A Song of Ice and Fire: random thought on a theme in the books

[meganbmoore]

This is nothing in depth, really, just something I've noticed while reading A Storm of Swords.  I think everything that could actually be considered a direct spoiler was in the first book, but I'll use a cut anyway.

So, normally, any hint of incest, especially with anything resembling a main character, is enough to send me heading for the hills, but here, it doesn't bother me.  Yeah, the fact that he's been having sex with his twin sister since they had anything resembling urges is kinda a deterent for me as far as liking Jaime goes, but really, it's barely a blip on my radar as compared to his tossing a kid out a window for daring to wonder what the noises were while wandering around his own father's castle...

Of course, Jaime/Cersei is the most centric bit of incest, as their incestuous relationship is, in many ways, the cause of everything...Bran's injury, Robert's death, Ned's death, the war, etc.  Not to mention that, while two of their kids seem to be decent enough, their oldest son is a horrid little monster who needs to die very, very soon.  Now, Cersei is very much a villain, and Jaime started out that way, but now he's being sent on what looks like a redemptive path of sorts(not that I'm quite prepared to buy it yet, but I understand that his relationship with Brienne-who seems to keep getting stuck with men who aren't good enough for her-and it's aftermath made a fair chunk of my flist big fans of Jaime, so we'll see.

Then there's Castor, who marries his daughters and then, when they're old enough, marries their(and his) daughters as well, while he abandons his infant sons to the wild because...well...he can't use them for breeding.  Not the way he prefers, at least.  The men of the Wall know about this(about his daughters, at least) but, because he's an aid to them, they allow it to continue, even though they're effectively endorsing rape and incest.  Oddly, as much as I find the act itself despicable(of course) as a plot device, it doesn't bother me all that much.

Then there's the fact that most of my flist who's caught up on the books thinks that the series will end with Jon and Dany together.  This would be fine...except that most of them also seem to think that Jon is Rhaegar's son, which would make him Dany's nephew...

As I said, no deep theories here, just something that occurred to me while reading one of Samwell's chapters earlier.

Comments

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

I always considered the Targaeryns to be very dynastic and very prone to inbreeding anyway though -- hence why some of their kings were very, very mad.

(I am part of the contigent that believes Jon and Dany will end up together and that Jon is Rhaegar & Lyanna's son.)

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I think everyone who's voiced an opinion on the in is in that contingent. Based on what I've actually read, I half think Jon is Robert and Lyanna's son and his marrying Dany would combine the two houses(and, well, my brain will automatically default to the non-incest/inbreeding option until ordered otherwise...), but then, I understand that a lot of the opinion is based on things that Jon is supposed to do, which I haven't gotten to yet.

I took it that the inbreeding was why the Targaeryns tended to be nuts. I'd say it explains Joffrey, too, but really, Cersei is just as much of a monster, just more subtle.

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

Keep reading. You'll see "subtle" Cersei really is. (You're at SoS, right?)

Personally I think if Stark and Baratheon were to be united, it'd be through Arya and Gendry because they're this generation's analogues of Lyanna and Robert. Just... way more screwed up. But I'm also aware that this is my bias showing through because I love those two characters, both as individuals and together, so I will bite my tongue and see what happens.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Your bias is my bias...I adore both...it's very clear that Gendry is starting to feel romantic love for Arya, but may not be aware of it yet because of their ages, and that Arya is the same, though not being as mature as Gendry, she handles it poorly(my theory is that a lot of Arya's hardness comes from being separated from Nymeria, just like losing Lady cast Sansa adrift, and ignoring his wolf's-and mother's-instincts got Robb killed)

Of the various romantic and possibly romantic pairings, Arya and Gendry are the only ones I really see being able to work it out(not counting the possibility of Jon/Dany) His calmness and stability are a good match for her temper and hardness.