Post by Melifeather on Feb 13, 2016 19:37:18 GMT
The Kraken’s Daughter - AFFC Chapter 11
Edited to add 5.28.2016: Due to my work on The Reaver chapter I plan to revisit this chapter and examine whether or not Asha is mirroring Shiera Seastar and not Rhaella Targaryen as I first thought.
I came back to The Kraken’s Daughter to rewrite this analysis after completing the illuminating The Iron Captain. Feel free to skip ahead and read that analysis and then come back. I think it will help show how Asha is channeling Rhaella if you read that chapter first.
The Kraken’s Daughter begins with Asha at Ten Towers, a castle that belongs to Asha’s uncle Rodrik Harlaw. She’s waiting there to see which men will answer her uncle’s call to come and support her claim to the Seastone Chair. Too few, she thinks, too few by far.
The Red Keep is the castle in Kings Landing and is home to the royal family. It has seven massive drum-towers with iron ramparts, and three inner towers: Maegor’s Holdfast, Tower of the Hand, and the White Sword Tower.
Rodrik, nicknamed the Reader, is Lord of Harlaw and Asha’s favorite uncle. Rodrik reads so much that he has requested a Myrish lense to assist with his vision. He keeps septons at Ten Towers just to take care of his books. In this chapter he is reading Archmaester Marwyn’s Book of Lost Books.
Rhaella’s eldest and favorite son, Rhaegar read obsessively as a child, to the point that jests were made about him reading with a candle in Rhaella’s womb. He became a noted fighter because of something that he had read in an old book had motivated him to become a warrior.
When Asha was looking for her uncle Rodrik, she turned to Three-Tooth, an old woman who had been her uncle’s steward since she was known as Twelve-Tooth, or for as long as Asha could remember. The woman was so old that a septon once quipped that she must have nursed the Crone.
Rhaella’s uncle, Prince Duncan married Jenny of Oldstones who brought an old wood’s witch to court. This old woman prophesied that the prince that was promised would be born from the line of Aerys and Rhaella. When King Jaehaerys II heard the prophecy he arranged the marriage between his two children.
One of the Lords that came to Asha’s support was an old boyfriend, Trisfifer Botley who apparantly still held a torch for her. Tristifer was fostered by her mother after Theon was taken as Ned Stark’s ward, and being they were both young and hormonal they experimented, fumbling around under each other’s clothes and making out. This should be awkward, Asha thinks because apparently Asha doesn’t return Tristifer’s feelings and was actually relieved when they were caught by a maester causing Tristifer to be sent away. Tristifer has apparently been saving himself for Asha ever since, never touching another women.
Ser Barristan Selmy claimed that in her youth, Rhaella was in love with Ser Bonifer Hasty, a young landed knight from the stormlands, who once named her queen of love and beauty. It was a brief fling, as Ser Bonifer was of too low birth to ever be a serious suitor for a Princess. When Rhaella married Aerys, Bonifer devoted himself to the Faith of the Seven.
Asha’s Lady mother Alannys, and aunt Lady Gwynesse have both settled themselves into the Widow’s Tower at Ten Towers. Lady Alannys is described as frail and sickly, and Lady Gwynesse continues to mourn for a husband long dead and walks around muttering how Ten Towers should be hers because she is older than her brother Rodrik.
At the Red Keep, Rhaella would have been near two similar women as Asha. Princess Elia of Dorne’s quarters were in Maegor’s Holdfast and she has been described as frail and sickly, while Cersei was angry that she didn't get to marry Rhaegar, and would have been walking around muttering that she should be Tywin’s heir since she was older than Jaime.
Lady Alannys grieved for two sons, Rodrik and Maron who were killed during Balon’s uprising against King Robert.
Princess Elia gave birth to two children, though the birth of Rhaenys left her bed ridden for half a year, and she nearly died giving birth to Aegon. Both children were killed when Robert’s forces sacked Kings Landing.
