Hatching a Dragon: My Summerhall Theory

[ViserionsFire]

And I don't believe that Aerys assassinated his family, that's pretty crackpot. He didn't become truly murderous and paranoid until after Duskendale, years after Summerhall.

As for the idea that Aegon V wouldn't be interested in hatching dragons — Aegon III watched a dragon devour his mother (which probably involved a roasting, eesh), was known as Dragonbane because the last dragons died when he was king ... and still had mages try to hatch the remaining family eggs. If he can still want to hatch dragons, I think Aegon V could, too. We don't know what might have happened between his childhood and adulthood.

I guess it’s easier for me to believe that a guy that is known to be “Mad King Aerys” would arrange for an accident that would take the life of his Uncle, Cousin and their personal guard in order to be in direct line to the throne than to believe that Aegon decided to do something (hatch dragon eggs) that nobody had seen done for more than a hundred years.

After the years that he spent with Dunk learning of his realm from the vantage of the squire of a wandering Knight, I believe that he saw things from a more practical viewpoint than he would have if he had been brought up learning of his great ancestors shortcomings being taught by his family's Maester. After all, when growing up, Aegon was the youngest of 4 sons and was not considered in line for the throne.

When Barriston Selmy was thinking to himself about Aegon V he thought: “And because of that unlikely monarch had himself followed his heart when he chose his queen, he allowed his sons to have their way, making bitter enemies where he might have made fast friends. Treason and turmoil followed, as night follows day, ending at Summerhall in sorcery, fire, and grief.”

I think that Wildfire was used to make sure that the fire spread quickly and couldn’t be extinguished. Pycelle would have known of the Alchemists Guild and as Maester could have got access to jars without suspicion. As Selmy thought to himself “Treason and turmoil followed, as night follows day, ending at Summerhall in sorcery, fire, and grief.” Killing the King and his heir would be treason. Sorcery is synonymous with magic and the Alchemists claim to involve magic in the making of wildfire. As stated earlier the fire would be quickly uncontrollable and the sudden death of the respected King Aegon and his son Duncan would have been grievous to the kingdom. Rickard Stark was also killed when Aerys burned him with wildfire years later. I think that Aerys was already familiar with what wildfire could do.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

Perhaps that was the difference? Dany made the blood sacrifice, but, also walked into the flames herself.

... And Aegon V and Duncan the Small would have been in the flames themselves, because they died in the fire.

I guess it’s easier for me to believe that a guy that is known to be “Mad King Aerys” would arrange for an accident that would take the life of his Uncle, Cousin and their personal guard in order to be in direct line to the throne than to believe that Aegon decided to do something (hatch dragon eggs) that nobody had seen done for more than a hundred years.

But he wasn't known as "Mad King Aerys" until after Duskendale, which happened years after Summerhall. That was my point — he started off relatively promising before descending into paranoia. You're looking at it in hindsight and I don't think that's the answer. If he had always been cruel or paranoid, you might have a point. But his paranoia and madness has a very distinct, tangible jumping-off point, and it had no relation to Summerhall.

And I explained why I thought Aegon and/or Duncan would have tried to hatch the eggs — the Ghost of High Heart could have told them she saw a "dragon hatching at Summerhall," and they erroneously believed it could be a real dragon, and made the attempt.

After the years that he spent with Dunk learning of his realm from the vantage of the squire of a wandering Knight, I believe that he saw things from a more practical viewpoint than he would have if he had been brought up learning of his great ancestors shortcomings being taught by his family's Maester. After all, when growing up, Aegon was the youngest of 4 sons and was not considered in line for the throne.

Which is why I brought up Aegon III and all he went through to demonstrate that if he could attempt to hatch dragon eggs, anyone could.

When Barriston Selmy was thinking to himself about Aegon V he thought: “And because of that unlikely monarch had himself followed his heart when he chose his queen, he allowed his sons to have their way, making bitter enemies where he might have made fast friends. Treason and turmoil followed, as night follows day, ending at Summerhall in sorcery, fire, and grief.”

