A Song of Ice and Fire: The Genetics of Dragons and War Part 1

[@straat9066]

It's crazy how you knew Rhaena was special and it came to be that after reading Fire and Blood you find that she was the one who started the tradition of placing the eggs in the cradle.

[@mako7710]

Rhaena was one of my favorites

[@jesseandersen4055]

Also makes you wonder if she did this because they were having trouble hatching dragons. or at least having trouble understanding why some hatch and some don't. also, the way Preston lays it out, there's little doubt that's he's wrong, it all lines up just too well. even with the couple errors, now that we have more info. like we know meleys had a rider before rhaenys was born.

[@dreamchaser5227]

@@mako7710 pa

[@thalmoragent9344]

​@@jesseandersen4055 Well, how does placing the Egg in a cradle help I wonder, without the heat

[@Sienisota]

​@thalmoragent9344 If the baby in the cradle is a girl, her presence could hatch a dragon. If not, the baby's mother is constantly near the baby and thus the egg, possibly hatching it. Seems that the egg is near the cradle and the mother, maxises hatching chances. It is still kept warm.

[@BasLindo]

Every time a Preston video is created, the Gods flip a coin.

[@kingjonstarkgeryan8573]

+BasLindo and usually it lands on bullshit but the Targayn genetics video were the one time it landed on good.

[@CABRALFAN27]

Brilliance and tinfoil are two sides of the same coin. Every time a Preston theory is uploaded, the Gods flip a coin, and r/Asoiaf holds its breath to see how it will land.

[@stefanpieper3757]

This line should replace: "I'm probably wrong about half of this..."

[@KaiHung-wv3ul]

@@kingjonstarkgeryan8573 Hey, the Frey Civil War one was pretty good.

[@staceyparkes6764]

I think it'd be super cool if you did an updated version of this with the new info from Fire & Blood - so much extra information in there!

[@Christinka888]

Stacey Parkes yesyesyes

[@miramoses8340]

Yes!!

[@panchotz100]

After 1 year i think he will, after his video about who is helping jon he said he was going to talk about fire and blood

[@FishBoneD14]

Well we’re running out of prepping for winter for we can hope

[@mpalfadel2008]

Still a good idea

[@SophisticatedBanjo]

People who just watch GoT don't understand how deeply I'm obsessed with ASoIaF. People who just read ASoIaF don't understand how deeply I'm obsessed with the fan theories. People who just love the fan theories don't understand how deeply I'm obsessed with Preston Jacobs. Seriously, where are my fellow PJ viewers in real life? I need some people who I can take out to beers and seriously get tin-foilly with.

[@robpalmer3490]

+SophisticatedBanjo Totally agree. My roommate was on board until Minds, but the rabbit hole went too deep for him after that, which is a shame since the last few videos have been much more tame (if much less far-reaching).

[@mikeagundez8239]

+SophisticatedBanjo I get you, everytime Preston comes up with a new theory I just get surprised by how deep the thinking was, that I have to go and read again and again to get it. Damn how does he do it?

[@markseventwo72]

+SophisticatedBanjo I keep trying to get my friends to watch them, especially Minds of Wolves and Robins... but they're all being doo doo heads about it.

[@danvocals123]

+SophisticatedBanjo Preston needs to have some sort of meet up

[@DaManJoeWho]

where do you live??

[@rynoweston]

That moment when you think, "I wonder if Preston thought more about this than GRRM did when he made it up?"

[@MartinRomero]

+rynoweston I think that's the case with this one.

[@technicaldifficultysupport]

+rynoweston I asked him this in his AMA.

[@hughsephniko4985]

+Zeradin what did he say?

[@rrahmanian]

I believe that's just what Preston does!

[@Ragnell141]

+rynoweston That doesn't make much sense. Preston mainly uses details from the books and source material (Such as the World of Ice and Fire) for his theories, then backs it up with GRRM's other works and real life knowledge. So far he hasn't contradicted GRRM in his videos; he elaborates further upon what GRRM has given us. And of course GRRM can't explain things in too much detail unless he spoils something. So it's not that Preston thought more about this, but rather that he understands how GRRM thought about this.

[@rebeccarhode5234]

Preston's voice is so soothing and flows beautifully. I fall asleep to the genetics of dragons and war every night. I pretty much have it memorized.

[@emilyglass6625]

OMG I CANT BELIEVE THERE IS ANOTHER HUMAN WHO DOES THIS. It’s 4 am as we speak and I put on this playlist again. I think my brain likes it bc it’s 400 years worth of tiny stories going by, rapid-fire... It grabs my imagination but there’s also nothing too too lengthy to hurt my tired brain I mean, this is a great playlist when your powers of concentration are actually working, too. But I do fall asleep to it. Bc I am incurable odd but apparently not alone in the world. 🙈

[@nagoshi2]

Jesus Christ, man. You've just unravelled the whole point of the Dance of The Dragons. Of course Rhaenyra had a Mendelian genetic advantage, and people on both sides knew about it. It's the whole reason why her father named her his successor. I bet she hatched multiple crib eggs. It makes perfect sense. Also explains why The World of Ice And FIre was released. It's one big genetic dragon scavenger hunt. Bravo.

[@PrestonJacobstheSweetrobin]

+Trevor Van Houten You are reading my mind. :)

[@PewPewPlasmagun]

+Trevor Van Houten Like a political drama, really. The fight for a weapon that gives one side political and military superiority.

