing it with a pale green paste before she pulled the flap of skin back in place. The khal ground his teeth together and swallowed a scream. The godswife took out a silver needle and a bobbin of silk thread and began to close the flesh. When she was done she painted the skin with red ointment, covered it with more leaves, and bound the breast in a ragged piece of lambskin.

“Drink neither wine nor the milk of the poppy,” she cautioned him. “Pain you will have, but you must keep your body strong to fight the poison spirits.”

...

“He has been dulling the hurt with milk of the poppy.”

“Yes,” Dany admitted.

“I made him a poultice of firepod and sting-me-not and bound it in a lambskin.”

“It burned, he said. He tore it off. The herbwomen made him a new one, wet and soothing.”

“It burned, yes. There is great healing magic in fire, even your hairless men know that.”

For comparative purposes we have Aemon treating Jon in a case of known benevolence

“Jon, be gentle with yourself. It is good that you have woken, but you must give yourself time to heal. We drowned the wound with boiling wine, and closed you up with a poultice of nettle, mustard seed and moldy bread, but unless you rest…”

We also have the Dothraki healing poultrice

Beneath his painted vest, a plaster of fig leaves and caked blue mud covered the wound on his breast.

We also have Cressen's observations about healing and killing:

and the maesters of his order as well, though it was not something talked about beyond the walls of the Citadel. All the world knew that a maester forged his silver link when he learned the art of healing—but the world preferred to forget that men who knew how to heal also knew how to kill.

These comparisons are very good !!!!

It seems what Aemon and the Dothraki use to heal seem to be things that are used for healing even in our world. Moldy bread has penicillin, nettle is anti inflammatory and mustard seed does something aswell. Fig leaves and some clays can act as anti oxidants.

But it seems that what MMD used are rather vague or don't exist in our world so it could actually be poison. The lambskin being ragged could even cause an infection.

[MoIaF]

Very nice write up Arya Kiddin'

I like the feel and mood that gets set at the opening of the chapter. I imagine that if Quentyn had taken the Demon Road past Valyria to get to Dany that the setting and the feel at the opening of the journey would be similar to what we get here.

There's a build up to the ritual by MMD. She speaks of the dire price she paid for the knowledge and the cost of the ritual itself-- only death can pay for life. Dany's first reaction is that it will be her own life that pays for Drogo's and she thinks back Rhaegar dying for a woman he loved. In our first introduction to Dany she is suspicious of Illyrio because she knows that such things don't come without a price. The horse was no price to her at all. One could read the events as Dany really knowing on some level that her child was the price, but I don't think that's required. It would be natural to question herself because she knew the horse was too easy. On some level Dany did know that "the price" was something she would feel, something that would cost her personally. I read her as in a blind desperation and once she was told that she wasn't the price and her Drogo would live she stopped thinking about it. I think desperation combined with knowing the horse was "too easy" is enough to make her question herself later without requiring her to know it was Rhaego. There are plenty of tales with some amorphous future price for a service that the character "never imagines would be X" even though he or she knew full well the cost would be felt dearly.

I agree her questioning herself is a natural thing, without jumping to the conclusion that she knew all along Rhaego was the price that would be paid.

As I mentioned earlier in the discussion it was a highly stressful situation for her, she wasn't thinking clearly, anyone would question themselves.

I didn't think about it but you are probably right, at some level she must have understood (perhaps after she woke up and had time to think about it) that the horse could not have been the price, it was just not an equivalent exchange, but I don't think she would have ever imagined the price would be Rhaego.

[Ragnorak]

I agree her questioning herself is a natural thing, without jumping to the conclusion that she knew all along Rhaego was the price that would be paid.

As I mentioned earlier in the discussion it was a highly stressful situation for her, she wasn't thinking clearly, anyone would question themselves.

I didn't think about it but you are probably right, at some level she must have understood (perhaps after she woke up and had time to think about it) that the horse could not have been the price, it was just not an equivalent exchange, but I don't think she would have ever imagined the price would be Rhaego.

Agreed. MMD plays up the cost to build up a certain sense of dread and then relieves that dread by reassuring her that Dany herself won't be the price. Dany is also trusting of MMD at this point. To have Dany really know her child was the price undercuts the later sense of betrayal and undermines MMD as a manipulator. I also think it tends to paint Dany in a negative light as opposed to a more naïve and trusting victim that realizes too late that she ought to have known better.

These comparisons are very good !!!!

It seems what Aemon and the Dothraki use to heal seem to be things that are used for healing even in our world. Moldy bread has penicillin, nettle is anti inflammatory and mustard seed does something aswell. Fig leaves and some clays can act as anti oxidants.

But it seems that what MMD used are rather vague or don't exist in our world so it could actually be poison. The lambskin being ragged could even cause an infection.

