The House of Undying

[Wizz-The-Smith]

On ‎5‎/‎23‎/‎2020 at 12:06 PM, LynnS said:

Are there any other features that are imitations of something else created by magic.  And what do you think this means?  For example, the House of Undying is described as flat and serpentine and part of the Wall is described as serpentine.   Is there a connection between the Wall and the House of Undying? 

 Hi LynnS. 

One thing that connects all the sites you've mentioned & all the magic connected to these places is that they are all hollow hill sites, as described in my essay, 'The Caves are Timeless: Hollow Hills, Magic Castles and Greenseers' .

A gateway into the magic Underworld of Westeros/Planetos. A hollow hill being a passageway into the magic of the Underworld/Otherworld is a classic motif derived from Celtic mythology used in a lot of fantasy, George being no exception.

There are various ways a hollow hill can be described, it doesn't always have to an obvious hill per se. Here's a definition I found online.

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HOLLOW HILLS: Experiential doorways into the Earth's visionary geography and its different features, light temples, and residences of the gods.  

Explanation : The terms Hollow Hills or sidhe are clues to the Earth's vast visionary geography and the openings into this realm through physical landscape features such as hills, caves, mounds, rockfaces, or human-made structures.

I mention this because sites like the HotU [among others] don't at first seem like hills, so therefore maybe overlooked as hollow hill sites, but they are. The pathway to the Underworld is certainly there, with sites like the HotU it goes some way to explaining the oddity of Daenerys having to climb stairs when the building is described as long & low. I think the majority of the HotU is underground, although this illusion may also involve magic and the weird visions Dani gets etc.

The House of Black & White is also a hollow hill site, it is described as a 'rocky knoll' & of course has all the underground levels, or basically caves. The Wall is likewise a hollow hill site, the Nightfort being the strongest example, but the entire Wall is a potential entrance to the Underworld. Not only do we have the wormways & passages, but also Gorne's Way or the cave system that goes under the Wall. The Wall is only a minutes walk from north to south, yet it's insinuated that the caves below go on for miles & miles. This would support the idea that the cave system stretches from east to west, therefore a huge part of the Wall and all the castles would have the caves directly below them. It's probable that there is access to these caves below the castles/Wall, as we see at the Nightfort. If this is the case, it would explain why the Wall is a magical hinge of the world, the magic of the Underworld runs below miles of it.  There are also lots of weirwoods growing near this power source, one at the Nightfort, but also wild weirwoods growing north of the Wall. This is a recurring theme when we encounter hollow hill sites, all those saplings we see are growing near caves.

Westeros is slightly different to Essos when it comes to hollow hill sites, most of them have weirwoods growing on site. There are the two 'named' hollow hill sites we as readers have visited, High Heart & Bloodraven's cave, both have weirwoods & both have the magic present. Other notable sites include Winterfell, Storm's End, Casterly Rock, Horn Hill, Highgarden, The Wolf's Den. Even ruins like Sea Dragon point & The Whispers. All have weirwoods & all have legends attached to them that sound very greenseer like & stuffed full of magic. 

To conclude, all of these sites have the Underworld in common. The sites in Essos don't have the weirwood trees [perhaps the Shade trees once performed the same role?] but the Essosi sites still seem to have magical abilities. This is [in my opinion] due to connection with the magical world below. Whether it be the HotU, HoBaW, the caves in Valyria, the caves in the Shadow by Asshai, the caves on Leng etc all of them have weird tales of sorcery.

I shall pause for now, although I have lots of thoughts on this subject. I think I've hit the high notes of what I wanted to talk about. Really cool thread & chat.   

[LynnS]

20 minutes ago, Wizz-The-Smith said:

I shall pause for now, although I have lots of thoughts on this subject. I think I've hit the high notes of what I wanted to talk about. Really cool thread & chat.   

Great! I will read your essay with much interest!

[Wizz-The-Smith]

3 minutes ago, LynnS said:

Great! I will read your essay with much interest!