[@carlehacantu7297]

+PewPewPlasmagun ultimately all these power players (illirio/varys, marwyn, Euron, faceless men, etc) want dany to shack up with their fella with dragon riding ability and then have mess load of dragon hatching / dragon riding kids. Or kill her before she can beget a new dragon age. Was viserys aware of this? Did illirio present her with three eggs as a genetic test of sorts? Who in the story possesses this knowledge of genetic dragon hatching/riding traits?

[@nagoshi2]

+Preston Jacobs If that means we can invade each other's dreams, I'm starting a Doom onward Valyrian centric TWOIAF reread tonight. We can share subconscious notes.

[@nagoshi2]

+Preston Jacobs "Yet there are Measters who point out that by careful breeding of animals, ONE CAN ACHIEVE A DESIRABLE RESULT, and that populations in isolation can often show quite remarkable variations from what might be regarded as common. this maybe a likely answer to the mystery of the Valyrian origins, although it does NOT explain the affinity with dragons that those with the blood of Valyria clearly had." Curious about other "remarkable variations" , but this just seems obvious now.

[@jumunusun2790]

Wow. An oldie but a goodie. Thanks as usual Preston

[@ryanr.5158]

Gaemon the Glorious? More like Gaemon the FAAAABULOOOOUS. *cough* Ahem- I-i'll show myself out now... Now for something completely different: Is anyone else thinking that Valyrians are a magical near-human or altered Human race like the Others? They are closely attached to fire like others are attached to Ice, maybe they have (or had since their homeland went all Hiroshima) something to do with summer like Others do with winter. On a similar note, since Valyrians can mate with humans, it would stand to reason that Others could as well, which isn't really relevant here but could lend some credulity to others theories about the Others. Dragons could be the Valyrian equivalent of Wights for them, creepy crawlies that generally do what they say, I say generally because Dragons have been shown to misbehave, and the Others clearly don't have a handle on Coldhands, so there very well could be other Wights that aren't mentally dominated by the Others. Mental-magic could also be how Valyrians control dragons, and that could be the "Dragon X" gene you talk about here (which by the way would be a sick name for a garage band.) I believe that it would stand to reason that hippie author Martin would show us the Valyrians in a decently favorable light so when he reveals later that the Others are practically the same thing we would be able to identify with them a bit more quickly. Anyway I'm going to go forge my Tin Foil maester's chain now.

[@BasicPrinciplesGTA]

+Brian R. Credit where credit is due. Gaemon the FAAAABULOOOOUS was funny as fuck.

[@CadaverJunky8]

+PureMadnezz122 ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)

[@Shanndri]

+Brian R. or they simply had a mutation that was not eliminated by the repair mechanisms of the cell and by coincidence, this mutation led to an evolutionary advantage (an empathic link with dragons) that survived. As simple as that, hail to Darwin. And Wallace, of course. Empathic abilities could just be mutations that lead to special abilities are not magical, but rather very natural. Shakespeare said that there is more between earth and sky than humanity will ever grasp, and that is very true. Any scientist (me included) can tell you that the world is full of wonders and we haven't got a clue *ggg*. By the way, I do believe that there is magic in ASOIF, but the dragon link is not part of that. It is more likely that the dragons fire in itself is magical, meaning that dragons are creatures that possess magic. And what could magic be? Possibly, magic could be a force, as life is a force. Have you ever read any Terry Pratchett with Esme Weatherwax in?

[@abhaysastry6976]

Brian R. That theory actually makes a lot of sense

[@Lightsellful]

>Tin Foil maester's chain [element] Perfect.

[@juanpablomina1346]

7:12 "Visenya's dragon Meraxes" Visenya's dragon was Vhagar, while Rhaenys' dragon was Meraxes (they both die in Dorne). I know you know though, honest mistake.

[@DhDeadMan]

I was about to post this :)

[@Giamcomo]

I love your videos, preston. You are one of the few people I actually follow and get impatient about between videos, keep it up, man.

[@robpalmer3490]

+Giamcomo I get super excited whenever that KZbin app notification shows up!

[@vabelb]

Yeah, but sometimes it's just a game of thrones video and then I get very disappointed

[@psikokillers]

+Giamcomo tienes un problemo grave

[@randomchannel9473]