I think that Wildfire was used to make sure that the fire spread quickly and couldn’t be extinguished. Pycelle would have known of the Alchemists Guild and as Maester could have got access to jars without suspicion. As Selmy thought to himself “Treason and turmoil followed, as night follows day, ending at Summerhall in sorcery, fire, and grief.” Killing the King and his heir would be treason. Sorcery is synonymous with magic and the Alchemists claim to involve magic in the making of wildfire. As stated earlier the fire would be quickly uncontrollable and the sudden death of the respected King Aegon and his son Duncan would have been grievous to the kingdom. Rickard Stark was also killed when Aerys burned him with wildfire years later. I think that Aerys was already familiar with what wildfire could do.

Yeah I don't believe this, I'm sorry. I think they tried to hatch dragon eggs with fire, it failed, they died. The treason could have to do with many scenarios that don't involve family members murdering one another. Perhaps Aegon decided at the last minute not to go through with it, and was disobeyed. And the "magic" involved was surely of the sort involved with trying to hatch the dragon egg, and probably not anything to do with alchemy (at least in the sense where alchemists deliberately burned down Summerhall). And someone can correct me with the quote if I'm wrong, but Rickard was killed by plain old fire, not wildfire.

[TheSpottedCat]

I'm still wondering what the exact recipe for hatching a dragon is. Does it require human sacrifice? Must you enter the fire with the egg? Must the sacrifice be specific? Do dragon eggs only hatch to certain, special people? As for the theory that Illyrio's eggs coming from the Targaryen stash, I could buy it, but it still leaves questions unanswered. For example: how could he be sure that Daenerys would figure out the correct recipe for hatching them? Wouldn't the possibility of her managing to do that be so small as to make this a rather bad and uncertain plan? Also, why give them to Daenerys and not, for example, Viserys, or Aegon/Young Griff (if he is real, or even a Blackfyre- they're Targs too)? Did Illyrio and/or Varys have any knowledge that Dany is special/would be able to hatch the eggs? Why leave so much to chance? Or are they such master schemers that they managed to arrange everything, right down to Mirri Maz Duur turning Drogo into a vegetable and offing Dany's baby?

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

1. We still don't know. It appears so, but a lot of what was present at Summerhall, which failed, was also present when Dany hatched her eggs, which succeeded. It's really impossible to know for sure what the differentiating factor was. Could be gender, could be something else.

2. Plenty of "impressive" Targs, like Aegon III and Aegon V, tried and failed to hatch eggs. I see absolutely nothing "outstanding" about Dany that would explain why she'd succeed and they'd fail, if it were a matter of character or anything like that.

3. I don't think Illyrio expected the eggs to hatch. Why would he?

4. I think Illyrio gave her the eggs as a way to prove to Drogo that she was really this super special and rare "dragon princess." Half the whores in Lys look like her, apparently, so Illyrio could have needed a way to prove to Drogo — who paid a lot for her — that she was who they claimed she was. But as for him or Varys ever expecting the eggs to hatch, that I don't think is the case at all. There's no way they could have predicted what happened.

5. It's also possible that they have OTHER eggs besides those three (the last Targ dragon laid five, in addition to whatever others they had), and will use one or more to bolster Aegon's identity.

[Sunni]

First off, I just finished reading the Dunk & Egg stories so I'm loving this thread.

Treason is killing, or plotting to kill the king, so I think the treason at Summerhall involved either a plot to kill Aegon V or his murder. If it was a plot perhaps it didn't succeed and Aegon V died in the fire. I'll it wasn't a plot I think he might have been murdered.

There's an oldwoman that meets Arya twice at the ring of chopped down weir wood trees. Is she the one that posters think had a dream that lead to the Summerhall tragedy?

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

There's an oldwoman that meets Arya twice at the ring of chopped down weir wood trees. Is she the one that posters think had a dream that lead to the Summerhall tragedy?

Yes, the Ghost of High Heart.

[Menos Grande]

I think is kinda funny.. this thread seems to me like the small council talks "Oh.. a three headed dragon was born in the west..... seriously ? Let's go back to the real important matters..."

If it was before the Dragons were born, I wouldn't say nothing.. but They are, they are magical, and George said that their magical birth protected Dany from the flames.. just like de profecy..

The worst thing about this thread is the following: even though the Dragons are already born and raised, and even if this subject never comes back in the story we can always belive that the dragons were not the REAL dragons, and and belive we are right just because nothing was said against it (Ok, the first dragons in hundred years are born, but the profecy was not about thum, but just about regular people ).