Yes, I noticed the same thing. The maester and Dothraki treatments seem to have parallels to things we know but I couldn't find any real world equivalent to MMD's treatment. The boiling wine is familiar but the rest is sort of alien. Silk thread and a silver needle imply a certain expense to the treatment but the other ingredients are alien to us compared to the familiar penicillin and an anti-inflammatory. Are the alien and expensive nature of the ingredients supposed to imply magic? Maybe, but it could also be to make the treatment deliberately ambiguous so we have to decide based on other factors. I'm inclined to believe MMD intentionally did harm but I can't find anything that seems to be an intentional clue in those ingredients.

Are there any other non-maester wound treatments that we see? The silk that mended Mance's cloak is the only thing I can think of but I don't think we get any treatment details from that. I think it was just porridge and potions.

Speaking of the Wildlings, there are some parallels to the Dothraki there. Following strength and not birth is one. The breakup of this Khalassar has certain parallels to the Wildlings after the fall of Mance. The Wildlings and the Dothraki both seem to "remember" things that the "more civilized" city dwelling folk have forgotten. Dany's reaction to the idea that MMD is a blood mage is in line with holding the idea as superstition. We see similar things with the Free Folk and the Others, Giants, wargs, etc. It is known vs. You know nothing.

The biggest difference I see thematically is a place for Dany's agency. Despite many parallels the Wildlings have spearwives and female leaders and women acting as equals-- certainly far more equal than anything known amongst the Dothraki. Mance's child is also valued among the Wildlings and isn't seen as a threat that needs to be killed by any new would be King. Dany, who not only has no female role model to rely on for guidance, is in a society where she has to step into a male role in order to exercise agency. The Dothraki view of women is similar to the Targaryen male dominated primogeniture. Dany is going to be stepping into Drogo's role in much the same way she's stepped into Viserys role. There is a trend of her having to occupy overly male-centric roles. (Nothing in Dany's realm is going to bow to her like Barrowtown did for Lady Dustin in her own feminine capacity.)

MMD is a crone figure and, assuming she used the woman's weapon of poison, she's protecting her people and exercising agency in accordance with that different woman's honor Lysa speaks of. A Crone cuts off Dany's transition from Maid to Mother as Dany is forced by circumstances to occupy a traditional male role to have any agency. This Crone conflict is echoed in the Crones of Vaes Dothrak and will occur again later with the Green Grace. With Drogo around, Dany had an agency similar to a Cat or a Cersei ruling with Ned or Robert. Her ability to transition fully into that role and raise her children like those two other women is abruptly cut off here. I think a case can be made that this is the point where her Mother vs. Conqueror conflict is born. The immediate concern is that she has no agency in any feminine capacity she might adopt with the added complication of her own few existing role models all being male. The repeated assertions that all her worth is derived from Drogo, the dog imagery of her and MMD's threatened fates combined with the Gregor dog reference to Aegon's death create a web of themes that all point toward the devaluing feminine aspects and requiring masculine martial power for survival. This sets up her inner conflict that will continue to play out through the end of Dance. I'd be curious to revisit this theme when she is confronted with a choice to stay at Vaes Tolorro and see what imagery surrounds that chapter.

[Annara Snow]

Speaking of the Wildlings, there are some parallels to the Dothraki there. Following strength and not birth is one. The breakup of this Khalassar has certain parallels to the Wildlings after the fall of Mance. The Wildlings and the Dothraki both seem to "remember" things that the "more civilized" city dwelling folk have forgotten. Dany's reaction to the idea that MMD is a blood mage is in line with holding the idea as superstition. We see similar things with the Free Folk and the Others, Giants, wargs, etc. It is known vs. You know nothing.

It's not the same thing at all. The free folk elect their leaders, based on their competence and the trust they have in them; the person they choose doesn't have to have any kind of family pedigree. They seem to be the only society in the ASOAIF universe that practices something close to democracy. The free folk do not have hereditary rulers; Mance's son is just his son, not a prince nor a future king. His wife is just his wife, does not have special honors or responsibilities and is free to do whatever she wants. By contrast, the Dothraki do have hereditary rulers; khal's son is a khalakka and is expected to become khal after his father's death, and the khaleesi has to go to Dosh Khaleen. Khal Ogo was succeeded by his son Fogo after Drogo killed him, and Drogo killed Fogo, too, so he wouldn't continue being a khal. Rhaego was meant to succeed Drogo, and when Drogo became incapacitated, Jorah believed the other khals (previously kos) were going to kill Rhaego. If he hadn't been his father's heir, they would have had no reason to. (It's the same thing as with the murders of Aegon an Rhaenys.) And not everyone can become a khal, either - the men who pronounced themselves khals were all previously kos; it's basically the same thing as in Westeros when a high lord pronounces himself king. (One can draw parallels between the internal strife in Drogo's khalasar and the civil war in Westeros after Robert's death.)

So, the Dothraki way is far more similar to the customs of the Seven Kingdoms (including the clansmen) and the Thenns, than to the free folk. The difference is that the Dothraki will not respect the heredirary rulers if they cannot back their claim to power with actual strength and power, while the Westerosi should technically respect the rules of inheritance regardless, so they can even have little children as kings and highlords. However, while this is true in theory, in practice this isn't always so, and actual power behind the throne is very important (although it doesn't have to be the power of the ruler himself, but the power of his family and families that support him). We saw how many noblemen were ready to support Renly for the throne, and everyone is aware that Joffrey and Tommen would have no way of keeping the throne if it weren't for the strength of the house Lannister, and later the houses Lannister and Tyrell.

