#essos asoiaf

[valyriandreamer]

𝔐arriage 𝔦n 𝔈ssos

BETROTHALS:

In the Seven Kingdoms, dowries are typically paid by the bride's family to the groom's family. However, this custom may differ in the Free Cities. For example, King Daeron II Targaryen fulfilled his father Aegon IV Targaryen's promise by paying a dowry to the Archon of Tyrosh when his half-brother Daemon Blackfyre married Rohanne of Tyrosh.

WEDDING CEREMONIES:

A marriage is a legally or formally recognised union, typically between two people. The union involves the exchange of vows in the presence of sacred witnesses, such as a priest or priestess. The ceremony is followed by a feast where the bride and groom celebrate with their guests. The event concludes with the bedding, during which the marriage is consummated.

⋆ ─ Lord of the Light: A priest (or priestess) recites ceremonial prayers, with the wedding guests responding in turn. The priest and groom await the bride by a ditchfire. When the bride arrives, the priest first asks her to identify herself, followed by the question of who comes to claim her. Both the bride and groom are asked if they will share their fire with one another, to warm each other "when the night is dark and full of terrors." The couple then leaps over the ditchfire together, symbolizing their union. Afterwards, the groom removes the maiden’s cloak and drapes his own cloak around the bride’s shoulders.

⋆ ─ Valyrian: Valyrian wedding ceremonies are sometimes conducted by members of House Targaryen. While little is known about the full rite, it is understood that the participants are "wed by blood and fire." The officiant can be a woman, and the ceremony is often marked by symbolic acts involving fire, reflecting the Valyrian connection to dragons and their fiery culture.

⋆ ─ Dothraki: Weddings take place beneath the open sky and can last the entire day. During the ceremony, guests feast, drink, dance, and often engage in fights, sometimes to death. Towards the end of the ceremony, the bride is presented with her bride gifts. A khaleesi receives a gift from each of her husband's bloodriders, which she is expected to decline and pass on to her husband instead. After receiving the gifts, the khal and khaleesi consummate their marriage. Following the wedding, the khal presents his new bride to the dosh khaleen at Vaes Dothrak.

⋆ ─ Ghiscari: As per Ghiscari wedding customs practised in Meereen, the groom's female relatives inspect the bride's womb and female parts to confirm her fertility. This ancient ritual is witnessed by the Three Graces, who recite prayers during the ceremony. For this ritual, the bride is stripped naked for examination. Once the process is complete, the women partake in a special betrothal cake, which men are forbidden to eat. Traditionally, the bride washes the groom's feet, symbolising her role as his handmaid. In certain circumstances, it may be the groom who washes the bride's feet. Traditionally, the bride wears a tokar of white silk with dark red veils. The tokar is adorned with baby pearls, symbolizing fertility. Weddings among the highest nobility in Meereen are held at the Temple of the Graces. The ceremony can last up to four hours, and when the husband and wife emerge from the temple, they are bound together by wrist and ankle with chains of yellow gold.

⋆ ─ Qartheen: The Qartheen have a custom in which the bride and groom may each ask the other on their wedding day for a worldly token of love that can not be declined.

POLYGAMY:

The dragonlords of Valyria often took multiple wives. King Aegon I Targaryen, who unified six kingdoms, married both his sisters. Though the Faith of the Seven forbids polygamy, Aegon's reign was accepted. During his Conquest, he received marriage proposals from the Storm King, Argilac Durrandon, and Sharra Arryn, Queen Regent of Mountain and Vale. Aegon's son, Maegor I Targaryen, was the last Targaryen to take multiple wives, a decision that led to his exile.

Among the Dothraki, the khal is permitted to practice polygamy. For instance, Khal Jommo is known to have four wives. Additionally, according to the "ancient ways," a khal may share his khaleesi with his bloodriders, a tradition still followed in some khalasars.

⋆ ─ All my information comes from the A Wiki of Ice and Fire page!

[witchthewriter]

𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 & 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞

⤷ female, ambiguous race, and any size reader. Requests are open, thank you for reading!

a/n: oh god this man is doing things to me...

ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ | ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ ᴵᴵ

ISFJ or ISTJ

Ravenclaw

Lawful Neutral to Neutral Good

Sagittarius Sun, Cancer Moon, Scorpio Rising

𝑺𝑭𝑾🌿

・You're the rider of Silverwing, the glorious, graceful and maternal dragon who watches over you wherever you go.