Because I keep coming back to this video as of late (as I'm sure a lot of us keep doing with HotD) I wanted to list some thoughts which I thought could add on to/amend the theory, especially pre and early post-conquest. (minor HotD spoilers, considering this video and the next already detail the major events of the series) - so as a few people have pointed out, dreamfyre Rhaena was the one who started the cradle egg tradition, so everyone before that had some other system of hatching and claiming dragons - because Valyria had slaves for everything, I suspect they had slaves for blood-magic dragon hatching rituals, possibly in that Anogrion Viserys mentioned. - The targs were not used to the idea that specific people hatch dragons, they just focused on who could claim and ride one - namely any of the men inheriting dragonstone who would have kept trying to claim Balerion. - Daenys and Elaena may have been XX rather than Xx, but if Balerion wasn't her dragon, she wouldn't be around any of the eggs frequently enough to hatch them - depending on who Balerion first belonged to, the real reason why there were only two dragons hatched is because there were no active female XX riders to be around the eggs (presumably kept near the dragons themselves) - Meraxes and Vaghar were either flukes or happened to be born around a time when a Targ XX women was visiting the dragons frequently enough - Eleana did have sons and grandsons who would have all tired, so she may have been visiting them - she did die 80BC which is within a reasonable time for Meraxes to have hatched - if Vhagar wasn't a fluke, I would guess that maybe Valaena Velarian's unknown Targ mother was visiting the dragons - if Daemion was the son of Elaena, it's possible that it was an unknown daughter of hers (would have to be XX if Eleana is XX) that became Valaena Velarian's mother. It's possible that she was visiting her brothers or trying to ride Balerion for herself, which is another possible explanation for Meraxes. - Based on the pattern that dreamfyre Rhaena was named after Rhaenys the conqueror and that there is a detail in fire and blood where Aegon weeps because his grandchild reminded him so much of his fav wife, I think Rhaenys was also XX, and because she was an active rider, we get the hatchling quicksilver, likely born of an egg from Meraxes. - It's kinda weird that Rhaenys had 0 Valyrian steel artifacts while her siblings both got stuff - Aegon seemingly got two things, even though she was also a dragon rider. I think that the dagger, as presented in the show, was hers and thematically that's kinda nice, makes her a bit of a symbolic nisa nisa figure. It's also super fancy and jewel encrusted which I think matches what we know of Rhaenys's personality. Aegon handing it down to Aenys would make a lot of sense in that context, a sort of promise that it would be their line that would bring about the savior. It would have been sent back by Dorne in that box I assume. - Obviously, she died early - I think Aenys was only like 3 or 4 - so she wasn't around to hatch too many dragons, which is why we don't get more until Rhaena - supposedly Rhaena started the cradle egg tradition by placing them in Jaeherys and Alicent's crib, meaning that Vermithor and Silverwing were always their dragons. You could argue that this is a retcon but the ages for Vermithor and Silverwing actually matches being Jaeherys and Alicent's rather than the twins' eggs. - It's possible that Caraxes and either Grey ghost or Sheep stealer were the twin's cradle eggs, we do know that Aarea (though possibly Rhaela) died at 14 and the other died at 31, having become a septa, and is actually around the time Daemon would have claimed Caraxes. Caraxes was around half Vhargar's age when they all died, so it's quite reasonable for Caraxes to have been hatched around 42 AC (twin's birth year) rather than 71 AC which is around the time Daemon claimed the dragon - Viserra died 87, several years after Daemon would have claimed the dragon. - It's most likely that we'll see about Sunfyre and the younger dragons hatching in HotD, but I would suspect that it's a combo of Rhaenyra being around so many eggs and the constant riding that would have led to so many random dragons hatching out of seemingly nowhere. After the egg incident as seen in the show, it's especially likely that it was Sunfyre who hatched from the stolen egg.

[@samtyler3952]

You’re right about the daemon and caraxes timing, cause caraxes was rode by Aemon Killed by Pirates before he died.

[@saranemcova5448]

I will add that when twin-girls Rhaella and Aerea were born, Rhaenys and Aegon were hiding in Casterly Rock, likely with no dragon eggs to be hatched. Therefore, even if the girls were genetically special and Rhaena was as well, no dragon hatched during their birth. Years later, Rhaena requests returning to Dragonstone And to be reunited with Aerea. While yes, we might just take it as her wainting her own place in her home and her daughter by her side, when she lost the other one to the Faith, we can actually also see it as her 1) wanting to be near dragon eggs, 2) wanting the other special dragonhatcher by her side. We are told she encourages Aerea to become dragonrider. She likely knows that Aerea is special like her. After the horrible tragedies she faces, and being older, she leaves Dragonstone.

[@chrisconnor5418]

here i am, watching punnet square breakdowns of fictional dragon families on youtube. Its 2017

[@Iadad]

Sweet! can't wait. Ty i prefer them long too. 16 mins was perfect hell....go longer if u want. Thanks again!

[@LesterDelaRosa]

+Iadad That's what she said... ;)

[@justinkakuyo9334]

Now that we're on the topic of genetics, there's something odd about Sweetrobin. Since we know that Jon Arryn was a blond in his youth, and Lysa was a redhead, how could Sweetrobin have brown hair? According to Jon Arryn's own "the seed is strong" logic and the trend in the story where children will always resemble at least one parent, something seems odd about Sweetrobin. Just throwing that out there

[@bipbop9858]

+Justin Kakuyo Sweetrobin is Baelish's

[@justinkakuyo9334]

+Bip Bop That would explain why Lysa is so protective of him

[@hint227]

+Justin Kakuyo Yeah, no, Sweetrobin is 110% Bealish's kid. Jon Arryn couldn't have kids of his own, apparently, judging by all the miscarriages. His "seed" was already too old, and Lysa wasn't the best womb in the land either. So, yeah, 110%.

[@MrMiguelForster]

+Justin Kakuyo same reason why my parents have brown hair, and im blonde. genetics isn't that simple

[@justinkakuyo9334]

Miguel Forster For sure, it's just that genetics operate in a pretty peculiar way in this story, and I think it might be an interesting feature of Jon Arryn as a character, being the guy that was able to notice that Cersei's kids are not Robert's but failing to notice the same thing when it came to his own family

[@kevinmoore4237]

Seriously dude - it time for you to write us nice 10-book saga - you've got the tools.

[@Clothy22]

So the short version is that Dany is the first person born with two dragon X genes in a century.

[@PrestonJacobstheSweetrobin]

+Clothy22 True, or at least the first near eggs.

[@Clothy22]

Preston Jacobs Yeah I guess.. Either way she's got to be the first Targaryen in a hundred years with the two dragon genes, seeing as how most of the later ones were obsessed with dragons but never able to hatch any.

[@nathanhargreaves31]

+Clothy22 ....oooo i think you're getting warmer....

[@kharyrobertson3579]

No theme music for the Rogue Prince mention?

[@Alejojojo6]

Rhaenys, the daughter of Jocelyn Baratheon and Aemon DOES NOT hatch the dragon Meleys.... Meleys was already the mount of Alysa Targaryen and when she died, the dragon was claimed by her.