When Asha arrived to Ten Towers, she sailed in on her ship, Black Wind with captives Lady Sybelle Glover of Deepwood Motte with her son Gawen and infant daughter Erena.
In the following chapter, The Iron Captain, I’ve suggested that the lady that was captured by Rhaella may have been Lyanna, but Lady Glover also mirrors when King Aerys II held Princess Elia hostage along with her daughter Rhaenys and infant son Aegon. To tie in any connection to Lyanna we need to see if we can find that is paralled by Asha’s ship Black Wind.
Asha is concerned for Lady Glover’s comfort and for the well being of her children. She is particularly worried about the health of the infant and tells Three-Tooth that if the babe were to die, no one will be sorrier than you.
No mention is made as to what happened to the wood’s witch that lived at the Red Keep, but Asha’s chapter suggests that she may have been held responsible for the care of Lyanna, or Elia and her children.
Even though Asha finds her uncle Rodrik reading in his book tower, she reflects on all the different places Lord Rodrik liked to read. He’s seldom without a book in his hand, be it in the privy, on the deck of his ship, or while holding an audience up on his high seat. He was neither fat nor slim; neither tall nor short; neither ugly nor handsome. His hair was brown, as were his eyes, and his beard was kept short and neat. All in all an ordinary man, distinguished only by his love of written words, which so many ironborn found unmanly and perverse.
Rhaegar was an avid reader and often visited the ruins of Summerhall to read or write songs and play his harp. He is described as tall and handsome, having dark indigo eyes and the silver hair of the Targaryens worn long. Many say that he was beautiful. He was exceedingly intelligient and excelled at anything he put his mind to. He was a talented muscian and a skilled knight. While well-loved by the people, he was quiet, bookish, and melancholy because he was born in grief and affected by the shadow of Summerhall.
Asha’s chapter suggests a possible way that Rhaella’s men could have come upon Lyanna. Asha sent her men out to find a wet nurse for Lady Glover’s infant since her milk had dried up. They came back with a goat instead. Asha still wants to find a wet nurse, because the babe doesn’t thrive and she’s worried because Deepwood Motte is important to her plans. Now it is claimed that Aegon was wrested from Elia’s breast, but perhaps that was only a rue? Was that a way for Elia to conceal that the babe wasn’t Aegon by holding it to her breast? I know this is pure speculation, but is it possible that Elia didn’t have milk for Aegon and had to feed him with goats milk? Interestingly, when Asha is discussing the Glover babe’s health her uncle was reading a septon’s discourse on Maegor the Cruel’s war against the Poor Fellows. Sheesh!
Asha (Rhaella) also asks her uncle (Rhaegar), “was my father murdered”? Could we just as easily insert “was Aerys murdered?”. Rodrik (Rhaegar) replies, “So your mother believes”, or in the parallel universe the frail and sickly Elia believed Aerys would be murdered and told her fears to Rhaella. Asha thinks to herself that there were times when her mother would have gladly murdered Balon herself. Does this suggest that there were times when Rhaella would have gladly murdered Aerys herself?
Rodrik informs Asha that Balon fell to his death when a rope bridge broke beneath him. A storm was rising, and the bridge was swaying and twisting with each gust of wind.
King Aerys death was predicated by a rising storm, one raised by the a storm king. Jaime Lannister seized Aerys and hauled him bodily off the steps leading towards the Iron Throne. The Mad King squealed like a pig as Jaime killed him with a single slash across the throat.
I think there is some symbolism too with Euron’s ship Silence and Bloodraven’s influence on the events leading to the Rebellion. It could be said that while his influence was felt and perhaps even known, they never actually saw nor heard from him.
Asha demands of her uncle, “where are my ships?” She counted twoscore (40) longships moored at her uncle’s castle. A similar situation could have been said to have happened to Rhaella and Aerys when the Rebellion was drawing near. There were twelve main Houses that were royalists, while the rebel host started out with four. A ratio of 3 to 1, which appears to be reversed here with Euron’s supportors versus Asha’s or Victarion’s.
There is much talk about the kingsmoot, which Asha initially thinks, This is something new…or rather, something very old. The Targaryens had their own “kingsmoots”. Whenever there wasn’t a clear heir a Great Council was called. More than once a Great Council would pass over a female Targaryen heir in favor of a younger son just like the Ironborn are doing to Asha. Rodrik sighs, “You will not want to hear this, Asha, but you will not be chosen. No woman has ever ruled the ironborn.”
Rodrik prays the kingsmoot is not bloody since the last time the Ironborn met four thousand years ago for a kingsmoot, Nagga’s ribs turned red with the gore. Likewise, each Great Council the Targaryens called resulted in bloodshed. Asha asks her uncle to lend her his history book so she can read about the last kingsmoot, and Rodrik frowns and says “Archmaester Rigney once wrote that history is a wheel, for the nature of man is fundamentally unchanging. What has happened before will perforce happen again.” Rodrik says he thinks about what Rigney said whenever he thinks about Euron and how much he’s like Urron Greyiron, the man that butchered his way to the top at the last kingsmoot. Here is our warning that Bloodraven is perhaps just as guilty for bringing butchery to the Targaryens.
Rodrik tells Asha that a kingsmoot and a dream of kingship is a madness in their blood. It’s land they need, not crowns. This line of thinking struck me as being similar to when Aegon the Conqueror came to Westeros. His family had the small island of Dragonstone after the Doom, and it may have been that more land was needed, but the dream of kingship was a madness in his blood and he took Westeros with his dragons instead of working peacefully in order to improve the lot of his people. Pyke is very much like Dragonstone. Both are small stony outcroppings that don’t provide enough resources for their people. Rodrik urges Asha to make common cause with either Stannis or Tywin to improve the lot of the Ironborn. If they help one of them win then they can claim the land that they need from a grateful king.
Rodrik councils Asha that the Old Way of reaving by ship served them well when the isles were but one small kingdom amongst many, but Aegon’s Conquest put an end to that. What is ironic is that the same could be said for Aegon. Having dragons served them well when Valyria was full of dragonlords, but after all the other families perished in the Doom he abused his powerful dragons to take the Seven Kingdoms for his own by conquest rather than by peaceful negotiation. Ahhhhh…I’ve discovered the parallel with Asha’s ship Black Wind….Aegon’s dragon, Balerion the Black Dread. Balerion does sound a lot like Balon.
Asha and Rodrik turn their discussion now to Theon and whether or not he is truly dead. Rodrik asks her if he’s certain he is dead. Asha says she is certain of nothing, but that she found parts of many bodies, that the wolves were there before us. In her mind she thinks of Theon as The Prince of Winterfell. We shall scour that subject in an upcoming chapter analysis later on.
Even though Rodrik has councilled Asha to give up her claim to the Seastone Chair, Asha is undeterred. She says her mother raised her to be bold and she doesn’t want to spend the rest of her life wondering what might have been if she didn’t go to the kingsmoot to defend her rights. With all the parallels between Asha and Rhaella, can we assume that Rhaella felt much the same way? I’m thinking her namesake, Rhaelle, who was passed over in the first Great Council did. The Second Quarrel was caused over the act. Rodrik urges Asha to be satified that he has named her heir to Ten Towers. Rhaella also, should have been satisfied that she was Queen at the Red Keep, but it seems that she is guilty of some meddling.
Asha warns Rodrik that the scythes (which are his sigil) hanging above his chair may fall down and slice his head off, echoing Jaime’s slaying of Aerys II again, even though Rodrik is Rhaegar’s parallel. Of course, Rhaegar is also slain.
The chapter ends with Asha finally having to face her old flame, Tristifer Botley. He professes his love and proposes marriage, saying he is now a Lord and a suitable husband, but Asha rejects him to the point of threatening him with her dirk at his throat and drawing blood. I think this scene is meant to drive home the determination and daring of Queen Rhaella. We aren’t given a lot of information about her, but we do have her modern version, the kraken’s daughter.
