History of Westeros

The Dance of the Dragons: Part 2 – w/Radio Westeros

Our joint coverage of the Dance of the Dragons with our friends at Radio Westeros continues. You can find part 1 in this series here; there, we covered the events that led up to the Dance of the Dragons. Part 3 can be found here. In this episode, we cover the taking of Harrenhal by Prince Daemon, the Battle of the Burning Mill, the Pact of Ice and Fire, the tragedy at Storm’s End, Blood & Cheese, the Battle of Rook’s Rest, the Rise of Criston Cole and so much more! And by more, we mean more tragedy! So let’s dig in.

Even as he spoke, the Dance began. On Driftmark, the Sea Snake’s ships set sail from Hull and Spicetown to close the Gullet, choking off trade to and from King’s Landing. Soon after, Jacaerys Velaryon was flying north upon his dragon, Vermax, his brother Lucerys south on Arrax, whilst Prince Daemon rode Caraxes to the Trident.

The Dance of the Dragons entered a new stage after the death of Lucerys Velaryon in the stormlands and the murder of Prince Jaehaerys before his mother’s eyes in the Red Keep. For both the blacks and the greens, blood called to blood for vengeance. And all across the realm, lords called their banners, and armies gathered and began to march.

Dance of the Dragons Images

  • Dance of the Dragons - Greens and Blacks (Histories and Lore)
  • Dance of the Dragons - Dragon Names (Histories and Lore)
  • Dance of the Dragons - Dragonstone (Histories and Lore)
  • Dance of the Dragons - Aegon II, Aemond, and Criston Cole (Histories and Lore)
  • Dance of the Dragons - Criston Cole (Histories and Lore)
  • Dance of the Dragons - Black Council (Histories and Lore)
  • Dance of the Dragons - Rook's Rest (Histories and Lore)
  • Dance of the Dragons - Borros Baratheon (Histories and Lore)
  • Dance of the Dragons - Lucerys & Aemond (Histories and Lore)
  • Dance of the Dragons - Blood and Cheese (Histories and Lore)
  • Dance of the Dragons - Blood and Cheese (Histories and Lore)
  • Daemon and Caraxes (naomimakesart)
  • Rhaenys and Meleys (chillyravenart)
  • Rhaenys and Meleys (Drafturgy)

To characterize the dark, turbulent, bloody doings of this period as a “dance” strikes us as grotesquely inappropriate. No doubt the phrase originated with some singer. “The Dying of the Dragons” would be altogether more fitting, but tradition, time, and Grand Maester Munkun have burned the more poetic usage into the pages of history, so we must dance along with the rest.

https://youtu.be/B91K0fIjSYY

The Crypts of Winterfell

Explore the dark and ancient past of House Stark and Winterfell. We discuss the crypts, statues, history, dreams, and Bael the Bard. Plus skinchangers, direwolves, dragons, the fires of the earth and so much more. So let’s descend into the crypts of Winterfell. Spooky~~~

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Crypts Outline

The castle itself is peculiar in that the Starks did not level the ground when laying down the foundations and walls of the castle. Very likely, this reveals that the castle was built in pieces over the years rather than being planned as a single structure. Some scholars suspect that it was once a complex of linked ringforts, though the centuries have eradicated almost all evidence of this. – TWOIAF

By ancient custom an iron longsword had been laid across the lap of each who had been Lord of Winterfell, to keep the vengeful spirits in their crypts. The oldest had long ago rusted away to nothing, leaving only a few red stains where the metal had rested on stone. Ned wondered if that meant those ghosts were free to roam the castle now. He hoped not. The first Lords of Winterfell had been men hard as the land they ruled. – AGOT, Eddard I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7amecNz4Kek

The Shadow of Summerhall: Aerys & Rhaegar (spoilers)

This episode delves deep into Aerys, Rhaella, and Rhaegar Targaryen, and we also discuss other characters impacted by Summerhall. There’s talk of how the Mad King could wreak havoc on the Seven Kingdoms even now. Of course, our main focus is the Aftermath of Summerhall. Why didn’t it work? Who tried to capitalize on the instability? What impact did the event have on the survivors? What impact does it have on the current ASOIAF storyline? You can listen to the previous episode in this series here. Stay tuned past the credits for a short after episode chat. We’ll talk a bit more about dragon eggs, pyromancers, Summerhall art, toss out a few random facts. 