[@Midorikonokami]

*pops in after 6 years* when you remember that one thread of videos, think about it all day and decide to o chores while listening to it as a treat.

[@davidking6242]

This might be my favourite series other than Dornish master plan.

[@MLCMD]

I'm dizzy. "You spin me right round . . ." I've replayed this x 4 now, and I'm still disoriented. Fine work as usual. Love the science, takes me back!

[@jamesrobson4894]

I love this series and it’s a shame Fire and blood rendered a lot of it outdated and incorrect. A new series using what we now know from Fire and Blood would be awesome!

[@rashisti]

Loved this when it first came out. Digging it even more after getting through Princess and The Queen.

[@tysonmindham2986]

Preston you should do a little biography video on yourself, I'd like to know a little about the guy who produces the best vids on KZbin.

[@CABRALFAN27]

Time to do what I always do after a good Preston Jacobs video; Spend a few hours staring at the screen in equal parts admiration for GRRM for creating such a brilliant hidden plotline and making an in-depth family tree to back it up and shock that someone actually discovered it, then go rewatch the video because I didn't actually catch most of what you said the first time around, my mind was too busy melting at the complexity of the UoIaF.

[@nwojunkie]

my head hurts Preston

[@PrestonJacobstheSweetrobin]

+Spellbinder Imagine mine. :)

[@nwojunkie]

***** oh no, i mean this video talking about genes and dragons is waaaaay to complicated for my brain to process

[@Perceptionreflection]

I can already tell this is going to be my favorite theory series so far. Genetics is a passion of mine when writing.

[@Trayanification]

The phrase "Perfectly inbred" was my favorite

[@IchibanOjousama]

Mister Preston, your videos are always such a pleasant surprise. Now excuse me while I take a quick shower and prepare my favorite snacks for this video. Best way to spend a Thursday evening!

[@btevx3]

This is probably one of my favorite videos/theories of yours. It makes a ton of sense and is the kind of detailed insanity I really think GRRM would think of. I do wonder how the faith would know weather or not a particular Targaryen had double dragon X in order to sway succession to pass over them.

[@jamesmcstein6758]

One day when it is all over. I hope we can get an interview between PJ and GRRM. So I just know if GRRM really goes into this much detail or PJ is just bat shit crazy lol

[@EJD339]

I hope it happens considering he js writing fan fiction now for GOT

[@mynocturnallife]

Don't mind me, I'm just back here referencing as I listen to Fire and Blood. With that book being out now, I suspect you'll be getting quite a bit more views on this series. It'll become even more relevant as the prequels come out.

[@timdolinger1352]

I knew this was gunna be super cool when you said "Dragon X", but when you said "Double Dragon X", I got a nosebleed from the intensity from the awesomeness.

[@equinoxomega3600]

I really think you should do an update on this video using the new information of "Fire and Blood" that fills in some of gaps of this theory.

[@bluesuncompanyman]

Eagerly awaiting part 2. In a previous post under "Minds of Wolves and Robins" I mentioned to you that when I saw GRRM way back in 2002 one thing he said about Targaryen genetics was "for as unworthy as Aegon IV was, he is important". I believe the reason why was his mother - Larra Rogare, who was from old Lys and brought fresh valyrian genes. (think of this as making aegon 1/2 inbred targaryen and 1/2 fresh valyrian) And as we know, Aegon loved spreading his genes all over the place and he had a profound number of bastards. GRRM is very focused on genetic science and I believe Aegon's morality was an intentional story point. When Aegon pairs with a female of valyrian decent - like Daena the defiant - the result is a powerful scion, Daemon Blackfyre. Extend to this analysis the fresh Valyrian genetic patterns of Sereni of Lys, astute readers might conclude that Shiera Seastar was an exceptionally powerful woman whose genetics overwhelmed Targaryen inbreeding depression by the injection of fresh genes from her mothers side along with those of her paternal grandmother (think of her as 3/4's fresh and 1/4 inbred). Shiera was likely the closest character in westeros to a storied Valyrian of old. Too bad dragons were dead by the time she was born. But Sereni was rumored to be a witch who was far older than she appeared and these rumors extended to Shiera. And you once proposed that Quaithe might actually be Shiera - her life extended. Could the three heads of the dragon be Dany, Aegon VI, and (gasp) Quaithe? We'll know if Dany notes Quaithe's eyes through her mask and sees one green and one blue. Hopefully you'll mention these things in your next vid. And as always, excellent analysis Preston. You always say you're wrong about 1/2 of the time - but I think you're shooting pretty close to the center of the target.

[@bradybaron900]

The issue I have with the gene for dragon riding being x-linked is the fact that in mammalian females, one x chromosome is innactivated (usually the mutant chromosome) to allow for dosage compensation to not over-express the genes on the x chromosome. This means it is incredibly uncommon for an x-linked trait to be incompletely dominant like the theory suggests. This means that having one dragon riding x chromosome in a female would likely not show any difference in phenotype than someone who has no dragon riding x chromosomes (meaning they would not be able to ride dragons). However, if for some reason the dragon riding x gene also causes an incomplete x inactivation this could be possible, but this could also cause some negative effects in regards to over-expression of sex hormones. Also, if a male contains a mutant x gene, then this causes something called pseudo dominance. Even though the male only has one copy of the mutant gene, he still shows a phenotype as if he had two. The same mechanism can be seen in red-green colorblind individuals ( a disease that more often affects men). However, this can be argued by saying that this causes haplo-insufficence and that, like the video says, two dragon riding x's are required to be a dragon hatcher. But if this is the case, then heterozygous females would likely not be dragon riders because of what I said before about x-inactivation.

