Other Daenerys Parallels
The Mother of Dragons is our first reference to the House Targaryen and the series even opens with the title screen that reads “173 years before Daenerys Targaryen”.
While watching the series, viewers have noticed many similarities between Daenerys and Rhaenyra Targaryen, and we’re not just talking about their physical resemblance. They’re both confident dragon riders with a strong desire to rule, Rhaenyra’s claim that she’ll “create a new order” once she’s the queen is reminiscent of Daenerys’s iconic quote, “I’m not going to stop the wheel, I’m going to break the wheel.”
The Iron Throne
The Iron Throne is one of the most iconic symbols of Game of Thrones and bringing it back for the prequel series was a no-brainer. Fans quickly noticed its design looked quite different, but George R.R. Martin gave it his seal of approval and said it fits his original vision.
HOTD co-showrunner Ryan J. Condal also felt the change was necessary because HOTD depicts a different time. “What we wanted to do is honor that, but also tell the story of a more decadent time, and also communicate that 200 years has passed. If you look very closely, you’ll see that the original throne is there,” he told Vanity Fair.
Fireproof Targaryens
House of the Dragon features a scene where King Viserys holds his hand over the candles for a suspiciously long period of time. This scene once again sparked the debate about Targaryens’ fireproof nature and it pays a subtle tribute to Game of Thrones.
You probably recall Daenerys’ iconic quote “fire cannot kill a dragon” and the fact she walked out of the funeral pyre unburnt. Some believed this proves she’s fireproof, like all Targaryens, but it’s more likely she survived thanks to the blood magic.
Daemon’s Gift
Daemon Targaryens treats most people with disdain, but he has a soft spot for Rhaenyra. This became pretty obvious when he gifted her a Valyrian steel necklace, made from one of the most precious materials in the realm.
Rhaenyra remarks it’s made from Valyrian steel “like Dark Sister”, and it’s not the first time we’ve heard this name. Dark Sister is a famous sword that’s been in the Targaryen family for generations and it was briefly mentioned by Arya in Game of Thrones, but it never made a physical appearance.
Story of Nymeria
Rhaenyra and Arya obviously share a love for old tales from the rich history of Westeros and the tale of Nymeria seems to be their favorite. When Alicent calls Rhaenyra out for not dedicating herself to her studies, she effortlessly recites the tale of the brave warrior queen Nymeria.
Arya Stark shared Rhaenyra’s appreciation for Nymeria and she even went so far as to name her direwolf after the brave queen who fled from Essos to Dorne with 10,000 ships and burned them all down so no one could return home.
Gold Cloaks
Daemon’s gold cloak is one of the best strikes of genius that costume designers for HOTD came up with and it’s not there by coincidence. He actually serves as a Commander of the City’s Watch, commonly known as the Gold Cloaks.
Daemon is shown ruling over them with an iron fist and using them for his own gain, but they weren’t expected to become a dangerous force before he took charge. He was sent to the City Watch as a way to be stopped from playing a major role in the King’s council, but this plan backfired big time.
Second Maegor
It’s pretty clear that many people in Westeros aren’t keen on Prince Daemon and his violent nature. Otto Hightower seems to be one of his bitter rivals and one of the comments that the Hand of the King made about him made it pretty clear that he only sees the worst in him.
Hightower says that Daemon “would be a second Maegor” if he was to sit on the Iron Throne. This is a clear reference to the Maegor the Cruel, who’s remembered as one of the most menacing and cruel kings in Westerosi history, after killing everyone who stood in his way as he ascended to the Iron Throne.
Dragon Hatching
Queen Aemma’s childbirth scene was one of the most controversial parts of the HOTD pilot episodes. Her pregnancy came to such a bitter end that you’ve probably forgotten everything that came before it, including one subtle GOT reference.
While taking a bath, Queen Aemma told King Viserys, “After this miserable pregnancy, I wouldn’t be surprised if I hatch an actual dragon.” This is a clear reference to Daenerys, who became known as the “Mother of Dragons” after emerging from fire with baby dragons she’s hatched.
Dragonpit Undamaged
House of the Dragon features many more dragons than Game of Thrones ever did and they were kept within the large domed castle known as Dragonpit. We only got to see its ruins in the original series, but HOTD takes place two centuries earlier when Dragonpit is still in its full glory.
