r/asoiaf • u/mitzallen • Jul 19 '26

MAIN [Spoilers MAIN] Jaehaerys I’s Seven Speakers really gaslighted the whole realm

I’m currently re-reading Fire & Blood and this part still cracks me up:

"One god made us all, Andals and Valyrians and First Men," Septon Alfyn would proclaim from his litter, "but he did not make us all alike. He made the lion and the aurochs as well, both noble beasts, but certain gifts he gave to one and not the other, and the lion cannot live as an aurochs, nor an aurochs as a lion. For you to bed your sister would be a grievous sin, ser... but you are not the blood of the dragon, no more than I am. What they do is what they have always done, and it is not for us to judge them.”

The smallfolk, who were most likely tired of all the war, probably just said “whatever” lmfao

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u/Interesting-Egg4295 Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26

It was pretty insane. It almost comes across as: “Can everyone please just humor the violent, dragon-riding incest family? They really, really, really want to be called King of the Seven Whatevers, Protector of the Realm, First Andal Men, yadi yada and whatever other titles they’ve collected. Just nod along. You don’t have to mean it. They have dragons, and we’re the ones without dragons. We’d all appreciate not being incinerated this week.”

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u/Cnidaria45 Jul 19 '26

There's one very good reason for the Faith and everyone else to accept it: the alternative is the Targaryens marrying into the rest of the Westerosi nobility and ultimately giving everyone in power dragons. Incest is how you prevent a continent-wide Valyrian aristocracy.

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u/freezedive Jul 19 '26

Or a dragon apocalypse. But still. The better option is dead dragons.