Daenerys and the HoTU: Bravery and Intelligence
Dany IV ACOK, which is a seminal chapter in Danyâs entire arc, is chock full of magical prophecies and warnings that Dany sees and receives at the House of the Undying. And of course the bulk of the analysis of this chapter is dedicated to those prophecies, especially considering that these prophecies have relevance both for Danyâs future in Westeros, her TWOW arc, her endgame, and for other charactersâ futures as well. Not to mention that the ambiguous and even frustrating wording of the prophecies leaves room for a ton of interpretation. Some of the prophecies havenât unraveled yet either, because TWOW and ADOS havenât been published. So, I understand why most of the analysis has been on the prophecies, rather than on Dany herself and her actions in this chapter, but I was struck by the courage, resilience, and intelligence Dany displays, and I donât really see people discussing it, perhaps because Danyâs independent actions are overtaken by the relevance of the HoTU visions and prophecies.Â
Still, itâs worth noting and understanding how this chapter is one of many that showcases how smart Dany is, how patient she is, and how brave she is as well.Â
First of all, sheâs repeatedly warned not to meet with Pyat Pree, by Jorah Mormont, by Xaro Xhoan Daxos, and by her bloodriers, Jhogo, Aggo, and Rakharo:Â
âBlood of my blood,â Jhogo said in Dothraki, âthis is an evil place, a haunt of ghosts and maegi. See how it drinks the morning sun? Let us go before it drinks us as well.â
Ser Jorah Mormont came up beside them. âWhat power can they have if they live in that?â
âHeed the wisdom of those who love you best,â said Xaro Xhoan Daxos, lounging inside the palanquin. âWarlocks are bitter creatures who eat dust and drink of shadows. They will give you naught. They have naught to give.â
Aggo put a hand on his arakh. âKhaleesi, it is said that many go into the Palace of Dust, but few come out.â
âIt is said,â Jhogo agreed.
âWe are blood of your blood,â said Aggo, âsworn to live and die as you do. Let us walk with you in this dark place, to keep you safe from harm.â
âSome places even a khal must walk alone,â Dany said.
âTake me, then,â Ser Jorah urged. âThe riskââ
âQueen Daenerys must enter alone, or not at all.â The warlock Pyat Pree stepped out from under the trees. Has he been there all along? Dany wondered. âShould she turn away now, âthe doors of wisdom shall be closed to her forevermore.â
Dany visits the House of the Undying in the first place to get answers. Sheâs frustrated with Quaitheâs ambiguous wording, with Xaroâs simpering, with Jorahâs lack of trust in literally everyone around them, and with the fact that it seems like no one in Qarth is willing to help her, despite her bribing and begging and selling treasures for gold. She had previously resisted visiting the Warlocks because of Xaro and Jorahâs warnings, but now she does not heed them, as she is determined to find answers, to seek wisdom. This is an example of Danyâs willingness to learn. She is alright with putting herself in danger to further her own knowledge. So never let it be said that Dany just sits around and waits for people to tell her things; she had to go into the House of the Undying by herself in order to gain knowledge.Â
âSer Jorah Mormont gave the merchant prince a sour look. âYour Grace, remember Mirri Maz Duur.â
âI do,â Dany said, suddenly decided. âI remember that she had knowledge. And she was only a maegi.â
Pyat Pree smiled thinly. âThe child speaks as sagely as a crone. Take my arm, and let me lead you.â
âI am no child.â Dany took his arm nonetheless.
Sheâs already learned from Mirri Maz Duurâs treachery. She knows not to trust Pyat Pree; even as sheâs agreeing to his instructions and going inside the House of the Undying alone, she refuses to allow him to condescend to her. This is Dany acknowledging that Pyat Pree is as treacherous as Mirri Maz Duur, but like her, Pyat Pree will offer her valuable knowledge that she must get even at the cost of her own safety.Â
Once inside, Dany has to face a series of tests that come in the form of visions.Â
Not all the doors were closed. I will not look, Dany told herself, but the temptation was too strong.
