Daenerys Stormborn - A Re-Read Project Chapter VI
We had and amazing analysis of Dany’s VI chapter. You can find the review/analysis at this link.
A Game of Thrones, Daenerys VI:
The chapter opens with a heavily pregnant Dany and Drogo engaged a post-coital discussion. Dany is trying to convince Drogo to take his khalasar across the Narrow Sea and invade the Seven Kingdoms in order to win her father’s throne for their son, but Drogo doesn’t like the idea, largely due to a superstitious fear of the sea that is typical for the Dothraki. Instead, he plans to go east after Rhaego’s birth and plunder the lands around the Jade Sea. Drogo goes to hunt for a hrakkar, the great white lion of the plains, and Dany hopes that he will be successful, since that would put him in a good mood and make it more likely that she could persuade him.
Dany sends for Jorah Mormont and asks him to talk to Drogo and try to convince him to invade the Seven Kingdoms. Jorah is reluctant and warns Dany to be patient with Drogo and not make the same mistake her brother did. He tries to put her in a better mood by suggesting that she goes to the Western market.
The Western market is a caravan of merchants from the Free Cities who come to Vaas Dothrak. There is also the Eastern market, which Dany has enjoyed visiting because of the abundance of exotic goods and colorful people, but she especially likes the Western market because it reminds her of her childhood in the Free Cities. Dany goes to the market, riding in a cart, accompanied by her handmaidens and the bloodriders of her khas. She has a very good time, talking to merchants and buying things for herself and her companions, while Jorah goes off to talk to the Merchant Captain and collect a letter from Illyrio.
A wineseller offers Dany some Dornish wine, but after learning her identity, he gives her something “better”, a cask of the Arbor red, the best wine in Westeros. Dany takes a cask with the intention of sharing it with Drogo, but a suspicious Jorah arrives and exposes the wineseller by making him taste the wine. The wineseller tries to run away, thereby making it clear that he was trying to poison Dany, but he is caught by Jorah and Jhogo. The Merchant Captain apologizes for the actions of the wineseller and gives Dany the wineseller’s goods as a gift. Jorah explains that he has learned from Illyrio’s letter that king Robert had ordered the assassination of Dany, her child and Viserys, with a lordship as a reward.
Dany is overcome with fear for herself, but more so for her unborn son. She suddenly decides to try and hatch the dragons from her three eggs, putting them into the fire. She is unsure about it and half hopeful, half afraid that dragon eggs are going to crack and burn. The attempt is unsuccessful, to her disappointment, but fortunately the eggs suffer no damage.
Khal Drogo returns, with one of his bloodriders carrying the corpse of the lion he has slain. He is in good mood until he hears about what happened at the market. Jorah explains that this murder attempt is only the first, and that many men will be ready to risk their lives to obtain a lordship. Drogo gives Jorah and Jhago gifts of his best horses for saving his wife’s life. Then he annouces that he will take his khalasar to Westeros, win the Iron Throne for his son Rhaego, and murder, rape and pillage throughout the Seven Kingdoms, taking the children as slaves and bringing the broken statues of Westerosi gods to Vaas Dothrak. Two days later, the khalasar leaves Vaas Dothrak and goes west, led by Drogo on his read stallion and Dany on her silver. At Drogo’s orders, the wineseller is tied up to Dany’s horse and dragged, presumably about to meet his death at some point when he can’t keep up anymore.
Dany is still struggling with conflicting feelings about Viserys’ death. When she laughs at the Western market, Jhiqui observes that she hasn’t laughed since her brother’s death. Dany laughs with a laughter that’s half sobbing when she notes that Robert does not know about Viserys’ death and sarcastically says he should give Drogo a lordship.
News travels slowly from Westeros to Essos and the other way round, and ironically, when Dany observes that Robert does not know that Viserys is dead, she does does not know that Robert is now dead, too. She’s also not aware that he withdrew his assassination order on his deathbed – when it was too late.
Despite their low status in the Dothraki culture, women are expected to show strength and resilience, too: pregnant women ride their horses up until the moment of birth. This puts into perspective just how little respect Drogo and the other Dothraki had for Viserys and what an insult it was to make him ride a cart.
