This post will give a review (supported with quotes and passages) of the visions Daenerys Targaryen saw in the House of the Undying and speculate what they could mean.
In one room, a beautiful woman sprawled naked on the floor while four little men crawled over her. They had rattish pointed faces and tiny pink hands, like the servitor who had brought her the glass of shade. One was pumping between her thighs. Another savaged her breasts, worrying at the nipples with his wet red mouth, tearing and chewing.
This has been interpreted by many as the war that had been raging in Westeros at the time. The beautiful woman on the floor is Westeros itself, and the “four little men” who are crawling over her are the four kings. (As there were never actually five kings at the War of the Five Kings at the same time, because Balon Greyjoy crowned himself after Renly died.)
Since the House of the Undying shows visions of past, present and future, we cannot know for certain if the fourth “dwarf” represents Balon Greyjoy or Renly Baratheon. The interpretation is up to you.
Farther on she came upon a feast of corpses. Savagely slaughtered, the feasters lay strewn across overturned chairs and hacked trestle tables, asprawl in pools of congealing blood. Some had lost limbs, even heads. Severed hands clutched bloody cups, wooden spoons, roast fowl, heels of bread. in a throne above them sat a dead man with the head of a wolf. He wore an iron crown and held a leg of lamb in one hand as a king might hold a scepter, and his eyes followed Dany with mute appeal.
This is perhaps the most obvious vision/dream GRRM ever granted us. Obviously a foreshadowing of the Red Wedding.
Finally a great pair of bronze doors appeared to her left, grander than the rest. They swung open as she neared, and she had to stop and look. Beyond loomed a cavernous stone hall, the largest she had ever seen. The skulls of dead dragons looked down from its walls. Upon a towering barbed throne sat an old man in rich robes, an old man with dark eyes and long silver-grey hair.“Let him be king over charred bones and cooked meat,” he said to a man below him. “Let him be the king of ashes.”
In A Storm of Swords, Chapter 38, Jaime V [x], Jaime explains Brienne that the Mad King Aerys intended to burn down the city with wildfire when he realised that the war was lost after the Trident. He meant to have the greatest “funeral pyre” of them all. When he says “Let him be the king of ashes,” it’s clear that he’s talking about Robert Baratheon.
Viserys, was her first thought the next time she paused, but a second glance told her otherwise. The man had her brother’s hair, but he was taller, and his eyes were a dark indigo rather than lilac.“Aegon,” he said to a woman nursing a newborn babe in a great wooden bed. “What better name for a king?”
“Will you make a song for him?” the woman asked. “He has a song,” the man replied. “He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire.” He looked up when he said it and his eyes met Dany’s, and it seemed as if he saw her standing there beyond the door.
“There must be one more,” he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say. “The dragon has three heads.” He went to the window seat, picked up a harp, and ran his fingers lightly over its silvery strings. Sweet sadness filled the room as man and wife and babe faded like the morning mist, only the music lingering behind to speed her on her way.
The Targaryen look (so much that Dany thought he was Viserys) of the man, the mention of a harp and the fact that he has a son named Aegon leaves no doubt in the mind that the man is Rhaegar Targaryen. Therefore, the woman is Elia of Dorne.
Rhaegar was quite obsessed with the Prince that was Promised prophecy. At first, because he was born to the tragedy of Summerhall, he thought he was the Prince that was Promised ("I will require a sword and armor. It seems I must be a warrior"), then, for whatever reason, he changed his mind and decided that his son would be the promised hero. (“He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire.”)
I do not know why he decided that there “must be three” if he thought Aegon was the hero; was it simply because “the dragon has three heads?” Or is it something more? Daenerys herself heard the number three (as will be explored shortly) quite often in the House of the Undying. It is also good to keep in mind that there are three names and versions about the hero who will fight the others: the Prince That Was Promised, Azor Ahai and the Last Hero. Did he believe that his “daughters” will also aid Aegon in the second War for the Dawn?
(Also, note that Rhaegar named his children Aegon and Rhaenys, and I’m almost certain that if he had another daughter, she would be named Visenya.)
Whatever the reason may be, he was determined that he must have another child. But Elia of Dorne was said to be “delicate and frail,” and probably couldn’t bear more children. Many fans, and I am among them, speculate that this is why he “kidnapped” Lyanna.
But that’s a topic for another meta. Let’s go back to the House of the Undying visions.
The true mystery of the visions start after this (after Daenerys finds the Undying) because every vision we have read before that point have been revealed quite clearly in the books.
… three fires must you light… one for life and one for death and one to love…
… three mounts must you ride… one to bed and one to dread and one to love…
… three treasons will you know… once for blood and once for gold and once for love…
Fires: One of these fires is the funeral pyre Daenerys lit for Drogo, which also helped her birth her dragons. I believe this is the “fire for life,” as the dragons were born directly from that fire. Some believe that it’s the “fire for love” because of Drogo. The interpretation is up to you.
The fire for “death” could very well be the fire Drogon will start shortly after this very point which will lead to destruction of the House of the Undying.
Mounts: The mount “for bed” is generally interpreted as her marriage bed to Drogo.