There’s no guarantee it will stay in its current shape until the end of the series. It was largely destroyed during the storming of the Dragonpit, one of the pivotal events of the Dance of the Dragons.
Second Sons
After King Viserys refuses to form an alliance with Lord Corlys Velaryon by marrying his daughter, he decided to form a pact with his brother Daemon instead. He suggests they should unite because they’re “the realm’s second sons”.
If this phrase rings the bell, it’s because it also serves as the name of a Game of Thrones episode where Sansa Stark marries Tyrion Lannister, another famous second son. This was also the name of a mercenary group the Second Sons and Daario Naharis was one of its members.
Balerion’s Skull
Balerion went down in history as the greatest Targaryen dragon who ever lived and it once belonged to Aegon the Conqueror. It was known by the nickname the Black Dread and its gigantic head was displayed in the Red Keep during one of the HOTD scenes.
This wasn’t the first time we’ve seen him, since he’s been repeatedly mentioned and shown in Game of Thrones, most notably when Cersei and Jaime tried to escape the Red Keep during the Battle of King’s Landing.
King Viserys’s Dagger
Balerion’s skull wasn’t the only object to make an appearance in both shows. The same can be said about King Viserys’ Valyring steel dagger, one of the most important weapons in the Seven Kingdoms.
The dagger went through many hands over the years and it once belonged to Aegon the Conqueror, before coming into the possession of the House Stark in later years. Arya Stark eventually became its owner and used it to kill the Night King during the Battle of Winterfell.
Costume Details
Epic fantasy shows always feature spectacular costumes and House of the Dragon is no different. The colors that characters are wearing can often tell you which house they belong to because they’re using their clothes to express their allegiance.
“It’s such a time of high decadence and peace and wealth and prosperity for the realm. Everybody would really festoon themselves in their house colors and be proud of them as they marched into the tournament,” showrunner Ryan Condal told Insider.
Alicent’s First King
Alicent Hightower is shaping out to be one of the show’s most hated characters, but the writers tried to make her a little bit more sympathetic by making it clear that her father pushed her into getting close to King Viserys and eventually becoming his wife.
One thing that viewers probably don’t know is that Viserys isn’t the first Targaryen king she got close to. She was previously a constant companion of Jaehaerys I Targaryen, who passed away while she was reading to him. The true nature of their relationship remains a mystery, but he often mistook her for his daughters, especially Princess Saera.
House Hightower
Many names of Westerosi houses we get to hear while watching HOTD sound familiar, but how about House Hightower? Despite being one of the most powerful houses in the prequel series, it seems its influence weakened in the years to come.
In Game of Thrones, this house is mentioned on occasion, and its seat is located in the great city of Oldtown. Leyton Hightower serves as the head of the house during this time. Other members of the family mentioned in the series are Ser Jorah Mormont’s estranged wife Lynesse Hightower and Mace Tyrell’s wife Alerie Hightower.
17 Dragons
Dragons are one of the things that Game of Thrones is best remembered for, despite the fact it only featured three of these fire-breathing creatures. Its prequel series takes things up a notch—it’s called House of the Dragon and it features a total of 17 dragons!
If you expect to see them all in Season 1, hold your horses. Co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik said that the first season will only feature nine dragons, but we’re ready to wait for more.
“Dracarys”
“Dracarys” is one of the most iconic words that Game of Thrones introduced us to, and it means “dragonfire” in Valyrian. We’ve heard Daenerys use this command on countless occasions, sometimes to deadly consequences, and it turns out her ancestors did the same.
In one of the most notable parallels from the pilot episode of HOTD, we hear Rhaenyra utter this command to Syrax. Unlike Daenerys, she’s not using it in a combative, but tragic matter, as dragon fire sets her mother and brother’s funeral pyre ablaze.
Rhaenyra’s Costume Change
Costumes play a crucial role in the world of House of the Dragon and the factions of House Targaryen will later even be called by the colors of their clothing. Costume designer Jany Temime paid a lot of attention to what each character is wearing, especially Rhaenyra.
There will come a point when she’ll mostly wear black and red, the colors of her house, but Temime didn’t want to do it right away. She wanted to show Rhaenyra’s youth and innocence by dressing her in lighter shades in earlier episodes, such as light yellow and beige.