Edited to add 5.28.2016: Due to my work on The Reaver chapter I plan to revisit this chapter and examine whether or not Asha is mirroring Shiera Seastar and not Rhaella Targaryen as I first thought.
I came back to The Kraken’s Daughter to rewrite this analysis after completing the illuminating The Iron Captain. Feel free to skip ahead and read that analysis and then come back. I think it will help show how Asha is channeling Rhaella if you read that chapter first.
The Kraken’s Daughter begins with Asha at Ten Towers, a castle that belongs to Asha’s uncle Rodrik Harlaw. She’s waiting there to see which men will answer her uncle’s call to come and support her claim to the Seastone Chair. Too few, she thinks, too few by far.
The Red Keep is the castle in Kings Landing and is home to the royal family. It has seven massive drum-towers with iron ramparts, and three inner towers: Maegor’s Holdfast, Tower of the Hand, and the White Sword Tower.
Rodrik, nicknamed the Reader, is Lord of Harlaw and Asha’s favorite uncle. Rodrik reads so much that he has requested a Myrish lense to assist with his vision. He keeps septons at Ten Towers just to take care of his books. In this chapter he is reading Archmaester Marwyn’s Book of Lost Books.
Rhaella’s eldest and favorite son, Rhaegar read obsessively as a child, to the point that jests were made about him reading with a candle in Rhaella’s womb. He became a noted fighter because of something that he had read in an old book had motivated him to become a warrior.
When Asha was looking for her uncle Rodrik, she turned to Three-Tooth, an old woman who had been her uncle’s steward since she was known as Twelve-Tooth, or for as long as Asha could remember. The woman was so old that a septon once quipped that she must have nursed the Crone.
Rhaella’s uncle, Prince Duncan married Jenny of Oldstones who brought an old wood’s witch to court. This old woman prophesied that the prince that was promised would be born from the line of Aerys and Rhaella. When King Jaehaerys II heard the prophecy he arranged the marriage between his two children.
One of the Lords that came to Asha’s support was an old boyfriend, Trisfifer Botley who apparantly still held a torch for her. Tristifer was fostered by her mother after Theon was taken as Ned Stark’s ward, and being they were both young and hormonal they experimented, fumbling around under each other’s clothes and making out. This should be awkward, Asha thinks because apparently Asha doesn’t return Tristifer’s feelings and was actually relieved when they were caught by a maester causing Tristifer to be sent away. Tristifer has apparently been saving himself for Asha ever since, never touching another women.
Ser Barristan Selmy claimed that in her youth, Rhaella was in love with Ser Bonifer Hasty, a young landed knight from the stormlands, who once named her queen of love and beauty. It was a brief fling, as Ser Bonifer was of too low birth to ever be a serious suitor for a Princess. When Rhaella married Aerys, Bonifer devoted himself to the Faith of the Seven.
Asha’s Lady mother Alannys, and aunt Lady Gwynesse have both settled themselves into the Widow’s Tower at Ten Towers. Lady Alannys is described as frail and sickly, and Lady Gwynesse continues to mourn for a husband long dead and walks around muttering how Ten Towers should be hers because she is older than her brother Rodrik.
At the Red Keep, Rhaella would have been near two similar women as Asha. Princess Elia of Dorne’s quarters were in Maegor’s Holdfast and she has been described as frail and sickly, while Cersei was angry that she didn't get to marry Rhaegar, and would have been walking around muttering that she should be Tywin’s heir since she was older than Jaime.
Lady Alannys grieved for two sons, Rodrik and Maron who were killed during Balon’s uprising against King Robert.
Princess Elia gave birth to two children, though the birth of Rhaenys left her bed ridden for half a year, and she nearly died giving birth to Aegon. Both children were killed when Robert’s forces sacked Kings Landing.
When Asha arrived to Ten Towers, she sailed in on her ship, Black Wind with captives Lady Sybelle Glover of Deepwood Motte with her son Gawen and infant daughter Erena.