I find very unlikely that are the Targeryans, but i some times find that you guys are so immersed in the theorys made in this forum, that can't help but to think that they are the truth set in stone. They're great, logical in a sense... but they might not be truth.. even Jon might not be a Targeryan.

[Lady Tippy Wolfsbane]

Except that not every person who reads ASOIAF has read or will read the D&E stories. In fact, I'd wager that most of them haven't. In that case, the dragon-visions in the D&E stories would be more of a tip to the harder-core readers and would not be on the radar of most people reading the main series — in which case, they'd have no point of reference for the "dragons are Targs" idea and it wouldn't necessarily occur to them that that would be the case. I think these visions — which, at least in their first two instances, are more of a "gee, that's neat" thing and not anything game-changing — are subtle clues as to how to read the dragon prophecies in ASOIAF.

I am proof of this! I had no idea the D&E stories existed, before coming across this forum. Also, it wasn't until I saw Apple's theory of dragon=Targaryen, that I realized the importance of the stories. I was a firm believer that ''The Dragon Has Three Heads" was referring to actual dragons instead of Targaryens. My theroies for AA/TPTWP and everything else always seemed incomplete, because I could never tie my theories together correctly while including the three dragons and their riders. Once I realized, "The Dragon Has Three Heads" could be referring to one person/Targaryen everything fell into place. I am now a FIRM believer in this theory! :D

[Dacie]

I think is kinda funny.. this thread seems to me like the small council talks "Oh.. a three headed dragon was born in the west..... seriously ? Let's go back to the real important matters..."

If it was before the Dragons were born, I wouldn't say nothing.. but They are, they are magical, and George said that their magical birth protected Dany from the flames.. just like de profecy..

The worst thing about this thread is the following: even though the Dragons are already born and raised, and even if this subject never comes back in the story we can always belive that the dragons were not the REAL dragons, and and belive we are right just because nothing was said against it (Ok, the first dragons in hundred years are born, but the profecy was not about thum, but just about regular people ).

I find very unlikely that are the Targeryans, but i some times find that you guys are so immersed in the theorys made in this forum, that can't help but to think that they are the truth set in stone. They're great, logical in a sense... but they might not be truth.. even Jon might not be a Targeryan.

In Dunk and Egg, there were several prophetic dreams concerning dragons. Those 'dragons' turned out to be Targaryens, not fire breathing reptiles. I think there is more than one way to interpret things.

I (and some others) prefer to look to the less obvious answers. You can interpret things the way you wish, it's your prerogative :dunno:

But a three-headed dragon wasn't born in the EAST (that I know of no dragon was born in the West...) the dragons born were three single-headed dragons.

[YUNG LYANNA]

If Barristan knew of this treason that occured at Summerhall & it wasperpetrated by Aerys, would it be likely that he would still serve under him? I know that he served under Robert & even psycho Joffrey for a minute but I think those were very different circumstances. I'm pretty sure it does say in the books that his turn to madness was gradual. I wish I could believe it was him & be like, MYSTERY SOLVED!

I think is kinda funny.. this thread seems to me like the small council talks "Oh.. a three headed dragon was born in the west..... seriously ? Let's go back to the real important matters..."

If it was before the Dragons were born, I wouldn't say nothing.. but They are, they are magical, and George said that their magical birth protected Dany from the flames.. just like de profecy..

The worst thing about this thread is the following: even though the Dragons are already born and raised, and even if this subject never comes back in the story we can always belive that the dragons were not the REAL dragons, and and belive we are right just because nothing was said against it (Ok, the first dragons in hundred years are born, but the profecy was not about thum, but just about regular people ).

I find very unlikely that are the Targeryans, but i some times find that you guys are so immersed in the theorys made in this forum, that can't help but to think that they are the truth set in stone. They're great, logical in a sense... but they might not be truth.. even Jon might not be a Targeryan.

I think this thread is more about solving the mystery of "what happened at Summerhall" & not so much about what the three-headed dragon could mean & whether or not the prophecy has already come to pass.