Anyway, here’s Summerhall.

“Summerhall.” The word was fraught with doom.

Credits

Thank you to yolkboy of Radio Westeros, Nina Friel, and Rhaenys_Targaryen for their contributions.

The primary topics in this episode are:

  1. The Day After.
  2. Jaehaerys Ascends, Blackfyres Descend.
  3. Aerys Ascends, Madness Descends.
  4. Dragons in the Shadow.
  5. Rhaegar.
  6. The Mad King’s Revenge.

“Once it takes fire, the substance will burn fiercely until it is no more.”

Drawing on his father’s plans, His Grace put aside his grief, called his lords bannermen, and resolved to meet the Ninepenny Kings upon the Stepstones, choosing to take the war to them rather than awaiting their landing on the shores of the Seven Kingdoms.

“…many of the accounts written of Harrenhal speak of his hysterical laughter, long silences, bouts of weeping, and sudden rages.”

Rhaegar

He would go there from time to time, with only his harp for company. Even the knights of the Kingsguard did not attend him there. He liked to sleep in the ruined hall, beneath the moon and stars, and whenever he came back he would bring a song. When you heard him play his high harp with the silver strings and sing of twilights and tears and the death of kings, you could not but feel that he was singing of himself and those he loved.

Who is the Prince that was Promised?

“He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire.”

“Your grandsire commanded it. A woods witch had told him that the prince that was promised would be born of their line.”

“It was a prince that was promised, not a princess. Rhaegar, I thought… the smoke was from the fire that devoured Summerhall on the day of his birth, the salt from the tears shed for those who died. He shared my belief when he was young, but later he became persuaded that it was his own son who fulfilled the prophecy, for a comet had been seen above King’s Landing on the night Aegon was conceived, and Rhaegar was certain the bleeding star had to be a comet. What fools we were, who thought ourselves so wise!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbgMl0LgNn0

The Tragedy of Summerhall

The Tragedy of Summerhall was a spectacular attempt by Aegon V to hatch dragon eggs, and it failed spectacularly, killing most to all of the participants plus at least some, probably most of, the witnesses. Summerhall has some really surprising aspects to it, and explains quite a lot more than we could’ve hoped it would, despite so much of it still remaining mysterious. Not just in what happened, but in how it impacts the more recent, and even the current, ASOIAF storyline.

This episode will have a second (shorter) part focusing on the aftermath of Summerhall, examining the effects on Aerys, Rhaegar, and the realm… Listen to part 2 here!

The primary topics in this episode:

  1. History of Summerhall
  2. The Realm of Aegon V, Treason & Turmoil
  3. Dragon Dreams
  4. Enablers: The Wisdom & the Ghost
  5. The Ritual

What became of the dream of dragons was a grievous tragedy born in a moment of joy. In the fateful year 259 AC, the king summoned many of those closest to him to Summerhall, his favorite castle, there to celebrate the impending birth of his first great-grandchild, a boy later named Rhaegar, to his grandson Aerys and granddaughter Rhaella, the children of Prince Jaehaerys.

“Treason and turmoil followed, as night follows day, ending at Summerhall in sorcery, fire, and grief.”

The last years of Aegon’s reign were consumed by a search for ancient lore about the dragon breeding of Valyria, and it was said that Aegon commissioned journeys to places as far away as Asshai-by-the-Shadow with the hopes of finding texts and knowledge that had not been preserved in Westeros.

Dreams

“My brothers dreamed of dragons too, and the dreams killed them, every one.”

