Why Targaryens have actual dragon blood.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

Dany's baths aren't remarked upon by anyone else but her. If they were unusually hot, one would think her slaves/maids would express concern so the reader was aware that her hot baths were something entirely different from the hot baths all the other highborn and/or wealthy enjoy.

Dany has also spent much of her life lacking hot baths and that sort of luxury, being always on the move. So when she finally experiences them, it's possible that she overestimates the heat or assumes the heat of the bath is unique to her, etc.

Again: This is the girl who gets too hot in her dragons' dungeon and thinks it's too hot to ride around in a palanquin.

[Hodor the Articulate]

Dany's baths aren't remarked upon by anyone else but her. If they were unusually hot, one would think her slaves/maids would express concern so the reader was aware that her hot baths were something entirely different from the hot baths all the other highborn and/or wealthy enjoy.

The way the passage was framed implied it was unusual - "The water was scalding hot, but Daenerys did not flinch or cry out. She liked the heat" . And surely, most people don't have scalding hot baths?

This is picking at nits, though. GRRM himself said: "The Targaryans can tolerate a bit more heat than most ordinary people" "More than most" qualifies as unusual or special, non?

I enjoy scalding hot baths. Maybe I'm a secret Targ. With hot-bath superpowers.

Are you sure you're not just a masochist? :P Srsly though, don't you get blisters?

[Starspear]

Egg enjoys the same. How redundant of George R. R. Martin.

There is clearly heat resistance being implied.

Stark men wouldn't understand.

[Dr. Pepper]

The way the passage was framed implied it was unusual - "The water was scalding hot, but Daenerys did not flinch or cry out. She liked the heat" . And surely, most people don't have scalding hot baths?

This is picking at nits, though. GRRM himself said: "The Targaryans can tolerate a bit more heat than most ordinary people" "More than most" qualifies as unusual or special, non?

Yes, but it's Dany who thinks it's scalding, not anyone else. If the temperature of the bath was so unusual, then surely someone other than Dany should mention it, right?

The Targaryens are not ordinary people. They were the top tier of the nobles who had an army of servants to do the heavy lifting for stuff like hot baths. The rest of the nobles in the realm are also not ordinary. They are part of the 1% who can consistently experience luxuries like hot baths, so they'd obviously have a tolerance for hot water. There is a VERY long list of wealthy/noble characters luxuriating in hot baths.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

Egg enjoys the same. How redundant of George R. R. Martin.

There is clearly heat resistance being implied.

Stark men wouldn't understand.

And Egg still died in a fire. Shockingly, liking hot baths didn't really help him there.

Again, if the heat resistance doesn't help you when it counts, why are we expected to give a shit and why are we treating it as some sort of superpower?

Srsly though, don't you get blisters?

No.

[Universal Sword Donor]

If the bath scene really meant anything, we'd have seen more corpses piling up in the WF hot springs.

[Starspear]

Fire is fire. Heat resistance and fire-proof are not the same. Why would being impervious to scalding baths equate surviving fires?

Only Daenerys is fire-proof. Oh yeah, I forgot... a "miracle one-time event."

Targ heat-resistance is merely one trait.

Scaled skin and stubby tails in stillborns is another. Dragon Bonding is another. A sound pretext for incest is another. The continuous consistency of certain Targ traits over 3 centures is another. Targs and non-Targs dreaming of certain Targs as dragons another.

The folklore is consistent.

Here's more that is consistent:

- face-morphers exist.

- wargs exist.

- CotF and their shazaam exist.

- Melisandre performs magic.

- Oberyn performs magic.

- Valyrian sword-forging requires magic.

- HotU perform magic.

- Undead exist.

- Others have their own magic.

- enter new line

- enter new line

- etc.

Not believing in fantasy in ASOIAF ended after half of AGOT. The series is replete with fantasy - just disguised fantasy.

Valyrians were Dragon Lords. That was their sorcery. Targs inherited that. And their House words are very clear of the inheritance: Fire and Blood.

[JonCon's Red Beard]

And Egg still died in a fire. Shockingly, liking hot baths didn't really help him there.

Again, if the heat resistance doesn't help you when it counts, why are we expected to give a shit and why are we treating it as some sort of superpower?

Superpower helps you but doesn't give you immortality. In this case, Targaryens are, I suppose, tolerant to fire due to the dragons, considering that by being near to them, some burning and heat is going to be present. Evolution, if you please, like people living in highlands having stronger lungs. If they were meant to bond with penguins, they would have more tolerance to cold, that doesn't mean they will survive if we keep them inside a refrigerator for one day.

[Hodor the Articulate]

Yes, but it's Dany who thinks it's scalding, not anyone else. If the temperature of the bath was so unusual, then surely someone other than Dany should mention it, right?

The Targaryens are not ordinary people. They were the top tier of the nobles who had an army of servants to do the heavy lifting for stuff like hot baths. The rest of the nobles in the realm are also not ordinary. They are part of the 1% who can consistently experience luxuries like hot baths. There is a VERY long list of wealthy/noble characters luxuriating in hot baths.

:bang: Not hot. Scalding hot. And really, do we need to have everything spelled out for us? I'm just going to copy and paste that GRRM quote here again:

"The Targaryans can tolerate a bit more heat than most ordinary people"

Not "they can tolerate more heat than most Westerosi lowborns". They can tolerate more heat than most ordinary people.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

Fire is fire. Heat resistance and fire-proof are not the same. Why would being impervious to scalding baths equate surviving fires?