[@osirisgem]

You are truly an intellectual and I at first was remiss to see this in your ASOFAF videos, but you have been amazing at demonstrating this. Thank you for opening my eyes to at least what are possibility and ideas.

[@SvenSinclairMusic]

I would love to watch a G.R.R. Martin Reaction video to this just to see his growing confussion from minute to minute. :D

[@mynocturnallife]

Perhaps the book Fire and Blood is in some ways a reaction? I've been listening to it and then referencing this series. From what I can tell, Preston has been at least 90% correct in his theories.

[@miramoses8340]

@@mynocturnallife I have asked Preston to do an updated verson of this based on F&B. Aerea claims Balerion and Saera tries to claim a dragon as well. This does not fit into the puzzle but there must be some sort of explination.

[@SingingSealRiana]

Would not be so sure of that, he is a pro when it comes to historic facts, lines of sucsession and genetics as proven by his use of extensive knowlage like with the dragonbaby deformaties, chimeras and all the other fun stuff ^^

[@colintomlinson4589]

I want.to thank you again for the amount of work you have put into your channel. this series especially, you're attention to detail excellent.

[@orangehunter8011]

Some fans have pointed out another interesting thing about Targaryens- the mad ones are only male.

[@SingingSealRiana]

Where not those only the ones in a position of power so it would become kommen knowlage and where not there insane females to? Some woman jumping of a tower after doing some crazy shit I think I remember but I'm no where sure . . . Other than with Dany going mad, im pretty convinced that is canon, after her father and both of her Brothers did, I'm very convinced it is genetic and there is no way she aint got it at that incest coeficient. The dragons influencing into becoming more prone to race and acting on impuls and without compromise and mercy . . . Realy not helping there But another thing, do we ever seen heatresistance in a male? Viserys and Jon do not have it although both should be dragon riders

[@MelGibsonFan]

Super late to this but men are more aggressive and risk prone, maybe the mad Targaryen males are the ones most likely to externalizations their madness.

[@paulacostrut5338]

I watched this way back when, I think season 4 of the tv show was airing. Just gotten into ASOIAF. And now all these years later IT ALL MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. I loved this seeris, it's definitely crucial for getting me SO into the book saga. Love rewatching it every now and then

[@ryuujinmassatsu1509]

Here's the real conspiracy.. Preston Jacobs IS George R. R. Martin!

[@TaurionMartell]

pffft grrm would never be this obsessed ;)

[@alterperversersackkk]

+Taurion Martell no... grrm is even more obsessed with his work. this kid got nothin on him

[@PuddingAtheist]

+ryuujinmassatsu or he's his son. Maybe he doesn't know about it yet. Preston Jacobs is a Secret Martin.

[@iTzLSDirection]

+A Tree OR George RR Martin warged Preston and does all those theories.

[@garagavia]

+ryuujinmassatsu It is all a stunt to promote his old books... I like it.

[@stephenlyon1358]

I really love your videos mate. I would bet that 90% of the people who run GoT channels haven't read martins earlier stuff and I think you make the point that its important!! Keep up the good work.

[@sophiepettit7051]

The only issue with your logic about the conquerors ability to hatch dragons is that the tradition of putting dragon eggs in Babies cradles was created by Aegons granddaughter, so they probably weren’t given eggs

[@nailsnailsgoodinbed]

thank-you, you always make these so easy to understand without taking down to your audience

[@Redem10]

If there's a gene called Dragon X and Double Dragon X they are the coolest gene ever

[@DeanMurray08]

when I start to think there's nothing else you can bring up.. this comes along.. omfg soooo good!

[@nikilakestani2970]

Hmm so they passed over the women with the dragon hatching abilities everytime, and for some reason they were all named after some variation of the name Rhaenys 🤔🤨

[@NaerysTargaryen26]

Maybe a subtle hint by g rr martin and why dragons were being hatched and by who.

[@isaacmartinez7557]

Dude you are so far ahead of your time. After reading F&B my first thought was to give this a relisten. Spot on for the little info you had at the time

[@joedafrog]

awesome video, awesome research, awesome thoery. JUST FUCKING AWESOME

[@rubalinamiller6307]

Your five part video explanation of the genetics of birthing dragons and being able to ride dragons, I believe, is spot on! I know a lot of people say magic just left the world and came back, but I believe in science and magic in ASOIAF. Your research and understanding of the Targaryan family blood line is very impressive! Thank you! I would love to see more videos like these! Your sense of humor shines through with the Rogue Prince's theme music. Great job!

[@HamCubes]

Back again. I've been thinking about this. I have to point out that if what you propose here were true, then Valyrian women would have been put above or at least equal to the men. I think something like Free Folk bride-stealing would have been common as well as wife-stealing. Sisters would not have to share a husband. Every woman whose mother was an egg-hatcher could demand the son of another egg-hatching mother. The Freehold existed for ~4800 years. I think in that time they would have figured out that women were the only ones who could hatch dragon eggs if that were the case. The dragonlord families were free to sit around all day and plot, think and study magic because they were also slaveholding pigs. I'm certain an egg hatching was noted in their records. I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that the Valyrians understood breeding since they intermarried during their rise and after their fall. Ancient Egyptians bred animals such as cats& birds.

[@radrickdavis]

Thank you so much for this video. It answers so many questions. The genetics theory about dragon riders and dragon hatchers makes way more sense to me than any of the dragon-warging theories about how to create a bond with a dragon.