The Queen Who Never Was
Being a woman in Westeros is no easy job, especially if you have the ambition to one day sit on the Iron Throne. The first few scenes of HOTD reveal that Rhaenys Targaryen once hoped to fulfill that duty, but stayed remembered as “the Queen Who Never Was” after Viserys was named the king.
She even warns Rhaenyra that “men would sooner put the realm to the torch than see a woman ascend the Iron Throne”, foreshadowing the tragic events to come, not just for her but generations of women hoping to rule over the Seven Kingdoms.
Viserys’ Wounds
Westeros would’ve probably been better off if Rhaenys Targaryen was set on the Iron Throne because House of the Dragon makes the point of proving that Viserys is unfit for the role time and time again.
In addition to being politically inept and relying on others to make decisions for him, there are physical signs that Viserys wasn’t meant to be king. Despite being iconic, the Iron Throne is pretty uncomfortable because “a king should never sit easy.” It’s believed that the throne rejects anyone unworthy of sitting on it and Viserys’ deep scars reflect his unworthiness.
Ryam Redwyne’s Death
Ryam Redwyne was only a minor character in House of the Dragon and his death served as a plot point for Sir Criston Cole to replace him as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.
Despite having a small role to play, Redwyne left a great impact as one of the greatest knights of his day. Bran Stark dreamed to become a Kingsguard like Ryam, while Jon Snow even pretended to be him while playing with Rob Stark as a child.
Lyonel Strong’s Advice
King Viserys is surrounded by many people who act in their own self-interest instead of giving him sound advice. Lyonel Strong is one of the rare expectations.
In the third episode, he suggests Rhaenyra should marry Laenor Velaryon to form an alliance between the two feuding houses. He foreshadows the marriage that we’ll get to see in the upcoming episodes, which is pretty ironic since his son Harwin Strong will go on to become Rhaenyra’s rumored lover and the true father of her sons with Laenor Velaryon.
Missing Dragon
Balerion isn’t the only legendary dragon whose name is mentioned in House of the Dragon. We also get to learn the story of Vhagar, who was ridden by Visenya Targaryen during the War of Conquest, but she later disappeared from the Dragonpit.
It’s believed that Vhagar was nesting along the coast of the Narrow Sea and that traders can still hear her sad song sometimes. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard Vhagar’s name—she was mentioned by several GOT characters, most notably Arya Stark.
“Battle of the Bastards” Connection
Battle of the Bastards went down in history as one of the most iconic GOT episodes of all time. It was directed by HOTD co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik and Daemon’s face-off with Crabfeeder largely mirrored the fight between Jon Snow and Ramsay Bolton.
Daemon avoided most arrows pointed his way while bravely running into the fight, was surrounded by enemies with no chance of victory, received last-minute help from one of his allies, and emerged victorious and completely covered in blood, just like Jon Snow.
George R.R. Martin’s Three Requests
House of the Dragon wouldn’t exist without George R.R. Martin, who wrote the books it’s based on and gave it his seal of approval. He serves as one of the creators and executive producers of the new series, and his input helped shape it into the show it is today.
According to showrunners Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal, Martin had three major requests from them. He wanted the new series to feature colorful dragons, an emphasis on bright heraldry, and explore the story of King Jaehaerys Targaryen II.
Colorful Dragons
House of the Dragon wouldn’t be the show it is without… well, dragons. The dragons in GOT looked quite bleak, but Martin wanted this show to go in a different direction and fully embrace the distinct colors of its 17 dragons.
“I’m also hoping to see a different interpretation of the dragons than we saw in Game of Thrones, particularly in their colors. I often describe the dragons by their colors – red, blue, green, and their crests and the bones of their wings are often different colors, too,” Martin told Hollywood Spotlight.
Rhaenyra’s Favorite Song
In one of the silliest scenes from Episode 3, Rhaenyra commands a bard named Samwell to play the same song over and over again. Its lyrics state, “she fled with her ship and her people under the dragon’s eye”, but can you guess who are they referring to?
This is another reference to Nymeria, who led her people across the Narrow Sea on 10,000 ships to flee their Valyrian pursuers. By dropping hints about her, HBO seems to be preparing the grounds for 10,000 Ships, another spinoff they’re plotting right now.