In the following chapter, The Iron Captain, I’ve suggested that the lady that was captured by Rhaella may have been Lyanna, but Lady Glover also mirrors when King Aerys II held Princess Elia hostage along with her daughter Rhaenys and infant son Aegon. To tie in any connection to Lyanna we need to see if we can find that is paralled by Asha’s ship Black Wind.
Asha is concerned for Lady Glover’s comfort and for the well being of her children. She is particularly worried about the health of the infant and tells Three-Tooth that if the babe were to die, no one will be sorrier than you.
No mention is made as to what happened to the wood’s witch that lived at the Red Keep, but Asha’s chapter suggests that she may have been held responsible for the care of Lyanna, or Elia and her children.
Even though Asha finds her uncle Rodrik reading in his book tower, she reflects on all the different places Lord Rodrik liked to read. He’s seldom without a book in his hand, be it in the privy, on the deck of his ship, or while holding an audience up on his high seat. He was neither fat nor slim; neither tall nor short; neither ugly nor handsome. His hair was brown, as were his eyes, and his beard was kept short and neat. All in all an ordinary man, distinguished only by his love of written words, which so many ironborn found unmanly and perverse.
Rhaegar was an avid reader and often visited the ruins of Summerhall to read or write songs and play his harp. He is described as tall and handsome, having dark indigo eyes and the silver hair of the Targaryens worn long. Many say that he was beautiful. He was exceedingly intelligient and excelled at anything he put his mind to. He was a talented muscian and a skilled knight. While well-loved by the people, he was quiet, bookish, and melancholy because he was born in grief and affected by the shadow of Summerhall.
Asha’s chapter suggests a possible way that Rhaella’s men could have come upon Lyanna. Asha sent her men out to find a wet nurse for Lady Glover’s infant since her milk had dried up. They came back with a goat instead. Asha still wants to find a wet nurse, because the babe doesn’t thrive and she’s worried because Deepwood Motte is important to her plans. Now it is claimed that Aegon was wrested from Elia’s breast, but perhaps that was only a rue? Was that a way for Elia to conceal that the babe wasn’t Aegon by holding it to her breast? I know this is pure speculation, but is it possible that Elia didn’t have milk for Aegon and had to feed him with goats milk? Interestingly, when Asha is discussing the Glover babe’s health her uncle was reading a septon’s discourse on Maegor the Cruel’s war against the Poor Fellows. Sheesh!
Asha (Rhaella) also asks her uncle (Rhaegar), “was my father murdered”? Could we just as easily insert “was Aerys murdered?”. Rodrik (Rhaegar) replies, “So your mother believes”, or in the parallel universe the frail and sickly Elia believed Aerys would be murdered and told her fears to Rhaella. Asha thinks to herself that there were times when her mother would have gladly murdered Balon herself. Does this suggest that there were times when Rhaella would have gladly murdered Aerys herself?
Rodrik informs Asha that Balon fell to his death when a rope bridge broke beneath him. A storm was rising, and the bridge was swaying and twisting with each gust of wind.
King Aerys death was predicated by a rising storm, one raised by the a storm king. Jaime Lannister seized Aerys and hauled him bodily off the steps leading towards the Iron Throne. The Mad King squealed like a pig as Jaime killed him with a single slash across the throat.
I think there is some symbolism too with Euron’s ship Silence and Bloodraven’s influence on the events leading to the Rebellion. It could be said that while his influence was felt and perhaps even known, they never actually saw nor heard from him.
Asha demands of her uncle, “where are my ships?” She counted twoscore (40) longships moored at her uncle’s castle. A similar situation could have been said to have happened to Rhaella and Aerys when the Rebellion was drawing near. There were twelve main Houses that were royalists, while the rebel host started out with four. A ratio of 3 to 1, which appears to be reversed here with Euron’s supportors versus Asha’s or Victarion’s.