Jorah addresses Dany as “my princess” rather than “khaleesi” – showing that he still thinks of her first and foremost as an exiled Targaryen. The Merchant Captain also addresses Dany as Princess.
The merchant caravans come to Vaas Dothrak primarily to trade with each other rather than with the Dothraki. However, that doesn’t mean that the Dothraki do not buy anything at the markets; none of the merchants are surprised to see a group of Dothraki at their stands.The Dothraki supposedly don’t truly understand what trade is, but Dany takes a beautiful feathered cloak and gives the seller a silver medallion in return, the way it is done among the Dothraki. Exchange of goods is trade, even if the Dothraki prefer to consider it a mutual giving of gifts. This and the fact that Drogo has been able to visit Pentos and buy a house and wine, among other things, suggests that the Dothraki do understand trade, they just find it beneath them or against their tradition. But, just like with the rule of not shedding blood in Vaas Dothrak, they are able to go around their tradition when they want to – for instance, by engaging in trade but calling it an exchange of gifts.
Everyone, including Dany, thinks of the Iron Throne as something to be conquered for the sake of her son Rhaego. At this point, it never occurs to her or anyone else that she could be the ruling queen of the Seven Kingdoms in her own right.
The relationship between Dany and Drogo
The relationship between Dany and her husband has been getting warmer and more loving, and there is a lot more communication between them, even when it involves disagreements. The lack of language barrier is certainly helping a lot: Drogo seems to have learned more of the Common Tongue, in addition to Dany having learned of the Dothraki language. Dany does not mention the word “love” but the thoughts that show her strong attraction to him make her look like a girl who’s fallen, or falling in love:
Quote Dany propped herself on an elbow to look up at him, so tall and magnificent. She loved his hair especially. It had never been cut, he had never known defeat.
It’s not a perfect relationship though: as we have noticed in the previous chapters, their sex life is still mostly described in terms of Drogo having pleasure, rather than actively trying to give pleasure to Dany; the opening line of the chapter is:
Quote When he had taken his pleasure, Khal Drogo rose from their sleeping mats to tower above her.
This is something that is only apparent to the reader, though - Dany does not think in those terms and does seem to find their sex life unsatisfactory, just like it never occurred to her that she could refuse sex with her husband when she doesn’t feel like it, but she does not have other experiences and has probably never been made familiar with the concept of sex as something that involves men trying to give women pleasure. Which doesn’t mean that she finds no enjoyment in their sex life; the fact that she is very attracted to him helps a lot.
Nevertheless, for Dothraki standards, or even the standards of the very patriarchal world of ASOAIF in general, Drogo treats Dany very well (though one could argue that he even treated her relatively well by Dothraki standards in the early days of their marriage, considering such Dothraki customs as khals sharing their wives with their bloodriders). He is warm, caring, he doesn’t mistreat her, he listens and appreciates her opinions and they discuss matters almost as equals.
However, all Dany’s power comes from the influence she has on Drogo, and Drogo is still unmistakably an authority figure that Dany feels the need to impress: e.g. she usually still rides her silver while heavily pregnant, in accordance with the Dothraki way of life, and doesn’t want to look weak in her husband’s eyes, but takes the opportunity to be ridden in a cart when he is away.
Dany’s hopes and dreams: home is where the heart is, but where is the heart?
Now that Dany does not have to deal with Viserys’ abuse or his self-destructive behavior, and that her position in the khalasar is strong, she doesn’t have to deal with immediate adversity and can focus on fulfilling her dreams. She focuses on her wish to regain the Iron Throne and go back to the land of her family was exiled from. Viserys called it “going home”; however, Dany’s feelings about “home” are confused:
Quote She had never seen the Seven Kingdoms, no more than Drogo, but she felt as though she knew them from all the tales her brother had told her.
Quote Home? The word made her feel sad. Ser Jorah had his Bear Island, but what was home to her? A few tales, names recited as solemnly as the words of a prayer, the fading memory of a red door… was Vaas Dothrak to be her home forever? When she looked at the crones of the dosh khaleen, was she looking at her own future?