I just want to say that I LOVE threads like this which really break down a lot of the mysterious references and events throughout the books, whether or not we can agree with the theories. Personally, I have trouble keeping track of who begot who and all the historical anecdotes so it's really helpful to have all the bullet points presented in this way. Summerhall has been a big mystery to me, and it pretty much still is but this is a good theory regardless.

[PrinceHenryris]

... And Aegon V and Duncan the Small would have been in the flames themselves, because they died in the fire.

They didn't go in willingly, unlike Dany. Besides we don't know that it wasn't falling timbers/stone that was the actual cause of their death.

[dark sister]

One note about treason: Selmy said that Jaeherys and Duncan the Small both married for love. We all know how much plotting and LISTENING goes on in the Red Keep.

Theoretical situation:

Targaryens, as a rule, would usually marry their sisters. We know that Egg had two sisters, Rhae and Daella. He apparently married for love, but that might just mean he fell in love with one of his sisters (perhaps counter-intuitive, but possible).

Or, he could have found someone else, presumably from one of the Great Houses, as it is usually done. I remember something in Clash where the Velaryon line had "thrice provided brides to Targaryen kings". I'm not looking at the chart right now, but that third one could have been a Velaryon for Aegon V. They could have met, and really been taken with each other. They marry for love while still forging alliances.

So Aegon has two sons, and starts to arrange matches. Let's say he picks two girls from two different Great Houses, but neither of the sons like the girls, or they just take after their father and are not only stubborn, but practical (with Dunk's teaching) and decide to marry whomever they choose. I know that Duncan the Small had to abdicate, so Jahaerys must have married SOMEONE noble in order to become king -- just not someone as noble as, say, a Tyrell or an Arryn. Someone from a very minor house.

So these two Great Houses, being slighted, plot to make sure that they get retribution when they hear of the plan for hatching dragon's eggs. They convince, pay off, or ARE someone close to the Targs who accompany them to Summerhall, with certain instructions to make sure that Egg, his son, Jenny, Duncan, and everyone else who had a hand in their insult dies (sort of like what happened at the Red Wedding).

It appears that matrimonial promises can have tragic consequences when broken in the land of Westeros.

Mind you, this is all a general sort of theory.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

I think is kinda funny.. this thread seems to me like the small council talks "Oh.. a three headed dragon was born in the west..... seriously ? Let's go back to the real important matters..."

If it was before the Dragons were born, I wouldn't say nothing.. but They are, they are magical, and George said that their magical birth protected Dany from the flames.. just like de profecy..

The worst thing about this thread is the following: even though the Dragons are already born and raised, and even if this subject never comes back in the story we can always belive that the dragons were not the REAL dragons, and and belive we are right just because nothing was said against it (Ok, the first dragons in hundred years are born, but the profecy was not about thum, but just about regular people ).

I find very unlikely that are the Targeryans, but i some times find that you guys are so immersed in the theorys made in this forum, that can't help but to think that they are the truth set in stone. They're great, logical in a sense... but they might not be truth.. even Jon might not be a Targeryan.

We have multiple instances already of dragon prophecies that did not refer to literal dragons. If you choose to take the obvious road, feel free. But to act like these interpretations come out of nowhere is inaccurate.

And I don't think anything is ever "set in stone."

[dark sister]

I think is kinda funny.. this thread seems to me like the small council talks "Oh.. a three headed dragon was born in the west..... seriously ? Let's go back to the real important matters..."

If it was before the Dragons were born, I wouldn't say nothing.. but They are, they are magical, and George said that their magical birth protected Dany from the flames.. just like de profecy..

The worst thing about this thread is the following: even though the Dragons are already born and raised, and even if this subject never comes back in the story we can always belive that the dragons were not the REAL dragons, and and belive we are right just because nothing was said against it (Ok, the first dragons in hundred years are born, but the profecy was not about thum, but just about regular people ).

I find very unlikely that are the Targeryans, but i some times find that you guys are so immersed in the theorys made in this forum, that can't help but to think that they are the truth set in stone. They're great, logical in a sense... but they might not be truth.. even Jon might not be a Targeryan.

I think is kinda funny...when people are purposely rude about a thread that is in no way inflammatory, attacks none of the characters, and is well thought out and supported by facts.