[MoIaF]

Public Services Announcement

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Now, back to our regularly schedule discussion.

[Ragnorak]

It's not the same thing at all. The free folk elect their leaders, based on their competence and the trust they have in them; the person they choose doesn't have to have any kind of family pedigree. They seem to be the only society in the ASOAIF universe that practices something close to democracy. The free folk do not have hereditary rulers; Mance's son is just his son, not a prince nor a future king. His wife is just his wife, does not have special honors or responsibilities and is free to do whatever she wants. By contrast, the Dothraki do have hereditary rulers; khal's son is a khalakka and is expected to become khal after his father's death, and the khaleesi has to go to Dosh Khaleen. Khal Ogo was succeeded by his son Fogo after Drogo killed him, and Drogo killed Fogo, too, so he wouldn't continue being a khal. Rhaego was meant to succeed Drogo, and when Drogo became incapacitated, Jorah believed the other khals (previously kos) were going to kill Rhaego. If he hadn't been his father's heir, they would have had no reason to. (It's the same thing as with the murders of Aegon an Rhaenys.) And not everyone can become a khal, either - the men who pronounced themselves khals were all previously kos; it's basically the same thing as in Westeros when a high lord pronounces himself king. (One can draw parallels between the internal strife in Drogo's khalasar and the civil war in Westeros after Robert's death.)

So, the Dothraki way is far more similar to the customs of the Seven Kingdoms (including the clansmen) and the Thenns, than to the free folk. The difference is that the Dothraki will not respect the heredirary rulers if they cannot back their claim to power with actual strength and power, while the Westerosi should technically respect the rules of inheritance regardless, so they can even have little children as kings and highlords. However, while this is true in theory, in practice this isn't always so, and actual power behind the throne is very important (although it doesn't have to be the power of the ruler himself, but the power of his family and families that support him). We saw how many noblemen were ready to support Renly for the throne, and everyone is aware that Joffrey and Tommen would have no way of keeping the throne if it weren't for the strength of the house Lannister, and later the houses Lannister and Tyrell.

Correction taken. I had forgotten (or never realized) the Dothraki have a pragmatic if not legal hereditary system. I like the chord the Free Folk seem to have struck with you but that's off topic here.

I was reacting mostly to Jorah's comment about "following strength" and the type of strength Dany eventually acquires is more martial than something like a Queen of Thorns or the inspirational type of strength a Sansa has despite physical powerlessness and no army. (Mysha will be extraordinarily inspirational but born more of her martial choices.) There is no feminine role open to Dany and I think the surrounding imagery echoes that. Targaryen succession has less of a place for daughters than all other Houses of Westeros. The only role for her as a woman in the Dothraki is to be carried off to be a Crone-- and interestingly it is a Crone in the form off MMD who she is in conflict with.

By the end of Dance Dany will have a fairly overt inner conflict between Mother and Dragon, to Conquer or To Plant Trees. I think that conflict is being born here and being denied a feminine role in life and forced into a masculine one is a large part of it. As a young girl Dany is supposed to have a Crone figure (and a Mother and friends all of which her life has denied her) to guide her or rely on, yet MMD betrays her and she has to rely on Jorah the Warrior for counsel. Justice is attributed to the Father which is another role she'll be set in as well as rebuilding which is the Smith. She' about to be cut off from becoming an actual mother but will become the Mother of Dragons and eventually Mysha. There's a lot of high level symbolism here about her journey as the events that set her future in motion unfold.

[Parwan]

...

1.

I was reacting mostly to Jorah's comment about "following strength" and the type of strength Dany eventually acquires is more martial than something like a Queen of Thorns or the inspirational type of strength a Sansa has despite physical powerlessness and no army. (Mysha will be extraordinarily inspirational but born more of her martial choices.) There is no feminine role open to Dany and I think the surrounding imagery echoes that. Targaryen succession has less of a place for daughters than all other Houses of Westeros. The only role for her as a woman in the Dothraki is to be carried off to be a Crone-- and interestingly it is a Crone in the form off MMD who she is in conflict with.

2.

By the end of Dance Dany will have a fairly overt inner conflict between Mother and Dragon, to Conquer or To Plant Trees. I think that conflict is being born here and being denied a feminine role in life and forced into a masculine one is a large part of it. As a young girl Dany is supposed to have a Crone figure (and a Mother and friends all of which her life has denied her) to guide her or rely on, yet MMD betrays her and she has to rely on Jorah the Warrior for counsel. Justice is attributed to the Father which is another role she'll be set in as well as rebuilding which is the Smith. She' about to be cut off from becoming an actual mother but will become the Mother of Dragons and eventually Mysha. There's a lot of high level symbolism here about her journey as the events that set her future in motion unfold.

This is interesting stuff.

