Do you love “Game of Thrones”? If so, you’re in luck. HBO has just announced a new spinoff called “House of the Dragon“, which will have all of the rich lore of the original series. Plus, this time there will be even more CGI dragons!
To have a good time watching “House of the Dragon,” you will need to do some homework first. This will help you avoid common confusions people have while watching, like “Why are all of these blonde people so sad?” or “Wait, they’re related?!”
We’re in the dragon-heavy past
“House of the Dragon” is a prequel series that focuses on the Targaryen dynasty; they of myth, madness, incest and purple shampoo. In the original “Game of Thrones” show and in the “Song of Ice And Fire” book series, the powerful House Targaryen has all but died off thanks to regicide and what seems to be a familial lack of impulse control from generations of inbreeding.
Daenerys Targaryen is one of the few people who are still alive in the show Game of Thrones. But even she gets sent away to the Shadow Lands by her nephew-lover, Jon Snow. (The Targaryen family tree is very narrow, but it is complicated.)
Anyway, HoD takes place 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” when the Targaryens were in full power and about to enter a very nasty, fiery war of succession known as the “Dance of Dragons.”
Remember that, in the past, the Targaryens were a powerful family who rode dragons. This helped them conquer Westeros. However, in the original series, all of those dragons are now dead. In the new series, it is possible that they are alive and well.
It’s a Full House (Targaryen)
Since this is happening before the fall of House Targaryen, there are a lot of people with that name. Too many people with that name, one could argue. It would be helpful if everyone had name tags.
- King Viserys I The current king of Westeros is a cool guy. He’s actually the great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather of Daenerys. His kids and loved ones are fighting to inherit power when he dies.
- Princess Rhaenyra Viserys’ daughter is favored by her father to take over as the next ruler. However, there are several other people who want the same thing. It looks like a lot of the action in this series will center around her. She is similar to Daenerys from the last series in that she wants to rule and has the qualifications. However, she keeps getting blocked by guys who want to stop her.
- Prince Aegon II Viserys is the first-born son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell. He is also the half-brother of Rhaenyra Targaryen. He is a possible successor to the Iron Throne and a very important part of the war to come.
- Prince Daemon is Viserys’ brother and Rhaenyra’s uncle. He’s your typical Hamlet-y “always a prince, never a king” kind of figure. He is a bit of a rake and there’s a lot of sexual tension between him and Rhaenyra which is, again, par for the course when it comes to this fam.
- Alicent Hightower Viserys’ second wife is his stepmother. She is the mother of Aegon II and she wants to be the first queen in Westeros. Her stepdaughter, Rhaenyra, doesn’t get along with her. So she’s an evil stepmother? That’s not new. Everyone seems to be corrupt and want power at this point.(Very big Margaery Tyrell vibes from her as well. RIP, queen.)
There are many more people related to the Targaryens. But we should take our time and learn about them one at a time.
Remember that many people in Westeros believe the Targaryens have a genetic tendency towards insanity. This is because every time a new Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the air and the world holds its breath. Even the good ones could become insane if something minor happens to them.
A lot of Westeros will look familiar to you
The Iron Throne has been around for a long time. The first Targaryen king, Aegon, built it. Many people in Game of Thrones talk about Aegon and his two sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya. They were the first generation of Targaryens to come to Westeros and they set things off. They became the first rulers of the Seven Kingdoms in Westeros. So at this point in the game, when HoD takes place, there have only been Targaryen rulers.
The Red Keep was Aegon’s doing as well as the town of King’s Landing.
You’ll see some familiar houses! The Hightowers are there, of course. There are also a few Baratheons. The Lannisters aren’t that important yet, but they’re very rich. We’ll learn more about another house of Valyrian descent, House Velaryon. But don’t expect to see any familiar faces from the original “Game of Thrones” series.
And lastly, you will spend half of your time keeping everyone’s names straight
Do you want to name your baby after a character from “Game of Thrones?” Here are some names from the show that you could choose.
- Aegon
- Aegor
- Aemon
- Aemond
- Aenys
- Rhaenys
- Rhaena
- Rhaella
- Rhaegar
- Rhaegel
- Rhaelle
- Jaehaera
- Jaehaerys
- Viserys
- Daemon
- Daeron
- Baela
- Baelor
- Maelor
It’s no wonder they all went mad. Luckily, only a small portion of these names will appear in “House of the Dragon,” but it does make one long for the good old GoT days when the main character just went by “Jon.”
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