An Unnecessarily Deep Dive into What Zodiac Signs the ‘House of the Dragon’ Characters Should Be
This is clearly all a coping mechanism.
Yes, I know that the last episode of House of the Dragon aired almost three weeks ago and that I will never make it to Season 2 in 2024 if I don’t stop obsessing about it. And yet, here I am— obsessing about it, because I am nothing if not a certified stan for anything even remotely related to the world of A Song of Ice and Fire. What can you do, right?
All of this is to say that one of the many House of the Dragon rabbit holes I fell into these past few days is the one where I wonder about what zodiac signs some of the main characters of the series might have. Because we all know that the stars never lie and there’s honestly nothing more entertaining than discussing what placements each of these messy dragon people might have.
HBO Max has actually already posted their own take via Twitter, weighing on what they think is the sun sign of a good chunk of key House of the Dragon players. But here I am to contribute my two cents to the whole discussion— with my opinion formed after a barrage of TikToks and Tumblr posts, as well as some doubts I still haven’t managed to clear in regards to certain characters.
I’m going to focus only on the sun signs because I don’t think I’d have the patience for a full birth chart for all the people I’ve included in the list. Also, keep in mind that what you’re about to read is in no way shape or form meant to be taken professionally. I’m just in a silly goofy mood and here to have fun— so let’s go!
Rhaenyra Targaryen is a Sagittarius
Starting off with the Realm’s Delight and Black Queen herself, Rhaenyra is undoubtedly a fire sign. HBO Max marks her down as an Aries, but I think she’d be more aligned with Sagittarius and that she manifested several traits associated with the archer of the zodiac throughout the growth we have seen her do in House of the Dragon as she turned from a young girl to an adult woman. When we first meet her, teenage Princess Rhaenyra is courageous and curious— she loves to spend time flying and speaks up in the Small Council to suggest that dragons should be sent to deal with the Stepstones.
On the other hand, we also see her exhibit some of the worst personality traits of a Sagittarius— namely its typical bluntness. The way she insults Lord Lannister isn’t subtle at all, and while one might say he deserved it one could also argue that a Princess should know how to be more diplomatic with the high lords and ladies of her Realm. Her Sagittarius fieriness is mellowed out as she grows, but it’s ultimately still there and we’ll definitely see it come back in full force in the upcoming HotD seasons.
I also think there might be some Aquarius somewhere in her chart— what with her wanting to live her life unconventionally and choosing what makes her the happiest without sparing too much thought about tradition or conveniences.
Daemon Targaryen, Aemond Targaryen and Rhaenys Targaryen are all Scorpios
I know that they’re Targaryens and they’re surrounded by dragon iconography and fire symbolism, it still doesn’t mean they should all be fire signs as well. HBO Max assigns Leo to Daemon and Aquarius to Rhaenys (while it doesn’t mention Aemond), and I definitely disagree. Those are Scorpios through and through— while I agree that there might definitely be some fire in Daemon’s birth chart for that stubbornness, or some Aquarius in Rhaenys’ for her independent spirit.
Still, all you have to do to convince yourself that this dragon trio is made of Scorpios is look at the planet’s two rulers— Mars, tied to aggression and passion, and Pluto, bound to the idea of the neverending cycle of creation and destruction. I think that Rhaenys manifests a slightly “calmer” version of all of these traits, being adaptable to the changing tides of Westerosi politics while remaining determined in her ideas and loyal to the people she has chosen, from her husband to her Queen. And we know her to be fearless, both from what we’ve seen on House of the Dragon and considering what is going to happen during the Dance of the Dragons.
Then there’s Daemon and Aemond, who are mirrors of each other even in them being both Scorpios. Both embody the full force of the sign, what with being aggressive, passionate, determined, vengeful and unhinged chaotic.
As TikTok user @queen.danine pointed out, though, they deal with chaos in different ways that might also be connected to their respective ages. Daemon is comfortable in chaos and has learned by now how to bend it to his own advantage, while Aemond can only thrive in it when he’s the one actually causing the chaos— see the whole “Strong boys” speech at the Targaryen family dinner.
Viserys Targaryen is a Libra
When it comes to the King whose death left the Realm poised for civil war, I definitely do agree with the “official” star sign given to him, which is Libra. Indecisive and incapable of acting swiftly, Libras also have a strong drive to always keep the peace at all costs— even when it would be better to have an all-out confrontation, for example on how your grandchildren are definitely not being fathered by your daughter’s lawfully wedded husband. It’s left unclear in House of the Dragon whether or not Viserys was actually having dragon dreams — and I definitely have my doubts considering how Helaena’s powers were portrayed instead — but I definitely would say there’s some Pisces in Viserys’s birth chart, based on how important he considered visions and prophecies.
