The Prophecy of Maggy the Frog
I finally reached the penultimate Cersei chapter in AFFC, which has the flashback to the prophecy foretold to Cersei when she was a girl of ten.
As far as I know, there is nothing in traditional alchemy that involves a prophecy. Prophecies, however, are a common feature of epics and hero’s journey tales, going back in western literature as far as Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. A prophecy may be the main driving force of the entire story, as in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Sometimes prophecies come true, no matter how hard people try to foil them--as in Oedipus Rex. Sometimes prophecies are misleading or incomplete: Macbeth is assured that “no man of woman born” can kill him, but then he finds out that MacDuff was from his “mother’s womb untimely ripped.”
Fantasy stories, which in many ways fuse alchemy and the hero’s journey, often include a prophecy. Let’s have a look at a couple of fantasy novels that use alchemy and see if there are any insights we can glean.
First, there’s Paul Gallico’s Manxmouse, a very simple children’s story that JK Rowling has cited as one of the influences on Harry Potter. The prophecy in Manxmouse, called a “Doom,” says that Manxmouse will come to see Manx Cat on a specific date, and will be eaten. Manxmouse has arrived at the stated time, so his fate appears sealed. But Manxmouse does not simply submit; he resists.
At this point, the missing ending of the Doom is revealed:
But if the aforesaid Manxmouse instead of yielding and being swallowed shall take a firm stand in his defense and bravely and gallantly show that he means to fight for his life, then the Doom shall become inoperative, null and void and canceled. Manxmouse and Manx Cat shall live in peace forever after.
In other words, the prophecy is incomplete and thus misleading. Manxmouse’s fate is actually the opposite of what the prophecy foretold. The lesson is: Don’t assume that the prophecy will tell you how the story ends.
Harry Potter also has a prophecy, a prophecy that drives the actions of Voldemort and all the people who act as alchemists (mentors) for Harry.
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies.
Several elements of this prophecy are accurate: Harry’s parents defied Voldemort three times. Harry was born July 31, i.e., “as the seventh month dies.” Voldemort “marked him as his equal” by unintentionally making Harry a horcrux, reflected in Harry’s lightning bolt scar. But what about “either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives”? Clearly that’s wrong. Voldemort is “alive” thanks to his horcruxes in the first four books. He undergoes the resurrection ceremony at the end of Goblet of Fire, and after that has a full corporeal form. So he and Harry both “live” at the same time that the other “survives,” contrary to the prophecy.
What the prophecy does do, however, is motivate Voldemort to constantly go after Harry. Eventually this affords Harry the opportunity to defeat and kill him. So the prophecy IS accurate in identifying the person who has the power to defeat Voldemort; it just doesn’t say whether Harry will succeed. It does not reveal the ending.
So is Maggy the Frog’s prophecy for Cersei true? Or is it misleading? We know the beginning was true--Cersei became queen and had three children. What about this part, about Cersei’s downfall, which hasn’t happened yet in either book or show?
Queen you shall be... until there comes another, younger and more beautiful, to cast you down and take all that you hold dear
Cersei believed this part referred to Margaery, and it motivated her to go after her daughter-in-law. But Cersei was wrong: Margaery is dead, and Cersei is now queen in her own right (on the show). So presumably the prophecy is still relevant.
Who could be the “younger and more beautiful” threat to Cersei? The obvious answer is Daenerys, since power is the only thing Cersei holds dear now. (My Braime heart wants to say it could be Brienne, but even though she’s younger than Cersei it would be hard to argue she’s “more beautiful,” and Cersei hasn’t held Jaime dear for a long time. She has nothing but contempt for him.)
The prophecy in the book has another part, not included on the show. Cersei explains to Taena why Tyrion frightens her:
“He is going to kill me. It was foreseen when I was ten....Tyrion is the valonqar,” she said. “Do you use that word on Myr? It’s High Valyrian; it means little brother.”
I can certainly see a scenario where Tyrion kills Cersei, but the wording of this part of the prophecy leaves lots of wiggle room for it to be someone else. Members of religious orders are often referred to as “brothers”--perhaps a Sparrow will eliminate Cersei. Or since Cersei was born first and Jaime is the younger brother, HE will do the deed. Lots of possibilities.
So is the prophecy fully true? Will Daenerys “cast down” Cersei and will Tyrion kill her? Or is it misleading, and the ending will be different? Who knows, but my money is on the prophecy being misleading and the ending unpredictable.
Also curious is that the prophecy is about Cersei--and no one thinks Cersei is the main protagonist of ASOIAF. She is not Oedipus, or Macbeth, or Manxmouse, or Harry Potter. The prophecy certainly motivates Cersei’s behavior, but it may not be as central to the story as those other prophecies.