1. Mirri Maz Duur as a Crone--I hadn't considered that. It seems you are using the term in a generic sense. MMD is not a crone as the Dothraki see it. Her power is wider. It is not confined to a particular location, and it is not based on the fact that she is the widow of a once-powerful man. The horselords think of her as a witch. Partially true, I suppose, but it is probably better to consider her a type of priestess. The eastern religions give women (or at least some women) greater scope than do those of Westeros. It appears that MMD made the decision to travel to Asshai on her own; she also decided what she would study there. These are things that the crones of the dosh khaleen couldn't do. They are things that septas and silent sisters would not even consider doing. The maegi is described as "a thick-bodied, flat-nosed woman of forty years." In this part of Essos, forty might be considered old. However, age is not essential to MMD's power, is it? A younger woman could have power similar to hers, right? I'm not saying that your ideas are wrong. only that I'd like to see them developed more.

I like your ideas about how Dany is denied a feminine role and the conflict this produces. I believe that the assertions about her final POV in Dance are somewhat overdone. To me, conflict is more evident than any clear decision to assume the full role of conquerer, to go to Westeros with a "sack and burn" mentality. I'll have more to say about this at a more appropriate point in our discussions. For now, I'll note that your ideas fit well with my claims about Dany and "the dragon business." Many people in these forums claim that Daenerys is all about privilege, entitlement, and self aggrandizement. I say that most of her "blood of the dragon" statements are necessary for a woman in her situation who is trying to be a leader. In a fuller sense, the ideas and feelings which she develops over the course of the story are not so much a matter of pure entitlement. They are more like a theory of noblesse oblige on steroids.

[bemused]

Just a quick nip in to say , re: MMD's methods..In our world silver implements are thought to magnify magic, or serve as the perfect conduit for magic .. and silk can enclose it , or keep competing magic or other influences out.

For example ,Tarot cards are kept wrapped in silk by their owners to keep the positive influences ( that is , the influences they want ) in and keep negative ( or opposing) influences out. Many won't even let anyone else touch their cards except , occasionally, at their direction.

So silver would increase the potency of any magic she used , while silk would ward against any influence that might undo it.

This makes me more suspicious of her unknown "medicines" and the idea that the Dothraki poultices , etc., which we know should generally be helpful , would harm or lessen the effect of her treatment.

[TheMysteriousOne]

ETA: Ignore

[TheMysteriousOne]

ETA: Ignore.

[TheMysteriousOne]

AGOT Daenerys IX

The Last Dragon

Summary

This climactic and eventful chapter begins with Daenerys in her fevered dreams. (I won't include the summary of the dream, as I will analyze this dream on its own). Daenerys wakes to the taste of ashes, with Jhiqui standing over her. Her body is hurting and she calls for something, but does not know what. Jhiqui says “Yes,” and bolts from the tent shouting. When they return, Daenerys is crawling toward her dragon eggs. Ser Jorah carries her back to bed and tells her to sleep and then Mirri Maz Duur gives her something in a cup. A dreamless sleep takes her.

Daenerys awakens once more in the darkness. She calls for her handmaidens and they attend to her. They tell her that she has been sick for a long time. Then Mirri Maz Duur gives her wine and as she falls asleep, asking for a dragon’s egg. The next time she wakes, Daenerys has the pale dragon’s egg in her arms and it is warm. There is fine sheen of perspiration on her that she names “dragon’s dew.” There is no fever and she feels strong. She calls for her handmaidens and asks for a bath, Mirri Maz Duur, Ser Jorah, Drogo, and her child. Her handmaids avoid answering about Drogo and her child, and Daenerys realizes that her child is dead.

Mirri Maz Duur and Ser Jorah enter to find Daenerys standing over the other eggs, which are all warm. However, when asked, Ser Jorah does not feel the heat from the eggs. Ser Jorah looks gaunt and limps from his wounds. He tells Daenerys that her son never lived, but Mirri Maz Duur tells her that the child was monstrous: lizard-like, with scales; his skin fell off, revealing a body filled with grave worms and the stink of corruption, as if he had been dead for years. She states that her son was strong when Ser Jorah brought her into the tent. Mirri Maz Duur explains that death was in the tent and that the shadows touched her.

Daenerys realizes that Ser Jorah killed her child by taking her into the tent, for love and loyalty to her. Daenerys states that she thought the life of the horse would be payment enough and is told that was a lie she told herself. Daenerys is not sure if she knew. Daenerys realizes that the life of the horse, her son, Quaro, Qotho, Haggo, and Cohollo paid for the life of Drogo. She asks to see what the price bought. Ser Jorah cannot dissuade her and has to help her stand since she is weaker than she thought.

Outside, in the glaring sun, Daenerys can see there is little left: a scattering of tents, a few score of horses, and perhaps a hundred people. They are the old, the frightened, and the sick. Jhogoreminds her that a khal who cannot ride is no khal. She learns that Ko Pono declared himself khal first, and Jhaqo after him. They took most of the riders, the herds, and the slaves because Daenerys’ own khas was too weak to stop them; it is the right of the strong to take from the weak. Most of the rest left during the following nights. Mago, now a bloodrider to Khal Jhaqo, seizedEroeh (whom Daenerys had denied him) and raped and murdered her. Daenerys repeats her mantra, “If I look back I am lost,” and swears that Mago and Jhaqo will die screaming. Irri warns her that Jhaqo now has 20,000 riders, but Daenerys insists that she is the blood of the dragon. Then she asks to see Drogo.

