Why was Aegon’s dream kept a secret?
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45 Comments
I've never encountered a more supportive online community. It's like having a cheering squad for intellectual exploration.😻
Because the message of: 'you are all going to die'. Isn't very handy for a normal realm
Never seen bots praising good conduct during internet discussions before LMAO
because it’s a retcon
Oh damn! I asked this exact question in the IDG live chat the other day, and now I get a whole ass video on the subject?? Thank you, King Robert! ❤
Technically, Aegon didn't need to conquer all of Westeros to ensure that when the threat of the White Walkers returned, a Targaryen and his dragon would be present to lead the fight. One or more powerful Dragonlords would have sufficed to lead the troops into battle because, after all, who would refuse the help of a powerful dragon against an icy threat?
I think that Aegon not only saw the White Walkers but also members of House Targaryen as the rulers of a unified Westeros. This detail drove Aegon to conquer Westeros because, in his mind, to defeat the threat from the North, he had to fulfill the vision his dream showed him. Therefore, he had to become King to place his descendants on the newly conquered throne.
All real dynasties would publish the prophecy in order to add more legitimacy to their rule.
Aegons dream is one of my favorite things that HOTD has introduced to the lore. So cool
The prophecy was kept secret because if George wanted it to be public knowledge he'd have to retcon 300 years of Targaryen history 😂
George wrote himself into a corner and "the prophecy" is part of his plan for getting out of it. I doubt George had even thought of the prophecy when book 5 was released.
I agree with your explanation. As to how it got to Jaehaerys, whether or not Aenys had told Alyssa and all his children, I'm like 90% certain Visenya was the one to tell him, since he was so young when he last saw his father and siblings and they were both on Dragonstone for a while during Maegor's reign, a perfect time for that, especially since it was clear by then Maegor wouldn't have children. Jaehaerys probably told both his sons when each of them were his heir, though, and would only have told Viserys after Baelon died.
maybe it was a crazy dream prophecy the visions of the future second long night how these elements of ice on fire at the battle ground
Keeping it secret was stupid. This information could've united the realm. People would've looked at the Targaryens as saviors instead of conquerers who used the "Might makes right".
Cat paw dagger had the written title song / battle of ice 🧊 and fire 🔥 of the prophecy of Aegon dream
Can’t wait for Aegon the conqueror film 🍿
I D G !!!!!
People would think they are crazy as well. Jachersey ruled for 55 years
I get the feeling that all knowledge of this prophecy will be lost by around the end of the dance of the dragons.
Everyone who knows of the prophecy. Rhaenyra, daemon, jacaerys and Alicent will die.
I doubt Rhaenyra will be able to pass on the knowledge to young Aegon 3 before she’s eaten by sunfyre.
By the time of game of thrones Viserys just wants to retake the Iron throne for his house because he thinks it’s his birthright. Not because he wants to save the world from white walkers. Somewhere down the line the knowledge was lost.
Well you’d think the northerners would be willing to somewhat believe in the prophecy. The main duty of the Starks is to guard the north from threats beyond the wall.
Why would you think a giant magic ice wall would be built just to protect yourselves from wildings? A regular wall could do that.
Here’s hoping GRRM announces Winter AND Spring at Worldcon. Please God please 🙏
Love the video I enjoy watching your channel
I have a question
Id like to know which Targaryen king started the tradition of mounting the dragon heads on the walls of the Red Keep
Like it couldn’t have been Aegon III
Maybe Aegon the IV or V ?
Or Daeron II or Jaehaerys II ?
Id really like to know
If Visenya was the first to wield Dark Sister, and the valyrian steel dagger had to be forged during the time of Aegon I, because it contains a prophecy, maybe what happened is something similar to how Ice was reforged into two weapons. Dark Sister was forged for a woman warrior, suggesting that it's lighter. So maybe the remaining valyrian steel from the original, heavier sword was used to make it. Would be fun to find out what was the name of the original sword.
It was probably because the prophecy describes the end of days for any monarch. Imagine yourself as the new heir to the king, not only are you being groom to govern a realm the size of South America in land mass, and it has different ethic people who worship different gods from each other, but that you are going to be one of the most powerful man in all of the kingdom who gets to make the rules. Now just as you about to begin your predecessor tell you the reason why your ancestor conquer and united the lands is because he had a prophetic dream of a never ending winter with unimaginable horrors in said storms, and it is your and your family destiny to face these horrors united and strong to even have a hope of a chance to survive the new Long Night to come, but not taking into account of the complexities of ruling said kingdom and it is your job to prepare for that Apocalypse, so you know good luck in your reign.
If "A Song of Ice and Fire" is the prophecy passed down from king to heir, it makes the end of AGOT pretty strange.
What about Torrhen Stark? Did Aegon TC tell the king who knelt?
prophecy became legend, legend became myth^^
Stupid
House of the Woke
Thank you.
Why? because it retconned in for the new TV show, and had to be justified as such.
I think Jaehaerys learned the prophecy from his older sister Rhaena, who was the wife of Aegon the Uncrowned. Heck, Aenys might have told the both of them the prophecy. He married his two oldest children together in defiance of the Seven. He had to have a good reason for that.
The High Septon denouncing Aenys after Aegon's death CANNOT explain anything Aegon did while he was alive. The Faith accepted Aegon and his sisters once they made a political conversion. They were not a threat to the Targaryen dynasty "in the early years", because the earliest years were under Aegon rather than Aenys. There were no cries of "heretic" under Aegon. Nor does it make any sense that it would be more acceptable if the loss of life in the conquest had NO justification for the betterment of the Westerosi. All of Westeros had already been sending men to the Wall, they know it's a worthwhile cause, whereas on the other hand incest is an abomination to all Westerosi religions. You're right that the longer they took to reveal the prophecy the less believable it would sound… which is precisely why it should be revealed immediately! Especially if Aegon believed it would come true in his lifetime, so he had limited time for his dynasty to prepare for it. Regardless of how much we can "blame" later generations, I can certainly blame Aegon for failing to do ANYTHING about his prophecy after the conquest. The reasons are thus not "convincing" at all. There is no good Watsonian explanation, we have to resort to the Doylist one that GRRM is a gardener who didn't fully think this through from the beginning when he first created the backstory.
So what's the excuse for Rhaenyra not telling Alicent to pass the prophecy onto Aegon? From an in universe perspective, Rhaenyra cannot be 100% certain the blacks will win. It's stupid not telling the greens. It's Aegon's problem if he doesn't want to believe what he's told.
Going by previous asoiaf prophecy logic, Aegon's dream was misinterpreted and is actually 'if a Targaryen becomes king of Westeros, the Others will return' 😀 It was probably a threat. Or even worse. Aegon Knew what would happen if he invaded and invaded anyway. That sounds a very targy thing to do.
It would have just caused chaos and they would not be able to rule
There's also that lone engraver that knew of the prophecy…
Probably 🤔 to keep it within the royal 👑 family wouldn't have to worry about it until Targaryens started marrying into other houses 🏘️ I don't agree with it being added to HOTD 👑⚔️🐉🔥
Another fun show detail is that we now know that Aemond hold the dagger that tells the Song of Ice and Fire, and he also knows how to speak and read High Valyrian. I wonder if any juicy details will come of that.
0:26 That’s true, why keep it a secret? They told everyone about the upcoming Doom, but was laughed out of Valeria, and everyone left died.
Maegor was smart to take the weapons away from the militant faith
seems like the show made up the secret aspect of it. GRRM just said Aegon had the dream as his motivation.
I was thinking about this myself, and one of the things that struck me was how seriously Viserys and then Rhaenyra take the prophecy. I don't think they or any other Targaryen would have taken it as seriously if it was public knowledge.
As a secret, it's powerful and clearly helps keep the peace and make the Targaryens hold onto power with urgency. As public knowledge known by many, it would just become a story and wouldn't hold that same power.
Who cares? He will never finish the books anyway
Excellent reasoning! Love that I had just asked this question of you a little over a week ago — I can let myself believe that this is an extended response for me, even though you've probably been working on this for some time 🙂
The real question. Did Aegon tell Tohren and if he did, did Tohren pass it down the Stark line
And then dumb and dumber let Aria kill the nightking and there was no Targaeryon needed to kill him since one valyrian dagger is enough apparently.