Introduction

Is the Battle of Trident, which determined the outcome of Roberto Rebellion, based on Chaoskamf Myth? An analysis of both the event and the meaning and origin of the myth points to this direction.

To share my thought process, I have arranged my write-up into five sections.  The sixth section although connected to the mythos provides us with an interesting point of views.

Ψ The first section will focus on Robert Baratheon’s family history & his weapon War Hammer.

Ψ The second section will section touches on Rhaegar Targaryen’s family history. It will also cover the description of Rhaegar’s at Trident.

Ψ The third section focuses on events that lead to Robert Rebellion and the final battle between  Storm King and Dragon Prince.

Ψ The Fourth concentrates on the origin & development of Chaoskamf Myth

Ψ The Fifth focuses on the connection between Trident and Chaoskamf Myth, specifically about Thor and Jormungandr.

History of House Baratheon

Orys Baratheon, the rumoured bastard brother of Aegon Targaryen, defeated the last Storm King Argillac the Arrogant and married his daughter Argella of House Durrandon.

Storm Kings trace their lineage to the legendary hero Durran Godsgrief. When Orys Baratheon married into House Durrandon, Orys kept both the sigil and words of House Durrandon –  “Ours is Fury” and the sigil of a Stag.

The legends surrounding the founder of House Durrandon, Durran Godsgrief, all come to us through the singers. The songs tell us that Durran won the heart of Elenei, daughter of the sea god and the goddess of the wind. By yielding to a mortal’s love, Elenei doomed herself to a mortal’s death, and for this the gods who had given her birth hated the man she had taken for her lord husband. In their wroth, they sent howling winds and lashing rains to knock down every castle Durran dared to build, until a young boy helped him erect one so strong and cunningly made that it could defy their gales. The boy grew to be Brandon the Builder; Durran became the first Storm King. With Elenei at his side, he lived and reigned at Storm’s End for a thousand years, or so the stories claim. 

Martin, George R. R.; Garcia, Elio; Antonsson, Linda. The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire)

Although we need to take these stories with a pinch of salt, what is true is that House Durrandon members call themselves Storm-Kings.

The Weapon used by Robert Baratheon during Battle of Trident was a  War Hammer. Here is a brief description of the weapons:

In his youth Robert Baratheon was a paragon of a man, stronger and larger than most others on the battlefield. His chosen weapon was a war hammer of such immense size his friend Ned Stark could not wield it. The hammer was forged by Donal Noye while he was still the smith at Storm’s End, and Robert’s prowess with it was legendary. In tournaments he was never much for jousting, preferring a melee where he could bludgeon his opponents senseless.

George RR Martin (http://www.georgerrmartin.com/grrm_merch/king-roberts-warhammer/)

History of House Targaryen

There are several theories put forth as to how the dragonlords of Valyria become dragon riders.

In such fragments of Barth’s Unnatural History as remain, the septon appears to have considered various legends examining the origins of dragons and how they came to be controlled by the Valyrians. The Valyrians themselves claimed that dragons sprang forth as the children of the Fourteen Flames, while in Qarth the tales state that there was once a second moon in the sky. One day this moon was scalded by the sun and cracked like an egg, and a million dragons poured forth. In Asshai, the tales are many and confused, but certain texts— all impossibly ancient— claim that dragons first came from the Shadow, a place where all of our learning fails us. These Asshai’i histories say that a people so ancient they had no name first tamed dragons in the Shadow and brought them to Valyria, teaching the Valyrians their arts before departing from the annals. 

Martin, George R. R.; Garcia, Elio; Antonsson, Linda. The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire)

Whatever the speculation of their origin, we know for a fact that Targaryen’s were the last DragonLords of Freehold of Valyria, who escaped the Doom.

The weapon used by Rhaegar Targaryen during the Battle of Trident – There is no mention of the weapons the Dragon Prince carried. Although we can speculate it could be Valyrian Steel.  More noteworthy is the ruby encrusted Red Dragon on his plate chest.