Drogo lies unmoving, unseeing, and covered in bloodflies. Daenerys asks why he is outside alone and Ser Jorah explains that he seems to like the warmth and staring at the sun with eyes that cannot see. He will follow where led and eat if food is put in his mouth, but otherwise does nothing. Daenerys faces Mirri Maz Duur, who insists that Drogo is alive. Daenerys responds that such is not life for a man that was as alive as Drogo. Then Daenerys asks Mirri Maz Duur when Drogo will be as he was, MMD replies, stating her famous quote.

Daenerys sends the others away and then accuses Mirri Maz Duur of knowing, of cheating her and murdering her child. Mirri Maz Duur replies that it was wrong of the khalasar to burn her temple, and now the Stallion Who Mounts the World will burn no cities and trample no nations. Daenerys reminds the maegi that she saved her, but Mirri Maz Duur asks what Daenerys saved when three warriors had already raped her, burned her home and her temple, and cut off the heads of her neighbors and friends. Daenerys insists that she saved her life, but the maegi tells her to look at her khal and see what life is worth when all else is gone. Daenerys orders her men to bind Mirri Maz Duur and take her away; the woman only smiles at her.

Daenerys orders Drogo brought into her tent. She bathes him herself and washes his hair until darkness falls. She thinks of their first ride beneath the open sky and of when they made Rhaego. She is too raw from the miscarriage for intercourse, but uses other means in an attempt to use the magic of love to bring Drogo back. It does not work and her husband remains in his 'vegetative' state. When dawn breaks, Daenerys kisses Drogo for the last time, and then smothers him with a soft silk pillow.

Observations

1. The warmth of the dragon eggs is perceived only by Daenerys. Everyone else she asks tells her that the dragons feel cold and hard.

2. No one in the tent, except MMD observed Rhaego's body.

3. Dany fears the darkness from her dreams sweeping up on her.

4. She acknowledges that Jorah caused her son's death, but does not wish to blame him. Instead MMD gets all the blame.

5. When Daenerys hears of Eroeh's death, she promises to get back at Jhaqo and Mago.

6. MMD basically admits that she planned Khal Drogo's death.

7. Dany takes Drogo's life into her hands by ending his life.

Fever Dreams

I chose to analyze this dream separately because of the sheer amount of symbolism and foreshadowing which seem integral to Dany's future.

Darkness/Winter & AA/PTWP

The red door was so far ahead of her, and she could feel the icy breath behind, sweeping up on her. If it caught her she would die a death that was more than death, howling forever alone in the darkness. She began to run. “... don’t want to wake the dragon".

What is this icy breath that is chasing after Dany? I think it is possibly the Others and/or the wights, or any other faction that is associated with ice and darkness. It's interesting to note that Dany is already opposed to ice, cold and darkness in AGOT, which seems to heavily imply that Daenerys will be on the 'Fire side' of the story, if that was not clear before. I think that this lends credibility to the theory that Dany might support R'hllor, which might possibly mean that she will oppose Bran and Bloodraven.

In addition, Dany thinks to herself that if the darkness caught her, she would die a death more than death, howling forever alone in the darkness. Here we have a comparison between death, darkness and coldness, a connection often repeated by the followers of R'hllor, frequently. Howling is also mentioned, which is surprising as dragons do not howl, they roar.

But wolves howl. ;)

She could feel the heat inside her, a terrible burning in her womb. Her son was tall and proud, with Drogo’s copper skin and her own silver-gold hair, violet eyes shaped like almonds. And he smiled for her and began to lift his hand toward hers, but when he opened his mouth the fire poured out. She saw his heart burning through his chest, and in an instant he was gone, consumed like a moth by a candle, turned to ash.

This is definitely foreshadowing of Daenerys being Azor Ahai, IMO. I haven't decided who I believe will be AA, (it's either Jon or Dany) but I think that this part of the dream makes it somewhat likely that Dany is AA. Dany sacrificed Rhaego to save Drogo and similarly, AA sacrificed Nissa Nissa to forge LB. In this dream, Rhaego's heart is burning through his chest. AA sacrificed Nissa Nissa by plunging his blade through her heart, causing her heart to burn away, which is very similar to aforementioned incident.

Stallion that Mounts the World

The door loomed before her, the red door, so close, so close, the hall was a blur around her, the cold receding behind. And now the stone was gone and she flew across the Dothraki sea, high and higher, the green rippling beneath, and all that lived and breathed fled in terror from the shadow of her wings.

I've always been of the opinion that Dany is the Stallion Who Mounts the World. In fact, I'm more sure of this than I am of her being AA. The seeds of my belief were sown by this quote: The old woman trembled and looked at Dany almost as if she were afraid.

