[ā¦] One that hasnāt been suggested, as far as I can tell, is sincere philosophical opposition.
A Blackfyre victory is not only a victory for Daemon, but a massive cultural push toward this Prom King of the Seven Kingdoms ābetter manā ideology. Itās not hard to imagine why Brynden Rivers would want to oppose that. If the just and peaceable King Daeron II, with the might of the Iron Throne behind him, can be overthrown because he doesnāt fit the masculine ideal, what place will there be for someone whose deviation from this ideal is literally all over his face? Ā If hostility toward the Rhoynar proves this potent a motivation to warfare, whatās next? The Dornish at least keep the Andal faith, which is no small thing; whoās to say that this new regime wonāt want a new enemy to rally people against and decide that those weirdo tree-worshippers are a convenient target? I donāt think his motivations were predominantly about principle or self-preservation, but at the same time, if you were in his shoes, wouldnāt you fight tooth and nail to resist that?
Bloodraven is a bastard in an era where bastardy is a social flash point, he is a warg in a world of disappearing magic, he is an albino in a world where divergence from a physical ideal is treated as a moral failing. At some point, covering (as I hypothesized that Daeron may) or trying to kick down the door into Normalcy (as Daemon and Bittersteel definitely do) becomes corrosive, self-destructive, utterly exhausting. There is nobody else like Bloodraven, and he lives like somebody who knows it.
Archery is thought to be below knights, supposedly because it isnāt considered to bring too much glory. As a skill, itāsĀ literallyĀ worth less in their world[ā¦]
The more cynical explanation for this cultural attitude is that itās bluntly classist: people can make pretty effective bows and arrows and even learn to use them on their own, they allow people to be valuable in battle even if they canāt afford expensive armor and well-kept horses, and once those same people leave the battlefield they can also use those bows and arrows to feed themselves. Brute strength is less important, which means maleness and able-bodiedness are nowhere near as much of an advantage as they are in more āhonorableā fights.
And what does Bloodraven use to strike down foes? AĀ weirwood bow. Foreshadowing things to come, yes, but I suspect the character made this choice precisely because of its symbolism.
But the main issue is, look how much of this is scapegoating and outright dehumanization, and how little of it is based on actual events. āHe killed his half-brother and nephews on the battlefield" - fair enough, if stripped of the context of Daemonās kinslaying intent, but then - āand then he made the plague happen and killed the half-brother he was fighting for! Oh, and Baelor Breakspear, who hundreds of reputable sources saw someone else kill! Oh, yes, and somehow he did this overly-complicated magical feticide but still GOT CAUGHT doing it even though he is magical and all-powerful! Also LOOK AT HIS GROSS FACE!ā
As long as he lives under his own name, heās going to be demonized. What he looks like is sufficient ammunition against him; if he starts hiding his appearance, he outs himself as a sorcerer, because the way he looked before is very memorable. This exists in dialogue with the social bias that lumps him in with his mortal enemies.
Whatās especially impressive and engaging and above all unusual about this character is that he could, if he wants,Ā coverĀ more effectively than anyone else. He could disappear into the libraries with Aerys; he could either pretend not to have his affinity with ravens or choose to be one full-time. He can pass himself off as a Plumm ā or for that matter, probably the Lannister or Tyrell of his choice ā or any other person whose skin and hair and eye(s) donāt draw attention. His shape-shifting abilities could be read as a metaphor for the ability to cover, which is learned so well by stigmatized people. But as Melisandre tells us, glamours take a toll. Even with the means to do it, he refuses to crouch defensively and use his abilities to coddle other peopleās biases and deny his own identity. He inhabits his own skin, and he throws people by forcing them to meet him on his terms. If people construe your existence as offensive, then the best defense is to give offense.
This is radically different from the āwear it like armorā attitude Tyrion Lannister tries to take. Armor is defensive. Armor, like glamors, is something that you put on when necessary but is dead weight to carry when not. Bloodraven wears his difference like a set of brass knuckles. You might resent him for refusing to play by the established rules ā but youāll watch your mouth or lose some teeth.
When someone who is outside of society is above it and okay with it, then thereās no need to challenge ourselves on what alienation might be doing to them; when they donāt care about the system, they donāt threaten our perspective on how itās organized. Bloodraven, though, is always playing toward some long game or another, and he always uses the most powerful tools he can get his hands on to do it. He is not a devotee of chaos. He is about order, bare and unflinching -and he stands in starkly visible contrast to what most people assume their social order to be.
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