Themes and Analysis

‘Fire and Blood’ is an epic historical fictional novel that dives into the past before the ascension of King Robert Baratheon to the Iron Throne. It explores the intricacies of Targaryen politics and shows how enmity and disunity led to the destruction of the mightiest force in the known world. From the corruption brought by power to the strife for glory and fame, ‘Fire and Blood’ dives into the complex minds of the political leaders who lived from the arrival of Aegon Targaryen to the ascension of Aegon III Targaryen. It shows how their fears, beliefs, and motivations fuelled many decisions.

Before the arrival of Aegon the Conqueror, seven Kings ruled the lands of Westeros. They fought each other countlessly for more power and land. However, a single mistake made by one of them out of pride led to the rise of a dynasty so powerful their influence would change the entire course of history.

Themes

From the insanity of power to the brutality of wars and conquest, ‘Fire and Blood‘ has intricate themes that show the duality of the human mind. The themes employed by George R. R. Martin portray the complexity of human society and politics and show how emotions affect decisions that alter the course of history.

Politics

The story of ‘Fire and Blood’ deeply explores the political atmosphere of Westeros. It dives into the intricacies of the many decisions made by great Kings and Lords and shows how each decision changed the course of history forever. The story showed how many Kings made their subjects turn against them by being brutal. One such King was Maegor Targaryen. He was so evil everyone left his cause.

Though Maegor could have made Westeros safe and calm as he knew how to deal with rebellions, he sealed his fate by killing everyone he held a grudge against. The King was known to kill his wives, grand maesters, and even relatives; this made him one of the most hated and feared people in Westeros’s history.

Politics was brutal in ‘Fire and Blood’ as many decisions had terrible consequences. The most notable was Alicent Hightower’s decision to make her son, Aegon, King. She set in motion one of the most brutal Civil Wars ever. In just two years, death and destruction swept the entire western continent.

Though there were many terrible political strategists in Martin’s epic historical novel, there were also those who were geniuses. Among them was Septon Barth, the wisest Hand of the King to ever exist. Barth created many policies that changed King’s Landing and the Seven Kingdoms. He implemented different governmental systems and was held in high regard for generations. Other incredible people who changed the politics of Westeros for the better were King Jaehaerys, Aegon, and Viserys Targaryen.

The Insanity of Power

‘Fire and Blood’ is a novel that perfectly encapsulates the level to which power corrupts people. From the start of the story, Argilac Durrandon chooses pride over sense and cuts off the hands of the envoy sent by Aeon Targaryen of Dragonstone; this marked his end as a short while later, Aegon landed on Westeros with the might of dragons.

Other people corrupted included Aemond Targaryen. He was so full of himself that he failed to realize Balerion was not the answer to everything. Aemond’s intoxication with power cost him his life.

Maegor Targaryen was also corrupted by power. Though many people cited he was already a cold person before becoming King, he only got worse when he sat on the Iron Throne. Maegor was so maniacally driven by an endless lust for power that he failed to realize power is nothing without anyone to exert it upon.

Wars and Conquest

Wars and conquest are the primary themes of ‘Fire and blood.’ The entire novel centers around the many wars fought over Westeros. Conflicts were already happening before Aegon Targaryen arrived on the Western continent. Even after he became King, he faced many problems and rebellions like that of Dorne.

For other Kings, things were the same, as they all saw some conflict; this shows a facet of human existence, the never-ending strife for dominance. Everyone wanted to be on top and be the highest-ranked person in the room. They gave into their primordial desire for control, and it created a never-ending cycle of wars that continued long after their deaths.

Revenge and Hatred

What is humanity without hatred and revenge? Are we born with a curse to despise those who offend us, or is hatred a learned behavior? ‘Fire and Blood‘ explored the intricacies surrounding revenge and hatred. It showed how the fuel of grief makes a man or woman become a maniacally bloodthirsty being. It showed how people would give up their lives rather than watch the one they dislike live. 

Throughout the novel, hatred governs the actions of many. Among them is Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, a woman who let the deaths of her sons turn her into a heartless Queen. King Aegon II Targaryen also became a brutal and unforgiving man after suffering many unforgiving events. From the lives of those out for blood, revenge is a behavior brought upon someone because of constant pain and suffering.

Religion

Religion was a powerful force in Martin’s epic novel. Though the Targaryen had dragons, they were matched by an unseen force, the power of belief. Throughout his reign, Maegor fought the Faith of the Seven, and though he had the armies and dragons, they pushed back at every point because the men who fought for the Faith were willing to die for their cause. Even after Maegor’s death, the Faith still maintained its power over the minds of the smallfolk; this shows just how strong people’s beliefs can become.

