Daenerys Targaryen

Published on September 15, 2013
Updated on June 26, 2016

Name: Daenerys Targaryen
Show/Book: Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire
Portrayed by: Emilia Clarke
Age: 13 (Book 1, Dany 2); Unstated (GoT)
Eye Color: Purple (Book 1, Dany 1); Blue (GoT)
Hair Color: Silver-blond (Book 1, Dany 1; GoT)
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual (ASOIAF; GoT)
First Word(s):

Book: Is it really mine? (Book 1, Dany 1)
TV: "We've been his guests for over a year, and he's never asked us for anything." (1.01, 33:58)

Status: Alive (ASOIF and GoT)
Other names/titles: Dany (Book 1, Dany 1), Daenerys Stormborn (Book 1, Dany 1), Princess of Dragonstone (Book 1, Dany 1), Khaleesi (Book 1, Dany 2), Moon of My Life (used by Khal Drogo, Book 1, Dany 5); Blood of the Dragon (Book 1, Dany 2); Heir to the Seven Kingdoms (Book 1, Dany

7); Daughter of Death (Book 2, Dany 4); Queen of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros (Book 2, Dany 4); Child of Three (Book 2, Dany 5); Slayer of Lies (Book 2, Dany 5); Bride of Fire (Book 2, Dany 5); Mhysa/Mother (Book 3, Dany 4); Slayer of Warlocks (Book 3, Dany 6), Breaker of Chains (Book 3, Dany 6); Queen of Meereen (Book 5, Dany 1) Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men (Book 5, Dany 1), Khaleesi of Great Grass Sea (Book 5, Dany 1) Breaker of Shackles (Book 5, Dany 1), Mother of Dragons (Book 5, Dany 1); the Unburnt (Book 3, Dany 4)

Page 1 (This page)
Character Summary
Family
Assassination Attempts

Page 2
Romantic Interactions
Dany Gaying It Up

Page 3
Daenerys Targaryen HBIC Gallery

"Woman? Is that meant to insult me? I would return the slap, if I took you for a man." - Book 3, Dany 4

Character Summary

Daenerys Targaryen ("Dany") is a force to be reckoned with. Even though she enters the Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire universe as a hesitant thirteen year old girl, she has the blood of the dragon in her and it quickly becomes very apparent. She has more titles than Tatiana Maslany has roles on Orphan Black, but she can back them all up. Initially, she is in the shadow of her insane brother Viserys Targaryen, and the two of them live as exiles from their true home in Westeros. Their family, the Targaryens, have been virtually wiped out when an uprising occurred and the other Westeros' powerhouses conspired to remove their father as the ruling King of Westeros. Dany and her brother barely escaped when she was just a baby.

As the series begins, Dany's confidence in herself grows with each day, and she gains followers wherever she goes. She's unreasonably smart, outwitting the most seasoned of players in the Game of Thrones, and the biggest mistake you can make is underestimating her. She has no problem taking on the role of a leader, and she bosses around her posse of people, ranging from children to older men, with a steady voice and a firm hand. She can be exceedingly compassionate with a warm heart, but she also knows that to take the Iron Throne, blood must be shed and she has proven she is willing to go head-to-head with the most brutal of opponents. She makes mistakes; she gets schoolgirl crushes (see: Daario Naharis); and does things that remind you of her age, but so far, she's still alive and as determined as ever.

Oh, and she has dragons. That's right, three dragons, which were thought to have been extinct for years. With them, she's slowly (at times, really slowly) working her way back to Westeros to claim her birthright and win the battle for the Iron Throne. If anyone could make it happen, it's Daenerys Targaryen. Don't believe that she's capable? Big mistake.

Family

Ah, the Targaryens...As the saying goes (as told by Ser Barristan Selmy), "Every time a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land." (Book 3, Dany 6). What are the two sides of the coin? Madness and greatness. This saying has proven true in the past and Dany fortunately landed on the "greatness" side of the coin toss. The rest of her family...eh. In general, Dany unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you are speaking of) has a family full of not-alive relatives. Basically, most of them are totes dead, but the two branches of her family tree that are still alive (allegedly) have the potential to play a very important role in Dany's destiny. Particularly, you know, the dragons.

Aerys Targaeryn II (Father) - Deceased. Known generally as the "Mad King" or "Aerys the Mad." I'll give you three guesses as to what side of the coin he landed on, but you'll only need one. At least, you better need only one. King Aerys started out all right, but eventually succumbed to pure, psychotic madness after a period of imprisonment. He became ultimately extremely paranoid and perversely cruel, deriving pleasure in torturing others, particularly by the use of fire. By the end of his reign and life, he had alienated his wife and son Rhaegar, along with almost everyone else. When the rebellion had nearly reached its conclusion, Aerys ordered Jaime Lannister to kill his own father, Tywin, while planning to set all of King's Landing ablaze with wildfire. Understandably, Jaime chose regicide over patricide, and with that, Aerys the Mad King met his end.

