Parrallels between Daenerys and Rand al Thor from Wheel of Time? (spoilers)

[total1402]

Basically I think that Dany is on a very similar path to what the character Rand al Thor was on in Wheel of Time. Note, this does not imply Dany is the main character as the series has not focused on the supernatural element but the game of thrones. Even then, Dany could still be walking this path and not actually be what she thinks she is.

Both are messianic savior figures. Rand is the Dragon Reborn and a reincarnation of Lews Therin. If, a significant chunk of Essos has decided she is AA reborn then thats quite a similar place. Dany has already mused about having a destiny and two characters with separate prophecies regarding a figure who will fight the others are coming to her. Likely this will become a big part of Danys story moving forward.

Both are referred to by different cultures prophecies. Rand is the dragon reborn in Randland/Seanchan, the Caracarn to the Aeil and the Coramoor to the Sea Folk all with very different interpretations about the same figure. On face value, its much the same with Daenerys. There is a Westerosi prophecy related to the Targaryens called the "Prince that Was Promised" and the religious one about Azzor Ahai. One that the person will be a scion of House Targaryen. The other that they will be the avatar/chosen one of a fire god. I also think the Stallion who will mount the world will be added to this list in Winds. Not only because the House of the Undying says the crones will bow to her and her story has just reunited with the Dothraki, but the words of the prophecy itself. "fierce as a storm this prince will be" obviously plays on her name. Whilst the term (paraphrase) or arakhs glinting like razor glass suggests obsidian and the Others. All the other prophecies involve or suggest conflict with the Others and their belief the world will end with white grass covering everything also suggests some awareness of the threat.

Both have extremely violent and disturbing dreams regarding their destructive role and the fears of what their coming will mean. Obviously it goes without saying that Robert Jordan never followed through with this, but ostensibly, Rand knows that he will go insane and use his powers to break the world. Even his presence means that millions will die before then. So he is tormented by visions of this. Egwene visits him in Telandriol(?) and he is shown as a giant with people fleeing as he smashes through cities. It is much the same in Danys arc although the character is indifferent or spaced out by these visions rather than horrified. She imagines wings of shadow tearing out of her back and flying across the Dothraki Sea with everybody fleeing before her as the world is consumed in fire. Pretty consistant, almost demonic images of death, violence and destruction. This is however explicitly linked to her attaining the dragons and her path; as was the case with the vision of the slaves raising blood stained hands and crying mother.

IMO they also have a similar refusal to face their destiny. This is essentially what happens in the second Wheel of Time book "The Great Hunt" as he tries to run away from his destiny after it is revealed and is in utter denial until the end of the novel. Dany in ADWD also puts her head in the sand, but for very different reasons. She isn't aware of her destiny yet. However, she does understand that it does involve horrific death and suffering as she saw in ASOS. She therefore wants to rest, learn to rule, grow trees and anything other than fight. As is shown when she tells Jorahs shade that she was sick of war and just a little girl. Indeed Rand also has similar despair at how all his efforts seem to be failing as shown in the Gathering Strom when he fails to feed the people of Ebou Dar who are doomed to be caught between Seanchan n Dark One. He subsequently chooses to abandon them. This is quite similar to how Dany despairs over everything she does falling to pieces in Slavers Bay. So both character have this horrible destiny thrust upon them and yet eventually accept this with a grim determination.

Also, if you maintain that the prophecies refer to multiple people (Jon, Tyrion, "the dragon has three heads" etc) well there is a clear Wheel of Time parallel there as well with the fact that Rand was created by fate along with two other taveren who were named in the prophecies and crucial for the triumph of the light.

The looming threat of madness is another similarity. Because the male part of magic in the universe is corrupted it slowly causes the user to go insane and Rand does become more unstable. However this is also due to him hearing the voice of a dead man in his head who tries to take control whilst Targaryen madness is due to incest and there hasn't yet been a credible hint of Dany being insane. Walking into a pyre when visions have told you it will give you dragons and you'll live doesn't make you mad if it actually works. Despite this, madness is still a feature and specter in Danys story; as shown by her interaction with Barristan.

Does that mean Dany is going to also have an event horizon moment and increasingly not give a shit about the destruction she causes until she is pushed to the brink by cynical fatalism? Perhaps. Though how GRRM might subvert that set of events I am not sure. Arguably, if there is a parallel between what happens to Rand in Gathering Storm and to Dany in ADWD with Ebou Dar/Mereen then they have came to very different conclusions. Rand destroys the chodean khal because its too powerful and the risk of him using it to get his way by destroying the Seanchan is too great as this would kill millions of people. Rand becomes a stronger person as a result as the two pieces of him are merged. Dany does the exact opposite at the end of ADWD. She has been avoiding using her dragons and now resolves to use any means to bring fire and blood to her enemies. She also becomes a stronger person as a result. So its an inversion in this instance I think.

edit- A little tidbit. I think I read somewhere that before Martin decided to add dragons the Targaryens used tricks to imitate draconic fire powers. Given that a big deal was made in ACOK about the tricksters magic becoming real, as was the case with the fire ladder Dany sees in Qaarth, then its quite possible that originally Dany was going to have "destruction" fire magic similar to Wheel of Time rather than dragons. Indeed certain elements of this have remained since, technically, Dany did use sorcery (its either that or the divine) to wake the dragons and its implied that she has some sort of magical presence by Quiathe. So Dany can presumably use powerful magic but this isn't a major feature of her story as she has never looked into this at all or thought about it. Although oddly show Dany tells Jorah before going into HotUndying "What of my magic Ser Jorah?". I certainly don't think Moqorro is going to teach her to be a Red Priestess or Marwyn teach her magic BTW. Dragon taming will take priority where the supernatural is concerned and there isn't really time to think about this.

[SeanF]

I'm not familiar with WOT. I think Dany will return from the wilderness harder and harsher.