Viserys Iii Targaryen - Tumblr Posts
HARRY LLYOD as VISERYS TARGARYEN III | Game of Thrones S1E4, "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things"
So I'm not totally sure how prevalent this idea is with Daenerys antis, but I've seen more than one person talk about how Dany was racist towards the Dothraki and Ghiscari. This is, of course, ridiculous. Dany embraces both these cultures when she lives among them and even considers staying with them multiple times. Yes, she disagrees with and is even disturbed by some of the traditions these cultures have, but these traditions are ones of slavery, rape, and injustice. We the readers should also recognize these are not good traditions.
In every culture, there are traditions that are harmful, this is an unfortunate consequence of our humanity. No matter what country, city, etc you are coming from, there are things in the history of the place and people that are not good. The same is true of the world of ASOIAF. Slavery of Old and New Ghis, the right of the First Night in the North, the Ironborn's practice of taking thralls and salt wives, the Dothraki raping the women of whomever they defeat, the human experimentation in Valyrian, the invading armies of Westeros raping and burning the smallfolk. All these are practices meant to be condemned by the reader and acknowledged by povs as being wrong. Acknowledging a huge flaw like legal rape and fucking slavery is not being racist!
When Viserys calls the Dothraki barbarians and is actually racist towards them, Dany defends them and claims them as her own people. After all, she believes at this point that she will spend the rest of her life among the Dothraki. Now someone could try to argue that Dany refusing to stay a Khaleesi in the Dothraki Sea after Viserys' death is an example of her looking down on them ("If I were not the blood of the dragon...this could be my home.")
However, this is, firstly, not about race, second of all, this isn't about her thinking she's better than them, this is about her perceived duty to her house. Viserys raised her to believe it is their duty to their house to reclaim the IT, and not that he's dead, the duty lies solely on her and her unborn child. She isn't the only character who sacrifices her happiness out of perceived duty, Jon joins the Night's Watch because of this and literally anything Tyrion does on Tywin's orders or for Cersei.
With the Ghiscari, Dany only has issues with the slavers. She loves the slaves and is driven to free them, and, let me remind everyone, slavery in ASOIAF is not race-driven, that was another thing the show fucked up on. When Dany rules in Meereen, she embraces the culture quickly, just like with the Dothraki. She wears the traditional clothing, learns Ghiscari, and has Ghiscari nobles and freedmen on her counsel.
Any and all negative thoughts and associations Dany has with Ghiscari traditions (the tokar, the wedding ceremony) are because of the false peace and the continued power of the slavers. She hates how it feels to put on the tokar because it's a reminder that she is constantly compromising with the slavers and is allowing the Astapori and Yunkai'i slaves to fall back into chains. She doesn't want to marry Hizdahr because she knows he is working with the Harpy and he is constantly pressuring her to give into other demands by the slavers. The only traditions Dany has issues with are associated with slavery and the false peace in Meereen.
Daenerys isn't ever racist towards the Dothraki or Ghiscari, she values their council, and respects their traditions except the ones revolving around rape and slavery. She is only driven to take the IT because of perceived duty to her house. Daenerys is unhappy in Meereen because she hates slavery and is dissatisfied with the false peace there.
The wig department hasn’t put this kind of work in since.
ON SIBLINGS, VISERYS & DAENERYS TARGARYEN.
george r.r. martin, a song of ice and fire. game of thrones (2011). steven berkoff, the fall of the house of usher. the crane wives — never love an anchor. jake55778, the house with the red door. james baldwin, giovanni’s room. the 100 (2014). fear street (2021). succession (2018). pierce brown, red rising.
My obsession with Rhaegar Targaryen is unhealthy.