・When you were young, it was very difficult for your mother because Silverwing would sweep you away and take you to her nest. Making you one of her own.

・You knew about the Hightowers, and how close Alicent & Rhaenyra were. You were very jealous, but weren't the kind of person to bump shoulders just to be included.

・So your best friend was a dragon. And you wouldn't have it any other way.

・Your connection with her is incredibly strong. Almost telepathic at times. She can feel what you feel - like two one soul in two bodies.

・And when you become of marriagable age - she did not like any of the suitors. So she was there, right by your side, huffing and puffing (putting your white cloaks on edge...)

・Just like Rhaenys the Conquorer, you flew further and further with your mount.

・You weren't the sister of Rhaenyra, but of Rhaenys. Your parents were Aemon Targaryen and Jocelyn Baratheon. And they had you when they were very, very old. Your birth was a miracle.

・And your sister, who was many years older, became a mother to you. As your two parents died.

・Your marriage was put forth by Viserys, well, Otto mainly. He knew his daughter would become queen and yet he was still full of ambition.

・Rhaenys saw straight through this. And your sister did everything she could to stop the marriage.

・But Viserys would not be persuaded...

・When you first met Gwayne, your initial opinion was that he was an ass. A pompus, arrogant, rude, ass.

・He had kissed your hand within the first two minutes and let his eyes linger on your own for far too long.

'I hate him already.' You thought and Silverwing snarled in agreement.

・But the dragon did not deter the Hightower man. He simply smirked and bowed his head.

・As time went by, your cemented walls were slowly knocked down one by one by Gwayne.

・But it wasn't until you offered to take him flying that you truly bonded.

・Clinging as tight as he could to you, Silverwing did every trick in the book to make him faint; straight diving and pulling up at the last second, twirling over herself over and over etc.)

・The whole time you were laughing, not just at his reaction but laughing with pure joy. Your fiance feeling what you feel.

・After that Gwayne looked at you with a newly found gratitue. You were true friends.

・But when Rhaenys started to speak to you about what marriage was really like - you didn't want to hear it.

"...my love, he may stray and sometimes you cannot stop it."

The words had hit you like a boulder to the heart. No, you could not endure such a betrayal.

"Sister. If he dares, then Silverwing will have the most royal feast she has ever had."

・But you need not ever worry about Gwayne's attention turning to another. You are all he needs. All he wants.

・He shows it to you through the way he speaks; the charming, soft voice that makes your knees tremble. The ever so gentle brush of his hand against yours.

・It drives you insane.

・And you never, not once in a nillion years, thought you would say this.

・"Gwayne, please. Let's just marry. Now. It needs to be now or I'll explode."

𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔

Forced Proximity

"I'd do anything for you." (Gwayne) x "As you should." (You)

Survives because of pure luck (You) x Is the pure luck (Gwayne)

𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆

Enemies to Lovers

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈

Let It Happen by The Midnite String Quartet

𝑁𝑆𝐹𝑊 🔞 No one under the age of 18 past this point, makes me feel weird if you read it.

・Your first kiss was ... passionate. The hesitation of your lips before one another caused such heat you could not comprehend.

・You consummated your wedding night. Over and over and over again. Until Gwayne said, "my heart I cannot handle another round. I do not think I can move."

"Oh husband," you said while rolling onto your side. "You are going to have to get used to this. There's fire in my blood after all..."

・His eyebrows rose and his handsome face was covered in amusement.

"Well, wife. I guess I'll have to train harder," and with that he gripped your waist and flung on top of you.

・It is well known that the two of you cannot keep your hands off each other. You always do it when no one is around - but somehow someone always sees.

・But it's very difficult when he whispers in your ear all the things he thinks about. The things he wants you to do to him. Where he wants you to touch him.

・Is this not what married life is about? Being so incredibly obsessed with the other that your whole body hurts whenever they aren't near?

[helaenarts]

Nymeria of Ny Sar, future princess of Dorne leading her ten thousand ships 🌊

Loveeee her and I have to draw more Martell omgggg

[soncee]

Dothraki Daenerys, you're always on my mind

(tap for better quality)

Been dragging out finnishing this piece so much time becuse of school. Its not perfect but who caraes honestly. Life is short.