As far-fetched as it may sound, the mount for “dread” could be the foreshadowing of a very popular fan theory: Daenerys riding her dragons to the Wall against the Others. Or, it could have a simpler answer and mean Daenerys’ flight to Westeros to claim her birthright.
Treasons: Daenerys believes that the treason “for blood” was Mirri Maz Duur. And it probably was. She betrayed Daenerys for her own “blood” (kin, fellow villagers, whatever you want to name it), using blood magic.
Daenerys also believes that she has been betrayed for gold by Jorah when his treachery was revealed by Barristan Selmy, but I do not believe this. Jorah didn’t send reports to King’s Landing for gold, he sent it for a royal pardon so he could go home. I’m sure he was sent some amount of money as well, but that wasn’t his main goal.
Therefore, it still leaves (for certain): fire for love, mount to love, treason for gold and treason for love.
I believe Jorah will be the one who betrays her for love. Daario doesn’t truly love her (though I wouldn’t rule him out for “treason for gold,”) and I cannot think of another candidate who might betray Daenerys in that concept.
Aside from Daario, there is also Ilyrio Mopatis to consider for “gold.” Since he’s working with Varys and Varys is supporting Young Griff, Ilyrio could easily betray Daenerys and her cause.
Does anyone have any ideas about fire for love and mount to love? Feel free to send them.
Viserys screamed as the molten gold ran down his cheeks and filled his mouth. A tall lord with copper skin and silver-gold hair stood beneath the banner of a fiery stallion, a burning city behind him.
The first bit is Viserys’ death and doesn’t need explaining, but the second part is interesting. That description fits Rhaego (Dany and Drogo’s stillborn son) perfectly. Apparently he would have had his mother’s hair and his father’s looks.
This brings in the question if Rhaego was indeed going to be the Stallion Who Mounts the World but was stopped by the maegi… can prophecies be thwarted? By Jojen Reed, who was greendreams, we are led to believe that the foreseen future cannot be altered. Is this simply because greendreams and Mirri Maz Duur’s abilities are different types of magic, or were the crones of Vaes Dothrak were wrong and Rhaego was always destined to die? If he was, why would Daenerys see a vision of someone who was never meant to be?
Rubies flew like drops of blood from the chest of a dying prince, and he sank to his knees in the water and with his last breath murmured a woman’s name.
This is Rhaegar dying in the Trident, but the woman’s name that he murmured has been a topic of debate among the fandom for a while. Let’s see the possibilities:
Lyanna: This is what most fans seem to believe, and it is entirely possible. I personally believe that Rhaegar didn’t love Lyanna or vice versa, it was simply an arrangement of “I need a mother for the third head of the dragon” on Rhaegar’s side and “I want to be free and not marry Robert” on Lyanna’s side. But if you do believe that theirs was a love story, “Lyanna” would be an acceptable thing for Rhaegar to murmur in his last breath.
Elia: Whether because Rhaegar loved Lyanna but still felt ashamed for shaming his wife, or because he only had an arrangement Lyanna but actually truly loved Elia, this option is not so crazy.
Visenya: I did not consider this myself, until I have read this post of nobodysuspectsthebutterfly. As explored above, he was trying to “collect” (if you will) three heads of the dragon, so he likely suspected that Lyanna’s child would be a girl, and he would name her Visenya. (Imagine if this was true and the unborn Jon’s name was Visenya, though. I mean, doesn’t the fandom make fun of him enough already?)
Glowing like sunset, a red sword was raised in the hand of a blue-eyed king who cast no shadow. A cloth dragon swayed on poles amidst a cheering crowd. From a smoking tower, a great stone beast took wing, breathing shadow fire… mother of dragons, slayer of lies...
The blue-eyed king with no shadow is obviously Stannis, and the red sword is his so-called “Lightbringer.”
The cloth dragon (also referred as “the mummer’s dragon”) is interpreted as the “Young Griff,” supposedly Aegon Targaryen. This vision is one of the main reasons why I do not believe Aegon is the real deal. “Mummer’s tricks” and “mummer’s farce” are usually used to describe something false and fake in ASOIAF. Furthermore, Varys used to be a mummer, and it could even be interpreted as “Varys’ dragon.”
Daenerys hears the phrase “slayer of lies” when she sees these visions. I think they’re a sign of how Stannis is not the true Azor Ahai, and Young Griff is not the real Aegon.
“From a smoking tower, a great stone beast took wing…” This could mean two things. One, Melisandre’s claim of Stannis Baratheon being the Azor Ahai reborn, and that she could “wake dragons from the stone.” This would also fit the “slayer of lies” phrase, as Stannis Baratheon is not the Azor Ahai reborn.
Although it’s rather striking that the description is very similar to Winterfell burning, seen through Summer’s eyes: “The smoke and ash clouded his eyes, and in the sky he saw a great winged snake whose roar was a river of flame. He bared his teeth, but then the snake was gone.”
