Daenerys Targaryen: A Game of Thrones prophecy in view
The sixth season of the TV series Game of Thrones has been released on BluRay. The seventh season is coming up. But before we look into the future - there are still some unanswered questions. Including the prophecy that Daenerys Targaryen received.
The series phenomenon Game of Thrones not only impresses with its extremely high production quality, but also with a story in which nothing is left to chance. The prime example of this is the character of Hodor (Kristian Nairn). If you haven't seen the sixth season yet, I have two pieces of advice for you:
- Don't read the next paragraph. I explain how George R. R. Martin plans things using a key character as an example. The text after the explanation starts after the first YouTube video and the picture of Daenerys Targaryen.
- Watch the sixth season. What are you waiting for? Honestly... you're missing out. And if you missed the first five, you're missing this one too.
Spoiler: Beyond the Wall
A reminder: In the first episode of the series, which has now been running for six years, readers, viewers and the character of Bran Stark (Isaac Hampstead Wright) meet a gentle man who seems to be somewhat mentally retarded. The man, who would probably pass for a giant among humans but is not an actual giant, is called Hodor. He is called that because "Hodor" is the only word he says. No one knows why, but Hodor is one of the series' big favourites.
Five seasons later. Hodor and Bran are far north of the Wall that separates the kingdom of Westeros from the region of the Eternal Ice. There live Wildlings and the White Walkers, a race of almost invincible strangers whose motives are not entirely clear, but certainly not peaceful. They are able to resurrect the dead and use them as revenants in their service. When the White Walkers were last seen 8000 years ago, the kingdoms of Westeros barely managed to put the army of invincibles and undead to flight. Bran, now paralysed from the waist down, is in the Cave of the Crow, travelling through time in his mind. He discovers an infinite amount about Westeros' recent past and sees Hodor as a teenager. In the present, however, the cave is attacked by the White Walkers. Bran, Hodor and Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick) have to flee. As Bran has the abilities of a warg, meaning he can put himself in the body of others, he puts himself in Hodor's body, as the giant has almost superhuman strength.
During the escape, Bran is still in the mind of teenage Hodor, who was called Wylis at the time. In the present, however, Hodor has to hold a gate shut in order to escape from the White Walkers. Out of fear, Meera screams "Hold the gate". The scream breaks Bran's concentration and Wylis collapses into the past, repeating "Hold the gate" over and over again until he begins to slur the words and distort them. In the end, he says only one thing: "Hodor."
The text continues: The prophecy for the Mother of Dragons
Spoiler ready. From now on, speculation based on things that have happened so far in the series. I've been wading knee-deep in the mythos of the Westerosi again while writing and have tried to apply the prophecy from the House of the Undead to characters close to Daenerys.
Why am I telling you all this when we're actually talking about Daenerys Targaryen, whom neither Bran nor Hodor have ever met? I want to reveal that author George R. R. Martin has it all planned out. Everything. The smallest details become gigantic revelations. And Daenerys Targaryen received the following prophecy in the fourth volume of The Song of Ice and Fire, or the tenth episode of the second season:
The shadows of the shadows...
the mornings that have not yet come...
drink from the cup of ice... drink from the cup of fire...
Mother of dragons... child of three...
the dragon has three heads...
Child of the storm...
you must kindle three fires, one for life and one for death and one for love...
you must ride three horses, one to bed, one for fear and one for love
Threefold treachery you will experience,
one for the sake of blood
and one for the sake of gold
and one for the sake of love...
I admit: I only know the English version of the story. The German translation here is pretty weak and if my Google-Fu doesn't fail, the line with the horses is completely missing. I patched it in myself, as it's in the original. It talks about "Mounts you must ride". However, "mount" is not necessarily a horse or an animal. Directly translated, it means something like "something or someone that can be mounted", so it definitely has a sexual connotation.
There are passages in the prophecy that are obvious. "The dragon has three heads" is a clear reference to the three dragons that Daenerys regards as her mother: Drogon, Viserion and Rhaegal.
Child of the Storm is one of Daenerys' titles, as she has many names and titles. One of them is Daenerys Stormdaughter, in the original slightly less clunky Daenerys Stormborn.
But the rest? Fans on the internet are racking their brains over this. One of the more provocative theories concerning the history of the character of Daenerys and the history of Westeros is that the betrayals, the horses and the fires are connected. The constellation, according to the theory, is as follows:
- A fire for life, a horse to bed, a betrayal for blood
- A fire for death, a horse for fear, a betrayal for gold
- A fire for love, a horse for love, a betrayal for love
These are not nine separate events, but three people in the life of Daenerys Targaryen. The people must be close to her in some way, otherwise the horse metaphor doesn't work. Even betrayal can only be committed if there is a certain closeness.
1. drogo
Drogo is the Khal of the Dothraki, a race of horsemen, and the first husband of Daenerys Targaryen. A forced marriage turned into love and deep affection. But the traitor Mirri Maz Duur puts an end to their love and the planned invasion of Westeros by using black magic to put Drogo into a trance from which he will never wake up. Daenerys has no choice but to suffocate her husband with a pillow.
The pyre on which Khal Drogo is laid out is lit by Daenerys. It is this fire that allows the dragons to hatch from their eggs. A fire for life.
Daenerys had to go to bed with Drogo even before she felt anything for him. A horse to bed.
