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Daenerys, Braavos and the Lemon Tree | In Deep Geek | YouTubeToText
YouTube Transcript: Daenerys, Braavos and the Lemon Tree
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The content analyzes the significance of Daenerys Targaryen's childhood memory of a house with a red door and a lemon tree, exploring its potential plot implications and its representation of her deep-seated desire for home and safety.
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where is the house with the red door
that Dany is always thinking about does
it mean anything for the plot of A Song
of Ice and Fire and what's going on with
that lemon tree hi everyone this is
Robert welcome to indeep geek on this
channel we dive deep into Georgia ra
Martin's World Of Ice And Fire as well
as other great fantasy worlds like the
Lord of the Rings and The
Witcher one of the most striking things
about daenerys's life and backstory is
that she doesn't really have a home her
family's an cestal home of valyria is no
more she has never even set foot on the
mainland of the land she claims
queenship of Westeros she was adopted
into the Dothraki culture but has turned
her back on where they say she should be
now among the do khen at vas dothrak and
at the current point in the story she
has even exiled from the city she rules
Marine in her mind the closest thing she
has to somewhere that feels like home is
where she spent the first six years of
her life a house with a red door and
with a lemon tree outside her window
what she has been told and what she
clearly believes to be the case is that
this house was in braavos the story
we're told is that after escaping
Dragonstone as a newborn child with her
brother viseris Sir William Dar arys
II's Master at Arms took the two of them
to Bravos where they stayed in Exile in
apparent peace and comfort until sir
Willam died we get various descriptions
of their house there through Danny's
memories it was a large Stone House with
wooden Rafters and and carved animal
faces it smelt of scented oils Dany had
her own room through the window of which
she could see fields and there was a
lemon tree growing outside her window it
sounds lovely however at this point
their servants revolted stealing their
jewels and money they were cast out of
their home in braavos and spent the next
few years wandering from City to city
with viseris pedling the last of their
riches in increasingly desperate
attempts to Rally some any support for
his claim to the iron Throne such was
their life during this period that
viseris became known as the beggar King
eventually they ended up enjoying the
hospitality of ayio mapatis in pentos
which is where we pick up with them in a
Game of Thrones so that's the story we
are told probably more importantly it's
the story that viseris told Dany about
her childhood and that Danny herself
believes and remembers it seems very
plausible as a riches to rag story
explains vas's embittered nature and his
rather toxic relationship with Dany and
nothing Dany ever experiences seems to
contradict this explanation of what
happened when she was a child so why
does some people doubt its veracity well
most of the doubts surround the presence
of that lemon tree I mentioned earlier
because there are several times in the
story we are told not just that there
are no lemon trees in Bravos but no
trees at all for example Aya thinks this
braavos devoid of grass and trees they
have no trees she realized Bravos is all
Stone a gray City in a green sea there
are no trees here and as if to Ram the
point home we overhear a couple of
conversations where someone is roundly
mocked for thinking that there might be
lemons growing in braavos the idea isn't
just ignorant it's laughable so many
people have taken that as the end of the
matter there are no trees in braavos and
in particular no lemon trees so the
house with the red door must be
somewhere else which in turn leads to
even bigger issues because it would mean
that Danny's whole childhood was a lie
and viseras had kept on lying to her as
she grew up so she didn't know where she
spent her childhood where could they
have been that could have been such a
secret does this call into question
other things we think we know about her
so whether a lemon tree could be growing
in Bravos may sound like quite a niche
question but it's actually quite
important and to add to the mystery many
years ago George Aram Martin himself did
admit that there was more going on there
than meets the eye he was asked this on
an online
Forum Dany remembers a lemon tree
outside the house with the red door in
Bravos but citrus trees shouldn't really
grow in bra's cold foggy climate is this
discrepancy significant does it point to
Future Revelations about Danny's past to
which George Oram Martin replied very
perceptive of you yes it does point to
well that would be telling so the lemon
tree growing in Bravos is deliberately
anachronistic and does suggest something
bigger in the plot which leads us to two
broad possible conclusions either Dany
was not in braavos as she thought or she
was and that lemonry is deliberately
there to point to something else I have
seen some cogent arguments that perhaps
Dany was in fact in Oldtown they
certainly have stone houses and Fields
there and that would tie the high Towers
into the main plot they've been
mysteriously quiet so far in A Song of