So it seems that you are saying just because the new dragons are born, that's all we should concentrate on? And what exactly should we discuss concerning them? Two have been released and are god knows where (I actually started a thread asking for and giving my own opinions about where Viserion and Rhaegal might be and what might happen to them). Drogon is with Dany and about to confront a khalasar. There are also hundreds of threads speculating on what the new prophecy is (TPTWP, AA, etc.)

This thread, imho, is for people who really like the Dunk & Egg stories, have read and analyzed them, and realized how integral they are to the central ASOIAF story. The mystery of Summerhall is one that has been floating around for a while now, and while it has been discussed, not many valid theories like Apple Martini's have been brought forward.

I also think you shouldn't be so quick to dismiss someone's theory when she has been a longtime, active member of the board, and you, although you may have been lurking on this board for years, have only 36 posts.

I'm not saying that it's all about post counts, but have a little respect and if you don't want to participate meaningfully in this thread, maybe you should go to another one that interests you.

[Mark Antony]

Great theory, definitely think it will end up being true.

[Eira Seren]

Yeah I don't believe this, I'm sorry. I think they tried to hatch dragon eggs with fire, it failed, they died. The treason could have to do with many scenarios that don't involve family members murdering one another. Perhaps Aegon decided at the last minute not to go through with it, and was disobeyed. And the "magic" involved was surely of the sort involved with trying to hatch the dragon egg, and probably not anything to do with alchemy (at least in the sense where alchemists deliberately burned down Summerhall). And someone can correct me with the quote if I'm wrong, but Rickard was killed by plain old fire, not wildfire.

according to our friend Eyewitness Jaime, Aerys had Rickard Stark "suspended from the rafters while two of Aerys's pyromancers kindled a blaze beneath him. The king told him that fire was the champion of House Targaryen" (from ACOK 797).

am assuming the presence of pyromancers indicates wildfire, but not confirmed, unless at some other time/from some other character. It does mention on the next page that there was "banking and fanning. . . to get a nice even heat" so he would die slowly.

not certain what the difference is between regular fire and wildfire (apart from magic), or if it is even significant. i think this is a great theory, though, looking forward to reading the short stories now.

and. . . i know this is a bit pedantic, sorry, but perhaps will help with some of the confusion we have regarding theories in general:

the·o·ry noun,plural the·o·ries.

1.a coherent group of tested general propositions, commonly regarded as correct, that can be used as principles of explanation and prediction for a class of phenomena: Einstein's theory of relativity. Synonyms: principle, law, doctrine.

2. a proposed explanation whose status is still conjectural and subject to experimentation, in contrast to well-established propositions that are regarded as reporting matters of actual fact. Synonyms: idea, notion hypothesis, postulate. Antonyms: practice, verification, corroboration, substantiation.

no wonder it is easy to confuse the two!

[Lady Tippy Wolfsbane]

according to our friend Eyewitness Jaime, Aerys had Rickard Stark "suspended from the rafters while two of Aerys's pyromancers kindled a blaze beneath him. The king told him that fire was the champion of House Targaryen" (from ACOK 797).

am assuming the presence of pyromancers indicates wildfire, but not confirmed, unless at some other time/from some other character. It does mention on the next page that there was "banking and fanning. . . to get a nice even heat" so he would die slowly.

not certain what the difference is between regular fire and wildfire (apart from magic), or if it is even significant. i think this is a great theory, though, looking forward to reading the short stories now.

and. . . i know this is a bit pedantic, sorry, but perhaps will help with some of the confusion we have regarding theories in general:

the·o·ry noun,plural the·o·ries.

1.a coherent group of tested general propositions, commonly regarded as correct, that can be used as principles of explanation and prediction for a class of phenomena: Einstein's theory of relativity. Synonyms: principle, law, doctrine.

2. a proposed explanation whose status is still conjectural and subject to experimentation, in contrast to well-established propositions that are regarded as reporting matters of actual fact. Synonyms: idea, notion hypothesis, postulate. Antonyms: practice, verification, corroboration, substantiation.

no wonder it is easy to confuse the two!