Alicent Hightower is a Virgo
Here she is, the poster child of the obsessive Virgo. Critical of herself and others, an overthinking perfectionist, practical and smart— all Virgo traits that Alicent Hightower embodies down to a T, even though she obviously manifests them differently throughout her life. She holds herself to impossibly high standards like she tells Rhaenyra during their brilliant confrontation at High Tide, and she herself suffers from them; she has to look at a situation from all angles before making a definitive choice, as seen when she takes almost the entirety of Episode 9 before agreeing that yes, Aegon must be put on the Iron Throne— but on her own terms. HBO Max also has her down as a Virgo and I think it’s spot on.
I would venture so far as to say that there is also some Gemini in her birth chart, especially when considering her relationship with Rhaenyra and the way Alicent seems to want to have nothing to do with her at one point and then trying everything in her might to reconnect with her the next.
Corlys Velaryon and Otto Hightower are Capricorns
I actually have some Capricorn in my birth chart so don’t come at me for doing some very-common Capricorn slander— it’s just that it makes so much sense for two of the more classical players of the game of thrones in the entire show. Capricorns are Earth signs, which means that they’re grounded in reality and they’re always likely to have a plan— one that they’re ready to execute at any cost while holding themselves and everyone around them to very high standards.
This is particularly true for Otto, who has a very clear plan — to get his family as close as possible to the Iron Throne and hopefully on top of it — and sticks to it through thick and thin, using his daughter as a pawn and completely destroying her mental health in the process. It might not be as immediately clear for Corlys, whom HBO Max marks as a Sagittarius.
I do think that while he definitely has Sagittarius in his big three, what with him being an adventurous sea explorer who has travelled to all corners of the known world, he should also be a Capricorn sun like Otto— because he also wants to get as close as possible to the Iron Throne, and he also was ready to use his daughter as a bargaining chip to succeed. I mean, he did end up using his son for that very purpose— as Rhaenys tells him, it’s not really about righting any wrongs the Queen That Never Was might have been subjected to but it’s all about Corlys’s ambition.
Laenor Velaryon is a Cancer
HBO Max makes Laenor Velaryon a Cancer, and I can definitely see him as one. You absolutely can fit some of Laenor’s on-screen moments into the typical “sentimental, moody, pessimist and prone to living in the past” basic descriptions of Cancers. At the same time, Cancers are known for being extremely protective and loyal of the people they love, be they friends or family— and we can definitely see this in Laenor’s relationship with Rhaenyra, made of mutual respect and understanding, as well as in the loving way he has cared for and raised the three boys that carry his name
Criston Cole is a Taurus
This was also a sun placement put forward by HBO Max, and it’s yet another pretty spot-on one. Tauruses are hardworking, ambitious, and reliable— once they set their goals they do their absolute best to get to them, which is very much what we’ve seen with Criston rising from a simple knight from a not-so-prominent noble family to a member of the Kingsguard, one of the most prestigious and exclusive orders in the Realm.
Tauruses are also stubborn and don’t compromise easily— something that can ultimately be considered both good and bad. It makes Criston an unwavering loyal knight to Alicent and her children, and a trusted supporter of the Greens. It’s also the reason why he ends up miles apart from Rhaenyra and ends up hating her into oblivion.
Helaena Targaryen is a Pisces
While HBO Max doesn’t include Helaena in its astrological list, there isn’t really much space for debate when it comes to Viserys and Alicent’s only daughter— she’s a Pisces through and through. The natural pull to escapism that Pisces have is perfectly mirrored in the show with Helaena being one of the very rare Targaryens who has dragon dreams— prophetic and cryptic visions of the future.
Pisces is also a creative sign, and its natives tend to immerse themselves in their hobbies completely— and if there’s one thing we can guess from every time we’ve seen Helaena on screen is that she takes her passion for bugs and critters very seriously.
The undecided: Jacaerys Velaryon, Lucerys Velaryon, Baela Targaryen, Rhaena Targaryen and Aegon Targaryen
When it comes to most of the youngest generation of Targaryens my ideas aren’t as well-formed as for all the other characters in this list. All I have are very sparse thoughts— like how Jacaerys might be a Virgo, willing to work hard to become the best heir to the Iron Throne he could be; or how Baela might shape up to be a passionate fire sign, a Leo or an Aries maybe, taking her bravery after her mother Laena Velaryon; or how Aegon swings between Leo and Gemini, encompassing some of the worst qualities from each sign. These are just stumps, though, so I’d be delighted to hear what you all have to say— not just about these characters, of course, but about everyone!
(featured image: HBO)
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