ATTN: Game of Thrones book readers

[Zydrate]

No spoilers are really involved, my question here is general lore related, nothing plot-relevant.

I want to ask about Dany?s dragons.

Exactly how intelligent are they?

The scene where Drogon snaps at her for vaguely interrupting their dinner keeps popping in my head as it seemed to establish (somewhere in the show?s dialog even) that despite being dragons, they?re still animals and are prone to basic animal-like behavior.

I don?t understand why they seem to treat Dany with mother-like reverence for one scene but beast-like snapping in another. Do they actually see her as a mother? Would they ever really harm her? Why did they snap at them that one time? Do people just kind of ignore that scene? How do they know what to attack and what not to? Are dragons literally tied to the Targaryen bloodline somehow? Did Drogon recognize Jon?s bloodline somehow when he allowed himself to get pet?

I have so many questions about how they?re supposed to work because it seems inconsistent a couple of times.

 

[Zhukov]

I don't recall the books ever spelling out precisely and exactly how smart the dragons are, but they seem roughly as intelligent as loyal and half-trained dogs.

I don't think the Drogon-snapping-at-Dany scene happens in the books. Could be wrong. Either way, there's no indication that they would ever actually harm her. However they're also not 100% obedient. For example, if one was hungry and decided to eat somebody else, it's not certain that Dany could stop it from happening.

So think like a dog who will sit and stay, maybe even do a trick or two, defend you to the death if someone attacked you but if a rabbit runs past it's going to chase it and you might as well not exist.

The Jon patting the dragon scene isn't in the books. (As you're likely aware, the TV show has passed the books by now and current on-screen event are entirely in the hands of some TV scriptwriters.) To give you some idea of the gap, in the books Tyrion hasn't even met Dany yet.

Note that it's been a few years since I read the books. Other readers may correct me.

 

[Erttheking]

Basically they're wild, poorly trained animals. Dany doesn't even really have that much control over them. Yeah they're loyal to her, but they still kind of end up doing their own thing most of the time. Granted Dany remarks that a good part of this is that she's so busy ruling that she hasn't had time to truly bond with them. She has a strong emotional attachment to them, but even then she has to admit that they're more or less wild beasts.

 

[Erttheking]

I don't recall the books ever spelling out precisely and exactly how smart the dragons are, but they seem roughly as intelligent as loyal and well-trained dogs.

I don't think the Drogon-snapping-at-Dany scene happens in the books. Could be wrong. Either way, there's no indication that they would ever harm her. However they're also not 100% obedient. For example, if one was hungry and decided to eat somebody else, it's not certain that Dany could stop it from happening.

The Jon patting the dragon scene isn't in the books. (As you're likely aware, the TV show has passed the books by now and current on-screen event are entirely in the hands of some TV scriptwriters.) To give you some idea of the gap, in the books Tyrion hasn't even met Dany yet.

Note that it's been a few years since I read the books. Other readers may correct me.

You're spot on. Though there was a scene in the books, one that was likely the inspiration for when Tyrion released the two of them, where a Martel character, one betrothed to Dany via a REALLY old agreement (one she promptly ignored), tries to release Rhaegal and Viserion. He tries to copy Dany when she got Dorgon to obey her in the fighting pit, which in the books had required the use of a whip.

Spoiler alert, he isn't around anymore.

 

[Zydrate]

Comparing them to 'well trained dogs' still vexes me to a small degree, as I don't understand how they can maintain their composure sometimes and not bother in others. You tell a trained dog "no" and it sits down and shuts up. These dragons... do not, and I'm really wondering what's keeping them from nuking the planet other than the pretty small lady being nice to them.

 

[DoPo]

Comparing them to 'well trained dogs' still vexes me to a small degree

Where was that comparison? Zhukov said "half-trained", while erttheking claims they are "wild, poorly trained animals".

 

[Zydrate]

Comparing them to 'well trained dogs' still vexes me to a small degree

Where was that comparison? Zhukov said "half-trained", while erttheking claims they are "wild, poorly trained animals".

Misinterpreted then. I'm very sick.

 

[Zhukov]

Where was that comparison? Zhukov said "half-trained", while erttheking claims they are "wild, poorly trained animals".

Misinterpreted then. I'm very sick.

Umm... actually, I edited my post. It originally said "well trained". (You can see it where Erttheking quoted me.)

I went to fix some grammar ended up changing and adding stuff while I was at it. I do that a lot. Old habit from my days of writing essays.

 

[DrownedAmmet]

Comparing them to 'well trained dogs' still vexes me to a small degree, as I don't understand how they can maintain their composure sometimes and not bother in others. You tell a trained dog "no" and it sits down and shuts up. These dragons... do not, and I'm really wondering what's keeping them from nuking the planet other than the pretty small lady being nice to them.

I think in the books it happens when they are chained up for a while, dragons really don't do well in captivity, and I believe they don't eat as much when they are locked up.
So they are smart and we'll trained but get a little snappy when their imprisoned and malnourished