Although this is not conclusive in and of itself (as she might have been looking at her simply because she was carrying Rhaego within her), my theory is corroborated by this dream, and subsequent clues in later books. In this part of the dream, she describes , and then states that all that lived and breathed fled from her, which fits in with part of the description of the STMTW prophecy.

"As swift as the wind he rides, and behind him his khalasar covers the earth, men without number, with arakhs shining in their hands like blades of razor grass. Fierce as a storm this prince will be. His enemies will tremble before him, and their wives will weep tears of blood and rend their flesh in grief. The bells in his hair will sing his coming, and the milk men in the stone tents will fear his name."

Not to get too far ahead, but another reason I think that Dany is the Stallion, is because of the word 'prince'. As Aemon states in AFFC, "No one ever looked for a girl ... It was a prince that was promised, not a princess”

Although this takes place in AFFC, Aemon's theory provides precedence for this kind of misinterpretation with the Valyrians. As we all now know, the Valyrian word for prince, presumably the same as dragon, is gender-neutral. This might be a bit of a stretch, but its quite possible that such an error occurred with this prophecy and that the Stallion could be either male or female. In story, this is unlikely as the Dothraki are quite sexist, but for us readers, the irony of this, were it to be true, would be delicious.

The Last Dragon

This part of the dream is probably my favorite, and the theory which I am about to discuss is one that I am about 90 % sure of.

“A great knife of pain ripped down her back, and she felt her skin tear open and smelled the stench of burning blood and saw the shadow of wings. And Daenerys Targaryen flew.”

This is quite interesting as Dany isn't riding a dragon. She is literally flying with actual dragon wings. She is literally reborn as a true dragon, flying with actual wings.

She could smell home, she could see it, there, just beyond that door, green fields and great stone houses and arms to keep her warm, there. She threw open the door. “... the dragon..." And saw her brother Rhaegar, mounted on a stallion as black as his armor. Fire glimmered red through the narrow eye slit of his helm. “The last dragon,” Ser Jorah’s voice whispered faintly. “The last, the last.” Dany lifted his polished black visor. The face within was her own. After that, for a long time, there was only the pain, the fire within her, and the whisperings of stars.

This dream ostensibly foreshadows Dany arriving in Westeros, but that is not the focal point of this part of the dream. The crux of this part of the dream is the fact that Dany lifts Rhaegar's visor and sees herself within it. I think this could mean:

1) Dany is the Dragon, maybe the Three-Headed Dragon or one of its heads, not Rhaegar.

2) Dany is Rhaegar reborn

3) Dany is all of the above.

I've seen theories that state that Dany is Rhaegar reborn, but I don't necessarily agree with this. However, throughout the books, Dany dreams herself as Rhaegar, so I guess it is possible that Dany is Rhaegar, but I think that it's more likely that Dany is the dragon. In this dream, Dany sees herself as Rhaegar, the supposed last dragon,. Subsequent visions and dreams will shed further light on this (HOTU, dream of melting ice men).

The whisperings of stars is also interesting, as Quaithe's mask is described as being made of starlight, and her voice sounds like the whispering of stars, as well. I think this portends that Quaithe is, and will continue to be, a key part of Dany's story. Whether this is good or not for Dany is not known as of yet.

I recommend that we keep an eye out for further clues on this in subsequent analyses.

Drogo's return

Sorry for going so far ahead, but I have to for this prophecy.

"When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east," said Mirri Maz Duur. "When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child. Then he will return, and not before."

There are three ways to interpret this:

1) This is simply MMD's way of trying to put salt in Dany's wounds

2) This is a signifocant prophecy, intentional or not.

3) A mixture of the above

3) is how I interpret this. I think that this was an inadvertent prophecy made by MMD. Essentially, A Dance with Dragons has satisfied some of these conditions, metaphorically. Quentyn Martell is the Sun's son, referring to the sigil of House Martell. He journeyed from the west to the east, where he dies (in Meereen). In that Daenerys's last chapter she notes that the Dothraki sea is going dry and the grasses are dying. Now, the last part of this prophecy has two outcomes, IMO. The first is that Dany will have another child and Drogo will 'return' somehow in this child. The second, and the more tragic, is that Dany will have another child, and then die, thereby having Drogo 'return' to her.

Conclusion

In summary, Dany's penultimate chapter is littered with tons of symbolism and foreshadowing. It provides the reader with a growing anticipation for her future, and for future of the dragon eggs. Most importantly, it is demonstrative of Daenerys' inner strength and power, as she handles her misfortunes with perseverance and courage. How many characters in the series would be able to withstand half of what Daenerys has survived?

Not many. Not many.

[TheMysteriousOne]

Thanks everyone for waiting for my late essay. :)

[Parwan]

I don't think the fact that "No one in the tent, except MMD observed Rhaego's body" is important. According to Jorah, other women saw the body. Their description of it accords with MMD's, right? The knight certainly doesn't contradict her on the matter, and he indicates that he talked to the other women.