Awesome, my essay concentrates on the hidden hollow hill sites in Westeros. I really need to expand & write a second essay on the Essosi sites, although they were discussed in the comments. A lot of the info I have subsequently picked up as I have delved into the subject of Celtic myth, some discussed on Twitter, some with friends. An exploration into Celtic influence within Grrm's work is also something I would like to write about. One day I will.      

[LynnS]

13 minutes ago, Wizz-The-Smith said:

Awesome, my essay concentrates on the hidden hollow hill sites in Westeros. I really need to expand & write a second essay on the Essosi sites, although they were discussed in the comments. A lot of the info I have subsequently picked up as I have delved into the subject of Celtic myth, some discussed on Twitter, some with friends. An exploration into Celtic influence within Grrm's work is also something I would like to write about. One day I will.      

Wonderfully fascinating essay!

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The Houses linked to these magic castles include some of the major players within the current narrative.  The power of the Stark’s we know about, but what of the potential greenseeing/magical ability of the Lannister’s, the Hightower’s, the Tarly’s, and the Greyjoy’s?  All of whom have individuals with important roles to play moving forward. 

I'd like to point out that Jaime, as a boy, used to jump of the cliffs of Casterly Rock in to the sea (according to Cersei); until Tywin put a stop to it.  So perhaps he was also dreaming of flying not unlike Euron. 

The idea of greenseer wars is also interesting.  That might explain Euron Blood Eye, because I do think he is an abomination, someone who is possessed.  Tales of his madness could be visualized as something similar to Varamy attempting to take Thistle's body and how she reacts.  

Braavos my be another hollow hill like the HoU concealed by a building.  In the case of Braavos, it is a sea mount or underwater volcano.  Dragontone as well and Old Wyk.  Their magic is fiery in nature.  Nagga the Scandinavian word meaning to gnaw and the Grey King makes a throne out of Nagga's jaw while using the eternal flame to heat his hall; which I suspect is underground.

Just some thoughts off the top of my head,  triggered from reading your essay.  Why the eternal flame, I wonder.  That sounds very Zoroastrian.   

[BalerionTheCat]

2 hours ago, Wizz-The-Smith said:

One thing that connects all the sites you've mentioned & all the magic connected to these places is that they are all hollow hill sites,

The underground places and caves are important. The caves are the place where the CotF survived the last LN. Winterfell with it's crypts and hot water source is best suited to survive the next one. Possibly the crypts are also magically protected like BR cave.

About the House of Undying. It has certainly a place somewhere in this Ice and Fire conflict. The house is dealing with undead, or sorcery delaying death by apparenly feeding on the living. I would say the type of necromancy that, according to the Yi Ti legends, brought the Long Night.

The greenseers are also delaying death. But not by feeding on the living. By becoming "wood" and getting the lifespan of wood. Which may, or not, be OK for the Others. Probably OK as it seems an ability given by the Old Gods. Which I would suppose are also the gods of the Others. Or the Others are their "military force".

Others, Faceless Men, Warlocks, Shadow binders, Red Priests, are all dealing with death. And their magic or worship or purpose may seem somewhat alike. But they could be the direst enemy, "competitors" for the same market. I would see the Faceless Men serving somewhat the Others (at least not opposing them and trying to shorten their coming). I would see the Warlocks, Shadow binders, Red Priests (and Euron) competitors using somewhat the same magic. The magic the Others come to prohibit.

[Rosetta Stone]

Dany and Bran are the ones who must decipher the meaning of these symbols.  They have the most magic in their chapters.  The mouth at the House of the Undying and the face at the Wall are clues saying they consume humans.  Those who enter the mouth never return.  The witches and warlocks inside trap them and slowly consume their lives.  The doorway at the Wall consume unwanted babies.  And obviously, the House of Black and White consume life. 

Dragons are said to live long and are very intelligent.  Who knows what knowledge they possess through instinct.  He saw the danger to his mother and started attacking the door.  He could have burned the door though.  Fire would have consumed the door faster. 