[@casey9439]

Preston. After a lot of deep dives, I've discovered that the solutions to the following mysteries are intertwined: Why does Barth believe he knows how dragons are created? What happened to Aerea? what injured Balerion? why didn't Balerion breed on Dragonstone? A1: Aerea told him A2: Dragon fertility magic crossfire A3: Another horny dragon A4: Dragons, like turtles, return to breed where they hatched.

[@lifeisbutadreamm]

This video series is so great, so well thought out, and easy to follow and just great great great, I watched this video a while ago, but I didn't see this was only the first in a series, I had to find this video again though because it's just that good and nice to reflect on before season 7 comes out, especially since there's new rumors of a TWOW release date to be coming in spring too, thanks for taking the time and dedication to make these videos, seriously SO GOOD!!!! You're the only person I've seen so far to go into this much research and detail about the genetics of dragon hatching/riding, every true ASoIAF fan should see these.

[@rodneydangerclose6197]

I'm giving a like just because this probably took forever to unravel by yourself. you dont get paid enough lol

[@thisguy8106]

Thank you for the hard work you put into this video. thank you.

[@sophiepettit7051]

So really it’s alysanne and jaehaerys that have the ability to hatch dragon eggs because rhaena put eggs in both their craddles

[@TWJUAN]

luv it!!! you put my mind in a whole other realm with you hypothesis there are levels to this book series that i haven't even considered i knew i love it for a reason cant wait untill part 2.

[@lincolnnoronha4128]

Hey! No bad mouthing my boy Septon Barth! ;)

[@rotellam]

Looking forward to the rest of this. Not sure I agree with this but it's very entertaining to watch.

[@Chiannachan]

Biology has never been as awesome. Just one question: Do dragons need to be hatched? I mean, didn't they live all over the world long before the seven kingdoms without anyone telling them when to hatch?

[@SingingSealRiana]

Not realy, there is clear evidance that dragons are not creatures of nature or at least where changed greatly to creat the bond between Valerians and dragons. If there where natural dragons they no longer seam to exist and if there was a way for them to hatch in nature, than there was some conditionen needed no one seams to remember/no longer acessable

[@josiahdavistv1216]

@@SingingSealRiana my theory is that the dragon lords of old valyria did somthing to them self to bound with dragon if you think about it some targeryen and verlaryrion somtime have birth to dragon like babies with wing fangs and scale

[@TheBaxHead]

Dude! You're a genius.. I said 'woah' like 5 times in this video... Thanks for doing what you do, you've made this already awesome book series even better for me..

[@dustinallison11]

What about the Dragon riders Hugh Hammer and Ulf since they are likely low born bastard sons or the decedents of bastards who were low born? They go against it being a sex related gene and more likely a Co dominant or a recessive gene.

[@FargotUr]

There is no single day that i dont check if you post videos dude. Damn you can back everything up you can think of. I bet you could easily even convince me that doran martel is the dusky woman , i would still think it possible

[@hpanandikar]

Small problem Preston. At 7.15 you say that Visenya rode Meraxes; I thought she rode Vhagar. You might have meant Rhaenys rode Meraxes and that Visenya and Aegon claimed older dragons.

[@PrestonJacobstheSweetrobin]

+Himanshu Panandikar Yeah, I fucked up. Visenya definitely rode Vhagar and Rhaenys Meraxes.

[@LaborVoicesInc]

+Preston Jacobs how does genetics play a role in a group or people aligning with either annihilation vs. assimilation? Do you think george will resolve this explicitly in ASOIAF, and do you think this explicit acknowledgement is necessary for him to make his overall point of what ASOIAF is really all about?

[@erinsharp5941]

I love your videos, and this is my favorite so far. So detailed, perceptive, plausible, and cool! Bravo and thank you! Looking fwd to hearing more on this fascinating topic.

[@lordstark52]

So by this logic if R+L=J and A+J=T are both true than neither Jon or Tyrion would have the capability of being dragon riders since they would have received the Y gene from their fathers and neither of their mothers were Targaryen.

[@dhskinny3]

Great video. Going deeper and deeper into that rabbit hole.

[@pikkdogs]

They say that the Ghost of High Heart can listen to the Weirwoods, well I say that Preston can listen to GRRM's thoughts. You are a genius sir, thank You.

[@Hybridtheory2007]

One of your better recent videos. Looking forward to the forthcoming parts.

[@Alejojojo6]

Aerea died and Rhaella was made a septa so she didnt reproduce. How do you explain Jaehaerys and Alysanne being dragon hatchers if Jaehaerys only has 1 X chromosome. How would Saera be bond with Grey Ghost and not take the dragon with her as she fled to lys???

[@sflr38]

I need the rest of the theory! Please Preston. We're going crazy with anticipation.

[@HamCubes]

Very ambitious of you, Preston! But: I really wish you had noted the dragon-hatching on the female allosome as X^d instead of a white or red X. That's what makes a Punnet square easy to read. I don't relish having to do Punnet squares in my leisure. I agree that if it is actually genetic and not magic, and if it's on an allosome, not an autosome, it'd be from mothers. I think the Y only codes for

[@robpalmer3490]

+AeroDoe By saying "it's magic", does that not make it much easier to explain?

