If Dany is the subject in the following phrase, "child of three," that too seems pretty straightforward. Aerys had three children: Rhaegar, Viserys, and Daenerys.
I read this very differently. I don't see this as meaning she's one of three children, or a child of three parents, but rather that she is a child of threes, of sacred triads. If someone is described as a "child of destiny", there would be no ambiguity -- nobody would think that meant she was one of the destiny twins or her parents were destiny -- but I read "three" here as meaning something similar here.
Dany doesn't understand the implication of the "child of three" and asks "Three?" The response she gets is:
"...three heads has the dragon...", "...three fires must you light...", "...three mounts must you ride...", "three treasons will you know..."
The way I read this, the ghosts are answering her question here. Her destiny is bound into a pattern of threes. Three heads, three fires, three mounts, three treasons. That's what makes her a child of three.
While I agree, and would hope that is the actual case I don't see why Dany would be confused in this elated state if it referred to a non-living sibling(s).
Hahaha i just remembered the name of the thread so my answer is irrelevant.To the point.I think Dany's confusion was on account of the wizard's song taking her life force.
Chica was gonna die...Here's the bit before the part you posted for context.
"A long stone table filled this room. Above it floated a human heart, swollen and blue with corruption, yet still alive. It beat, a deep ponderous throb of sound, and each pulse sent out a wash of indigo light. The figures around the table were no more than blue shadows. As Dany walked to the empty chair at the foot of the table, they did not stir, nor speak, nor turn to face her. There was no sound but the slow, deep beat of the rotting heart."
So yeah i think she was confused because the corrupted blue heart was putting the mojo on.
"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes"--Sherlock Holmes"
The way I read this, the ghosts are answering her question here. Her destiny is bound into a pattern of threes. Three heads, three fires, three mounts, three treasons. That's what makes her a child of three
Ding ding ding, we have a winner folks. Someone get that monkey a banana
perhaps the 9 tests and 9 encounters will help her, the child, grow up.. is there some greek mythos lurking in there?
Buddy, you ain't just whistling dixie. Nine is pretty freaking significant number apparently. It has connotations of perfection and finality. It alludes to many things in christianity (nine choruses of Angels, Jesus took nine hours to die on the cross, the nine spiritual gifts enumerated by St Paul and more) but I think you might like this one a bit better. Check it;
Nine is strongly associated with the Chinese dragon, a symbol of magic and power. There are nine forms of the dragon, it is described in terms of nine attributes, and it has nine children. It has 117 scales – 81 yang (masculine, heavenly) and 36 yin (feminine, earthly). All three numbers are multiples of 9 (9 × 13 = 117, 9 × 9 = 81, 9 × 4 = 36)[1] as well as having the same digital root of 9
Nine is strongly associated with the Chinese dragon, a symbol of magic and power. There are nine forms of the dragon, it is described in terms of nine attributes, and it has nine children. It has 117 scales – 81 yang (masculine, heavenly) and 36 yin (feminine, earthly). All three numbers are multiples of 9 (9 × 13 = 117, 9 × 9 = 81, 9 × 4 = 36)[1] as well as having the same digital root of 9
FUCKING DRAGONS !!!!!
good stuff, no hellenic mythos but much better, dragon mythos.
there must be more to find in this.
"Arya did not dare take a bath, even though she smelled as bad as Yoren by now, all sour and stinky. Some of the creatures living in her clothes had come all the way from Flea Bottom with her; it didn’t seem right to drown them."
Not strictly true. In greek mythology it took nine days for an anvil to fall to earth from the heavens and nine further days to make it to Tartarus. There is also the story of Leto and her nine days of labour birthing first Artemis (then after the nine days of labour), Apollo.
I read this very differently. I don't see this as meaning she's one of three children, or a child of three parents, but rather that she is a child of threes, of sacred triads. If someone is described as a "child of destiny", there would be no ambiguity -- nobody would think that meant she was one of the destiny twins or her parents were destiny -- but I read "three" here as meaning something similar here.
Dany doesn't understand the implication of the "child of three" and asks "Three?" The response she gets is:
"...three heads has the dragon...", "...three fires must you light...", "...three mounts must you ride...", "three treasons will you know..."
The way I read this, the ghosts are answering her question here. Her destiny is bound into a pattern of threes. Three heads, three fires, three mounts, three treasons. That's what makes her a child of three.
Very possible. But she is directly asking them about what she saw in the "long hall."
And one of the things she saw in the long hall:
"He has a song," the man replied. "He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire." He looked up when he said it and his eyes met Dany's, and it seemed as if he saw her standing there beyond the door. "There must be one more," he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say. "The dragon has three heads." He went to the window seat, picked up a harp, and ran his fingers lightly over its silvery strings. Sweet sadness filled the room as man and wife and babe faded like the morning mist, only the music lingering behind to speed her on her way. Clash, Dany IV
That's the one reference to three children in the long hall. And unlike other parents in the novels who want to have more kids but end up with three (like Tywin--presumably), far as we know, only Rhaegar was actually aiming for a set of three.
The fact that she's asking about what she saw and that this is the one part of the vision that says anything about three children--really makes it seems like they are telling her she's one of Rhaegar's set of three.
The other parts of the triad you mention, they seem less specific. And I do think the idea of triads works really well for Dany. Even ties in well with voice essay on Dany as changing woman.
But the child--that really seems to reference Rhaegar's statements, which he seems to make directly to Dany. And Dany herself brings up those visions when she asks the questions that incite the statements about "child of three."
All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbol do so at their peril. It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors. Oscar Wilde.
perhaps the 9 tests and 9 encounters will help her, the child, grow up.. is there some greek mythos lurking in there?
Buddy, you ain't just whistling dixie. Nine is pretty freaking significant number apparently. It has connotations of perfection and finality. It alludes to many things in christianity (nine choruses of Angels, Jesus took nine hours to die on the cross, the nine spiritual gifts enumerated by St Paul and more) but I think you might like this one a bit better. Check it;
Nine is strongly associated with the Chinese dragon, a symbol of magic and power. There are nine forms of the dragon, it is described in terms of nine attributes, and it has nine children. It has 117 scales – 81 yang (masculine, heavenly) and 36 yin (feminine, earthly). All three numbers are multiples of 9 (9 × 13 = 117, 9 × 9 = 81, 9 × 4 = 36)[1] as well as having the same digital root of 9
but what to make of it all? for the child of three..
"Arya did not dare take a bath, even though she smelled as bad as Yoren by now, all sour and stinky. Some of the creatures living in her clothes had come all the way from Flea Bottom with her; it didn’t seem right to drown them."