What exactly is home for Daenerys Stormborn? Is it Westeros? Is it her new Dothraki family? She has never had a loving family before, but she has found a place of her own where she is quite happy. But, although Dany thinks that she has everything that a woman can wish for, she feels that it’s not enough because she has duties that ordinary women do not have.
Quote If I were not the blood of the dragon, she thought wistfully, this could be my home. She was a khaleesi, she had a strong man and a swift horse, handmaids to serve her, warriors to keep her safe, an honored place in the dosh khaleen awaiting her when she grew old… and in her womb grew a son who would one day bestride the world. That should be enough for any woman… but not for the dragon. With Viserys gone, Daenerys was the last, the very last. She was the seed of kings and conquerors, and so was the child inside her. She must not forget.
But is duty the only reason why she is unsatisfied with the prospect of this life? Dany has integrated into the Dothraki culture and considers them her people. However, she is horrified by the idea of ending up as a part of the dosh khaleen. The crones of the dosh khaleen have a lot of power and influence over the khals, being a part of the council of “crones” and sitting in Vaas Dothrak all the time, making prophecies, seems about as appealing to her as going to a nursery home would seem to a contemporary teenager. And though this does not consciously occur to her, considering her husband’s lifestyle, despite his fighting prowess, there is always a chance that she would be widowed at a young age and end up stuck in dosh khaleen forever.
I don’t think that Dany’s feelings of duty to her ancestors are the only reason why she’s not satisfied with the seemingly nice lot in life she’s been given. Though she cannot yet define it, Dany has a desire to do more. Besides, her enjoyment of the Eastern and Western market shows us that she likes to be active, to get to know the different places and people, to do things, rather than be stuck in one place as a honored widow.
Her time in the Western market also reveals that the Free Cities where she spent childhood really feel as home to her, rather than the Seven Kingdoms that she has never seen.
The Eastern market was a place of wonder and magic for Dany.
But the Western market smelled of home.
Quote “When I was a little girl, I loved to play in the bazaar”, Dany told Ser Jorah as they wandered down the shady aisles beneath the stalls. “It was so alive there, so many people shouting and laughing, so many wonderful things to look at… though we seldom had enough coin to buy anything… except for a sausage now and then, or honeyfingers… Do they have honeyfingers in the Seven Kingdoms, the kind they bake in Tyrosh?”
Quote She did take a dozen flasks of scented oils, the perfumes of her childhood; she had only to close her eyes and sniff them and she could see the big house with the red door once more.
Dany has been forced to grow up too fast, but a part of her is still longing for her lost childhood.
Quote It was sweet to laugh. She felt half a girl again.
It’s a sad that this is a thought of a 14-year old.
Dany as a khaleesi: making them love her
Seeing Dany interact with her handmaidens and her bloodriders as well as merchants in the Western market, it is very clear that Dany does not follow Cersei Lannister’s policy of making everyone fear her. Dany will certainly make her enemies fear her, but she sees her servants and subjects as close friends or children and treats them with care. It seems to come naturally to her, and she has the tact and understanding that she should treat all her handmaidens in the same way and not allow anyone to feel neglected (after having bought a present for Doreah, she makes sure to buy one for Irri and Jhiqui, too).
At the same time, we learn that she is often uncomfortable with her handmaidens fussing about her. She doesn’t give the reason, but it seems that she doesn’t like the role of a stereotypical privileged person, a “silk queen” who has servants doing everything for her. Although a princess, she had not been used to such a lifestyle, and she prefers to do things by herself. She only welcomes her handmaidens’ help because she is in late stages of pregnancy and finds it difficult to wash and dress all on her own, just as she finds it difficult to ride.
Dany as a mother: waking the dragon
The assassination attempt makes Dany afraid, not just for herself but for her baby. She feels it is even worse than the fear she had been feeling for years when Viserys was abusing her, because she had been afraid just for herself, and now she is afraid for her child. And just like she had been trying to encourage herself by telling herself she was the blood of the dragon, she now tries talks to her unborn child and tries to tell herself that he is strong, too.
Quote
Dany stroked the swell of her belly gently, wishing she could reach him, touch him, soothe him. “You are the blood of the dragon, little one,” she whispered as her litter swayed along, curtains drawn tight. “You are the blood of the dragon, and the dragon does not fear.”