Rhaella Targaryen (Mother) - Deceased. Rhaella is the sister-wife of Aerys Targaryen. Rhaella never had a good relationship with her brother-husband (brusband?), and towards the end of King Aerys' reign, he subjected her to physical and sexual abuse. Immediately preceding the fall of King's Landing, a pregnant Rhaella and young son Viserys fled to Dragonstone, where she gave birth to Dany. Unfortunately, Rhaella did not survive Dany's birth.

Rhaegar Targaryen (Brother) - Deceased. Dany's eldest brother and heir to King Aerys II and Dragonstone. Rhaegar was a really good-looking dude (even deemed "beautiful" by many) who was generally admired and respected in Westeros. He was married to Elia Martell of Dorne, though he was in love with Lyanna Stark. At the Tourney at Harrenhal, Rhaegar bested the field and when it came time for him to crown the woman he chose as the "Queen of Love and Beauty," bro made a ballsy and ultimately deadly choice by laying the crown upon the head of Lyanna Stark, who was betrothed to Robert Baratheon, over his own wife Elia. Dude...come on. The crazy continued to ensue when Rhaegar kidnapped Lyanna (so the story goes), which triggered the rebellion against his father's regime. During the Battle of the Trident, Rhaegar and Robert Baratheon clashed in an epic duel, resulting in Rhaegar losing his life to a blow from Baratheon's warhammer. His wife and children did not fare any better, with his wife being brutally raped and murdered, his young daughter Rhaenys stabbed to death, and supposedly his baby son Aegon VI (see below) having his head smashed into a wall. Yikes.

Viserys Targaryen (Brother) - Deceased. Dany's brother and overall whackball supreme of Book 1/Season 1 (outside of Joff of course). He grew up alongside Dany, thinking they were the only two left of the Targaryen line. The two of them spent their childhood fleeing from one place to another, in hopes of one day being able to return to Westeros to claim what they believed belonged to Viserys - the Iron Throne. When Magister Illyrio proposes a marriage between Dany and Khal Drogo, Viserys begrudgingly agrees (as he wished to marry his sister a la Targaryen), but only because he expects Drogo and his khalasar to serve as his army in his plan to win back the Westeros crown. The problem for Viserys was that he was weak, delusional, and completely unable to inspire or attract supporters. Eventually, his cruelty and instability are his undoing, inciting the wrath of Dany's husband, Khal Drogo, who, with Dany's consent, pours molten gold upon Viserys' head in response to his persistent demand for a crown. Bad way to go out.

Rhaego (Unborn Son) - Deceased. Dany's unborn son she was to have with Khal Drogo. Rhaego was prophesied to be the Stallion Who Mounts the World. The Targaryens love titles apparently. Sadly, Rhaego never had a chance to try and fulfill his foreseen destiny. Instead, when Rhaego's father Khal Drogo falls ill and is being treated by Mirri Maz Duur, Rhaego's life was taken unknowingly in exchange for a chance for Khal Drogo to continue on. As a result, when Rhaego was born, he was supposedly covered in scales and leathery skin, filled with worms, and "dead for years." (Book 1, Dany 9). Oh no, baby Rhaego, oh no. Rhaego's murderer, Mirri Maz Duur, eventually got taken to task by Dany, but the damage was done and according to Mirri Maz Duur's prophecy, Rhaego will be Dany's only child (not counting dragons, of course).

Viserion, Rhaegal, and Drogon (Dragons) - Alive. Dany's three dragons. Born from three petrified eggs that Magister Illyrio gave to Dany for a wedding gift, the dragons hatched from the funeral pyre where Khal Drogo's body was burned along with Mirri Maz Duur. Dragons were thought to be extinct before these triplets came alive. Throughout the series, the dragons are a constant source of danger for Dany, as curiosity and lust for power repeatedly drive others to control or obtain one of the them. They have grown very large, capable of allowing Dany to ride them and eating on whole oxen. They have also grown quite savage, posing a risk to almost everyone - even Dany. At the end of Book 5: A Dance with Dragons, Dany's hanging out with Drogon, while Viserion and Rhaegal are free and wreaking havoc. The trio are very protective of their mother, and if you ever hear the word,"Dracarys" spoken, you best be running right quick.