Analysis of Key Moments in Fire and Blood

1. Aenar Targaryen leaves the Valyrian Freehold for Dragonstone after his daughter, Daenys the Dreamer, foretold its destruction. Years later, the Doom of Valyria occurs.
2. One hundred years after their arrival on Dragionstone, Aegon Targaryen is born.
3. Aegon leads a conquest of the Seven Kingdoms after King Argilac Durrandon disrespects him by cutting the hands of his messengers. He lands on the continent with his wives, Rhaenys and Visenya Targaryen.
4. Aegon defeats King Harren, Argilac, Mern, and Lorren on landing in Westeros. On seeing what happened, King Torrhen Stark kneels to Aegon and is demoted to a lord.
5. Queen Rhaenys visits Dorne and asks for their surrender, but they refuse; this marks the beginning of the First Dornish War.
6. The war with Dorne costs Aegon a lot, including the hand of his half-brother, Orys Baratheon, and the life of Rhaenys Targaryen and her dragon, Meraxes.
7. After Meria Martell’s death, Aegon makes peace with Dorne and orders the construction of walls for King’s Landing.
8. Aegon teaches his heir, whom he had with Rhaenys, Aenys, how to become King, and later Visenya gets pregnant. Aenys marries Alyssa, and they have many children, including Aegon, Rhaena, Alyssane, Viserys, and Jaehaerys.
9. Aegon dies, and Aenys becomes King.
10. As the new King, Aenys faces multiple rebellions, but they are quenched by Maegor, who later becomes the Hand of the King.
11. Unable to have a child, Maegor says he is getting a second wife; this makes Aenys exile him.
12. King AenysTargaryen makes a mistake by betrothing his daughter, Rhaena, to his son, Aegon; this makes the Faith turn against him, as a conflict between the Crown and Faith begins,
13. Aenys dies when he learns soldiers of the Faith surrounded his children.
14. Maegor returns to King’s Landing and becomes King on learning of Aenys’s death. He declares war against the Faith and outlaws the Faith Militant.
15. Maegor rules cruelly and kills many people, including Aegon, his wives, and Viserys Targaryen. However, the Lords abandon his cause and support JaehaerysTargaryen.
16. Maegor is later found dead on the Iron Throne.
17. Jaehaerys becomes King and marries his sister, Alyssane Targaryen. He reconciles with the Faith and rules for 55 years.
18. Jaehaerys runs into a succession problem when his sons Aemon and Baelon die. He calls the Great Council to choose a new heir, and Viserys Targaryen is picked. On Jaehaerys’s death, Viserys becomes King.
19. Viserys names his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, heir after his wife and infant son die.
20. He later marries Alicent Hightower, and she gives birth to two sons, Aemond and Aegon.
21. Viserys sends his daughter to Dragonstone to prevent conflict between her and Alicent. However, he dies.
22. Upon her husband’s death, Alicent makes her son, Aegon, King; this leads to the start of the Targaryen dynasty’s civil war called Dance of the Dragons.
23. Rhaenyra’s son, Lucerys, is killed by Aemond, and in retaliation, her husband, Daemon, hires assassins who kill King Aegon II’s son, Jaehaerys.
24. King Aegon is injured when he fights Rhaenys Targaryen, the Queen that Never Was.
25. The war rages, and Rhaenyra becomes Queen for six months after she and Daemon storm King’s Landing when Aemond is away.
26. Prince Daemon and Aemon later fight on their dragons in the battle above the God’s Eye. They both die.
27. Rhaenyra leaves King’s Landing during the Storming of the Dragonpit. She arrives in Westeros and is killed by King Aegon II.
28. The civil war lasted for two years, and by the end, most of House Targaryen’s dragons were dead.
29. King Aegon is later poisoned, and Rhaenyra’s son, Aegon, becomes King.
30. King Aegon III marries Jaehaera Targaryen, but she commits suicide. He then marries Daenaera Targaryen.
31. When Aegon’s food taster and friend, Gaemon Palehair, dies from poisoning, an investigation occurs, leading to the Hand of the King, Thaddeus Rowan, getting tortured. It is later discovered that Thaddeus never plotted against the King.
32. On his 16th name day, Aegon III becomes a man and starts ruling without regents.

Style and Tone Used in Fire and Blood

‘Fire and Blood’ uses a somewhat dry and official tone because it is a historical work narrated by Archmaester Gyldayn. The events that occur in the novel are not dry because the narrator employs the perspectives of different characters present at the time.

Using the third-person perspective, Gyldayn tells the stories of the epic battles and political rivalries that occurred from Aegon I Targaryen’s era to Aegon III Targaryen. He used the court jester Mushroom and Septon Eustace as his primary source of information. Other sources include Grand Maester Runciter and Grand Maester Orwyle.

Figurative Language Used in Fire and Blood

‘Fire and Blood‘ uses many figurative elements to give its reader a chilling feeling of just how epic an event is. The novel uses metaphors to describe events occurring. The most prominent of its use was in the first battle between Aegon Targaryen and Harren the Black. The event’s description is an elaborately crafted tale that uses multiple comparisons to paint a detailed picture. 

The novel also utilizes similes to explain some situations, like when Jaehaerys gained the support of most lords even though Maegor sat on the Iron Throne. Other elements employed in the novel include personification and hyperbole, which were used to show the extent of depravity caused by the wars in Westeros.

Analysis of Symbols Used

As the known world teemed with magical beasts and incredible warlords governing the skies, people attached value to legendary weapons and locations. Some objects symbolized the height of political dominance in George R. R. Martin’s world, while others showed how wide the gap was between the smallfolk and nobility.

Dragons

Dragons are the most prominent symbols in ‘Fire and Blood.’ they represent the peak of House Targaryen’s power. With the power of the beasts, Aegon conquered the Kings of Westeros and sat on the Iron Throne. House Targaryen ruled without question for the next one hundred years, as no one could compare with them in strength.

Some of them saw themselves as literal gods and felt they were infallible. However, though dragons were mighty beasts, they were also killable, and the Dance of the Dragons showed everyone they also had flesh and blood.

Blackfyre

Blackfyre is the legendary sword of Aegon the Conqueror. It was a Valyrian steel longsword wielded by the great King who merged most of the Seven Kingdoms and ruled them as one. Blackfyre represents victory, bravery, and conquest.

Dark Sister

Dark Sister is the second of two Valyrian steel swords of House Targaryen. It was wielded by Visenya, the fiery dragon Queen who stood and fought beside her husband valiantly. The sword represents unwavering loyalty to the crown and the cause of House Targaryen.

The Iron Throne

Before Aegon, seven Kings ruled seven kingdoms. However, the Iron Throne changed everything as it became the most renowned seat in Westeros. When Aegon constructed it, he made it uncomfortable as he said no King should sit in peace and rule a kingdom. The throne represents the chaos that comes with being a leader.