It is very telling that this is the first time Dany uses the term “waking the dragon” to refer to herself.
Motherhood is a crucial theme in Dany’s arc, but it manifests in atypical ways. Here we see Dany’s feelings as a mother in the literal meaning. But while she does not become a mother of a living human child, she will become the Mother of dragons, and mother to her people and the slaves she will free. But in all those different cases, it is when Dany is concerned for the well-being of those she cares for, or when she is devastated by their loss, that her anger and determination is awakened.
“No. He cannot have my son.” She would not weep, she decided. She would not shiver with fear. The Usurper has woken the dragon now, she told herself… and her eyes went to the dragon’s eggs resting in their nest of dark velvet. The shifting lamplight limned their stony scales, and shimmering motes of jade and scarlet and gold swam in the air around them, like courtiers around a king.
Dany’s first attempt at hatching the dragons is unsuccessful, but it us an insight into her mind that we won’t have in Dany’s last chapter in AGOT. Her decision to try to hatch her dragon “children” is partly motivated by her fear for her human child, partly inspired by the stories she has heard about her ancestors, and, no doubt, by the bond the dragon fetuses that she already feels. She asks herself if she is being irrational, but we see that there is intuitive knowledge at work there. I think we can assume that Dany’s successful attempt to hatch the dragons in the last chapter of the book was similarly motivated, and was not in fact “madness” as some readers believe, but something she did because it was her last hope, borne out of despair (and her situation was really desperate after Drogo’s and Rhaego’s deaths, which meant she had nothing to lose and had good reasons to take big risks) and not just her intuitive feeling, but also the knowledge about blood magic that she gains the hard way from Mirri Maz Duur.
Illyrio and Varys believed that khal Drogo would not start an invasion before his son is born, but they seemed to believe that he would eventually invade the Seven Kingdoms. We don’t know for sure if Dany would have managed to convince him. However, the attempt on Dany’s life has caused Drogo to change his mind and decide not just to invade Westeros, but to start the campaign immediately. If the assassination attempt had not happened, Drogo would have at least waited until Rhaego is born, and Rhaego may have lived. On the other hand, if Robert had accepted Pycelle’s suggestion to hire a Faceless Man, Dany and Rhaego would have definitely died. The late king Robert has set a chain of events in motion that will lead to the death of Drogo, stillbirth of Rhaego and the birth of Dany’s dragons.
Jorah’s loyalties and Varys’/Illyrio’s game
Jorah’s feelings for Dany are still unclear at this point. He is still spying for Varys and Illyrio, so he doesn’t want Dany to accompany him when he goes to talk to the Merchant Captain, presumably not just to take Illyrio’s letter, but also to send a message of his own. Dany finds Jorah’s behavior strange, but not suspicious, since she can’t think of any reason why he would prefer to go and talk to the Merchant Captain on his own, except that he may want to look for a prostitute. She knows that some men are embarrassed about this, even though she finds it somewhat curious (she has, after all, been around men who were not embarrassed of using prostitutes or sex slaves – like her brother Viserys, who bragged about tasting Doreah’s skills at Illyrio’s house).
He saves Dany’s life, but it’s still not clear to which extent this is motivated by personal loyalty to her. Illyrio and Varys clearly do not want Dany to die, at least not yet, or else Illyrio would not have sent the letter of warning. At the same time, they did want Robert to know about Dany’s pregnancy – Illyrio travelled to King’s Landing to make sure Varys knew about it. From their conversation, overheard by Arya in an earlier chapter, we know that Varys wanted Drogo to start his invasion as soon as possible, believing that it may be too late if he waits for Rhaego’s birth. Therefore, a botched murder attempt on Dany that provokes the khal into action was just what Varys could have hoped for – and probably was hoping for, when he agreed with Robert that Dany had to die and suggested poison rather than the much more efficient Faceless Men. (I wonder what Littlefinger’s real motive was to oppose Pycelle’s suggestion and why he played into Varys’ plan, consciously or unwittingly.) This and Illyrio warning Jorah about the danger would perfectly do the trick, which makes me think that the whole thing may have been carefully planned.
