Daemon Targaryen’s Final Vision at Harrenhal Gave Him ‘Game of Thrones’ Spoilers!
Daemon just binged Game of Thrones in under a minute!
One of the best memes about the House of The Dragon season 2 finale remarked how Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) had binged watched the entire Game of Thrones series by simply touching the weirwood tree at Harrenhal! And they’re not wrong!
Spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon, Fire & Blood, and practically everything ASOIAF!
In season 2 episode 8, “The Queen That Ever Was,” we got what we could assume is the finale of Daemon’s Haunting of Harrenhal arc. It starts with a familiar sight of the Targaryen prince (oops, I meant king consort) abed, gently woken up by Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin), who is creepily sat by him. She tells him, out of the blue, that she’s going to the godswood, which is where the weirwood heart tree with a carved face of an Old God is. For those not aware, the tree for HOTD bears the face of author and co-creator George R.R. Martin!
As they reach the godswood, Daemon spots something, or rather someone, moving in the dark and disappearing right behind the tree. This person could’ve been no bigger than a child, but they weren’t a human child because they had antlers. That was most likely to be one of the Children of the Forest, like Leaf from Game of Thrones! And this further strengthens the theory that Alys Rivers is a greenseer!
Alys reminds Daemon about how he came to her at first, still harboring the pain from not being given the crown. And now, it is time for him to see how he was not the endgame here, but they all have a small (albeit consequential) part to play in the grand scheme of things. She then pulls his hand towards the face carved in the tree, where the blood-red sap is leaking, giving the tree the illusion of weeping blood. And then … Daemon sees.
What does Daemon Targaryen see through the weirdwood tree and what does his vision mean?
Daemon has a vision comprising flashes of the future—his own, that his house, the destruction that the Targaryen civil war will wreak, and of what all of this is leading to—the prophecy from Aegon’s Dream, of the Prince that was Promised, who would protect the realm against the Winter. So let’s break down what those flashes were—basically one big spoiler for Game of Thrones!
Brynden Rivers a.k.a. Bloodraven
The first image that Daemon has when he touches the weirwood tree is that of roots of that tree which stretch through time and space to the future. It is believed that since trees have no sense of time like humans do; those with greensight can see the past, present, and future through them.
In Daemon’s vision, the roots of the tree he is touching lead him to the roots of another barren weirwood tree, and a man (Joshua Ben-Tovim) sitting entangled in its roots. He is clearly a Targaryen with his silvery-white hair, and a closer look of his face reveals a huge red birthmark across his left cheek. A raven flies by his face right next to his scarred cheek, and he has three eyes, indicating that the vision is of the future. And the man in the tree is indeed a younger version of the Three-Eyed Raven (Max von Sydow) we eventually meet in Game of Thrones.
So wait, why is Daemon seeing this guy? Well, not only is The Three-Eyed Raven a Targaryen, but he is a direct descendent of Daemon and Rhaenyra’s line. Their second son Viserys II will have a son, Aegon IV. And Aegon IV, also known as Aegon the Unworthy, goes on to have a lot of bastards. One of Aegon IV’s bastards is Brynden Rivers, born of Aegon’s sixth mistress, Melissa Blackwood, and therefore called Rivers, which is a last name given to bastards from the Riverlands.
Brynden is also called Bloodraven because of the winestain birthmark that resembles the shape of a raven. After the Blackfyre Rebellion of Targaryen bastards agains the kind, Bloodraven is sent to The Wall where he rises to Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, and one day, disappeared while ranging beyond The Wall. Now we know what happens to him—he becomes the Three-Eyed Raven, the last greenseer.
Another interesting connection between Daemon and Bloodraven? Daemon’s Valyrian steel sword, Dark Sister, passes on to Bloodraven, who is said to have brought it with him to The Wall. What happens to it is unknown! This puts the Targaryens as arch nemeses of the Night King and his army, a proper Fire against Ice parallel. And you start to wonder, was this story always about the Targaryens, who are almost like Gods, versus the God of Night?
The White Walkers
Daemon’s next vision implies that it’s a vision through the Three-Eyed Raven, who sees a host of White Walkers and the army of the undead marching, lead by the Other, indicating that “Winter is coming.” Daemon even quotes this line to Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) in a later, goosebumps-inducing scene, implying that he understood what threat was headed their way in the future.
The Fallen Dragon, destructions of war, and Daemon’s end
The next flash is of a fallen dragon, possibly Daemon’s own dragon Caraxes, and could also signify the fall of the House Targaryen itself. We see someone walking through much bloodshed and death caused by the Dance of The Dragons, and this could very well be the epic Battle Above the God’s Eye, where Daemon and Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) finally cross swords. Because the next vision is of Daemon falling into the water, which is how he seemingly dies in Fire & Blood.
Interestingly, in the middle of the God’s Eye lake is a sacred island called the Isle of Faces, which has the largest collection of surviving weirwood trees, and is said to still be home to the Children of the Forest. Since Daemon’s body was never found, there were rumours that he survived by getting to the island. And a crazy theory even makes him a white walker/Night King!
The battle becomes even more interesting when we find out that just like Alys told Daemon when he would die, Helaena (who is also revealed to be a greenseer) told Aemond when he would die too. So both of these men knew their fates and still willingly went to battle!
A red star bleeds and Prince that was Promised is born
Perhaps the most exhilarating part of Daemon’s vision was when after the vision of him sinking in water, he sees a red comet, and then three dragon eggs on fire. Next, in slow motion, he sees a young Targaryen girl sitting naked amidst smoke and a red dawn, as three dragons emerge from her lap and climb onto her shoulder. This is an image we all know too well—the rebirth of Daenerys Targaryen amidst salt and smoke as she awoke dragons out of stone at the end of Game of Thrones season 1!
This confirms that Dany is indeed the main character of this prophecy, and it is a Princess that was Promised, who will be the Song of Ice and Fire!
The queen that ever was
Daemon is suddenly transported to the throne room in the Red Keep, where he sees someone shrouded in bright, heavenly light, sitting on the Iron Throne. As the light dims, Rhaenyra appears, wearing King Jaehaerys’ golden crown of prosperity and faith. This vision coming right after Daenerys’ consolidates for Daemon that for the prophecy to be fulfilled, Rhaenyra has to be the one sitting on the Iron Throne, because it is through her line that Daenerys will be born.
Helaena the Dreamer
Alright, so the coolest Targaryen is on Team Black! We’ve been getting hints about Helaena’s (Phia Saban) ability to see the future since season 1. And the last part of Daemon’s vision confirms it. As Daemon gazes upon Rhaenyra on the Iron Throne in the future, Helaena tells him that it is all a story, and now he knows what part he must play in it.
Nobody could’ve imagined that Dameon’s therapy session at Harrenhal with Alys Rivers would’ve had such a massive payoff! After Game of Thrones dodged the magical elements of ASOIAF, it is great to see House of The Dragon really lean into it. It’ll be interesting to see how this vision dictates the actions of Daemon, Alys, Aemond, and Helaena, and whether more people are made aware of their part in the prophecy.
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