There is much talk about the kingsmoot, which Asha initially thinks, This is something new…or rather, something very old. The Targaryens had their own “kingsmoots”. Whenever there wasn’t a clear heir a Great Council was called. More than once a Great Council would pass over a female Targaryen heir in favor of a younger son just like the Ironborn are doing to Asha. Rodrik sighs, “You will not want to hear this, Asha, but you will not be chosen. No woman has ever ruled the ironborn.”
Rodrik prays the kingsmoot is not bloody since the last time the Ironborn met four thousand years ago for a kingsmoot, Nagga’s ribs turned red with the gore. Likewise, each Great Council the Targaryens called resulted in bloodshed. Asha asks her uncle to lend her his history book so she can read about the last kingsmoot, and Rodrik frowns and says “Archmaester Rigney once wrote that history is a wheel, for the nature of man is fundamentally unchanging. What has happened before will perforce happen again.” Rodrik says he thinks about what Rigney said whenever he thinks about Euron and how much he’s like Urron Greyiron, the man that butchered his way to the top at the last kingsmoot. Here is our warning that Bloodraven is perhaps just as guilty for bringing butchery to the Targaryens.
Rodrik tells Asha that a kingsmoot and a dream of kingship is a madness in their blood. It’s land they need, not crowns. This line of thinking struck me as being similar to when Aegon the Conqueror came to Westeros. His family had the small island of Dragonstone after the Doom, and it may have been that more land was needed, but the dream of kingship was a madness in his blood and he took Westeros with his dragons instead of working peacefully in order to improve the lot of his people. Pyke is very much like Dragonstone. Both are small stony outcroppings that don’t provide enough resources for their people. Rodrik urges Asha to make common cause with either Stannis or Tywin to improve the lot of the Ironborn. If they help one of them win then they can claim the land that they need from a grateful king.
Rodrik councils Asha that the Old Way of reaving by ship served them well when the isles were but one small kingdom amongst many, but Aegon’s Conquest put an end to that. What is ironic is that the same could be said for Aegon. Having dragons served them well when Valyria was full of dragonlords, but after all the other families perished in the Doom he abused his powerful dragons to take the Seven Kingdoms for his own by conquest rather than by peaceful negotiation. Ahhhhh…I’ve discovered the parallel with Asha’s ship Black Wind….Aegon’s dragon, Balerion the Black Dread. Balerion does sound a lot like Balon.
Asha and Rodrik turn their discussion now to Theon and whether or not he is truly dead. Rodrik asks her if he’s certain he is dead. Asha says she is certain of nothing, but that she found parts of many bodies, that the wolves were there before us. In her mind she thinks of Theon as The Prince of Winterfell. We shall scour that subject in an upcoming chapter analysis later on.
Even though Rodrik has councilled Asha to give up her claim to the Seastone Chair, Asha is undeterred. She says her mother raised her to be bold and she doesn’t want to spend the rest of her life wondering what might have been if she didn’t go to the kingsmoot to defend her rights. With all the parallels between Asha and Rhaella, can we assume that Rhaella felt much the same way? I’m thinking her namesake, Rhaelle, who was passed over in the first Great Council did. The Second Quarrel was caused over the act. Rodrik urges Asha to be satified that he has named her heir to Ten Towers. Rhaella also, should have been satisfied that she was Queen at the Red Keep, but it seems that she is guilty of some meddling.
Asha warns Rodrik that the scythes (which are his sigil) hanging above his chair may fall down and slice his head off, echoing Jaime’s slaying of Aerys II again, even though Rodrik is Rhaegar’s parallel. Of course, Rhaegar is also slain.
The chapter ends with Asha finally having to face her old flame, Tristifer Botley. He professes his love and proposes marriage, saying he is now a Lord and a suitable husband, but Asha rejects him to the point of threatening him with her dirk at his throat and drawing blood. I think this scene is meant to drive home the determination and daring of Queen Rhaella. We aren’t given a lot of information about her, but we do have her modern version, the kraken’s daughter.
How did I not catch that!? I knew Jordayne was a little homage to Jordan, but I completely missed the reversal of the first name. Definitely Mel, Martin's sending a subtle message. And it's backed up with Alleras = Sarella. 