Drogo hunts and kills the great white lion of the plains (hrakkar) and gives Dany a gift of the cloak made of his pelt. Later this cloak is especially dear to Dany because it reminds her of her late husband. But this is not the only mention of the lion – the lion, alive and running through the grass, will be among Dany’s visions in the House of the Undying, alongside several other visions of her past, including the wineseller being dragged tied up to Dany’s horse.
The appearance of the lion in the visions of THOTU, in addition to the emphasis the lion has in this chapter, makes me think that there is a symbolic meaning to it. The most obvious symbolic connection is to the house Lannister. Their sigil is a lion, but their colors are crimson and gold. However, Jaime Lannister as a member of the Kingsguard wears a white cloak. Was GRRM teasing the readers with the false foreshadowing, or the possibility that Drogo would kill Jaime once the Dothraki invaded King’s Landing, giving Dany the death of her father’s killed as a gift? Is this what would have happened if this future that never happened, did happen (the same future in which Rhaego, the tall lord with copper skin and silver hair, would have existed)? But since this never happened, I wonder about the significance of the white lion – which Dany never even got to see while it was alive and running through the plains – and why it appeared in a vision in THOTU; I am going to assume it has something to do with Dany’s still unfinished business with the Lannisters, her main enemies considering the fact that their family members were responsible for the deaths of three members of her family and that they have been holding the Iron Throne since Robert Baratheon’s death. This is especially interesting in light of the probability of Dany meeting Tyrion in The Winds of Winter, although I don’t see anything to specifically point to the white lion as symbolic of Tyrion, as some fans suggest. (This will be a topic for a longer discussion when we get to that chapter in ACOK.)
Drogo: a man defined (not only) by his culture
Although we only see Drogo through Dany’s eyes, which makes it harder to see him as a fully fleshed out three-dimensional character and get to know his motives, we can see that Drogo is not just a powerful and undefeated Dothraki khal, but also a man with tastes and ambitions beyond that of a typical Dothraki, or what we are made to think a typical Dothraki is. He enjoys his trips to the Free Cities, which have given him a taste for good wine, and has been engaging in some sort of a trade with the likes of Illyrio. He chose to marry a Targaryen princess, and was willing to give goods of great value to Illyrio to broker the marriage. He enjoys Dany’s “non-Dothraki” way of lovemaking, and gives his wife a considerable deal of respect and influence on his decisions.
However, I some other matters, Drogo is a man of his culture. Dany notes that he’s not afraid of wild beasts or human enemies, but has the typical Dothraki superstitious fear of the sea, which makes it harder for him to accept Dany’s suggestions.
Quote Drogo was a bolder man than the other horselords in half a hundred ways, she had found…But not in this.
A similar kind of a contradiction is Drogo’s inability to stand the pain of the plant medicine, which may have eventually cost him his life.
Despite the amiable light in which we had been seeing Drogo and the Dothraki in the past chapters, including this one, we are reminded of what their culture is based on and what he has been doing all his wife, when Drogo makes his speech at the end of his chapter, where he promises to murder the Westerosi men, rape their women, take their children into slavery and steal the statues of their gods and take them to Vaas Dothrak.
It doesn’t seem to occur to him that, if he is to make his son the king of the Seven Kingdoms, this approach may not be the best idea, since it’s not likely to make Rhaego popular; and if he goes back to Vaas Dothrak with his khalasar, his son would not have a way to hold his throne without another army. Dothraki may be good at conquering, but don’t know how to hold anything they have conquered.
It needs to be said, however, that the difference between the Dothraki and the Westerosi knights may be more in terms of rhetoric than the actual actions. As we see in this book, and even more in the next ones in the series, wars in Westeros are usually accompanied by rape and pillage, even though those are legally crimes. (Note that Drogo may not necessarily mean he will personally commit rape, which we don’t see him doing in the next chapter, but it goes without saying that his khalasar will commit these acts.) There are exceptions, such as Stannis, who gelds rapists in his army, but most people seem to accept rape and mass murder of non-warrior population as an unavoidable part of warfare, and some use it as a systematic war tool. People like Tywin Lannister would not officially announce an intention to murder, rape, and pillage the land, but will send men like Gregor Clegane or Vargo Hoat to do exactly that. Among the Dothraki, on the other hand, a speech like Drogo’s is probably what they expect to hear from a khal.