Daenerys could be having a vision of Winterfell burning, but the “slayer of lies” bit wouldn’t make sense in that concept. Unless… Melisandre has been seeing the same vision, but misinterpreted it as “waking the dragons” in Dragonstone. In which case it would be a lie, and she would be sadly wasting her time.
There is another theory; some fans believe that there was a dragon in Winterfell, but that will be explored in another post.
Her silver was trotting through the grass, to a darkling stream beneath a sea of stars.
It could simply be a memory from the past, but given how Daenerys still has two “mounts” to ride (one to love and one to dread), perhaps Silver could be one of them?
A corpse stood at the prow of a ship, eyes bright in his dead face, grey lips smiling sadly.
Some have speculated that this is Maester Aemon. Though I believe it’s Jon Connington or Victarion Greyjoy.
Jon: His eyes are bright and he is smiling because he’s still alive and believes that he’s helping “his silver prince’s” son to regain his birthright. His face is dead, his lips are grey and his smile is sad, because he’s dying of greyscale.
There has been hints that a greyscale epidemic might start in Westeros (through Shireen and Patchface), and if Jon Connington arrives to Seven Kingdoms as well… that can’t be very good.
Victarion: Certain passages in ADWD has suggested that this figure (which was seen again in visions and fires later) is one of Daenerys’ intended “husbands.” The “corpse” description could be a foreshadowing of his fate, and the “bright-eyed, dead-face” state could be a result of Moqorro’s healing, as sorcery always comes with a price.
A blue flower grew from a chink in a wall of ice, and filled the air with sweetness…. mother of dragons, bride of fire…
This seems like another arrow at R+L=J theory. Blue flower representing Lyanna’s son, Jon, at the Wall.
The “bride of fire” phrase is also used to speculate about a possible Daenerys/Jon endgame.
A little girl ran barefoot toward a big house with a red door.
Daenerys’ childhood, perhaps?
Mirri Maz Duur shrieked in the flames, a dragon bursting from her brow. Behind a silver horse the bloody corpse of a naked man bounced and dragged. A white lion ran through grass taller than a man. Beneath the Mother of Mountains, a line of naked crones crept from a great lake and knelt shivering before her, their grey heads bowed.
All these seems to be related with her old life in the Dothraki Sea, somehow. The first one is a symbolism of Dany’s dragons being born from the sacrifice. Thne naked man bound to the silver horse is the poisoner who tried to sell Daenerys the poisoned wine, and a white lion is the one Drogo hunted for her. The crones are the old Khaleesis of Vaes Dothrak, paying homeage to her after it was “foretold” that she would give birth to the Stallion Who Mounts the World.
Ten thousand slaves lifted bloodstained hands as she raced by on her silver, riding like the wind. “Mother!” they cried. “Mother, mother!”
This is a clear vision of the future, a foreshadowing of Daenerys’ victory and freeing of the slaves in Yunkai. It was the said slaves who dubbed Daenerys as “mother” in many different tongues and dialects.
The House of the Undying chapter was perhaps one of the richest and fullest (in terms of supernatural and foreshadowing) chapters in all ASOIAF. For every single vision, there are several interpretations, but some of them have more proof than others.
lets see my comment;
It has nothing to do with being a strong woman. I don't even see her as that strong of a woman. f*ck almost every other woman in this series seems to be at least as strong as her. Catelyn, Cersey, Shea, Arya, Margaery, the older Tyrell woman.
Daenerys is more of an arrogant, naive child who somehow always wins. She really sticks out like a sore thumb in a world that is otherwise dark and gritty. How many ridiculous mistakes has she made now? How many times would she have died if she were another character? Seriously, lets just count the ridiculously lucky breaks that she got with no effort on her part: Being let into Qarth because of that guy's machinations. Being severely underestimated by the warlocks. Being severely underestimated by the slave owner guy to the point that his actions are idiotic. The mercenary guy betraying his friends for no adequate reason and joining her instead of killing her. Surviving two? assassination attempts through sheer, blind luck. What else? I'm sure I'm missing some.
And what has she actually done? Directly caused her husband's death, (this was back when her stupidity/naivete was still being punished) and now appears to have set out on some misguided quests to end slavery in the world. How was that last scene not incredibly cringe-worthy? She says "you owe me nothing" to the great unwashed masses that she has liberated and then they worship her as mother. Is she the second coming of Christ and thus her incredible streak of luck is due to god's favour? Otherwise her story-line makes no fuckin' sense in a world that's supposed to be realistic and gritty.
Daenerys is basically the equivalent of putting John McClane in The Godfather trilogy. It makes no fuckin' sense and undermines the tone of all the other stuff going on. Now that she has the inevitable mercenary/love interest who might as well be called "prince charming", I'm really starting to get scared that she might be GRRM's Mary Sue, which would really be a huge downer.
I really, REALLY, hope GRRM is pulling my leg on this one and that she will meet a gruesome fate (or at least some huge setback that teaches her to smarten the f*ck up). On the other hand he might be keeping her as to throw a bone to the people who just want fairytale escapism and cannot handle a realistic, dramatic tale without a "knight in shinning armour" character.
Phew. I think that rant was good for me. Had that stuff pent up for too long.
What are your thoughts?