Aegon Targaryen VI (Nephew) - Alive? Dany's nephew and son of the deceased Rhaegar Targaryen (see above). He supposedly was murdered as a baby along with his mother and sister during the rebellion against his grandfather, King Aerys, but in Book 5, a boy with a convincing story and the Targaryen looks appears under the claim that he is Aegon Targaryen VI. (Book 5, Tyrion 6). By his account, Lord Varys swapped out Aegon with a peasant baby and smuggled him into the possession of Magister Illyrio, who in turn gave him to Jon Connington, his adoptive father. Since that time, he has been reared and bred to be a very capable prince and eventually king. He presumes he will marry Dany as they are both Targaryens (ew again), but claims his right to the throne is superior to hers. Good luck with that buddy. Whether he truly is Aegon Targaryen VI remains to be seen, but by the end of Book 5, Aegon is on the precipice of heading an attack on Storm's End. Things are about to get real interesting up in Westeros, particularly once Aunt Dany joins the fray.

Viserys Targaryen: Not a dragon

Baby Rhaego

Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion (most certainly dragons)

Aegon VI? Real or impostor?

Assassination Attempts

Being a direct heir to the former King of Westeros is not a safe position to be in. Declaring that you will retake the throne from the current houses in power is even more dangerous. As Dany has made her ambitions public, unsurprisingly, threats to her life are not uncommon. So far, Dany has evaded and survived all of the attempts on her life, but she is well aware that many more shall be made. Below is a list of the attempts so far and the manner in which she survived:

Failure

Oh shizzzzz

Creepy failure

Who

Tywin Lannister and Robert Baratheon

When

During Robert Baratheon's rebellion against King Aerys Targaryen II. Dany was just a baby.

Attempt

As part of Robert Baratheon's rebellion against King Aerys Targaryen II, Lannister ordered the entire Targaryen family slaughtered to put an end to the Targaryen dynasty. Lannister sent Ser Gregor Clegane and Ser Amory Lorch to slaughter them at Maegor's Holdfast. (Book 3, Tyrion 6)

Escape

Dany's mother, Rhaella, who was pregnant with Dany at the time, escaped with Viserys to Dragonstone. Dany was born during a terrible storm, and her mother died during labor. When those at Dragonstone wanted to turn Viserys and Dany over to Baratheon, Ser Willem Darry smuggled the children to Braavos. (Book 1, Dany 1)

Wine merchant at the Western Market (for Robert Baratheon)

Book 1, Dany 6; 1.07: You Win or You Die

A wine merchant offers Dany poisoned wine because Robert Baratheon has offered wealth and titles to anyone who will kill Dany.

Magister Illyrio informed Viserys of Baratheon's bounty on Dany's head. Ser Jorah Mormont finds this letter and stops Dany from taking the wine and demands the merchant drink it himself before them. The merchant tries to run, but is quickly tracked down by Drogo's bloodriders.

A Sorrowful Man/creepy girl at the docks of Qarth (for the warlocks of the House of the Undying)

Book 2, Dany 5; 3.01: Valar Dohaeris

A Sorrowful Man/creepy girl hands Dany a box/ball with a manticore waiting inside to sting and kill Dany as retribution for Dany's destruction of the House of the Undying.

Ser Barristan Selmy (and Belwas in the books) knocks the manticore out of Dany's hands before it can sting her.

Mero

Book 3, Dany 5

Mero, former commander of the Second Sons, a sellsword company, seeks revenge upon Dany by hiding among the refugees who are following Dany. When she is wading through the crowd, he grabs her and tries to slay her with his sword.

A freedman steps in front of Dany and takes one slash, and then Ser Barristan Selmy takes on Mero and knocks him off his feet. Once down, the rest of the freedmen descend upon Mero.

Shavepate (suspected)

Book 5, Dany 9

At the reopening of the fighting pits in Meereen, Hizdahr zo Loraq offered Dany a bowl of honeyed locusts, advising her, "You ought to try a few yourself, my love." The locusts turned out to be poisonous.

Strong Belwas ends up noshing on the honeyed locusts and Dany declines. Belwas survives only because of his abnormally large size and fortitude.

Sons of the Harpy

5.09: The Dance of Dragons

At the reopening of the fighting pits in Meereen, right after Jorah wins his round, he spears a masked Son of the Harpy who attempts to kill Dany. All hell breaks loose and suddenly, the stadium is filled with Sons of the Harpy who greatly outnumber Dany's Unsullied and other guards. Dany and Co. are chased into the center of the stadium and find themselves surrounded by Sons of the Harpy, with no way out.

Drogon appears from above and starts spitting flames and terrorizing the Sons of the Harpy inside. He lands near Dany and after being injured by a few spears, Dany removes one of them and then commands "Valahd" (Old Valyrian for "fly"). Drogon then proceeds to fly them the heck out of there.

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