[@HamCubes]

+Robert Palmer The magic I'm hoping is the cause is one where certain conditions are met, including a special place at a special time with special sacrifice. Arcane in the traditional sense, not as a type of magic Blood Elves are born with, or mages train in. (Druids have Moonfire which I think is also arcane magic--not relevant!) Magic that is exceptionally rare, that is incredibly powerful and complicated; that is perhaps never wholly understood by people in the books but might be partially explained to readers. If GRRM ever explains it, I think he would give us two competing views (like Marwyn versus Samwell) and let the reader decide. But I don't think he would write one paragraph having Sam stating, "The dragons were hatched using magic, but that's all I know." GRRM wouldn't do that because that's bad storytelling! He would have Sam comparing an ancient manuscript's explanation with what Sam and others witnessed. And Marwyn having different but equally compelling ideas.

[@lukeh6671]

so excited to watch this, such a great new topic!

[@robertmaybeth3434]

I finally understand why GRR takes so long for every book...he's writing a book for the ages! You could spend months trying to unravel all the aspects of WOIAF and still not come up with half the ideas you have OP. GRR isn't just writing a story he's weaving an entire world.

[@Esscarra]

This is a very interesting video! I'll have to rewatch it a few times. Can't wait till the next one and keep these type of videos coming Mr. Jacobs!!

[@nohashtagshere4116]

With fire and blood out maybe this video needs an update?

[@robbiedubes]

this series made me love preston

[@Kenpwnage]

I wonder why Dragons need anyone to hatch their eggs. I mean, how did they survive before Valyrians?

[@robpalmer3490]

+Jack McDowell Maybe they were...created? I know that seems like a stretch, but it makes sense through the lens of the Theta Hypothesis. In fact, I'd been trying to see how the dragons fit in there. Thanks!

[@SingingSealRiana]

Yeah, they are no beeing of nature, created just like the others most probable.the disputed lands made a great series about that. Explaining the dragonbabys found in Tagaryens, the wierd wyrmlike hatchling that attacked the babe that hatched it starting with the parasites that killed the runaway princess in a fiver that had her smokeing.

[@Moshbearpig]

This is my favorite theory series thus far!

[@fenzelian]

The seed is strong.

[@hartjohnson2975]

Love how you've puzzled this together.

[@SilverSon87]

Who was Smaug hatched by? I think you left him out.

[@nHautamaki]

+RiceDuke I assume Morgoth. Smaug didnt' seem to be under the control of Sauron at any time and certainly Sauron would have loved to recruit Smaug for the War of the Last Alliance if it were possible.

[@SilverSon87]

Nic Hautamaki Hmm, Morgoth must have been Valyrian and Valar

[@forsakenquery]

+Nic Hautamaki It is implied but not explicit that "Giant Winged Fire Drakes", the species of 'dragon' that Smaug is, are capable of very slow natural reproduction. Only Glaurung and Ancalgon the Black are specifically raised by Morgoth.

[@Tinfoilpain]

+RiceDuke Valar Valyr... Valyria is the old remains of Valinor! Half-life 3 confirmed...

[@thehobowizard]

Gabe and GRRM are the same person! Never been seen at the same place and time, same round shape, both love delaying releases, and both like POV stories! It all adds up

[@skyedeegirl]

Part 2 cannot come soon enough. I'm so excited!!

[@scarletibis3158]

Excellent video. Mitochondrial dna is what keeps popping up in my head PJ. only passed by women, and a foreign DNA that was fused with ours millenias ago. EVE

[@PrestonJacobstheSweetrobin]

+LaDonna Louise That is a cool idea!

[@thesingularity063000]

+LaDonna Louise That is a cool idea although it could make his theory fall apart quickly as all offspring from a woman inherit the same DNA and it is always expressed. Mendelian works better I think with the dominant and recessive traits.

[@easports8009]

Preston, you are sick bro! Good God man. The breakdowns are insane! Thanks for taking the time, right or wrong!

[@atro-city]

Hey ! You better get to how R+L=D is true if Dany is a hatcher. Lyanna didn't have the dragon X gene, did she ? Omg, you're gonna prove somehow that Lyanna had the Dragon X gene, aren't you ?

[@sflr38]

Still checking every couple hours for part 2. Hoping it will be soon.

[@dixpixincorporated360]

As long as Jon Snow isn't mentioned at all in this series, I'll be fine.

[@memerick420]

+DixPix Incorporated There was a quote by him featured in the video :^)

[@dixpixincorporated360]

+Maverick DUDE STOP IM GETTING TRIGGERED RN

[@salame2693]

ismail Cem Eroglu Mixed race people are actually more likely to have autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis due to a phenomenon known as outbreeding depression. Simply put, the greater the genetic distance between two individuals, the greater the incompatibility of their alleles. Here is the reality. The greater the genetic distance between two individuals, the greater is the incompatibility of their alleles. The mating of people with dissimilar genes often results in health problems in the offspring due to the failure of genetically-programmed incompatible biochemical or physiological pathways, a phenomenon known as "outbreeding depression." Mismatched alleles in mongrels often leads to autoimmune diseases, such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis, where the immune system inherited from one parent attacks the proteins made from the other parent's DNA. There are rearrangements, inversions, and duplications in the human genome that differ among the races and may cause incompatibility. There are also some non-genetic costs of race-mixing, such as cultural incompatibility and the spread of a disease that one of the parent populations is immune to but the other is not.