The overall question of who sees what, however, is a convoluted one. In the previous Dany POV, we really don't know what anyone other than Dany saw from outside the tent. She observes frightening shadows. She is clearly in very bad shape; her vision can't be taken as clear and accurate. Her thoughts contain a question about her friends: "What was wrong with them, couldn't they see?" She doesn't ask this question. It seems that she can't even talk. Thus, no answer is given. In the current POV, we find out that Jorah did see shadows. He tries to brush this fact off as a matter of little consequence. He tells MIrri, "I saw, maegi. I saw you alone, dancing with the shadows." This, on the face of it, Is a peculiar statement. If Mirri was alone, who or what was casting the shadows? Her answer is clear and frightening. "The grave casts long shadows, Iron Lord." Jorah has no reply to that. He is ashamed. At least he appears that way to Dany, and I think she perceives this matter correctly.

[Queen‍‍‍‍‍‍ Alysanne‍‍™]

Great Essay !! TMO :D

I agree with you that this chapter makes Dany a candidate for AAR or at least will play a role in the prophecy.

Another interesting thing I noted in relation to that was Dany's 3 attempts to get the dragon eggs, which is similar to the AA legend, the last attempt is where she got the eggs, similar to AA final attempt to get the sword.

First Attempt

She woke to the taste of ashes. “No,” she moaned, “no, please.” “Khaleesi!” Jhiqui hovered over her, a frightened doe. The tent was drenched in shadow, still and close........ “Yes, Khaleesi.” Quick as that Jhiqui was gone, bolting from the tent, shouting. Dany needed…something…someone…what? It was important, she knew. It was the only thing in the world that mattered. She rolled onto her side and got an elbow under her, fighting the blanket tangled about her legs. It was so hard to move. The world swam dizzily. I have to… They found her on the carpet, crawling toward her dragon eggs. Ser Jorah Mormont lifted her in his arms and carried her back to her sleeping silks, while she struggled feebly against him. Over his shoulder she saw her three handmaids, Jhogo with his little wisp of mustache, and the flat broad face of Mirri Maz Duur. “I must,” she tried to tell them, “I have to…” “…sleep, Princess,” Ser Jorah said. “No,” Dany said. “Please. Please.” “Yes.” He covered her with silk, though she was burning. “Sleep and grow strong again, Khaleesi. Come back to us.”

Second Attempt

After a time—a night, a day, a year, she could not say—she woke again. The tent was dark, its silken walls flapping like wings when the wind gusted outside. This time Dany did not attempt to rise. “Irri,” she called, “Jhiqui. Doreah.” They were there at once. “My throat is dry,” she said, “so dry,” and they brought her water. It was warm and flat, yet Dany drank it eagerly, and sent Jhiqui for more. Irri dampened a soft cloth and stroked her brow. “I have been sick,” Dany said. The Dothraki girl nodded. “How long?” The cloth was soothing, but Irri seemed so sad, it frightened her. “Long,” she whispered. When Jhiqui returned with more water, Mirri Maz Duur came with her, eyes heavy from sleep. “Drink,” she said, lifting Dany’s head to the cup once more, but this time it was only wine. Sweet, sweet wine. Dany drank, and lay back, listening to the soft sound of her own breathing. She could feel the heaviness in her limbs, as sleep crept in to fill her up once more. “Bring me…” she murmured, her voice slurred and drowsy. “Bring…I want to hold…” “Yes?” the maegi asked. “What is it you wish, Khaleesi?” “Bring me…egg…dragon’s egg…please…” Her lashes turned to lead, and she was too weary to hold them up.

Third and Final attempt.

When she woke the third time, a shaft of golden sunlight was pouring through the smoke hole of the tent, and her arms were wrapped around a dragon’s egg.

Another interesting part I saw was that this chapter bears some similarities to Dany's last chapter in ADWD and in both they wake up to miscarriages from a dream involving dragons. This is a post I made in another thread regarding the two cases.

Dany's last chapter of ADWD is very similar to Daenerys IX in AGOT.

First AGOT:

Jhiqui would have run as well, but Dany caught her by the wrist and held her captive. “What is it? I must know. Drogo…and my child.’.’ Why had she not remembered the child until now? “My son…Rhaego…where is he? I want him.”

She should weep, she knew, yet her eyes were dry as ash. She had wept in her dream, and the tears had turned to steam on her cheeks. All the grief has been burned out of me, she told herself.

ADWD:

“Drogon killed a little girl. Her name was … her name …” Dany could not recall the child’s name.

That made her so sad that she would have cried if all her tears had not been burned away. “I will never

have a little girl. I was the Mother of Dragons.”

In both cases she wakes from a fevered dream, can't remember a child but remembers her dragon/dragons and doesn't cry after both events. She also wakes to a miscarriage in both events.

Also I wonder if the drink MMD gave Dany in this chapter was what killed Rhaego, the taste is similar to what ate in ADWD to give her a miscarriage, perhaps another parallel of the two chapters?