It is very significant given the properties associated with wildfire. Once ablaze wildfire cannot be easily distinguish, until it has burned itself out. Using wildfire in the throne room would have been extremely dangerous, so more then likely it was plain fire. :)

[Tyryan Lannister]

So my theory of what the "treason" was:

The Targ words are "Blood and Fire." We've heard a few times in ASOIAF that "only death can pay for life." It is my belief that it was both the fire and the sacrifice of the priestess that caused Dany's dragons to hatch.

What if the Ghost of High Heart realized this and told Aegon V as much. Aegon then decides that in order to hatch the eggs he needs to sacrifice someone. He chooses (for whatever reason) to sacrifice Jenny of Oldstones. Prince Duncan can't abide by this, so he attacks Aegon. Dunk tries to protect Aegon and in the process they all die and the fight includes a fire. This would very much be treason and disaster and, since it would all happen before the "ritual" could take place, it was (obviously) ineffective.

[Emilydayne]

As some of you who've read my interpretations of prophecies before know, I hew to the idea that "dragons" in prophecy are not literal dragons, but refer to Targaryens.

We've seen visions unfold this way a couple of times in the Dunk and Egg stories:

1. In "The Hedge Knight," Daeron Targaryen (Egg's brother) has a vision of a large dead red dragon falling on top of Dunk, but he survives. The "red dragon" ends up being Baelor Breakspear, who took a blow to the head in a Trial of Seven.

2. In "The Mystery Knight," a fiddler (Daemon II Blackfyre) tells Dunk that he's seen a dragon hatching out of an egg at Whitewalls. This turns out to be Egg/Aegon V, who comes through a Blackfyre Rebellion with new fierceness and maturity.

In both of these cases, even though the dragons in the visions were actual dragons, when the prophecies unfold, the "dragons" are Targaryens.

Flash forward to Aegon V's reign. Jenny of Oldstones brings the Ghost of High Heart to court. We know that she was the one who told Aegon V that the Prince That Was Promised would come from Aerys and Rhaella's line. Not only does this set up the ASOIAF narrative, it sets a precedent for Aegon holding the woman's visions in high regard and listening to her.

We know that Aegon, Dunk, Duncan the Small and (I presume?) Jenny died in a fire at Summerhall and that the tragedy more than likely had something to do with hatching a dragon's egg. We're told that it was Aegon's decision to let his sons marry for love that culminated in the tragedy (I believe it's referred to as sorcery, fire and treason in varying combinations). I think this is a nod to Duncan the Small (the Prince of Dragonflies) falling in love with Jenny of Oldstones, which caused him to give up his crown for her (why would he have to? question for another time) and inadvertently led to the Ghost of High Heart's presence at court and her visions being taken seriously/literally. When Arya encounters her, the Ghost tells her that she's tasted grief at Summerhall, suggesting that at the very least, she was involved, and might even harbor some culpability.

So what happened? (Edited for clarity because apparently it's not that obvious that this is a theory) I hypothesize that The Ghost of High Heart told Aegon V that she saw a dragon hatching out of Summerhall, maybe even "out of a fire" at Summerhall. Like the earlier examples of dragons in prophecy, this vision would have shown its seer a literal dragon, but not actually referred to one. Having already listened to the Ghost's advice about Rhaella and Aerys' marriage, Aegon again took her at her word — her literal word — and attempted to hatch an actual dragon at Summerhall. It obviously failed, the keep burned to a ruin and a lot of people died.

That same day, Rhaegar was born to Rhaella and had a deep-seated melancholic connection to Summerhall for the rest of his life. Rhaegar was the dragon that hatched out of Summerhall.

Other than being a theory as to how and why the Summerhall tragedy occurred, what does this matter? I think it's threefold: It would be yet another instance of "dragons" in prophecy referring to a Targaryen and not a literal dragon (which I believe has implications for AA/PTWP), it broadly shows the danger of taking any prophecy at literal value, and it further illustrates that when it comes to literal dragons, the Targaryens are unstable and prone to nuttiness, even a saner one like Aegon.

I'm pretty sure that the Dunk and Egg stories will end with the Summerhall tragedy, so this should be either confirmed or debunked in good time. I think it's interesting that, within these novellas, we've already had multiple instances where "dragon" equals "Targaryen." Those instances could be a setup for the Summerhall narrative in this particular set of novellas, as well as a clue as to how to interpret dragon prophecies in the main ASOIAF storyline.