[Rosetta Stone]

44 minutes ago, BalerionTheCat said:

The underground places and caves are important. The caves are the place where the CotF survived the last LN. Winterfell with it's crypts and hot water source is best suited to survive the next one. Possibly the crypts are also magically protected like BR cave.

About the House of Undying. It has certainly a place somewhere in this Ice and Fire conflict. The house is dealing with undead, or sorcery delaying death by apparenly feeding on the living. I would say the type of necromancy that, according to the Yi Ti legends, brought the Long Night.

The greenseers are also delaying death. But not by feeding on the living. By becoming "wood" and getting the lifespan of wood. Which may, or not, be OK for the Others. Probably OK as it seems an ability given by the Old Gods. Which I would suppose are also the gods of the Others. Or the Others are their "military force".

Others, Faceless Men, Warlocks, Shadow binders, Red Priests, are all dealing with death. And their magic or worship or purpose may seem somewhat alike. But they could be the direst enemy, "competitors" for the same market. I would see the Faceless Men serving somewhat the Others (at least not opposing them and trying to shorten their coming). I would see the Warlocks, Shadow binders, Red Priests (and Euron) competitors using somewhat the same magic. The magic the Others come to prohibit.

The greenseers feed off of human blood.  So no, they are not any more benevolent.  Only death can pay for life.  These devious folks require the blood of the living to continue living.  Human sacrifice. 

[BalerionTheCat]

2 hours ago, Rosetta Stone said:

The greenseers feed off of human blood

What make you believe the greenseers feed off of human blood? This speculation of Jojen paste? The sacrifice in Bran's vision?

2 hours ago, Rosetta Stone said:

Only death can pay for life.

Yes. But it's not the case here. Weirwoods are everywhere in the North, without blood sacrifices. This is their nature. The GS spirits, not their bodies, endure because grafted in their wood. The bodies are gone or dead.

[H Wadsworth Longfellow]

5 hours ago, Rosetta Stone said:

Dany and Bran are the ones who must decipher the meaning of these symbols.  They have the most magic in their chapters.  The mouth at the House of the Undying and the face at the Wall are clues saying they consume humans.  Those who enter the mouth never return.  The witches and warlocks inside trap them and slowly consume their lives.  The doorway at the Wall consume unwanted babies.  And obviously, the House of Black and White consume life. 

Dragons are said to live long and are very intelligent.  Who knows what knowledge they possess through instinct.  He saw the danger to his mother and started attacking the door.  He could have burned the door though.  Fire would have consumed the door faster. 

That part of the palace burned down.  So thankfully that terrible door is gone.  The Undying too went up in flames.

[Wizz-The-Smith]

17 hours ago, LynnS said:

Wonderfully fascinating essay!

Thanks, I'm really pleased you enjoyed the read. 

17 hours ago, LynnS said:

I'd like to point out that Jaime, as a boy, used to jump of the cliffs of Casterly Rock in to the sea (according to Cersei); until Tywin put a stop to it.  So perhaps he was also dreaming of flying not unlike Euron. 

Awesome connection, love that! One of the offshoots in my thinking after researching this essay is that all the Houses with a hollow hill/weirwood tree/First Men blood connection are more open to being contacted or receiving the gift, or greensight etc. One example is when Jaime has the weirwood stump dream, so this is another strong example regards Jaime and the Lannisters.

Kind of reminds me of Bran as well as Euron, the whole falling from their castle thing.

17 hours ago, LynnS said:

The idea of greenseer wars is also interesting.  That might explain Euron Blood Eye, because I do think he is an abomination, someone who is possessed.  Tales of his madness could be visualized as something similar to Varamy attempting to take Thistle's body and how she reacts.  

Absolutely, good example. As usual, George's histories set up possibilities for the future, Euron certainly has eyes on the Iron Throne in some guise, which would echo greenseer kings. That's also happened somewhere else we are not to mention. 