ADWD:

Just past midday she came upon a bush growing by the stream, its twisted limbs covered with

hard green berries. Dany squinted at them suspiciously, then plucked one from a branch and nibbled at

it. Its flesh was tart and chewy, with a bitter aftertaste that seemed familiar to her. “In the khalasar,

they used berries like these to flavor roasts,” she decided. Saying it aloud made her more certain of it.

Her belly rumbled, and Dany found herself picking berries with both hands and tossing them into her .

AGOT:

And then Mirri Maz Duur was there, the maegi, tipping a cup against her lips. She tasted sour milk, and something else, something thick and bitter. Warm liquid ran down her chin. Somehow she swallowed.

"She told herself that there were powers stronger than hatred, and spells older and truer than any the maegi had learned in Asshai. The night was black and moonless, but overhead a million stars burned bright. She took that for an omen. No soft blanket of grass welcomed them here, only the hard dusty ground, bare and strewn with stones. No trees stirred in the wind, and there was no stream to soothe her fears with the gentle music of water. Dany told herself that the stars would be enough."

I also found this quote interesting, as it shows that Dany was already planning to perform the ritual to hatch the eggs, this also proves it wasn't just something she didn't plan for as a lot of posters seem to think. She clearly was already planning for it. Also the fact that she started making promises of vengeance against Jhaqo etc, proves she knew that she would get dragon and knew what she would have to do to get them.

[SeanF]

TMO, many thanks for this.

If Dany is to be the Stallion that Mounts the World, then this is another example of someone trying to avert a prophecy, while actually setting in motion a train of events that fulfils it. By killing Rhaego, MMD earned death. Her death by burning released sufficient magical power to hatch the eggs. Hatching the eggs gave Dany the means to acquire an army.

[SeanF]

.

The Last Dragon

This part of the dream is probably my favorite, and the theory which I am about to discuss is one that I am about 90 % sure of.

“A great knife of pain ripped down her back, and she felt her skin tear open and smelled the stench of burning blood and saw the shadow of wings. And Daenerys Targaryen flew.”

This is quite interesting as Dany isn't riding a dragon. She is literally flying with actual dragon wings. She is literally reborn as a true dragon, flying with actual wings.

She could smell home, she could see it, there, just beyond that door, green fields and great stone houses and arms to keep her warm, there. She threw open the door. “... the dragon..." And saw her brother Rhaegar, mounted on a stallion as black as his armor. Fire glimmered red through the narrow eye slit of his helm. “The last dragon,” Ser Jorah’s voice whispered faintly. “The last, the last.” Dany lifted his polished black visor. The face within was her own. After that, for a long time, there was only the pain, the fire within her, and the whisperings of stars.

This dream ostensibly foreshadows Dany arriving in Westeros, but that is not the focal point of this part of the dream. The crux of this part of the dream is the fact that Dany lifts Rhaegar's visor and sees herself within it. I think this could mean:

1) Dany is the Dragon, maybe the Three-Headed Dragon or one of its heads, not Rhaegar.

2) Dany is Rhaegar reborn

3) Dany is all of the above.

I've seen theories that state that Dany is Rhaegar reborn, but I don't necessarily agree with this. However, throughout the books, Dany dreams herself as Rhaegar, so I guess it is possible that Dany is Rhaegar, but I think that it's more likely that Dany is the dragon. In this dream, Dany sees herself as Rhaegar, the supposed last dragon,. Subsequent visions and dreams will shed further light on this (HOTU, dream of melting ice men).

The whisperings of stars is also interesting, as Quaithe's mask is described as being made of starlight, and her voice sounds like the whispering of stars, as well. I think this portends that Quaithe is, and will continue to be, a key part of Dany's story. Whether this is good or not for Dany is not known as of yet.

I recommend that we keep an eye out for further clues on this in subsequent analyses.

.

I'd never thought of Dany as being a reincarnation of Rhaegar, although I recall that she dreams of being him, on occasions.

It's interesting that although we never see Dany use weapons during the series, she envisages herself as being a warrior on several occasions. Hence, the dream of flying in armour to the Trident, which you referred to, on the night before she takes Astapor..

Subsequently, on her ride into Astapor, she thinks "I ought to have a banner sewn......she closed her eyes to imagine how it would look; all flowing black silk, and on it, the three-headed Targaryen dragon, breathing golden flames. A banner such as Rhaegar might have borne." When we read the chapter for the first time, we don't know that she's planning a massacre of the Good Masters. But, in retrospect, it's clear that she sees herself as a knight riding into battle. Such a knight, or his squire, would be carrying a banner. It goes a long way towards explaining her joy and exhiliration as she conducts the massacre. If her gamble had failed, she would likely have been raped and tortured to death, or at best, kept alive as a sex slave, Once she's won, she feels the same rage and exhiliration that a soldier feels on having stormed a city, and vents her fury on the free population.

From the back-story of the Targaryens, we know that several of their princesses were warriors, and Dany surely sees herself as following in their footsteps.

[Nictarion]

I'd never thought of Dany as being a reincarnation of Rhaegar, although I recall that she dreams of being him, on occasions.

I've seen it suggested that Rhaegar was the dragon born when Egg died, then Dany was Rhaegar reborn.