Untitled © Peter Solarz

I swear, the nonsense i'm keep reading about Rhaegar (or the Targaryens) are hilarious.

-Asoiaf fandom does its best to absolve Aerys and Tywin of their crimes. Rhaegar gets ALL the blame for starting a war and being responsible for his wife/children death while the Lannisters, Aerys and co who actually DID THE DEED, get away with literally everything.

-The age gap is an issue only with Rhaegar and Lyanna. I'm seeing Lyanna fans (who hate Rhaegar) shipping her with...Arthur Dayne. Same age as Rhaegar 😭

-"Rhaegar was prophecy obsessed. The prophecy probably is not even legit"

Y'all....the PROPHECY IS THE TITLE OF THE BOOKS :D

"A song of Ice and Fire". It's the reason Aegon invaded Westeros.

The funniest part of calling Rhaegar “prophecy obsessed” is that the prophecy literally comes true. It’s the whole point of the series. The Others are real. We are reading the same books, right?

-Half of the POV characters frequently talk about how good Rhaegar was. TWO viewpoint characters are in love with him.

The fandom: this guy is clearly evil, the books are clear!

lol

-And the best one:

"The best thing Robert ever did was killing Rhaegar!" - Elia stans

Ok. Elia stans are defending the man who called her children "dragonspawn" even after their death AND he was pleased of their death.

Twisted logic.

.....

I am once again asking if half the people in this fandom even like the series

I LOVE MY FRIENDS SO MUCH I'M JUST STUPID AND FORGET THAT FEELINGS NEED TO BE EXPRESSED IN ORDER FOR THEM TO BE FELT

From a narrative standpoint, Elia Martell's brutal death has two main consequences:

1. give nuance to Robert's Rebellion.

At first, Robert Baratheon and his allies seem to be in the right. They are supposedly the heroes who raised an army to depose the tyrant and pyromaniac king, as well as “rescue” Lyanna Stark from the “clutches” of Rhaegar. Like in a fairytale, the noble warriors go against the evil dragons.

Yet, as the story progresses, we find that's not the truth. The main warrior, namely Robert, is not noble and good. The supposed main evil dragon, Rhaegar, is not evil — he is actually a tragic figure, just as Lyanna is.

Just as Elia Martell is.

Her death in the sacking of King's Landing is one of the most brutal and unfair of the Rebellion. Thus, as readers, we ask ourselves: was it really worth it? The rebels were supposedly fighting against Aerys II's tyrany and ineptitude to rule, against the unfair and cruel death of innocents like Rickard and Brandon Stark. Yet here it is this woman who is coldly murdered; Robert laughs at the corpses of her children and rewards Tywin Lannister for his loyalty.

The question of “was it really worth it?” is posed by GRRM himself in an interview, when asked about Robert's Rebellion.

To sum it up, he wants his readers to reflect and arrive at their own conclusions. And he does pose the question: was the violence in Robert's Rebellion justified?

Well, one thing is for sure: he gives nuance to this happening. Elia's death, as brutal as it was, serves this purpose.

[Personally, I frown upon the brutalization of Elia and other female characters, but that's not what I'm discussing on this meta.]

2. putting Dorne into play.

Elia was the beloved sister of Doran Martell, the Prince of Dorne, and Oberyn Martell. After her death, they spend years, up until the timeline of the main series, planning their revenge against the Lannisters and their allies. That involves a Targaryen restoration as well (first with Viserys, now with Young Griff and Daenerys).

It is clear, thus, how Elia and what happened to her are the main motivators for Doran and Oberyn Martell. The Lannisters are their enemies and will pay for what happened to Elia and her children. The themes of vengeance and war are explored here, especially through Doran Martell.

He wants to avenge his little sister, yes; but he also hesitates. He knows the costs of war and is wary of it. Innocents always end up paying an unfair price.

In conclusion, Elia's death is not even about Rhaegar and Lyanna and their relationship. There are more layers to it.

ricemedia published this cool article recently :]

RICE

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