Only Daenerys is fire-proof. Oh yeah, I forgot... a "miracle one-time event."

You put "miracle one-time event" in scare quotes as if it weren't actually true and confirmed by the author.

My point is ... some Targs like hot baths. At the end of the day, so freaking what? Are you so desperate to deify these people that you equate liking hot baths with a bloody super power?

Like I said, I agree that they have some heat tolerance. My question is, what about that is worth being called out as some super special ability? You act like it makes them X-Men or something. Not even Dazzler had a superpower that lame.

Not "they can tolerate more heat than most Westerosi lowborns". They can tolerate more heat than most ordinary people.

And Westerosi nobles are also not "ordinary people," as DP pointed out.

[Hodor the Articulate]

If that was a quote from a character in the book, then you and DP would have a point. But this was from the author, who was speaking in the context of the real world, where "ordinary people" means you and me* and everybody else that doesn't have an abnormally high heat tolerance. Stop being so obtuse.

*ETA: sorry, change that to just me and most people in the world. I forgot that you had scalding hot bath withstanding superpowers.

[Starspear]

Don't put words in my mouth. These are fantasy novels. I'll deify other things in life that matter more than fictitious characters. The desperation and denial belong to someone else.

Who cares about hot baths? And frankly, who cares about the heat resistance? Distractions...

Hate them all you want, but Targs are historically Dragon Lords, inherited from Fire and Blood. Full stop.

[JonCon's Red Beard]

If GRRM says so, stahp.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

Who cares about that baths?

You apparently do since you use them as evidence of a heat resistance "power."

And again, higher heat tolerance isn't exactly worth much if actual fire, molten gold, dragon fire and wildfire will still do you in. I also provided multiple instances in the books where Dany complains about heat and being too hot, showing that even her heat tolerance has limits.

When it comes to fire, the plague and even poxes from whores, the Targs go down just like everyone else. I'm sure Dany's magic dragon blood is a huge consolation while she's shitting her guts out in the Dothraki Sea.

[Starspear]

What's your point? That fire kills everyone? Who disagrees with that statement in this thread? That's right, no one.

As for the baths - let it go. GRRM felt like he needed to mention it several times in several contexts over several decades of history. As this was repeated in several books across several storylines, this has importance and makes for a poor red herring, which seems to be your claim.

Targ = Fire and Blood = Dragon Lords.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

Targ = Fire and Blood = Dragon Lords.

Yes, those are their house words and they rode dragons. Well done. Gold star.

[Dr. Pepper]

:bang: Not hot. Scalding hot. And really, do we need to have everything spelled out for us? I'm just going to copy and paste that GRRM quote here again:

"The Targaryans can tolerate a bit more heat than most ordinary people"

Not "they can tolerate more heat than most Westerosi lowborns". They can tolerate more heat than most ordinary people.

jfc. DANY and DANY alone calls it scalding hot. No one else ever makes a note that her baths were unusually hot. I'm sure you are aware that water temperature is something one must build tolerance for. Pretty basic knowledge. If it's not something that is usually experienced, the feeling it would evoke would be scalding. Considering this is the first time we meet this character, if her bath had been of a heat so unusual, we would have had this confirmed by others in the room.

Again, the Targaryens are not ordinary people. They are not just like you and me, unless you occupy a position in the very upper echelons of society.

It would make more sense if people focused on the actual special abilities Targaryens have, like prophetic dreams. The dragon dreams are something that is beyond extraordinary because a tiny few of the very not ordinary Targs have the gift. Plus the dreams are actually useful. Like, you know, the Targs would have ceased to exist with the Doom if it hadn't been for a certain dreamer. Dany's dragons might not have hatched if it hadn't been for a certain dream. The only thing the hot bath does is get her clean and also perpetuate propaganda that has negative consequences for her as she proceeds into the role of conqueror and ruler.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

It would make more sense if people focused on the actual special abilities Targaryens have, like prophetic dreams.

It is kind of funny that people tend to gloss over an actual, demonstrable rare ability that certain members of the family have, while losing their shit over popcorn farts like higher heat tolerance.

[Rhaegar the Dragon Prince]

This could be something to do with the 'Dragon Horn' that Euron gives Victarion to tame Dany's dragons. Moqorro reads the Valyrian glyphs on it to Vic.

Moqorro pointed to the band of steel. "Here. 'Blood for fire, fire for blood.' Who blows the hellhorn matters not. The dragons will come to the horn's master. You must claim the horn. With blood."

This means that the Targaryen dragons were bound to them by blood, literally. Maybe dragon and human blood are 'transferred' in some ritual involving the horn.

[Hodor the Articulate]

It is kind of funny that people tend to gloss over an actual, demonstrable rare ability that certain members of the family have, while losing their shit over popcorn farts like higher heat tolerance.

Downplay the Targs' specialness for having precognitive dreams and drag out an argument over bath heat ---> criticise others for not discussing the Targs' dragon dreams and obsessing over heat tolerance. Nice.

<snip>

Would? You must have a psychic connection to GRRM and know what he would write. And what does it matter how useful the ability is? Nobody's saying having higher heat tolerance is an awesome superpower, but the Targs do have a higher tolerance for heat than most people (this is not arguable), and being different from most people makes you special.

Just in case you missed it, here's my argument against the "ordinary people" stuff, again:

If that was a quote from a character in the book, then you and DP would have a point. But this was from the author, who was speaking in the context of the real world, where "ordinary people" means you and me* and everybody else that doesn't have an abnormally high heat tolerance.

THE END.