18 hours ago, LynnS said:

Braavos my be another hollow hill like the HoU concealed by a building.  In the case of Braavos, it is a sea mount or underwater volcano.  Dragontone as well and Old Wyk.  Their magic is fiery in nature.  Nagga the Scandinavian word meaning to gnaw and the Grey King makes a throne out of Nagga's jaw while using the eternal flame to heat his hall; which I suspect is underground.

Yep, Braavos is a hub of greenseer clues, I like your idea that it's a sea mount or volcano. Not only is the House of Black & White a hollow hill, there are clues such as the bridge of a thousand painted eyes, all the misty clues [''half the city will be half blind tonight'' as BR clue] etc. And for those familiar with ravenous readers 'Under the See/sea' greensea/see pun essay' there is a lot of 'under the see' imagery as well.

Old Wyk was a key piece of evidence in formulating this idea/theory. While there is no text confirming a weirwood tree or subterranean space, it is confirmed as a magical & sacred hill by Victarion. I agree with you that the hall is very likely underground. Dragonstone was mentioned in the comments of my thread, but didn't fit the First Men angle I was going for, but yes it's another great example. Nice point that their magic is both fiery in nature.

A slight aside, I've always found it interesting that Bran, Arya & Deanerys are all being taught/tutored/trained by old magical men within hollow hills. All three also take a substance to enhance their connection/abilities. Not sure what exactly that means, but there are many similarities.    

[LynnS]

30 minutes ago, Wizz-The-Smith said:

A slight aside, I've always found it interesting that Bran, Arya & Deanerys are all being taught/tutored/trained by old magical men within hollow hills. All three also take a substance to enhance their connection/abilities. Not sure what exactly that means, but there are many similarities.    

I'm very curious to find out what Dany discovers when she returns to Vaes Dothrak and to the crones.  Quaithe tells her she must pass beneath the shadow.  Originally people thought this was Asshai by the shadow but the beneath the shadow of the Mother of Mountains is what she is referring to.  The womb of the world sounds like a cave to me.  The domain of the crones and the keepers of mysteries.  This is another hollow hill, I think.   

[Wizz-The-Smith]

17 hours ago, BalerionTheCat said:

The underground places and caves are important. The caves are the place where the CotF survived the last LN. Winterfell with it's crypts and hot water source is best suited to survive the next one. Possibly the crypts are also magically protected like BR cave.

Hi BalerionTheCat.

Absolutely, the subterranean is super important. Having found a potential link with the subterranean & magic, I find it interesting that the CotF agreed to give up huge parts of Westeros & accept the wooded areas in the pact with the First Men. If you look at the wooded areas they are all pock marked with caves & hollow hills, so give or take the parts of the cave systems acquired by the First Men houses this enabled them to own pretty half the continent, the underground half that is. 

This is almost identical to the Celtic myth tale of the Tuatha de Dannan [Sidhe] & the invading Milesians of Irish lore. Once it became obvious the invading Milesians were the victors in this battle, both sides agreed to make a pact. Although they agreed to share half the Island, the Tuatha de Dannan/Sidhe were tricked & ended up agreeing to live in the half that was underground. It is said that the Sidhe went to the Underworld through the hollow hills or Sidhe mounds. All very CotF like. 

I agree the crypts are magically protected, much like the Wall & Storm's End. 

Cheers    

[Wizz-The-Smith]

5 minutes ago, LynnS said:

I'm very curious to find out what Dany discovers when she returns to Vaes Dothrak and to the crones.  Quaithe tells her she must pass beneath the shadow.  Originally people thought this was Asshai by the shadow but the beneath the shadow of the Mother of Mountains is what she is referring to.  The womb of the world sounds like a cave to me.  The domain of the crones and the keepers of mysteries.  This is another hollow hill, I think.

Agreed, can't wait to see her back at Vaes Dothrak. Yep, I like your interpretation that the shadow will be shadow of the Mother the Mountains, it makes the most sense as it's confirmed [I think] that no character will be visiting Asshai.

