The first episode of House of the Dragon was rich in twists and revelations. In particular, he explained a mythical prophecy from Game of Thrones.
Warning, spoilers. It is advisable to have seen the first episode of the House of the Dragon series before continuing to read this article.
The long-awaited first spin-off of Game Of Thrones has finally started its broadcast with the posting of its inaugural episode on OCS in France. And this first chapter of House of the Dragonwhich chronicles the beginnings of the fall of the Targaryen family, was rich in revelations.
Fans of Game of Thrones were particularly entitled to a light on the title of the literary saga of George RR Martin entitled “A Song of Ice and Fire” in its original version. The origins of this famous song is therefore a prophecy explained by King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) to his daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) the end of the first episode of House of the Dragon.
The Song of Ice and Fire
The history of the Targaryens is made of prophecies and premonitory dreams, some with a major stake. Their ancestor Aegon the Conqueror not only wanted to take over Westeros and rule the Seven Kingdoms for power but because he had an important vision. He saw “the end of men” :
“It will begin with a terrible winter that will roll in from the far North. Aegon has seen darkness ride the winds. What lurks in that darkness will destroy the world of the living. When that winter comes, all of Westeros must rise against it.
For man to survive, there needs to be a Targaryen on the Iron Throne. A king or queen able to unite the kingdom against cold and darkness. This dream is the song of ice and fire. It’s a secret passed down from king to heir since Aegon.”
HBO
So Aegon had a vision of the threat of the White Walkers hundreds of years before that catastrophic event that we see in Game of Thrones. And Robert Baratheon’s rebellion and his conquest of the Iron Throne broke the chain of Targaryen rule. Since Daenerys and her brother Viserys were only children at the time, they could not learn of this prophecy.
Game of Thrones proved that the return of a Targaryen to Westeros and her dragons is crucial in the fight against the White Walkers. But there’s also the involvement of another Targaryen, named Aegon (Jon Snow’s real name), who was major in saving the men.
This first episode of House of the Dragon gives another dimension to the song of ice and fire, which fans also saw as the union of a Stark and a Targaryen in the person of Jon Snow, son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. The latter also saw in his son “the promised prince, the song of ice and fire”.
And the singing explanation was validated by George RR Martin, as confirmed by coshowrunner Ryan Condal at polygon : “The origin of this prophecy comes from [Martin]. He told us very early on in the process, he just casually mentioned that Aegon the Conqueror was a dreamer who had a vision of the White Walkers walking through the wall and sweeping the land with cold and darkness. […] So with his permission, of course, we infused that into the story because it was a great way to resonate with the original series.”
Screenshot / HBO / OCS
Incidentally, when speaking this prophecy to Rhaenyra, King Viserys I is holding a Valyrian steel dagger. And this dagger is not just any dagger since it appears in Game of Thrones! This weapon, which belonged to the Targaryen family, nearly killed Bran Stark in Season 1 during an assassination attempt and ended up in the possession of Lord Baelish who then gifted it to Bran years later.
But the latter preferred to give it to Arya Stark and it is with this dagger that the young Stark killed Lord Baelish but also the Night King, leader of the White Walkers, in the last season. Game of Thrones fans should expect more insights and solved mysteries in House of the Dragon, after this major reveal in the first episode of the spin-off.
PODCAST – Game of Thrones and Squid Game: meeting with the French voice of Tyrion and 456:
The entire Game of Thrones series is still available on OCS.