Ice and Fire but this and other
arguments I've seen that perhaps the
house was in Dawn actually raise even
more questions like if they were being
sheltered in secret in Westeros by a
sympathetic house why did the servants
Rob them like that and then why were
they sarily thrown out onto the streets
after just five or six years we can't
really imagine Leighton Hightower or
Doran Martell doing that and if it was
Doren when he sent Quentin to Dany years
later why didn't he tell Quentin that he
had been Sheltering Dany back then it
would help wi her trust to know that or
if he thought she'd blame him for
throwing them out Quentin should be
forewarned of that too it makes no sense
no oam's razor here still points to
Bravos as long as there is a reasonable
explanation for that lemon tree and
thankfully I think there is one because
we are not here looking for Orchards of
lemon trees just somewhere in the city
that a lemon tree could conceivably grow
but most people wouldn't see although
the lived experience of most of bros'
citizens is that of there being no trees
anywhere there are actually trees in
Bravos it's just that they are hidden
away in the private Gardens of the super
rich so most people don't see them this
is what Sam thinks on the subject when
he visits braavos Sam's probably read a
book on it trees did not grow on Bravos
save in the courts and Gardens of the
mighty so trees are there in The Gardens
of the mighty it's just that most people
don't get to see them but what about the
climate well in our world lemon trees
aren't exactly common in C the climates
but they can grow in temperatures down
to about 10° C or so that's about 50°
fahit Bravos is no Tropical Paradise but
it's also not exactly the Frozen North
being at about the same latitude as the
Northern parts of the veil of Arin when
a gets there during the Autumn it is a
bit chilly but not freezing Aya seems
not to wear much to bed for example and
the water she leaves out overnight is a
bit cold but not frozen and when Dany
was there years earlier it was spring or
summer so a lot warmer we know that the
rich get fresh water piped direct to
their houses in braavos so there isn't
the concern about whether they need to
use that nasty brackish water from the
canals and I'd expect there were
gardeners there to tender things so
there's no point of principle reason why
a single Lemon Tree in a sunny well-
tended spot couldn't grow there it just
may not have been ideal conditions for
it and it will probably die when winter
comes and we even have further evidence
in the lands of ice and fire for those
who don't know that's a book of maps of
Westeros and Os fully authorized and
signed off by George ARA Martin himself
it contains among many other things a
map of Bravos which shows one place in
particular where there are large Stone
houses trees and Fields the sea Lord's
Palace which when you think about it
makes a lot of sense viseris and Dany
were clearly somewhere they felt safe
from potential assassins sent by Robert
barathan where safer than the residence
of the head of state of the most
powerful and technologically advanced
city state in OS Bravos has a long
history of political engagement with
Westeros so it makes sense of them to
offer a refuge to the last targaryens
while waiting to see what happens in
Westeros who knew back then Robert
baratheon's Reign was still young and
may yet fail why not shelter them for a
bit just in case also we're told a lot
that braavosi politics can be brutal and
the sealord changed in violent and
sudden shifts of power perhaps this
happened at the end of the time when
viseris and Danny were there the
servants stealing their things could be
the old sea Lord's employees taking what
they could before they themselves fled a
new Sea Lord arriving would probably
take take a different political position
particularly as sometime around then the
iron bank of braavos began to support
the barathan regime with significant
loans so casting them out at that point
again makes sense added to which the
decor Danny remembers does fit with what
we know of the Sea Lord style the
carvings of animals fits with the fact
that he has a rare Menagerie in his
grounds and the many faces matches up to
the sty of his pleasure barge which is
covered with painted faces we're told
and there are more anec bits of evidence
too it's a stone house which almost all
houses in Bravos are albeit with wooden
Rafters which is the kind of
ostentatious show of wealth you would
expect from the Sea Lord I could go on
so if there is no particular reason to
doubt that the house with the red door
was in braavos why did georgea Martin
say that the lemon tree points to
something and why have Dany think about
it so very much because she does at my
count she thinks of that house with the
red door on at least a dozen different
occasions usually
longingly two reasons I think both of
which are very important first up the
lemon tree establishes the link between
Dawn Daenerys and Bravos we're told so
many times that lemon trees are from
dawn so where else might that one have
come from well it turns out there is a
bit of a backstory to this in A Dance
with Dragons Dany receives a visitor the
day before she is due to be married
Quentin Martell Quentin was there to to
suggest a marriage between himself and
Danny and took as evidence of house
Martell's good intentions a copy of an