''The womb of the world sounds like a cave to me.'' you say? Well you couldn't be more right. If you search the symbolic meaning & history of caves for various civilisations you will find something like this...…………..

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In all cultures and in almost all epochs the cave has been the symbol of creation, the place of emergence of celestial bodies, of ethnic groups and individuals. It is the great womb of earth and sky, a symbol of life, but also of death.

Caves are literally called the 'Womb of Mother Earth', so nail on head and all that. They are symbolic of rebirth so it's fascinating to think that characters like Bran, Arya & Dani have entered these hollow hill/cave sites & undergone life changing experiences which will ultimately change them as people moving forward. A symbolic rebirth.

You're spot on about the domain of the crones and the keepers of mysteries as well. Not only is Vaes Dothrak a great site for caves [let's face it, it's a mountain] but the text has already confirmed we should be associating this site with hollow hills. Right back in AGOT Dani was being placed in a symbolic cave, straight out named a hollow hill.

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Doreah led her to the hollow hill that had been prepared for her and her khal. It was cool and dim within, like a tent made of earth. "Jhiqui, a bath, please," she commanded, to wash the dust of travel from her skin and soak her weary bones. It was pleasant to know that they would linger here for a while, that she would not need to climb back on her silver on the morrow.  [Dani IV, AGOT]

 

[LynnS]

41 minutes ago, Wizz-The-Smith said:

And for those familiar with ravenous readers 'Under the See/sea' greensea/see pun essay' there is a lot of 'under the see' imagery as well.

Yes I recall some of the Patchface discussion.  Nennymoans are sea anemones but there is also a plant called anemone.  The anemone rosa is what we call a wild rose.  They also have thorns and prickles.  Jon sees some wild white roses climbing the lightning blasted chestnut tree.  

[Wizz-The-Smith]

1 minute ago, LynnS said:

Yes I recall some of the Patchface discussion.  Nennymoans are sea anemones but there is also a plant called anemone.  The anemone rosa is what we call a wild rose.  They also have thorns and prickles.  Jon sees some wild white roses climbing the lightning blasted chestnut tree.  

Nice! Another mythological belief is that a tree struck with lightning becomes a portal into the Otherworld, so that's freaking cool.

As for the sea anemones, they are closely associated with clownfish.  They have a symbiotic relationship, both need the other to survive. Clownfish rely on anemones for protection from predators, while anemones rely on clownfish for food. Anyhoo, the clownfish makes me think of fools, so Patchface riddling about the nennymoans is rather fitting. 

[LynnS]

6 minutes ago, Wizz-The-Smith said:

Nice! Another mythological belief is that a tree struck with lightning becomes a portal into the Otherworld, so that's freaking cool.

Well, blue roses don't exist in nature and neither does a red comet.  So these have a magical connotation. I think this says something about Winterfell as a portal to the Otherworld.

Blood and Fire - Blood and Roses.

Quote

A Game of Thrones - Eddard I

"I was with her when she died," Ned reminded the king. "She wanted to come home, to rest beside Brandon and Father." He could hear her still at times. Promise me, she had cried, in a room that smelled of blood and roses. 

 

[Wizz-The-Smith]

28 minutes ago, LynnS said:

Well, blue roses don't exist in nature and neither does a red comet.  So these have a magical connotation. I think this says something about Winterfell as a portal to the Otherworld.

Blood and Fire - Blood and Roses.

Cool. More & more hints to Winterfell being a portal to the Underworld.  Fell is another meaning for hill, so Winterfell certainly has a load of Underworld clues.

@Seams has a thread on the subject of the words 'seam' having the same meaning as 'fell'. It's where I found the clues for my hollow hills essay, fell also means hill.

