Fear and Magic

[Mithras]

While the boy was gone, Melisandre washed herself and changed her robes. Her sleeves were full of hidden pockets, and she checked them carefully as she did every morning to make certain all her powders were in place. Powders to turn fire green or blue or silver, powders to make a flame roar and hiss and leap up higher than a man is tall, powders to make smoke. A smoke for truth, a smoke for lust, a smoke for fear, and the thick black smoke that could kill a man outright. The red priestess armed herself with a pinch of each of them.

The carved chest that she had brought across the narrow sea was more than three-quarters empty now. And while Melisandre had the knowledge to make more powders, she lacked many rare ingredients. My spells should suffice. She was stronger at the Wall, stronger even than in Asshai. Her every word and gesture was more potent, and she could do things that she had never done before. Such shadows as I bring forth here will be terrible, and no creature of the dark will stand before them. With such sorceries at her command, she should soon have no more need of the feeble tricks of alchemists and pyromancers.

We see that Mel makes frequent use of “feeble tricks” of alchemists and pyromancers in the form of powders, smokes etc. After hearing these from Mel, we are able to identify some cases in which she used these powders. The one I am going to concentrate on this thread is the smoke for fear.

“The Iron Throne is mine by rights, but how am I to take it? There are four kings in the realm, and three of them have more men and more gold than I do. I have ships . . . and I have her. The red woman. Half my knights are afraid even to say her name, did you know? If she can do nothing else, a sorceress who can inspire such dread in grown men is not to be despised. A frightened man is a beaten man. And perhaps she can do more. I mean to find out.”

Mel used the smoke of fear to intimidate people so that Stannis would believe that she had power to help him.

Braziers were lit. Mirri Maz Duur tossed a red powder onto the coals. It gave the smoke a spicy scent, a pleasant enough smell, yet Eroeh fled sobbing, and Dany was filled with fear. But she had gone too far to turn back now. She sent her handmaids away. “Go with them, Silver Lady,” Mini Maz Duur told her.

“I will stay,” Dany said. “The man took me under the stars and gave life to the child inside me. I will not leave him.”

“You must. Once I begin to sing, no one must enter this tent. My song will wake powers old and dark. The dead will dance here this night. No living man must look on them.”

It is interesting that MMD used a similar smoke which scared Eroeh and filled Dany with fear before summoning the shadows.

George likes to materialize fear. Fear cuts deeper than sword. Victarion could taste the fear of his enemies. Such strong emotions are perhaps a necessary part of certain spells. Smoke for lust might be a part of making shadow babies.

What do you think?

[Steelborn]

Yes, I believe fear makes the spell or glamour much stronger. Especially "glamour", since it's just what people think they are seeing.

[Pod The Impaler]

What do you think?

Makes sense. MMD and Melisandre have both learned these arts, but I think both also consider alchemical effects a bit of mummery, distinct from casting real magic.

Interesting also that Marwyn "the Mage" is aware of such things as well - he exchanged knowledge with MMD and others in Essos. He is a player in the Citadel game, and it also makes me wonder how that may link to Melisandre, through Sam and Maester Aemon. Marwyn, Aemon, and Luwin all had the link of Vaklyrian steel - presumably with a greater familiarity of magic, and the outlook that considers such things real. Aemon knew straight away about Melisandre's trick upon Stannis' sword; he is not fooled by her. Much as Rodrik the Reader is not so easily fooled by Euron, who reputedly dabbles in black magic, and is brining his war to Oldtown. If you also notice, most of Euron's influence over people involves creating either fear or desire.

[Mithras]

Syrio tried very hard to teach Arya how to see. That included not submitting herself to fear.

I think Euron's talent is natural. He is a manipulative, cunning soab who likes to play mind games on lesser men. He has some Hannibal Lecter in him.

One of the ideas in my head when opening this thread was to investigate the relationship between fear/terror and dragons hatching. I mean the figurative dragons here, referring to Targaryens.

Egg was terrified when he was caught by the rebels but he overcame his fear. He remembered BR’s words that it was better to be frightening than frightened. BR confirmed that he hatched as a result of that process. Same thing happened to Dany several times and each time she was born again, harder and stronger.

[Mithras]

Yes, I believe fear makes the spell or glamour much stronger. Especially "glamour", since it's just what people think they are seeing.

Good point. Varys said that power is a mummer's trick, a shadow on the wall. It resides where men believe it resides. Therefore, basic strong emotions (fear, faith, love, lust etc.) might be a key ingredient of magic.