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. 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. She fled from him, but only as far as the next open door. I know this room, she thought. She remembered those great wooden beams and the carved animal faces that adorned them. And there outside the window, a lemon tree! The sight of it made her heart ache with longing. It is the house with the red door, the house in Braavos. No sooner had she thought it than old Ser Willem came into the room, leaning heavily on his stick. âLittle princess, there you are,â he said in his gruff kind voice. âCome,â he said, âcome to me, my lady, youâre home now, youâre safe now.â His big wrinkled hand reached for her, soft as old leather, and Dany wanted to take it and hold it and kiss it, she wanted that as much as she had ever wanted anything. Her foot edged forward, and then she thought, Heâs dead, heâs dead, the sweet old bear, he died a long time ago. She backed away and ran.â
The beautiful woman being savaged by four men is of course Westeros being torn apart by the War of the 5 Kings (Stannis Baratheon, Robb Stark, Renly Baratheon, Balon Greyjoy, and Joffrey Baratheon). The king with the head of a wolf is Robb Stark. These horrifying visions tempt Dany with a macabre knowledge, and Dany runs from them instead of pursuing what those visions mean (and she will not know that her visions actually do mean something because she will not know that Robb Stark does, indeed, die at a wedding, at least until she goes North and perhaps Jon or someone else tells her). So even though Dany wants to go back to Westeros, she runs from the visions of its current state. Next, she sees a positive and happy vision, much more tempting than the first two; one of her beloved house with the red door, and the sweet old caretaker of hers, Ser Willem Darry, beckoning her to his embrace. Heâs a protector and a safe symbol to her, but she reminds herself that heâs dead and does not give in to that temptation either.Â
Dany also moves on from the visions of her father, Aerys II, and Rhaegar and Elia, who cradles Aegon. In the vision, Rhaegar is explaining to Elia that the dragon has three heads, and that the prince does have a song, that his is the song of ice and fire. She is moved by the sadness and beauty of this silver prince and his music, of the brother she never knew, but again, she moves on from both of these visions of her family, visions that could have perhaps given her a better understanding of her dead father and eldest brother.
Meanwhile, Dany is genuinely scared, as the House of the Undying is filled with terrifying and ominous sounds, and is getting darker by the minute. Still, she figures out the riddles in Pyat Preeâs instructions, which means that even as she is scared, she is able to keep a clear head and keep going forward:Â
He hears it too. Dany turned to the blank wall once more, but there was nothing. Could there be a secret door, a door I cannot see? Another torch went out. Another. The first door on the right, he said, always the first door on the right. The first door on the right âŚ
It came to her suddenly.⌠is the last door on the left!â
Even submerged in increasing darkness, scared of the sounds and sights around her, she still figures out that the first door on the right is the last door on the left.Â
âStubborn child. You will be lost, and never found.â
She walked away from him, to the door on the right.
âNo,â Pyat screeched. âNo, to me, come to me, to meeeeeee.â His face crumbled inward, changing to something pale and wormlike.
She is not fooled by the fake vision of Pyat Pree and does not believe the vision when it says that the Undying are tired of waiting for her. Note that sheâs been running for hours (through time is probably wonky inside the House of the Undying) and yet she continues on the correct path, which indicates both her intelligence and her patience.Â
The blood of the dragon must not be afraid. Dany said a quick prayer, begging the Warrior for courage and the Dothraki horse god for strength. She made herself walk forward.
I donât see this quote mentioned much in full on here but I really like it because it showcases that in moments where Dany is scared, she makes herself brave, she creates her own bravery by using her title to remind herself to be strong. I also like this quote because it shows that Dany comes from a blend of cultures; she prays to a Westerosi god, the warrior from the faith of the seven, but also the Dothraki horse god. And she keeps going forward.Â
The wizards were beckoning her with voices sweeter than song. She ran from them, Drogon flying back down to her. Through the narrow door she passed, into a chamber awash in gloom.
She comes upon a vision of a bunch of fake wizards, all dressed in splendor, all promising her knowledge and riches and powerâŚand she is able to see through the lies to get to the heart, the truth, the shadowed narrow door thatâs hidden behind them. Slayer of lies indeed. It is because she is patient and smart that she can look through this deception.Â
âI am Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.â Do they hear me? Why donât they move? She sat, folding her hands in her lap. âGrant me your counsel, and speak to me with the wisdom of those who have conquered death.â
Note that even though the Undying are pretty terrifying and bizarre, she approaches them resolutely and asks them for their counsel and help, without wavering or hesitating.Â
Of course the Undying, after showing her their visions, descend on her and try to consume her, but Drogon does save her by ripping their heart to pieces and burning them and the House down. Once she flees the House of the Undying, she comes upon Pyat Pree, who attempts to attack her, and of course Drogon and Jhogo save her.Â
I think itâs worth noting that she went in to the House by herself, with just one of her dragons (a baby dragon, at that). And we know from what the Undying and Pyat Pree do that they were clearly trying to deceive and consume her in some archaic and gruesome ritual. She still went into the House, though, she still put herself in danger, and she still braved the trials and temptations and solved the puzzles to keep going forward just to gain knowledge.Â
This chapter is one of the many that emphasizes just how brave, resilient, patient, and smart Dany truly is, that she pieces things together, seeks knowledge and learns from her past mistakes, that she puts herself in danger but makes herself be brave to keep going forward, and that for all that there is magic in her storyline, itâs not that she just easily stumbles upon the magic, but rather that she has to put herself in danger, use her wits and skills, and rely on her own bravery to encounter that magic. No one is giving her that magic for free.Â