Robert Rebellion Ultimate Goal – Restoration of Order

We can claim with some level of certainty that Rhaegar’s abduction ( elopement) of Lyanna plunged the Seven Kingdoms into chaos. In the span of a year, North had lost both Rickard and Brandon Stark, and Aerys had demanded that Jon Arryn send him back the heads of Lords of Winterfell and Storms End. Jon Arryn raising his banner to protect both his proteges primarily holds. However, there was also an underlying layer of wanting to get rid of an unstable and dangerous King and replace him with someone who could be perceived to restore order. The person to reset the order was obviously Robert Baratheon ( Baratheon Targaryen bloodline) and hence the name Robert Rebellion.

Chaoskampf Myth – Origin & Development

Chaoskamf is a German word. It is defined as a struggle against chaos. Chaoskamf Myth, according to scholars, is the battle between a Storm God and a Sea Serpent or dragon, who represents primordial chaos. After The Storm-God wins against the dragon/sea serpent, he goes on to create a new world.

The myth of a Storm God fighting a Sea Serpent is itself a popular mythic trope potentially originating with the Proto-Indo-European religion and later transmitted into the religions of the Ancient Near East most likely initially through interaction with Hittite speaking peoples into Syria and the Fertile Crescent.This motif, known as chaos Kampf represents the clash between order and chaos. Often as these myths evolve from their source, the role of the storm god (himself often the head of a pantheon) is adopted by culture heroes or a personage symbolizing royalty.

So the original myth pertained to (older and younger gods) deities, but soon evolved to incorporate human or half human heroes, in place of storm-god. The story was adapted from the location of its origin ( Ancient Persia region) to other parts of the world and evolved over time. 

Indo-European examples of this mythic trope include Thor vs. Jörmungandr (Norse), Tarhunt vs. Illuyanka (Hittite), Indra vs. Vritra (Vedic), Fereydun vs. Aži Dahāka (Avestan), and Zeus vs. Typhon (Greek) among others.

Battle of Trident – War Between Storm King and Dragon Prince

As has been established, according to Chaoskampf Theory, there is an eternal struggle between order and chaos. In the Indo-European examples,  this is expressed as a battle between Storm and Dragon God.

Φ The order is represented by the Storm God

Φ Chaos is represented by Serpent or Dragon

I am unsure if GRRM meant to incorporate the chaoskampf myth. However, George Martin is a fan of Michael Moorcock, the author of the famous Elric of Melniboné series. The theme of the Elric series is the eternal conflict between chaos & order and the hero’s journey to restore order.

The battle between Storm Lord and Dragon Price – Evidence

⇒  I have already established Robert can trace his lineage to Durran Godsgrief the First Storm King and Elenei, the daughter of Goddess of Wind and God of Ocean. Also, Orys Baratheon, who defeated the last Storm King Argillac married his daughter and incorporated both the sigil and words of the House thus retaining the identity of House Durrandon. Rhaegar’s lineage to Dragons is very well established. Hence, when they meet at Trident, it is a war symbolically between a House that is symbolically associated with Storm and Dragons, thus representing order and chaos.

⇒  The second evidence establishing similarities between Chaoskamf mythos and Battle of Trident is the weapon War Hammer used by Robert to kill Rhaegar. One example of this mystic trope is the war between Thor and Jörmungandr in Norse mythology. In the story on the day of Ragnarok, Thor, the storm god wields the hammer Mjölnir and defeats Jormungandr. 

Thor & Jormungandr  – Summary of the Story

Jormungand also called the “Midgard Serpent ” is a snake or dragon that lives in the ocean that surrounds Midgard, the visible world. So enormous is he that his body forms a circle around the entirety of Midgard. He’s one of the three children of Loki and the giantess Angrboda, along with Hel and Fenrir. Thor and Jormungand have several encounters, where no decisive victor emerges. The last meeting between the Serpent and Thor is predicted to occur at Ragnarök when Jörmungandr comes out of the ocean and poison the sky. Thor will kill Jörmungandr and then walk nine paces before falling dead, having been poisoned by the serpent’s venom.

Conclusion 

The Battle of Trident represents the central theme of the Chaoskamf Mythos of the primordial battle between order and chaos. 

**Interestingly Storm God also comes up in the context of Iron Islands and the God’s conflict with Drowned God. I thought the Drowned God was a sea monster, but that is not the case. The Drowned God helped Grey King slay Nagga who the Sea Monster.

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