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Maester's Thread - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (S1, HBO) - Book Spoilers

Posted on 2/2/26 at 11:07 am
Posted by BluegrassBelle
RIP Hefty Lefty - 1981-2019
Member since Nov 2010
106850 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 11:07 am
Because we all need to talk about this shite right here:

Posted by blueboy
Member since Apr 2006
64022 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 11:12 am to
quote:

and all who know you shall rejoice on your d?ying.
Exactly. Does this mean that Egg goes full Mad King? Maybe they 'rejoice' for some other reason.

This story definitely loses a lot of its lighthearted feel over time, especially in book 3, but I really hope Egg doesn't become a dick.
Posted by Bert Macklin FBI
Quantico
Member since May 2013
11927 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 11:12 am to
I thought Aegon the unlikley was a good king. Why would people rejoice in his death? Maybe I misremember the books?

I'd also add that Duncan being in the Kingsguard would not stand by a mad king so it really doesn't make a ton of sense.
This post was edited on 2/2/26 at 11:15 am
Posted by BluegrassBelle
RIP Hefty Lefty - 1981-2019
Member since Nov 2010
106850 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 11:16 am to
quote:

Exactly. Does this mean that Egg goes full Mad King? Maybe they 'rejoice' for some other reason.

This story definitely loses a lot of its lighthearted feel over time, especially in book 3, but I really hope Egg doesn't become a dick.


It's been awhile since I've read the books and some of the other accompanying material but this snippet probably explains it (from the Westeros.org wiki):

quote:

Most of Aegon's troubles resulted from his efforts to improve the lives of the smallfolk, whom he had interacted with while squiring for Duncan. Although the smallfolk loved Aegon for his reforms and granting of rights and protections, high lords felt their powers over peasantry was diminished and curtailed by these new reforms. Lacking the dragons controlled by early Targaryen kings, Aegon reluctantly compromised with the recalcitrant lords on several issues.


I think the people celebrating it were likely the other nobles that weren't a fan of his wanting to improve the life of the small folks.

Posted by CCT
LA
Member since Dec 2006
6854 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 11:17 am to
I wondered about this too. I thought Egg was a good king, too. It’s always implied he will be a better person for being Dunk’s squire.
Posted by BluegrassBelle
RIP Hefty Lefty - 1981-2019
Member since Nov 2010
106850 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 11:22 am to
Also, that fortune teller is almost certainly Ol' Lord Bloodraven wearing a glamor. You get a little bit of what looks like a port wine stain on her face in the pic.
Posted by blueboy
Member since Apr 2006
64022 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 11:25 am to
Maybe. If the lords hated him for his reforms and the smallfolk turned on him when he compromised, that might explain why she says 'all' who knew him would rejoice.

But 'all' does also include family and Dunk, so I don't know.
Posted by tigerfan88
Member since Jan 2008
8859 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 11:27 am to
I think it’s either a reference to the nobles hating him because he basically wanted to eliminate the nobility and turn Westeros into a modern day society as far as rights and class, or it’s a cryptic hint about what actually went down at summerhall.

We don’t know in any of the lore what actually happened at Summerhall. It’s one of the biggest outstanding mysteries of the wider GoT universe, likely because it has some bearing on the main GoT plot line as regards Rhaegar and dragons.

We know Egg and Dunc both die, as does Egg’s eldest son. We know Egg’s second eldest son and his wife survive, as does their son Aerys and Aerys’ wife who gives birth to Rhaegar during the tragedy.

Martin has hinted in canon that Dunc does something incredibly heroic, sacrifices himself to save at least a few people from the fire or something along those lines. But there’s very little detail, so it could be that Egg also sacrifices himself somehow to save Rhaegar or something like that. And the “rejoicing his death” is because he saved the future Targaryen line with his last act or something along those lines.

A third option, that is way darker but honestly more Martin’s style, is Aegon does go a little Mad King/Targaryen trying to find a way to hatch dragons. He gathers all these sorcerers and blood magic people from Asshai and tries to recreate something from old Valyria even as everyone is telling him it’s too dangerous. Then it starts to go wrong once the sorcerers start the ceremony and it’s basically the beginning of a second Doom of Valyria. Duncan has to step in and kill the sorcerers, maybe even kill Egg, to stop the ritual and literally save Westeros.
This post was edited on 2/2/26 at 12:13 pm
Posted by sgallo3
Lake Charles
Member since Sep 2008
25954 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 11:34 am to
quote:

Exactly. Does this mean that Egg goes full Mad King? Maybe they 'rejoice' for some other reason

No. The other high lords (the people that know him in person, not know of him) didnt like him because he passed laws to help the smallfolk.
Posted by IHitthaLONGBALL
Member since Jul 2024
194 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 11:43 am to
I could be misremembering but Dunk wasn’t approached about fixing the joust(winning) in the books correct?

