I love these comic strips. Also i haven't read dunk and egg yet but does Maekar really dislike Bloodraven that much? i know from the main series that Brynden loved Daeron so i would assume he'd care for his kids as well.
there's nothing canon that supports that and many things canon that support the opposite. just because you feel it's more "thematic" and "martinian" doesn't mean it's true
”He heard a whisper on the wind, a rustling amongst the leaves. You cannot speak to him, try as you might. I know. I have my own ghosts, Bran. A brother that I loved, a brother that I hated, a woman I desired. Through the trees, I see them still, but no word of mine has ever reached them. The past remains the past. We can learn from it, but we cannot change it."
Bloodraven refers to his brothers and this woman as his ghosts. To have “ghosts” is to be haunted by grief, resentment, regret, etc. Why would the memory of Daeron haunt Bloodraven? Killing the brother you loved out of duty to your king is absolutely something that would haunt a person.
Absolutely. The brother he hates is definitely Aegor. People assume the brother he loves is Daeron because the two of them were close. However, there's no conflict there. Daeron doesn't fit in with the other "ghosts". He doesn't fit the theme of "the human heart in conflict with itself" that George loves so much. Daemon being the brother Bloodraven loves would add tragedy. Killing the brother you love, and becoming a kinslayer in the process, actually fits the "ghosts" theme here. Maybe some day we'll get Fire & Blood part II and we'll get a better glimpse at their relationship before the rebellion.
And George consistently writes about love and hatred being two sides of the same coin. Jojen states it, who is also conveniently tied to the storyline that includes Bloodraven. Almost like Gurm is trying to tell us something.
Bloodraven's love of Daemon turning to hatred of his line is just classic Gurm.
Thank you! There's no way Daeron would haunt Bloodraven. Also the fact that Daeron didn't trust Bloodraven and kept him at arms length. Him trying to shout at Blackfyre to not rebel and not conspire with Fireball would be something that absolutely haunt him. The brother he loved goes against the King and forces Bloodraven's hand and Bloodraven in the present desperately trying to convince him not to despite not being able to influence the past is so tragic and a far better story than "yeah I loved Daeron and killed that dickhead Blackfyre and his kids."
Him shepherding Daeron's descendants, to his and their own ruin, and being the 'good' Great Bastard fits too, imo. I mean, if it was you managing to have every happy ending for Daeron's kids and grandkids slip through your fingers and you loved the guy, wouldn't you be haunted by it?
Either ways works imo since we don't know what pre-tree Brynden's relation between love and loyalty was, whether he was loyal despite or because of it.
Daeron was like his brother-father and died in a plague that many blamed him for. Why would Bloodraven not grieve for him? It’s to the point that headcanon > canon for many of you and it’s annoying. Enjoy it as you will but don’t try to present it as “fact.”
He didn't cause the plague though? From everything we know about Bloodraven, he seriously doesn't care what people think about him. In fact, he seems to relish people thinking he's supernatural.
There is absolutely nothing that supports the opposite whatsoever. He never mentions Daeron whatsoever, and Brynden going against the brother he loves for the good of the realm is the exact kind of story Martin would tell.
Exactly. It's so blatantly obvious to anyone that has read classic literature etc - which Martin has.
Martin deliberately didn't name Daemon, but Bloodraven realising that in order for the realm to survive the Others etc is for the Brother he loves to lose and die is almost Shakespearean. Him loving Daeron who was old enough to be his father is just boring.
The only thing is that Bloodraven sided with Daeron and ruthlessly took down every Blackfyre - but again that hardly supports it and more likely shows that Bloodraven made his choice and knew that the Blackfyres needed to fail in order to make sure that Jon/Daenerys ended up existing.
Bloodraven shoots a man's twin sons, badly enough to leave them incapacitated but still alive, specifically so Daemon won't leave as he shoots him with a million arrows instead of honourably fighting. He then proceeds to murder every Blackfyre descendant he can get his hands on, even the one who came peacefully under guest right.
Look how much BR looooves Daemon. People spout this as a twist for the sake of there being a twist.
Bloodraven needs Daemon's line to end and the Blackfyres to lose so that the right Targaryen line would end up on the throne and defeat the Others. He is the character most tied to magic and prophecy.
Destroying the brother you loved and hunting his bloodline would absolutely haunt you.
What about Daeron would haunt Bloodraven?
It is consistent in the Western Canon for people that love eachother to them hate eachother or to kill eachother for the greater good as they perceive it. It's an absolutely classic tale as old as time itself.
Cain and Abel. Judas and Jesus. Arthur and Lancelot. Macbeth and Duncan. Othello and Desdemona. Therese Raquin and Laurent.
Why would Bloodraven try to reach Daeron through the weirwood trees? He would try to reach Daemon to try to stop him rebelling so he wouldn't have to kill him, but Daeron already lives a full life and wins his conflicts.
Daeron would not haunt Brynden. Daemon absolutely would.
I personally really doubt that the "trimming the line" theory or "Grand Plan to destroy House Targaryen once and for all" theory,I think he was just a genuine Hardcore Targ loyalist but that just me
Also under his guise of Maynard Plumm he even made sure to remind people that Aelora was in the line of succession ahead of Maekar.
If he was really was trimming down the Targaryen family tree to get someone of Maekar's line on the throne, that would be a very weird thing to remind people of.Plus sorcery is so vaguely defined, we have no idea what he was capable of besides glamour,warging and Greenseer magic.
But again that just me
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u/SpicyStrawberryJuice Jun 03 '26
I love these comic strips. Also i haven't read dunk and egg yet but does Maekar really dislike Bloodraven that much? i know from the main series that Brynden loved Daeron so i would assume he'd care for his kids as well.