This Really Is Cool - Tumblr Posts

@roseshell reblogged “There’s this theory in reddit…” and added:

#which would then make dany’s entire character a response to the tragic death of a mother trope #where the (usually male) main character loses their mother at a young age tragically #which as sad as it is ultimately leads them down the path of heroism #hell dany’s own mother fits that trope #but not dany herself. she gets to be the hero not her son #damn that’s cool

Yes, exactly. In a typical high fantasy novel, the beautiful princess of a lost kingdom married to a barbarian warrior either serves as a reward for that barbarian (of course he’s the protagonist) or as the tragic lost mother for her son to grow up and avenge. But not in ASOIAF; here it’s the frail little girl who survives and becomes the fated hero, not her princely brother or barbarian husband or supposed-fated-hero son.

Which is why I tend to look at fan attempts to take this hero status away from Dany (by casting her as the ultimate villain or by suggesting that the true hero is anyone from Aegon to Victarion to Jorah to Rhaegar back from the dead)* with varying levels of disgust, from a nose-wrinkling side-eye to uttermost loathing.

*(Jon’s ok because he and Dany share that status. Fans who think he’ll be the only hero can go blow though.)