After months of anticipation, the long-awaited prequel House of the Dragon has finally arrived on HBO. Just as we all expected, the first episode of the prequel was already sensational, teasing the next big players who would conquer the Seven Kingdoms for the Iron Throne.
But there's one reference that fans can't get enough of, and that is no other than King Viserys' revelation about Aegon Targaryen's prophetic dream foreshadowing Game of Thrones' The Long Night, and about the Targaryen savior who would unite all the kingdoms to save Westeros. More amazingly, Viserys claimed that this dream was called "The Song of Ice and Fire," a reference that wasn't originally cited in George R.R. Martin's source material.
It Was George R.R. Martin's Idea to Include The White Walkers Prophetic Dream in House of the Dragon
At a roundtable attended by Screenrant, House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan J. Condal revealed that it was Martin's idea all along to include the prophecy in House of the Dragon. According to Condal, he struggled with how he would connect the show to Game of Thrones since it is set nearly two centuries before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen. Thankfully, Martin disclosed that Aegon had a prophecy about the White Walkers. Condal said:
"That actually came from [George]; at least the origin of that point. He told us very early on in the room, as he does. He just casually mentioned the fact that Aegon the Conqueror was a Dreamer who saw a vision of the White Walkers coming across the wall and sweeping over the land with cold and darkness. But it never made the history books, because he never told anyone. Or at least the people that he told didn't tell the history writers. So, it's in George's head, and at some point, it will come out."
Condal went on to discuss the struggles of creating resonance with Game of Thrones, and how the White Walkers prophecy could somehow motivate the next Targaryen ruler.
"With his permission, of course, we infused that into the story. Because it was such a great way to create resonance with the original show. One of the things we struggled with is that there's a 170-year gap between our show and the birth of Daenerys Targaryen, as you're told in the opening titles. How do you create that resonance? You don't have any characters that survive, but [there's] the idea of this existential threat to Westeros that we know as fans and watchers of the original show is coming. If we seed that into this world and make them aware of it, and give them this higher purpose to ascend to as sovereigns and rulers, [we see] that the Iron Throne isn't just a seat of power. It's a seat of responsibility and a burden to carry forward."
Condal concluded by teasing that this White Walkers reference would be used as "dramatic stuff" to play with as the prequel progresses:
"This idea sounds crazy if you talk about it, because what happens if Rhaenyra just tells somebody? "There's this prophecy, and that's the reason that I can't actually go in and intervene in this problem that's happening elsewhere in the realm. Because if I create war, then I unsteady the realm." You sound nuts, or you sound like you're trying to avoid a problem. It gave us a lot of interesting, dramatic stuff to play with."
Jon Snow's Destiny To Vanquish The White Walkers and Birthright Claim on The Iron Throne
One of Game of Thrones' massive revelations was about Jon Snow's birthright claim to the Iron Throne after Bran and Sam unveiled to him that his real parents were Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. However, Ned Stark decided to hide the truth from Jon Snow to protect him from the sinister Robert Baratheon and Tywin Lannister.
Episode 1's groundbreaking revelation means that Jon Snow was destined all along to defeat the White Walkers and sit on the Iron Throne. Just like what Aegon dreamed, it was a Targaryen who united the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros to battle the White Walkers. The question is, will the White Walkers still have a prominent role in House of the Dragon?
Episode 1 of House of the Dragon is available to stream on HBO Max.
Also read: The Winds of Winter: George R.R. Martin Refuses to Reveal How A Song of Ice and Fire Will End
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!