#grrm quotes

Hi Nonny,

Thanks for the ask!

Truthfully, it did not surprise me, because I think that there is evidence in the books for such a thing, as I’ve discussed in some of my essays. I even wrote an essay several years ago discussing it happening in the show based on my thinking it would occur in the books. I proposed how they would handle it on the show. However, they decided not to go that route.

His comments confirmed, to me at least, that my theory about Sansa’s importance to the plot and her role in the story is in play. I do have confidence in my theory, and Martin’s comment simply reinforced it. If he ever finishes TWOW, we'll see if my confidence is misplaced. 

After the article came out, I saw that some in the fandom immediately went back to that old talking point about Sansa not being important and that there will be no Jon and Sansa in the books, and I simply smiled. If anything, I think George’s comments made the latter possibility even more likely.

https://t.co/LD9VvCpyCv

Could you tell us something of what happened in the relationship between the first Daenerys, Daemon Blackfyre, and the prince of Dorne?

Despite Daemon and Daenerys being in love, her brother the king, Daeron the Good, was more concerned with matters of state than matters of love. There had been many years of fighting with Dorne, and failure to bring them into the Seven Kingdoms while not being able to keep them from harassing the Seven Kingdoms. So he realized that where violence failed, perhaps marriage could bring an end to hostilites and so he uses his sister to make an alliance with the prince of Dorne. It's a political marriage, pure and simple, a convenient marriage to guarantee a union between Dorne and the Seven Kingdoms. And also, he prefers to give his sister to the prince of Dorne over a bastard bother with whom he'd already had a few clashes and whom too many people were looking one as a legitimate claimant to the throne or rightful king. That was the straw that broke the camel's back, and helps lead to Daemon becoming the first Blackfyre Pretender.

And I'm pretty sure that's not even what he said. It certainly isn't really true. Sansa was not a black sheep in her family, she simply didn't get along with Arya, that's it.

The most accurate take on his commentary on the creation of Sansa is, to me, this one by @butterflies-dragons

Nothing about that quote even remotely implies that Sansa is in any way in the wrong. She is simply very different from Arya and therefore they don't get along, shattering any boring monolithic homogeneity that the Stark family might have otherwise had.

Honestly, it was the most elegant way to do it. It highlights Arya's struggle with fitting into her prescribed role without forcing any particular Stark into the role of the Evil Patriarchic Oppressor. It simply highlights how badly she compares to her talented, sweet-tempered sister, giving Arya a projection surface for her resentment that lets all the male characters off the hook and obscures flaws that GRRM wanted to reveal more slowly.

Without Sansa, that role may have fallen on Cat, subverting the sympathetic portrayal of her own struggles with patriarchy, or on Robb, undermining his veneer of the Young Wolf, great hope of House Stark, or even on Ned, the Sympathetic Male Lead.

This way, the Starks can be complex and have conflict without tipping over into genuine unhappiness.

It even creates an extra twist because it gives Arya something to grow on, too. The person she resents for fitting in is a fellow victim of patriarchy, not a beneficiary, unlike the father and brothers she so adores. (Outside of Jon.) Same as Sansa blindness to her sister's struggles is a thing she can grow beyond.

ADWD, Daenerys X.

Since I read this quote, it has drawn to my attention the amount of times that Martin has made reference to it in different chapters through different POVs.

The first clear reference is from a previous Dany's chapter.

Dany had to move to Xaro’s side before the patterns became plain. “A map? It is beautiful.” (...)

“There you see Astapor, and Yunkai, and Meereen.” Xaro pointed at three silver stars beside the blue of Slaver’s Bay. “Westeros is … somewhere down there.” His hand waved vaguely toward the far end of the hall. “You turned north when you should have continued south and west, across the Summer Sea, but with my gift you shall soon be back where you belong. Accept my galleys with a joyful heart, and bend your oars westward.”

ADWD, Daenerys III.

The next one is a fragment from Tyrion's, a character that has been travelling to get to Daenerys during the fifth book and has encountered another group of people with the same intention.

“But what do I know? Your false father is a great lord, and I am just some twisted little monkey man. Still, I’d do things differently.”

That got the boy’s attention. “How differently?”

“If I were you? I would go west instead of east. Land in Dorne and raise my banners. The Seven Kingdoms will never be more ripe for conquest than they are right now

ADWD, Tyrion VI.

And then we have this conversation Aegon has with the Golden Company after he decides to put a stop to his quest towards Daenerys, heavily influenced by Tyrion's previous words.

“I have,” the lad insisted. “Why should I go running to my aunt as if I were a beggar? My claim is better than her own. Let her come to me … in Westeros.”

Franklyn Flowers laughed. “I like it. Sail west, not east. Leave the little queen to her olives and seat Prince Aegon upon the Iron Throne. The boy has stones, give him that.”

(...) “Prince Aegon,” said Tristan Rivers, “we are your men. Is this your wish, that we sail west instead of east?”

“It is,” Aegon replied eagerly.

ADWD, The Lost Lord (Jon Connington I).