[pigeon-princess]

When Oswick "Redtusk" Crakehall first kidnapped Tobiah Martell and Gwyndon Pyke, I don't think he realised what he'd be getting into. I'm finally compiling a bunch of my sketches from earlier in our ASOIAF TTRPG campaign!

🐗Oswick belongs to our GM @oneirotect ☀️Toby belongs to Nico Mclaughlan

[arte072]

In the godswood she found her broomstick sword where she had left it, and carried it to the heart tree. There she knelt. Red leaves rustled. Red eyes peered inside her. The eyes of the gods. "Tell me what to do, you gods," she prayed. For a long moment there was no sound but the wind and the water and the creak of leaf and limb. And then, far far off, beyond the godswood and the haunted towers and the immense stone walls of Harrenhal, from somewhere out in the world, came the long lonely howl of a wolf. Gooseprickles rose on Arya's skin, and for an instant she felt dizzy. Then, so faintly, it seemed as if she heard her father's voice. "When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives," he said. "But there is no pack," she whispered to the weirwood. Bran and Rickon were dead, the Lannisters had Sansa, Jon had gone to the Wall. "I'm not even me now, I'm Nan." "You are Arya of Winterfell, daughter of the north. You told me you could be strong. You have the wolf blood in you." "The wolf blood." Arya remembered now. "I'll be as strong as Robb. I said I would." She took a deep breath, then lifted the broomstick in both hands and brought it down across her knee. It broke with a loud crack, and she threw the pieces aside. I am a direwolf, and done with wooden teeth. - Arya X, ACoK

Arya is so rarely associated with faith and prayer in this fandom, yet when she prays to the Old Gods for guidance, they respond and restrengthen her sense of self. Arya of Winterfell! Daughter of the North! She is a direwolf and done with wooden teeth! ✨🤍🩶🐺✨

[visenyaism]

I always wonder what ethnic group the Dornish are meant to be. The Spanish? Does GRRM think the Spanish are just sucking and fucking with everyone all of the time? I feel like he's too racist to make a North African society sexually liberated, which would be my only other guess.

He keeps saying Moorish Spain is the main influence but it’s clearly like actually works of fiction about the Muslim world and Latin America that were more influential than the actual historical analogue. There exists an older form of orientalism that was more prevalent pre-9/11 (really pre-repression of women being used to justify a lot of American intervention in the Middle East) that framed hyper-repressed Victorian sexual mores against like white male fantasies about the Ottoman harem to assert that the Muslim world was actually more sexually liberated than “the west.” That was present in a lot of the works of fiction GRRM was drawing on to write Dorne. It’s also a lot of stereotypes about Latino people being like fiery tempestuous lovers or whatever that have worked their way in there.

[daenysthedreamer101]

Daenys the Dreamer, the woman who foresaw the Doom of Valyria

When Daenys was still a maiden she had a powerful prophetic dream, showing the destruction of Valyria by fire.

[itsburningsa4ge]

Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen 🐉

COMMISSIONS ARE OPEN 💌

[ilreleonewikiart]

Saera Targaryen for the lovely @_nopal624 ❤️

Thank you Paola for finally giving me the excuse that I need for drawing Saera, it was my very first time ✨☝️

[ride-thedragon]

Black girls of ASOIAF.

Sarella Sand (half Summer Islander)

Bellegere Otherys (half Summer Islander)

Missandei of Naath (Naathi)

Chataya (Summer Islander)

Nettles the Dragonseed

Alayaya (Summer Islander)

Bellegere Otherys (descended from Summer Islanders)

[amaltheas-garden]

people still shocked that in the year of our lord 2024 some of us don't want to see Dany get her 'happy ending' by becoming the white savior who was promised

[deadgirlwalked]

in an au where Rhaegar get's to be king and Theon is a ward in King's Landing, he and Daenerys bond over horses.

[helaenarts]

Daenerys Jhogo and Missandei 🫶

Dany in hmong clothing 🇱🇦🇨🇳🇻🇳

[soncee]

Dothraki Dany !!!

Here are some khaleesi fits. The wasted potential in the show is so depressing.

[thewatcher0nthewall]

The fat Magister of Pentos.