If we were to be very cynical, we may see the similarity between Drogo’s plans for the children and he Westerosi custom of taking children as hostages (“wards”). Maybe Drogo would have proven to be smart and use the children as hostages in the same way that it is done in Westeros, and generally adapt his war plans. In the next Dany chapter, we see that he is indeed flexible and ready to accept Dany’s opinions which go against the usual Dothraki way, even when it comes to warfare.
Dany’s moral stance and the moral ambiguity of her position
More interesting is Dany’s reaction to Drogo’s speech, or rather the lack of it. GRRM doesn’t always let us know what the POV characters are thinking about certain events they are witnessing, probably in order to keep some things secret from us and be able to surprise us later. We don’t know what, if anything, Dany thinks about Drogo’s words about raping women and taking children into slavery.
Maybe she is just too preoccupied with feelings of satisfaction that Drogo has agreed to go and conquer the Iron Throne for her and their son, and with the love and appreciation that Drogo has for her; and blinded by her growing love for him. This is how the TV show portrayed this moment, with Dany looking at Drogo with excitement, adoration and satisfaction. Maybe sees Drogo’s words as just a part of a standard speech a Dothraki khal is expected to give when he’s about to embark on an invasion and hasn’t given any thought to what they mean. Maybe a campaign of rape, pillage and enslavement is still something abstract to the 14-year old Dany, since she has never actually seen it. Maybe she is still to form her views on slavery and rape, which will become so important to her and crucial to her arc.
In any case, the next chapters will show Dany’s reaction of horror and disapproval after she witnesses the Dothraki raping the Lamb women. She will do everything in her power to stop it, and Drogo will support her in it. If I can indulge a bit more into “What if?” speculations, I wonder if things could have been different if Dany had raised these issues with Drogo before the khalasar had left Vaas Dothrak, rather than at the time when it was too late for people like Mirri Maz Duur. If Drogo had lived, would Dany have made him change some of Dothraki ways of war? Would his bloodriders accept it or eventually react by rebelling against him?
Dany’s position as someone who abhors rape and slavery but who is at the same time a khaleesi of the Dothraki khalasar and the loving and beloved wife of a powerful khal whose very way of life consists of leading brutal invasion campaigns, carries an inherent moral ambiguity and contradiction, which will become a major source of conflict and the cause of the personal tragedy she is to suffers near the end of AGOT. It’s a conflict that will probably come into focus again and be resolved in tWoW.
The description of the Eastern market introduces us to a number of new cultures: the Asshai (described as dark and solemn), the Quarteen (tall and pale), the men of Yi-Ti (bright eyed and wearing monkey tail hats), the Shadow Men (dour and frightening, with masks on their faces and tattoos all over their bodies) and the warrior maids from Bayasabhad, Shamyriana and Kayakayanaya (probably inspired by the legends of the Amazons).
Among the things sold at the Western market is the goldwork from Lannisport. This doesn’t evoke any kind of reaction in Dany, suggesting that her hatred for her family’s enemies does not irrationally extend to everything connected to them.
The Arbor wine, which has the reputation of being the best wine in Westeros, tends to have sinister connotations in the series. Here, the Arbor red is used in an attempt to poison Dany, and in AFFC, “lies and Arbor gold” stand for Littlefinger’s methods of manipulation. It is often served together with deceit and treachery, perhaps because of its appealing taste and intoxicating effect, or its status among the rich and powerful – which make it the ASOAIF’s version of the poisoned apple.
This chapter marks the turning point in Dany’s arc in AGOT. It is the first time we see Dany trying to make Drogo invade Westeros to regain her father’s crown. The first attempt on her life as well as the life of her unborn child wakes the protective “dragon” in her, leading to her first, unsuccessful attempt to hatch the dragons from her three eggs. It has a similar effect on her husband, who does not need any more persuasion to take the khalasar across the Narrow Sea. This chapter is a bridge between the first part of Dany’s arc in AGOT, which deals with her marriage and settling into the Dothraki way of life, and its second part which describes Drogo’s doomed mission to take the Seven Kingdoms, which will end in tragedy and Dany’s rebirth as a Mother of Dragons.
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