The Prophecy:

The Blackfyre pretender had a dream that a dragon would hatch at white walls. Egg turned out to be that dragon..... Targs are known for dreams such as that. Aagon believed that the Prince Who Was Promised would come from Aerys and his sister... I think he knew he had a role to play in fulfilling the prophecy. Then he had a dream that a dragon would hatch at Summerhall....Rhaegar was born that night. I think Rhaegar knew/dreamed that Aagon died to bring a dragon into the world. Rhaegar always had a special/strange connection with Summerhall. I think he knew he had a role to play in the prophecy too. When he dreamed that he would need to be a warrior to fulfill the prophecy he went to the yard the next day. So, it is my belief, that Rhaegar dreamed that Jon would be The Prince Who Was Promised and that's why he gave Lyanna the rose, took Lyanna, started a war, left 3 kings guards (Arthur Dayne) at the tower to protect Jon and Lyanna, and then he died on the Trident.

And now it begins,” said Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning. He unsheathed Dawn and held it with both hands. The blade was pale as milkglass, alive with light. “No,” Ned said with sadness in his voice. “Now it ends.”

I think Rhaegar may have shared some of his dreams with Dayne and Dayne could have been involved. Dawn does make a good case for Lightbringer!

I think there are many things about house Dayne that we do not know. Ashara for example! Darkstar? Edric Dayne? We know very little about the Dayne family tree. But I do have this crazy idea that Shiera Seastar (one of the Great Bastards) is involved.

[blacken]

OK, here's another line of thinking, for those who are on board with or willing to consider the "dragons are Targs" idea.

"The dragon has three heads."

Rhaegar (by trying for three children) and a lot of readers (by trying to guess three dragon-riders) seem to think that this refers to three separate people. But it specifically says dragon. One dragon — one Targaryen. With three heads. There's also nothing that specifically points to the three heads being dragon-riders. Rhaegar's idea — as evidenced by his naming conventions for his first two children — seems to stem from the original Targaryen conquerers being three people, but near as I can tell, there's nothing to really tie Aegon, Rhaenys and Visenya to the PTWP prophecy. Unless there's some as-yet-unknown thing going on there.

Wild thought: What if the dragon with three heads is one Targaryen with three distinct identities (heads)? For example, if it turns out to be Jon, the three "heads" would be Jon as a Stark, Jon as a Targaryen and Jon as a Night's Watch brother. If it's Dany (the idea makes me feel blech but I'd be stupid not to consider it), it could be several things: her being a queen, a wife and a mother (eventually); her "three crowns" (Westeros, the Free Cities [eventually] and Slaver's Bay); or something else. I admit that it's easier to apply this to Jon in my head but it could still fit Dany in some context.

You got me thinking about this and I'm convinced the dragon with three heads is Dany because of the prophecies she's had made about three fires she will light, three mounts she will ride, three treasons she will know. This suggests to me three different identities clearly delineated by events in Dany's life.

Therefore the first head was her girlhood which was characterised by:

The fire to life is the pyre that hatched the dragons

The mount to bed is her relationship with Drogo or possibly her horse silver which literally takes her to her bedding

The treason for blood being that of Mirri Maz Dur

The second head is her queen/conqueror phase charaterised by:

A fire for death - I've heard people theorise this as the burning of the house of the undying but it could also be some fire yet to come, maybe that one of the dragons starts at the forthcoming (presumably) battle of Meereen that kills a lot of people. Edited to add - this could be Quentyn's death by fire too

A mount to dread - Probably Drogon now that she rides him

A treason for gold - again a prophecy with a number of intepretations including Jorah's informing on her and the Second Sons going over to the Yunkai. I'm not terribly convinced it's either but it's a hard one to judge

The third head will presumably be the final phase of Danys development yet to come but likely being focussed around her activities in Westeros and will be characterised by:

A fire for love - I always thought this might indicate some kind of self sacrifice, either of herself or of the dragons

A mount for love - probably a person this time...maybe Jon, maybe Aegon, maybe a redeemed Jorah, who knows

A treason for love - Again just a presumption on my part but I would expect her to be betrayed by whoever it is that she loves...maybe Jon kills the dragons or takes her throne or something...

Anyway don't know if that all makes sense but would be interested to hear other people's ideas