Post by Dornish Neck Tie on Aug 10, 2016 16:49:08 GMT
Have we considered the possibility that the Targs are not necessarily inherently crazy, but that they have often been visited by "gods," possibly in their dreams, and that these experiences unhinged them a bit, as they would any normal person? Even relatively humane Targaryens such as Baelor the Blessed were known to be obsessive weirdos. After reading Cantuse's essay about Jenny's Song and Mance Rayder, my first thought was that Rhaegar played Jenny's Song so frequently because his dreams were haunted by the Ghost of High Heart and the tragedy at Summerhall. The story of Rhaegar's sudden personality change, as well as Barristan's description of him as dutiful and single-minded, seem to indicate a guy who became a bit unhinged as a result of divine intervention (read: magical trickery).
I dunno about gods, but I definitely see a correlation with psychic abilities. The Targs may perceive them as gods, but not sure yet if I believe the gods are real in the books yet, and religion is just separate from magic.
But I still think drinking and burning a city down is crazy town, but possibly visions drove them mad, and not a mad streak.
I don't know if Dany is officially loca, but but I still think she has a cruel streak and going antagonist now.
Indeed, the " " around gods was to indicate a healthy skepticism of their authority or legitimacy. I consider myself something of an atheist with regards to the in-story universe. The Wizard of Oz (the character) is probably the closest analogy for the gods we'll see in this saga.