‘House of the Dragon’: Is This Character a ‘Dreamer’ and Would It Mean?
Prophecies and magic are the name of the game when it comes to Westeros, both in HBO’s Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. As early as the first episode of the prequel series, King Viserys revealed a world-changing prophecy to his daughter, Rhaenyra.
He also revealed that some of their ancestors were known to be what he calls “dreamers.” What’s more, we think we’ve spotted another one born to his close family: his daughter, Helaena Targaryen. Here’s a look at what exactly these dreamers can do and why we think the young princess is one.
Warning: spoilers within for House of the Dragon episode 6 and the accompanying book, Fire & Blood.
What are dreamers in ‘House of the Dragon’?
In the world of Westeros, magic is naturally born to a rare few. One form of this magic is called greensight, something that Game of Thrones fans might remember that Jojen Reed, friend of Bran Stark, had. Greenseers, as they’re known, have the ability to see into the future through prophetic dreams.
As with most things, it works slightly differently with Targaryens. The blood of Old Valyria runs in their veins, and their magic is believed to be tied to their dragons. Seers of the Targaryen family therefore don’t have green dreams; they have dragon dreams.
One of the most famous dragon-dreamers was Daenys the Dreamer, daughter of Aenar Targaryen. When the family still lived in Valyria before its end, she had a dream that the land would be destroyed by fire. Trusting in her, Aenar took his entire household, along with their dragons, to Dragonstone.
Years later, Daenys’ great-great-great-grandson, Aegon, would unite six of the Seven Kingdoms and found the dynasty of House Targaryen that would rule over Westeros for centuries, until the events preceding Game of Thrones.
Is Helaena Targaryen a dreamer in ‘House of the Dragon’?
The gift of dragon dreams is not given to every Targaryen, but eagle-eyed viewers of episode 6 of House of the Dragon might have noticed that another dreamer has been identified, centuries after Daenys. Another daughter of House Targaryen, Princess Helaena has predicted the fate of her brother, Aemond.
Daughter of King Viserys and Queen Alicent, Helaena hasn’t had much screentime yet but was spotted in episode 6, speaking with her mother. When Alicent and Aemond discuss that he hasn’t yet got a dragon but will do one day, Helaena murmurs, “He’ll have to close an eye.”
Neither mother nor brother pays her any attention, but if you know what’s in store for Aemond, this throwaway line has a lot more weight. If the show stays true to the books, Aemond will attempt to one-up his brother and nephews by riding the world’s biggest living dragon: Vhagar.
On his way to claim her, he will be stopped one of Rhaenyra’s sons. In the books, it’s a three-year-old Joffrey, but seeing as the boy is still a newborn on the show, that seems unlikely (unless we get another time jump). Pushing the boy away into a pile of dragon dung, Aemond continues on to claim Vhagar.
Once he descends from her back, Aemond is met by the older brothers of the prince he pushed, now armed and furious. In the fight that follows, Lucerys draws a dagger and slashes out Aemond’s right eye, earning him the nickname Aemond One-Eye. While his mother will be furious, prompting the scene from the trailer where Alicent screams for justice and wields a dagger, Aemond will later say that an eye is a fair trade for a dragon.
This event can only be what his sister Helaena is referencing—although we would say that permanently losing an eye is a bit more dramatic than simply closing it.
(featured image: HBO)
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