The Mirri Maz Duur's betrayal also results in Daenerys losing her unborn child. The Drogo bloodline is over. A betrayal for blood.
2. Hizdahr zo Loraq
Hizdahr zo Loraq, fourteenth of his name, is one of the rich and noble of the city of Meereen, which Daenerys rules after her time with the Dothraki. One of her decisions is to abolish the bloody battles in the arenas of Meereen. However, this meets with massive resistance from the population, as the fighting arenas are an integral part of their culture, however brutal they may be. The spokesman for the unemployed fighters is Hizdahr zo Loraq, who knows how to hold his own in Meereen's high society.
As a result of the resistance, the people split and a powerful resistance movement forms against Daenerys. The suspicion that is never spoken aloud: Hizdahr zo Loraq is himself behind the murders in the streets of Meereen.
As a diplomatic manoeuvre, he wants to marry Daenerys and ascend to the throne of Meereen. This may sound absurd to the queen, but with the enemy at the gates of the city, she at least wants to pacify her own people. Hizdahr zo Loraq promises her 90 days and 90 nights of peace in the streets. He leaves open how he intends to achieve this. But the suspicion remains: Hizdahr zo Loraq is behind the murders. A betrayal for gold, because the battle arenas yield a lot of money.
Daenerys has no feelings for Hizdahr zo Loraq. In fact, he disgusts her. A horse of fear.
The fire for death is easily explained at this point: dragons. Meereen. Sea of flames.
3. Jon Snow?
The Game of Thrones story ends here for now. The Song of Ice and Fire is guaranteed to have a next instalment, but we don't know it yet. Author George R. R. Martin is keeping a low profile, even writing on an ancient computer without internet access and only talking to the showrunners of the series about the next instalment of the story.
By now, it's clear to everyone that there's something wrong with Jon Snow's origins. Eddard Stark is simply not the type to have a little fling just because he's been away for a while. He cares too much about honour and, above all, promises. But why does he have a bastard that he passes off as his own? Because he promised someone. In this case, the recipient of the promise is Eddard's sister Lyanna Stark. The noblewoman has disappeared with the married Rhaegar Targaryen for several months. The official version: Rhaegar has kidnapped Lyanna!
Unofficially, however, the story is quite different. Lyanna and Rhaegar had an affair because she fell madly in love with him. The result of this affair was not only Robert Baratheon's rebellion against the reigning king - the beginning of all the royal unrest in Westeros - but also a little boy called Jon. He was given the usual surname for orphans and bastards in Winterfell: Snow.
Eddard therefore chose to besmirch his own honour rather than break his promise to his sister.
Since Jon Snow is a Targaryen in blood, the legends from ancient Valyria that the Valyrians tied control of the notoriously savage dragons to their bloodline with magic and blood sacrifices could be true. They are said to have a kind of relationship of trust with the flying monsters in their blood. No one knows exactly how this works.
So how does this fit into the prophecy?
A horse for love: it is quite possible that Daenerys and Jon Snow will begin a sexual relationship in the upcoming season. Because the two don't know each other and neither of them knows that Daenerys Targaryen is Jon Snow's aunt, as she is Rhaegar's sister.
Inbreeding and sex in the family are not uncommon in George R. R. Martin's books, the kingdoms of Westeros and the neighbouring country of Essos, as Jaime Lannister and his sister Cersei repeatedly prove. The two have three children together: Joffrey Baratheon, Tommen Baratheon and Myrcella Baratheon. They all bear the surname of their stepfather and husband Cersei's Robert.
Furthermore, a small note about the Targaryens' history by author George R. R. Martin hints at a relationship. Note: The man knows the story, but doesn't give anything away. But when he has little discussions like this, something might slip past his lips. Like in this video at 27:27.
Brothers marry sisters and... you know... um... nephews and aunts and so on.
A betrayal for love: For the betrayal for love to come about, Jon Snow must know the legend of the Lightbringer. Lightbringer is the name of the sword with which victory over the White Walkers - still the main threat in Westeros despite all the royal intrigues - can be achieved. For the mysterious invaders are difficult to kill. Legend has it that Azor Ahai - a key figure in the faith of R'hllor - ended the Long Night, the invasion of the White Walkers, with a special sword called the Lightbringer.
The legend goes on to say that Lightbringer is the third attempt to forge a sword that can harm the White Walkers. Azor Ahai forged the first sword for 30 days and 30 nights, but it shattered while cooling in the water. The second took 50 days and 50 nights. To cool it, the blacksmith plunged it into the heart of a lion. Sword number three took 100 days and 100 nights. He knew what he had to do to make the sword a truly great weapon. He summoned his wife Nissa Nissa and ordered her to take off her clothes. He then plunged the sword into her chest, causing Nissa Nissa's soul to merge with the sword, creating Lightbringer.
Azor Ahai is to be reborn in the form of the "prince who was promised". This is theorised to be Jon Snow. And his love for Daenerys and his sacrifice of her is what is needed to create a sword that can defeat the Night King - the leader of the White Walkers. Since the second Lightbringer is from fire, the point of fire for love would also be immediately fulfilled.
Phew. That's it. Actually, this article was supposed to be very short, just quickly pointing you to the sixth season on DVD, but then the situation escalated a little.
But what do you think?
But what do you think? Does the theory make sense? Or how do you interpret the prophecy from the House of the Immortals?
Let me know in the comments.
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Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.