[@joeycolletti2188]

These videos are the bomb. Keep up the good work Preston

[@umwha]

Speaking of genetics, I hope you will talk about the genetics of the dragons themselves. Namely, how are so many color variants possible for a single bloodline of dragons? I think that since dragons are dependant on humans to reproduce, this points to dragons not being a natural species. I think dragons are made from stone, like golems. Heres how its done, carve an egg shape out of obsidian ore, put jewels on it, sacrifice life to hatch it and voila a dragon. Hear me out- we already know that jewels have magic properties, and the jewels that are put on the egg become the colouration of the dragon. This is why the colours of danys eggs match the color of the dragon. Unnatural. WAIT THERES MORE. Dragons are literally stone and fire made flesh. This explains why dragons skeletons look like they are are made of obsidian, they are described as being like black glass . This also explains the valyrian affinity with volcanoes. The valyrians mined the 14 flames because they needed jewels and obsidian to make dragons. This is also why the targaryens chose dragons stone to live, because of its volcanic activity, they need the materials. I alo propse that the reason dragons are obligate carnivores is not because of their digestive systems, its because they need a living sacrifice to grow. This is why dragons continue to grow. The life and blood of their food sustains them. I think theyre like weirwoods, in that they have like a merged consciousness thing going on with the souls of the things they eat. This also explains dragonstone. It is said to have been built by valyrian magic stone masonry techniques, but I think the dragon statues are actually dragons who have died of starvation and cooled back into obsidian. Someone better read all this or im gonna be fuckin pissed.

[@ktoth29]

This is more in the realm of conventional fantasy than the vein of dark horse sci fi that Preston is exploring but I like it. Their are pyromancers and ice wielders and other elemental magics, why not stone. There is a lot in the books to support your ideas, and nothing I know of to disprove it. Good detective work.

[@umwha]

OMG SOMEONE READ IT YAY

[@sblack4951]

Good theory! Though dragons do reproduce (otherwise you would need to carve dragon eggs out of stone all the time!). The history also states that they were present in Old Valyria before the Targaryens came to rule it. Then again, no one really knows how the whole dragon-human connection works so anything is possible! Oh... Another theory came to mind.. Apart from Targaryen genetics the dragon hatching may also need sacrifice. Which would explain why some dragon eggs have not hatched even though they were around a particular person who, in theory, should have had the genetics for it to hatch.

[@ktoth29]

I have often thought that the tower of joy had something to do with blood sacrifice; that would explain why the kingsgaurd were outside the tower to prevent anyone from going in.

[@sblack4951]

good point. though lyanna did die giving birth to whoever her child was (jon snow or daenerys). and the tower of joy was brought down as well.. (stone dragon?) on another note joanna lannister also died giving birth to tyrion lannister (if he is a targaryen with his mismatched eyes and white-blonde hair.. and we all know aerys fascination with joanna) and if rhaella was daenery's mother she also died giving birth to her. 3 sacrifices, 3 dragons. the dragon needs 3 heads.

[@andycropp6287]

Preston this is brilliant. I will now have to do some homework and study the rest of the Targaryan tree and try and work out what you will predict in part two.

[@rodrigopacheco12]

meh, im sorry but I really cant follow you on this theory, the idea i get from the books is that dragons arent that magical at all, and are basically animals that can be tamed if you know the art( Valyrians). They used Horns to bind them to their will, by fire and blood magic.Also, I believe Dany just got lucky that Mir Maz Duur was chanting some spell while she died in fire. Not to mention this talk of genes completely destroys the sense of mystery and magic George worked so hard to build. Of course this all ties up with your belief that the story is actually a sci fi one set in an apocalyptic future, which I firmly disagree with.

[@MrCookie0510]

I agree with you.

[@matthewleberknight3976]

+Hattori Hanzo I agree that our author probably didn't consciously write the series secretly set in a post-apocalyptic multi-world universe, but he was mostly a science fiction writer before this series and does draw heavily from his earlier works, so I think most of what Preston Jacobs says makes sense and at the end of the day he's really just thinking as much like GRRM as any of us can and proposing what he might have written if he'd thought it all out from the beginning.

[@robpalmer3490]

+Hattori Hanzo I don't see why this theory can't stand on its own apart from the Hrangan and Theta Hypotheses. Why does talking about genetics destroy the "sense of mystery and magic" GRRM has worked to build? I think you might have a little case of willful ignorance here. Genetics is a huge part of the first book and every book since. George has even stated (Preston linked one video below) that he likes things to be scientifically correct, since he wrote science fiction for 15 years. I think you want ASOIAF to fit neatly into what you consider to be fantasy, but that's not what Martin does. He is a self-stated trope-breaker. Saying "it's just magic" ignores so many of the hints Martin drops throughout his books. That's just...meh.

[@MercurialStatic]

+Robert Palmer Martin said that magic exists in the asoiaf universe though. The willful ignorance comes from Preston Jacobs and his viewers who ignore all the other textual evidence, and prefer to connect dots that were never meant to be connected. So many of his quotes and theories are devoid of legitimate context and rely on the viewers suspension of disbelief.

[@ffejpsycho]

+MercuriallyStatic But it's fun to speculate, until all the pieces fall.

[@filipeneves8483]

Really nice, it's always a pleasure seeing this videos. I'm especially interested in your science fiction approach on the Song of Ice and Fire it's very much in tune with my own theories. Keep coming this videos.

[@thisguy8106]

Please. please.... a faceless men video from your perspective. I'm begging you, literally. lol

[@sflr38]

You finally cracked the dragon code!! Well done.

[@sayantanm2]

But but Khal Drogo rode a dragon .....

[@PrestonJacobstheSweetrobin]

+Sayantan Mondal Good one. :)

[@tomik524]

Your videos are one of the most interesting and well-developped I've seen. Amazing to follow your train of thoughts. Now, to make it clear, I don't believe most of what you say is correct as I don't think Martin has ever even thought about many of these. That being said, I love watching these and have great fun straining my brain to follow all the crazy shit you come up with. Keep it up, please, you're doing a great job :)