I remember it being broached the opposite way by Underleaf but nothing about it in The hedge knight.
Posted by UpToPar
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2008
22914 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 11:59 am to
"worms shall feed on your ashes" seems intentional and to have some additional meaning. Is there some "worms" alternative meaning on this world that may give this statement some more meaning/context?
Posted by tigerfan88
Member since Jan 2008
8859 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 12:09 pm to
Think it’s referring to the blood magic/doom of Valaria stuff. I think there’s a story in the Song of Ice and Fire history book about a Targaryen princess flying to Valaria, coming back and basically being consumed alive by worms that somehow got inside her skin in Valaria.

Aegon dies as a result of whatever ceremony they’re doing to try bring the dragons back at Summerhall. Question is whether he dies accidentally as a byproduct (or via sacrificing himself to save others), whether he is killed by Duncan to halt the ceremony, or whether he basically self-immolates as part of the ceremony to try to hatch the dragons (basically trying to do intentionally what Danny does on accident).
This post was edited on 2/2/26 at 12:11 pm
Posted by blueboy
Member since Apr 2006
64022 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 12:11 pm to
quote:

so it could be that Egg also sacrifices himself somehow to save Rhaegar or something like that. And the “rejoicing his death” is because he saved the future Targaryen line with his last act or something like that.
Yeah, I thought of that as well. That would make me happier than Mad Egg.
quote:

He gathers all these sorcerers and blood magic people from Asshai and tries to recreate something from old Valyria
I'm not sure his envoy to Asshai ever returned. It's believed that Shiera Seastar was part of that envoy and she basically disappears from history, or at least never returns to Westeros.

I'm watching the ASX review now. I'll see what they say about it.
Posted by TigerFanatic99
South Bend, Indiana
Member since Jan 2007
35257 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 12:16 pm to
I was surprised they went that hard this early. Shocking scene honestly for book readers.
Posted by tigerfan88
Member since Jan 2008
8859 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 12:20 pm to
Agreed, assuming it came from Martin and the “worms feeding on your ashes” is intended to hint that his death was somehow directly connected to the attempt to hatch the dragons, (as opposed to just dying in a fire that got out of control) then this is legitimately brand new information about what happened at summerhall.
Posted by Boodis Man
Member since Sep 2020
7862 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 12:33 pm to
That scene raised my eyebrows for sure.

I dont recall egg being viewed as a bad king....rather I think this implies Summerhall was a planned sacrifice

Posted by Bert Macklin FBI
Quantico
Member since May 2013
11927 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 12:39 pm to
quote:

Martin has hinted in canon that Dunc does something incredibly heroic, sacrifices himself to save at least a few people from the fire or something along those lines. But there’s very little detail, so it could be that Egg also sacrifices himself somehow to save Rhaegar or something like that. And the “rejoicing his death” is because he saved the future Targaryen line with his last act or something along those lines.


I like this theory and I will believe this until the show proves otherwise.
Posted by iwyLSUiwy
I'm your huckleberry
Member since Apr 2008
41190 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 12:42 pm to
Count me in the minority that thinks the fortune teller is full of it and it
s just the writers adding in some interesting foreshadowing to throw you off.
Posted by tigerfan88
Member since Jan 2008
8859 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 12:50 pm to
The more I think about it the more I think it’s a planned sacrifice/self-immolation by Aegon to try to bring back the dragons.

That fits with what we know about how the dragons were eventually reborn in GoT and with the breadcrumbs Martin has given us about blood magic and sacrifice are required.

It fits with “rejoice your death and worms feed your ashes” in the classic Oracle at Delphi prophecies that are true but speak in double entendres. Rejoice his death because it is planned and he’s supposed to be reborn or at least dragons are and worms feed on his ashes because that’s part of the ritual.

It fits Egg’s character as by all accounts he is and remains through his reign a legitimately good person who would not want or let anyone else sacrifice themselves, and he would have been in his 60s at the time.

Finally it’s just a very Martin tragic/poetic ending to every story he writes bc there are no happy endings.
Posted by s0tiger
Member since May 2008
1070 posts
Posted on 2/2/26 at 12:56 pm to
quote:

The other high lords (the people that know him in person, not know of him) didnt like him because he passed laws to help the smallfolk.


This is my understanding too.
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