Ok I’ve been a Game of Thrones fan every since the early seasons first started streaming on Netflix. Its a good show, A brilliant story, and is based off historical events I love.
It also earned my eternal loyalty and MANY emotional tears with Meera’s line about Jojen “Some people will always need help… It doesn’t mean they are not worth helping.”
I’m not saying I think it ended well or that I very much like season 7 or 8. Might make another post with my thoughts on that another time.
MY POINT HERE is When House of the Dragon came out I literally bought an HBO Membership just for it. And so I believe I will be talking about my thoughts on some aspects of it while celebrating what seems like another autistic character.
Episode 6 introduces us to Helaena Targaryen. I’m not going to talk about her fate here because Spoilers, BUT I WILL BE CELEBRATING THIS CHARACTER DAMN IT. She seems to be a dreamer… ALSO an autistic girl with a special interest in bugs. I want to throw a party that we are getting another important character I can view as autistic in a Game of Thrones show. (Previously was Jojen.) Also its a GIRL???!!!???
Expect further posts about this.
Onto things I have noted on the show. I WAS going to go episode by episode but I know many are doing that. And I decided to just go with the things I have observed and not seen noted elsewhere. (Thats said there might be episode by episode Helaena Appreciation/Sympathy. I really hope they keep to the Autistic behavior for her.)
First of all. if you are wondering why Eemma Arryn looks like a Targaryen its because she has a good deal of that bloodline. She’s actually her husband’s cousin. Her mother was a Targ. (this becomes important later.)
Just saying I was HERE for this couple despite that… for Eemma being able to tell her husband I am done with this baby making thing and the possible implication birth control is readily allowed.
Now on cesarean sections. I like that they did not use an actual name to call the operation because the ‘cesarean’ refers to Julius Caesar (though it is very unlikely he actually was delivered by such and it could also refer to latin terms for cutting, etc.) and ‘section’ was replaced by operation for much of history. In ancient rome this could only be performed on a dead woman. During medieval times and the renaissance, It is debated if it was was occasionally used on a live mother, (usually after days of labor.) but this was extremely rare if it happened. It remained mostly used on a dead mother. Either way it was a last resort as there was pretty much no hope of survival. Despite rumors of it being performed in Tudor times on Jane Seymour this did not actually happen.
What is interesting in Game of Thrones is that it seems to be done much earlier than most of history. Yes it is a breech birth.. That did OFTEN lead to fatalities in the medieval/renaissance time period.. However there are multiple sources on how to supposedly deliver a breech baby which tell us that YES it could be delivered with the mother surviving. Also, even with difficult birthing circumstances, most often mothers were allowed to struggle for days (or even die) before people considered cutting into them. SO I find it very interesting that it is used. Mostly because it implies that In the Word of Ice and Fire midwifery and baby delivery is behind that of our actual world in medieval times somehow. Or someone made a HUGE mistake (or possible murder attempt) when they told Viserys It was cut into the mother now or everybody dies. Were the midwives and maesters chosen by Otto Hightower? Asking for a friend.
(Sadly my conspiracy theory was later proven not to be true by the same situation happening in episode 6. So it seems somehow these guys are just way behind actual medieval and renaissance birthing technology? Knowledge? I don’t know what is the right word.)
There is one other possibility which is the Maesters took over birth more recently and thus a setback of midwifery knowledge with them thinking they knew better than mere midwives leading to more danger in the childbed for women. THIS could mirror a change that happened in the renaissance from midwives to doctors. There is even a theory that Henry VIII’s use of doctors on Jane Saymour helped lead to her death via contamination.
NOW onto the entire bastard thing.
OKAY WHY do Alicent and Viserys’ kids have Targaryen hair when Rhaenyra and Harwin Strong’s do not? Each of them only has one Valyrian parent. Both Viserys and Rhaenyra have two valyrian hair parents or such can be assumed. SO are we supposed to assume Valyrian genetics are only dominant when going through the dad? Well this is joshed LITERALLY by Reaneyra’s mother Aema. (Told you this would come up again) Is it that red hair is supposed to be less dominant then brown hair? My mother has dark brown and my dad has red. Both myself and my sister have redish hair. Was Reaynra just massively unlucky in her children’s valyrian genetics? It seems rather remarkable for one mother to have three valyrian looking kids and one none when they have the same amount of valyrian genetics!
Just something That bothers me a bit.
Sarah Sippurim 