otto hightower Archives - History of Westeros

The Dance of the Dragons: Part 3 – w/Radio Westeros

The Dance of the Dragons continues in the third installment of our collaboration with Radio Westeros. We begin with the fallout from Rook’s Rest, then we cover topics like the mystery of Sunfyre. Plus, we discuss Tessarion’s dominance in the South, the Battle of the Gullet, the taking of King’s Landing and quite a few other subplots in the vast and complex Dance of the Dragons. Trading places, Pyrrhic victories and extremely poor leadership dominate part 3 of our series. Watch and listen to part 1 here. Find part 2 here.

Still possessed of more dragons than her half- brother, Her Grace now resolved to use them, no matter the cost. She would rain down fire and death upon Aegon and all those who supported him, she told the black council, and either tear him from the Iron Throne or die in the attempt.

Sheer walls of rock, eaten away by centuries of wind and spray, hemmed them in to either side. In some places they had assumed fantastic shapes. Nimble Dick pointed out a few as they climbed. “There’s an ogre’s head, see?” he said, and Brienne smiled when she saw it. “And that there’s a stone dragon. T’other wing fell off when my father was a boy.”

Dance of the Dragons Images

Dance of the Dragons - The Greens (naomimakesart) — The Greens (naomimakesart)

Dance of the Dragons - The Blacks (naomimakesart) — The Greens (naomimakesart)

As her lord husband Prince Daemon escorted her from the hall, cuts were seen upon Her Grace’s legs and the palm of her left hand. Drops of blood fell to the floor as she went past, and wise men looked at one another, though none dared speak the truth aloud: the Iron Throne had spurned her, and her days upon it would be few.

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)

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.

The Dance of the Dragons Part 1 – w/Radio Westeros

Our joint coverage of the Dance of the Dragons with our friends at Radio Westeros begins with the key events that led to war. We will be talking about the Queen Who Never Was, the Great Council of 101, the Year of the Red Spring, the formation of the Blacks & Greens, and much more!

Once you’re done, you can watch and listen to the second part in our Dance of the Dragons series here; you can watch the third episode here. In those episodes, we move on to the taking of Harrenhal by Prince Daemon Targaryen, Blood & Cheese, Rook’s Rest, and the taking of King’s Landing, among other events. But first, we have the beginning of the rift:

The Dance of the Dragons is the flowery name bestowed upon the savage internecine struggle for the Iron Throne of Westeros fought between two rival branches of House Targaryen during the years 129 to 131 AC. 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 and time have burned the more poetic usage into the pages of history, so we must dance along with the rest.

The Dance of the Dragons Begins

For this was to be a year when many of the long-simmering tensions and jealousies that had plagued the Seven Kingdoms finally came to a boil; a year when many and more would have reason to wail and grieve and rend their garments.