[Wizz-The-Smith]

On ‎6‎/‎8‎/‎2020 at 8:02 PM, The Lord of the Crossing said:

The faded and moldy carpet.  The old folk are barely alive and hanging on to life.  The general disrepair of the palace.  All are indicative of something that has tried to cheat father time.   Human attempt to freeze time and live beyond the normal lifespan.  Corruption like the crumbling bricks of Astapor.  These disparate scenes create a montage which depict stagnation.  Essos is in need of change.  Humans need to work, to strive to keep the world working smoothly.  It takes work to hold back chaos and decay.  And they always win.  That is why humans have to build and then rebuild.  The old must make way for the new.  To live means to struggle. 

Hey @The Lord of the Crossing 

I love all of this, and it fits perfectly with what I've been posting about regards the Celtic mythology & subterranean link. In Celtic myth when a mortal travels to the Underworld/Otherworld they experience time differently. In some cases the mortal will have been in the Underworld for mere weeks or days, yet when they return to our normal world hundreds of years could have passed.

Another name for the Celtic Otherworld is Tir-na-Nog which translates as 'Land of Youth'. This all fits nicely with what you mention, but also ties in with the extended years the greenseers seem to live.

[Seams]

Long ago, I had a suspicion that the HotU is a Targaryen version of the Winterfell crypt, filled with dead ancestors who want to help educate or convey powers or advance the interests of their descendants. So keep that in mind: messages from dead people.

I've also speculated that the HotU is analogous to Winterfell's library, which is burned when Bran (actually Catelyn) is attacked. "Always the door to the right" is like turning the pages of a book. Also, oddly, our best glimpses inside of the Winterfell library are with Tyrion and Bran. Tyrion is there to read rare books and Bran helps Septon Chayle clean up after the fire. One of Chayle's claims to fame is that he learned to swim in the White Knife river. I think he is a guide who can take mortals into the Underworld.

Tyrion tells us about coming down the outside steps from the library tower, which may tie into the "serpentine steps" imagery that overlaps with the serpentine HotU.

But those are old thoughts and I apologize for the repetition to those who have already read them in one of my old posts. Here's my new thinking, still tentative:

I'm increasingly interested in decoding GRRM's use of colors. "Indigo murk" is a unique color phrase the author uses in the HotU. Darker than blue but on the same side of the rainbow.

I'm wondering whether GRRM is setting up a contrast between the red / orange / yellow at the Wall

On 5/23/2020 at 3:48 PM, LynnS said:

The sword glowed red and yellow and orange, alive with light. Jon had seen the show before … but not like this, never before like this. Lightbringer was the sun made steel. When Stannis raised the blade above his head, men had to turn their heads or cover their eyes. Horses shied, and one threw his rider. The blaze in the fire pit seemed to shrink before this storm of light, like a small dog cowering before a larger one. The Wall itself turned red and pink and orange, as waves of color danced across the ice. Is this the power of king's blood?

and blue / indigo / violet in Dany's arc. The colors aren't exclusive, to be sure: House Mallister is closely associated with the color indigo and Denys Mallister at the Shadow Tower is almost certainly guarding a gate from the Underworld (or maybe something worse than the Underworld). I don't remember Jon every visiting the Shadow Tower, but Bowen Marsh goes there and engages in important combat with the Weeper (crazy wildling serial killer) shortly before he attacks Jon Snow.

Jon also sees blue flowers in a chink in the Wall.

What I'm thinking is that the color metaphor is also used for the Trident River. So much happens on the banks of the Trident - Rhaegar dies, Micah dies, Lady the direwolf dies, Robb dies, Catelyn dies - the range of options seems to run the gamut from A to A. Death and more death. So much death at the river.

Most of those deaths take place on the Green Fork and the Red Fork, though. So far, we have seen or heard very little about the Blue Fork.

But! Rebirth, right? Catelyn is reborn (in a sense) and some or all of the others may also be reborn.

In ASOIAF, I suspect the death and rebirth role of rivers may be linked to the wordplay around wolf / fowl / flow. Rivers flow. Blood flows. Sewers and drains flow.

In a world built on puns, another thing that flows is flowers. Rhaegar gives blue flowers to Lyanna. I think it's the earliest allusion to the Blue Fork of the Trident.

