Three things we learned during the first episode of House of the Dragon — including that dream
Paddy Considine as King Viserys in House of the Dragon.
We are reminded from the beginning that the events of House of the Dragon take place “172 years before Daenerys Targaryen”. What at first seemed a sentimental touchstone for GOT fans soon took on more importance as Viserys tells Rhaenyra the Targaryen family secret: when their ancestor Aegon the Conquerer, the unifier of the Seven kingdoms, left Old Valerya, it was after he had a dream.
“Aegon foresaw the end of the world of men. It's to begin with a terrible winter, gusting out of the distant North,” Viserys explains. “Aegon saw absolute darkness riding on those winds, and whatever dwells within will destroy the world of the living. When this great winter comes, Rhaenyra, all of Westeros must stand against it.
“And if the world of men is to survive, a Targaryen must be seated on the Iron Throne. A King or Queen, strong enough to unite the realm against the cold and the dark. Aegon called his dream 'The Song of Ice and Fire’.” Almost 200 years before the White Walkers moved on Westeros, the Targaryens knew they were coming.
Rhaenyra Targaryen is the only surviving child of her father, King Viserys Targaryen. We see her mother die in a gruesome childbirth, with a baby boy dying just hours later. Viserys’ headstrong brother, Daemon, is his named heir for much of the episode, and with the birth of a son presumed, he looks set to move down the line of succession.
Rhaenyra is overlooked as a potential Queen, with the King’s counsel immediately shutting down the suggestion when discussing the future of the Iron Throne. In the episode’s opening scene, we see Viserys named his grandfather’s heir over his cousin, Rhaenys.
Despite tradition, the grieving Viserys summons his only child and names her his heir instead, with his kingdom swearing loyalty to the future queen. But will the kingdom and Prince Daemon allow a woman to sit on the Iron Throne?
From the moment Rhaenyra appears on screen with her dragon, the family resemblance is uncanny. She is the spitting image of Daenerys Targaryen, played by Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones. From her ice silver hair and its ornate braiding to her style of clothing, there is no denying the (admittedly concentrated) blood of the Dragon in this family.
Similarly, Targaryens are easy to spot in a crowd. While we only ever dealt with two silver-haired Targaryens at a time (Daenerys and her brother Viserys) in GOT, there is an entire heirarchy of them in House of the Dragon. We see King Viserys’ predecessor, King Jaehaerys, his cousin, Rhaenys, his brother, Daemon, his wife, Aemma, and his daughter Rhaenyra and all have the same almost-white hair colour,