Familiar Faces
House of the Dragon introduced us to many amazing new characters, but we’ve also noticed one familiar face in its cast. Jefferson Hall, who took on the role of twins Jason and Tyland Lannister, previously played Hugh of the Vale on Game of Thrones, but his role was so small that he could easily slip into a new one.
“Fundamentally, realistically, they’re so far removed. And this is really about the genesis of this house, before it came to the power they were in on Game of Thrones,” Hall told Entrainment Tonight.
Casterly Rock
One way to impress a girl is to promise you’ll show her the world beyond her wildest dreams. Jason Lannister tried to use this strategy while trying to convince Rhaenyra Targaryen he would make a perfect husband, name-dropping several Westeros locations along the way.
One of the places he mentioned is Casterly Rock, which served as the seat of House Lannister in Game of Thrones. Sir Jason paints quite a picture while describing it, saying you can see clear across the Sunset Sea on a perfect day.
White Hart
Before the dragons ruled over Westeros, the white hart was the symbol of royalty in these lands. Episode 3 shows King Viserys and his man embarking on a hunt to find it, to only encounter the brown one, while the white stag chooses to show itself to Rhaenyra.
This isn’t the first mention of the white hart in this universe. Joffrey Baratheon’s royal fleet was famously named after this rare animal, but it was destroyed by wildfire in the Battle of the Blackwater.
Criston & Rhaenyra
Game of Thrones featured countless steamy scenes and House of the Dragon decided to go in the same direction in Episode 4. Rhaenyra shared an intimate moment with Sir Criston in her bed chambers, but that’s not exactly how things went down in the books.
Sir Criston rejected her advances, but he changed his mind once she was to be wed Laenor Velaryon. He confessed her love to Rhaenyra before her wedding, but she rejected him, and this moment led to his shift in allegiance that forever changed their lives.
The White Book
Sir Criston Cole started rising through the ranks when Princess Rhaenyra handpicked him into the Kingsguard. He later goes on to become Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and it’s quite an honor to see his name in the White Book considering his humble upbringing.
This isn’t the first time we got to see the White Book since it’s been referenced in Game of Thrones on several occasions. Most notably, Brienne of Tarth wrote Jaime Lannister’s White Book entry following his tragic death in the show’s finale.
Boar Attacks
Rhaenyra’s stubbornness often got the best of her and she found herself in quite a predicament after running off to the woods in the third episode. A boar attacks her and Sir Criston, but she violently slaughtered him with no remorse.
Her hunting abilities are meant to stand in stark contrast to her father’s lack thereof, but she’s not the first character in this universe to face a wild boar. King Robert Baratheon was badly wounded by a boar while hunting, and this injury eventually led to his death.
Rhaenyra’s True Match
Rhaenyra had two passionate encounters with Daemon and Criston Cole in the fourth episode, but you’ve probably missed a run-in with another man who’s going to prove to be pivotal to her story. Harwin Strong ran into the disguised princess during her nighttime adventure through King’s Landing.
In the books, he was Rhaenyra’s rumored lover, and it’s believed he even fathered her three sons. This was never either confirmed or denied, but it will be interesting to see how the show will handle this storyline.
Harwin’s Introduction
Harwin Strong didn’t actually make his first House of the Dragon appearances when he caught Rhaenyra in disguise. He was first featured in Episode 3, alongside a character known as Larys Clubfoot.
You might’ve noticed Sir Harwin, who later became known by the nickname Breakbones due to his incredible strength, smiling at Rhaenyra as she walked back to the camp covered in blood after killing a boar. The two of them managed to form a strong connection without sharing a single word.
“The Laws of Gods and Men”
Many names, places, and phrases mentioned in House of the Dragon may seem familiar because we’ve heard them while watching Game of Thrones. Otto Hightower briefly mentions that denying Aegon’s place on the throne assails “the laws of Gods and men”, and this phrase sounds familiar for a reason.
This happened to be the name of GOT’s sixth episode from Season 4, when Tyrion Lannister famously stood trial for the alleged murder of Joffrey Baratheon. Coincidently, the HOTD episode that included this phrase also featured the first appearance of a prominent member of the Lannister family.