agreement that was made years earlier to
marry viseris the king in Exile at the
time remember to Arianne Martell
Quentin's sister that agreement
obviously lapsed with viserys's death so
Doran was trying again with Quentin and
Daenerys Dany politely declines the
offer the important thing here is
actually not so much the contract itself
but who witnessed it because although
the contract could have been made by
representatives of the families and to
be clear neither viseris nor Arianne
knew anything about it it was signed on
their behalf by Sir William Darry and
oberin Martell the witness had to be
there in person and the witness was the
Sea Lord of Bravos and as Sir William
Darry was bedridden through most of this
period and the Sea Lord tends to stay in
Bravos that places the signning of that
agreement and Sir Willam Darry and
therefore the targaryan children in the
sea Lord's Palace in
Bravos think about this for a moment
from the sea Lord's perspective the
recently deposed king of Westeros comes
to you seeking protection and probably
can pay a reasonable sum for it not only
that but their protector a respected
West Rosy Noble William Darry is
convinced that there's a way back to
Power for the targaryens he can tie in
Dawn one of the Seven Kingdoms into a
plot to put them back onto the throne in
the place of the usurper Robert
Baratheon of course it came to nothing
nothing Robert barathan secured his Rule
and the Targaryen children started to
run out of money so Willam Darry died
and the targaryens were thrown out onto
the street braavosi politics can be a
Cutthroat business in this context the
lemonry becomes a clear hint that Dawn
is linked to Daenerys and Bravos perhaps
Obin even brought a sapling over from
dawn as a gift when he traveled there to
get the marriage PCT signed a lot of the
Winds of Winter will focus on who Dawn
will support for the iron throne and we
should probably be paying attention to
who Bravos might support as well if as
seems likely viseris and Danny were cast
out of the sea Lord's Palace because of
a violent change in administration then
what if that political party came back
into Power it's beyond the scope of this
video but there are hints that things
are about to change politically in
Bravos Bravos will have heard the rumors
that Dany now has dragons and she's
using them to get rid of slavery how
will they react the first Lord of
braavos is anti-slavery and they fought
Wars over the issue so might they even
consider joining forces with her as I
said the implications of that lemonry
are quite far-reaching but the second
important Point here about that house
with the red door is not about politics
and War but what it tells us about
dany's character something that we don't
often see or think about because Above
All Else the house with the red door and
the lemonry outside represents a safe
place to Dany security home a chance to
be who she is not on the run from a man
she never met but who killed her father
and brother and not trying to be the
queen of a city whose culture she
doesn't truly understand a chance to run
around Barefoot and just enjoy life in
daenerys's short life she has been
constantly on the run from people trying
to kill her because of her surname or
because they want to take her dragons or
because they disagree with her stance on
slavery or anyone of a number of other
reasons we've lived with her through
several assassination attempts
rebellions Wars starvation you name it
she has never been truly safe except for
those few short years in Bravos that was
when she was and felt safe that was when
she could be free of cares that was when
she could be truly herself free from all
these prophecies responsibilities Wars
assassins and people trying to
manipulate her or use her A Dance with
Dragons shows us the battle that is
going on within Dany part of her is this
great warrior Queen we see she conquers
cities or threatens to raise them to the
ground she crucifies her enemies and
defies civilizations that have lasted
for Millennia we keep getting this
imagery of her as aegon the Conqueror
invading Westeros with her three dragons
but deep inside she also craves the
lemon tree and the house with the red
door she thinks of it or Longs for it
again and again it represents hope home
security safety Dany only had that as a
child for a few short years before life
brutally interfered there's no wonder
really that she Longs for it now this
need for a simple Safe Life is something
we don't often look for in Daenerys the
small child trapped within but it's
probably her most core desire to be safe
and loved and protected she had that
briefly with car Drogo which is why she
Longs for that as well and she imagines
being with Dario in the house with the
red door for the same reason and it's
something we should bear in mind for the
end game of A Song of Ice and Fire Dany
isn't just about conquering and death
Above All She craves love and peace and
safety even if she doesn't know it about
herself what do you think do you agree
let me know in the comments below if
you'd like more videos like this diving
into A Song of Ice and Fire there's a
playlist appearing now on the left of
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thank you there's a link to my patreon
on the right of your screen thanks for
watching that's all for this time I'll
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