As he grew older, Aegon V had come to dream of dragons flying once more above the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. In this, he was not unlike his predecessors, who brought septons to pray over the last eggs, mages to work spells over them, and maesters to pore over them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK25XfDFsIM

The dragons are done. The Targaryens tried to bring them back half a dozen times. And made fools of themselves, or corpses.

Blackfyre Rebellions: Part 2 – Daeron II the Good (spoiler free)

The son of Aegon the Unworthy had a lot to deal with after his father’s deathbed decree. Guest Steven Attewell of Race for the Iron Throne joins us in this episode. We cover Daeron II, whether or not he actually deserved to be called the Good, and more. This episodes pays special attention to the Great Bastards, Baelor Breakspear, and Dorne.

Listen to the rest of our Blackfyre Rebellions series here.

Daeron’s reign quickly stabilized the realm, and he soon came to be called Daeron the Good by the smallfolk and noble lords alike. He was widely seen as just and goodhearted, even if some questioned the influence of his Dornish wife. And though he was no warrior—descriptions of the era note that he was small of frame, with thin arms, round shoulders, and a scholarly disposition—two of his four sons seemed all that could be wished in a knight, lord, or heir.

Yet too many men looked upon Baelor’s dark hair and eyes and muttered that he was more Martell than Targaryen. Even though he proved a man who could win respect with ease. And was as open-handed and just as his father. Knights and lords of the Dornish Marches came to mistrust Daeron, and Baelor as well… And then they would look at Daemon Blackfyre—grown tall and powerful, half a god among mortal men, and with the Conqueror’s sword in his possession—and wonder.

Daeron surrounded himself with maesters, septons, and singers.

Dorne

In truth, the seeds found fertile ground because of Aegon the Unworthy. Aegon had hated the Dornish and warred against them, and those lords who desired the return of those days—despite all the associated misrule—would never be happy with this peaceable king.

He was conscientious in his duties to the realm; he sought to stabilize it in the wake of Aegon’s deathbed decree.

It was a great moment, at last unifying the realm from the Wall to the Summer Sea as Aegon the Conqueror had once dreamed

Sons

The line of the dragonkings had almost died out during his father’s day, but it was commonly said that Daeron II and his sons had left it secure for all time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFmgED4a4Qg

Book Discussion: World of Ice and Fire Overview

In this episode, we give our first impressions of The World of Ice and Fire. We discuss all of the immediate revelations. The latter half of the episode contains discoveries more related to the ‘current events’ of the series.

Special attention is paid to the Kingdom of Sarnor, other ancient cultures, and the mysterious oily black stone that keeps popping up. There is, of course, a lot of discussion on House Targaryen. We also talk at length about the sections on Dorne. The mystery of Asshai’s children is also debated. Who is Hyrkoon the Hero? What’s the deal with Bonetown? Join us on a journey through the world of ice and fire. It is also a journey back to 2014 now!

On the Isle of Toads can be found an ancient idol. A greasy black stone crudely carved into the semblance of a gigantic toad of malignant aspect, some forty feet high. The people of this isle are believed by some to be descended from those who carved the Toad Stone, for there is an unpleasant fishlike aspect to their faces, and many have webbed hands and feet. If so, they are the sole surviving remnant of this forgotten race.

Such questions abound even to this day. Before the Doom of Valyria, maesters and archmaesters oft traveled to the Freehold in search of answers, but none were ever found. Septon Barth’s claim that the Valyrians came to Westeros because their priests prophesied that the Doom of Man would come out of the land beyond the narrow sea can safely be dismissed as nonsense, as can many of Barth’s queerer beliefs and suppositions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq4DBiY-ej0

NOOOOO, SALLOSH!

For scholars and students of history, the fall of Sallosh by the Silver Shore was especially tragic. For when that City of Scholars burned, its great library was not spared, and most of the history of the Tall Men and the peoples who had gone before them were lost for all time.

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