Viserys’ crown can be seen in the “House of the Dragon” opening titles on HBO. HBO
There will be spoilers for episode two of the first season of “House of the Dragon” ahead.
Check out the most interesting details and allusions from the most recent “Game of Thrones” prequel episode.
We also describe how the updated opening titles depict the history of House Targaryen.
The Iron Throne inheritors and the (literal) bloodlines of House Targaryen are depicted in the new title sequence.
The opening credits to “House of the Dragons” reveal the first circular symbol. HBO
For the first time, “House of the Dragon’s” brand-new opening titles sequence debuted in episode two. The images are brand-new, even if the “Game of Thrones” theme music was reused.
This title sequence depicts the flowing Targaryen bloodline from the earliest members all the way down to Princess Rhaenyra as the new successor to the Iron Throne rather than travelling across a map of Westeros.
Little round cogs are used to represent a number of significant Targaryen rulers (or their spouses and siblings). The first one makes reference to the unknown cataclysmic catastrophe known as the Doom of Valyria, which obliterated the entire city along with all of its dragon and dragon rider residents.
The action takes place in old Valyria, which is significant to the Targaryens and connected to their “dragon dreams.”
Valyria in stone, in miniature. HBO
The original Targaryen and Velaryon families originated in Valyria (which is why people from both of these Houses frequently discuss the importance of their bloodline). The Doom of Valyria narrowly spared these two families, who were the only ones to make it to Westeros. Daenys, a young girl, deserves praise for pulling off that escape.
Daenys dreamed of the downfall of Valyria twelve years before the disaster. Her father, Aenar, consented to bring House Targaryen across the Narrow Sea to Dragonstone (in Westeros) (in Westeros).
Daenys, also known as “Daenys the Dreamer,” solidified the Targaryens’ belief that their dreams might actually foretell future events.
Viserys places a lot of value in his own “dragon dreams” because they include the birth of his son Baelor,
Viserys believes so strongly in his own “dragon dreams” because they have actually come true, such as the birth of his son Baelor. While the noises of colliding horses and shields could be heard during the tournament, Aemma gave birth to a newborn boy. Unfortunately, Viserys’ dream did not reveal to him the circumstances surrounding the birth or how the infant and Queen Aemma would pass away.
The emblem from the necklace Daemon gave her in episode one is used as Rhaenyra’s map marker.
In the “House of the Dragon” opening credits, Rhaenyra’s emblem appears. HBO
The successor to the Iron Throne, Rhaenyra, is the last member of the royal family we see in the opening credits. She does not wear a crown resembling the one worn by her father Viserys to denote his position in the Targaryen line of succession.
The circular symbol that was on the necklace Daemon gave her in the first episode serves as Rhaenyra’s representation instead. The necklace is crafted of Valyrian steel, a unique metal that the Targaryens value highly because of its connection to dragon magic.
With his fighting expertise, Ser Criston Cole distinguished himself from the other knights, but the program highlighted his lower status by making him the only one without a squire.
A commoner by birth, Ser Criston Cole was knighted during a conflict. HBO
The four most crucial knights from a strategic standpoint are there with their squires at the scene where Princess Rhaenyra gets to choose the newest member of the Kingsguard. (You might remember Podrick Payne from “Game of Thrones” when he was a squire and would serve Tyrion and Bronn while holding the House Lannister banner.)
Only because Ser Criston Cole, who belonged to a lower-class house, fought with Lord Dondarrion, the ancestor of Ser Beric Dondarrion, the knight who was revived by Thoros of Myr in “Game of Thrones,” was he elevated to the rank of knight.
Pages and squires in Westeros are typically young men from noble families who are aspiring to become knights. It is evident that Ser Criston, a commoner by birth, is not yet in a position to merit a highborn boy’s assistance.
Rhaenyra is drawn to this scruffy edge because she wants to know that her Kingsguard are combat-ready, not just decorative political props.
The younger characters are all assumed to be children between the ages of 12 and 15, in case you’re wondering how old they are all.
Alicent and Rhaenyra in “House of the Dragon.”
According to Ryan Condal, co-creator and writer for HBO, the team decided early on that characters would only be recast if they debuted as “really children” in the program. This means that when the show jumps in time later in the first season, fresh actors will play the characters of Rhaenyra, Alicent, and the twins Laena and Laenor (12), who are all 14 at the start of the series.
Ser Criston Cole is in his “very early 20s,” according to Condal, although Viserys and Daemon Targaryen are both well into maturity.
An intriguing tale surrounds Viserys’ relationship with Balerion the Black Dread, the biggest dragon to ever dwell in Westeros.
Viserys Targaryen and Laena Velaryon in “House of the Dragon.” HBO
Viserys mentions riding Balerion, the dragon that Aegon the Conqueror himself rode to conquer Westeros, during his conversation with Laena.
George R.R. Martin writes that Viserys entered the dragonpit and mounted Balerion when the future king was just 16 years old in “Fire and Blood,” the fictional history on which “House of the Dragon” is based.
However, Viserys only gave Balerion a brief ride, later explaining that he didn’t think the dragon would be able to complete a longer journey due to his advanced age.
Viserys’ relationship with his brother and daughter and this creates an intriguing contrast. Dragonriders with deep bonds to their dragons include Daemon and Rhaenyra. Viserys, however, never made another attempt to claim a dragon as his own.
Caraxes, the dragon owned by Daemon, has the moniker “Blood Wyrm” due to his thin neck and torso.
Dragon Caraxes is a bonded pet of Daemon Targaryen.
We have only encountered two of the infamous creatures linked to Targaryens thus far in “House of the Dragon.” Caraxes, the dragon owned by Daemon, is distinguished by his crimson scales, long neck, and slim frame. Caraxes is said to be one of the most dangerous dragons in Westeros right now, according to “Fire and Blood.”
Caraxes is older than Rhaenyra’s she-dragon Syrax since Prince Aemon Targaryen, Daemon’s late uncle, once rode him. Princess Rhaenyra’s dragon has only ever known one rider, unlike her uncle’s mount.
Read our list of the top 14 details from the premiere to get more interesting trivia about the new series.
Every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, brand-new episodes of “House of the Dragon” will debut.