Brienne is also strongly associated with the color blue. Her quest to Crackclaw Point is like Dany's trip through the HotU. Instead of a warlock emerging from a tree, Brienne has the horrific fool, Shagwell, emerge from a weirwood tree. Instead of Drogon burning the giant blue heart, she has Pod and Oathkeeper to help her to defeat the Bloody Mummers / Brave Companions. Instead of dusty old apparitions, she hears the whispers of the heads severed by Ser Clarence Crabb and reanimated by his wood witch wife.

It may be that Dany is going through some kind of Blue Fork death and rebirth when she manages to emerge from the House of the Undying. When does she meet up with Daario, with his forked blue beard? She eventually rejects Daario, though, and marries the humdrum Hizdahr.

(And I haven't even begun to analyze the contrast between Arya's friend, Lommy Greenhands, who is the dyer's apprentice, and the "undying" group in Dany's arc.)

On 5/23/2020 at 7:06 AM, LynnS said:

The mold-eaten carpet under her feet had once been gorgeously colored, and whorls of gold could still be seen in the fabric, glinting broken amidst the faded grey and mottled green.

I hadn't noticed it before, but the mold-eaten carpet could be a helpful clue to sorting out the HotU.

As you mentioned, the word "serpentine" comes up in connection with the HotU. It is often associated with the neck of a dragon, so it is especially significant for Dany, who will become a dragon rider at the end of ADwD. But it is also associated with the serpentine steps at the Red Keep and (through anagrams) with Ser Arlan of Pennytree, Dunk's mentor in the Dunk & Egg stories, as well as Illifer the Penniless, a hedge knight in Brienne's story. I suspect that all of these "serpentine" things are entrances to the Underworld, although "Under" world might be the wrong word - the sky is also part of the Underworld if you are flying on a dragon (or falling out of the Moon Door at the Eyrie). Maybe "Otherworld" is a better term.

So the conflict between Drogon and the Undying is super intriguing: if they are both serpentine, why does the dragon want to burn down the House of the Undying? My guess right now would be that Drogon wants Dany to establish a new Targaryen dynasty; not to pick up where the old one left off: he does not want her to "ride" an old dusty dragon. She should not settle in with the old dead ancestors; she should destroy the moldy old dynasty that wants to drag her into the Blue Fork and instead create a new dynasty. (I bet Bowen Marsh's trip to the Denys Mallister territory at the Shadow Tower links Jon Snow's "death" to the indigo murk / blue fork symbolism. Like Dany, forces are trying to drag Jon Snow into the indigo murk instead of helping him to forge his own path.)

Drogon burns the HotU with its close association with the old black trees. Next thing you know, Dany meets Strong Belwas (with arms like tree trunks) and Arstan Whitebeard, who wears undyed wool. Like the Undying, but with a Westeros twist. (Fwiw, Ser Barristan does seem to be immortal.)

After the elites of Meereen burn the olive groves, Dany plants new trees. She admits that they will take years to grow, but she wants to get started. (Note to self: consider "olive" and "live / love" wordplay.)

But what Dany really wants is to find the lemon tree she remembers from her childhood. I think she finds it when she becomes a dragon rider on Drogon's back. At the moment she decides to try to take charge and climb onto the dragon, she observes:

His eyes were molten. (ADwD, Daenerys IX)

I think this contains a "lemon tree" anagram - Dany has found her much-longed-for lemon tree.

And this brings me back to "the mold-eaten carpet." I think this may be another anagram.

The mold-eaten carpet = Lemon tree death pact?

Did Dany accept it or reject it before it was burned?

[Bowen 747]

22 hours ago, H Wadsey Longfellow said:

That part of the palace burned down.  So thankfully that terrible door is gone.  The Undying too went up in flames.

She has a successful track record of burning witches, warlocks, sorcerers, and magicians.  Who also happen to be liars and deceivers.  I believe this pattern will continue.  Those who try to deceive the Dragon end up in the fires.  It is almost like sending them to hell for their sins.