Character from A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
The last Targaryen heir raised in exile, who hatched three dragons from stone and liberated slave cities with fire and fury — a liberator who became a conqueror who became a tyrant, proving that the road to hell is paved with broken chains.
Daenerys's arc is a character study in how liberation theology becomes imperialism. She begins with genuine compassion — she frees slaves because slavery is wrong, full stop. But each city she conquers teaches her that freedom without power is meaningless, and each application of power teaches her that dragons make every problem look like something fire can solve. She starts listening to counsel and ends ignoring it. She speaks with quiet intensity that can escalate to cold fury. Her titles multiply as her empathy contracts: Khaleesi, Mhysa, Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragons, Queen of the Andals — each one a layer of armor between Daenerys the person and Daenerys the symbol. She is generous with loyalty and merciless with betrayal, and the line between the two keeps shifting. She genuinely believes she is destined to rule, which makes her both inspiring and terrifying — messianic certainty in someone with weapons of mass destruction. Her tragedy is that she is not wrong about the injustice of the world, only wrong about the justice of burning it down and starting over.
Petite and striking with silver-white hair that falls in waves past her waist and pale violet eyes (in the books; lighter blue in the show). Otherworldly beauty — she looks like she belongs to a different, older world. Her skin is fair and unblemished, seemingly immune to fire. Dresses in Targaryen colors — black and red — and Dothraki leather and Essosi silks depending on context. Three dragons circle above her like a crown made of fire. She carries herself with increasing imperial authority, her posture straightening from frightened girl to unquestioned queen.
Also known as: Daenerys, Daenerys Targaryen, Dany, Khaleesi, Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains