This question has been bugging me for a few days now. House of the Dragon series premier revealed that King Aegon Targaryen I knew about the White Walkers and kept their looming invasion a secret. My question is: Why?
This really doesn’t make sense to me. Why did King Aegon Targaryen, the first Targaryen king, keep a forgotten prophecy about the White Walkers a secret from the population of Westeros. Or rather, why did he only start a tradition of kings only telling their heirs about the prophecy.
No wonder everyone was unprepared for those unfriendly ice monsters in the original show. The first king of Westeros ACTIVELY hid their existence from them!
First things first, wouldn’t it have been easier for Aegon I to tell EVERYONE, not just one guy who may or may not die before he tells anyone, about the threat so they could reinforce the Nights Watch and the Wall. Sure, maybe over the years people would stop believing in the White Walkers and that’s how the Wall and Nights Watch fell into disrepair, but to not tell anyone right away should be criminal.
So, you’re telling me that everyone who’s going to die in the upcoming ASOIAF novel, the Winds of Winter, is going to because Aegon I decided it wouldn’t be noteworthy to warn anyone about this monumental, world-ending threat?!?!
I thought the guy was a conqueror, not a moron.
(HBO-House of the Dragon-Heirs of the Dragon)
Anyway, know the real reason why this the showrunners had to tie House of the Dragon to Game of Thrones and its overarching villains: continuity.
They needed the prequel and original shows to connect in some way about the White Walkers, but this seemed to be a very contrived way of doing it. I’d rather have seen King Viserys (Aegon’s Great-Great Grandson) discover the prophecy while rummaging through some of the king’s old possession (as the prophecy was inscribed on the Valyrian Steel Dagger, and Viserys was a student of Valyrian history) during the episode, rather than it already been discovered.
That could have been a more subtle way of enlightening the current generation of Targaryens of the northern threat, while also providing an Easter Egg to the White Walker plot of Game of Thrones for the audience. Plus, I would have also of liked to see the prophecy inscription be on the sword Blackfyre, the legendary sword of King Aegon, as that would have tied in the ancestorial nature of the prophecy (or at least how Aegon interpreted it) a little better. Though, I understand that the dagger had to be included too, so maybe both could have been inscribed.
However, if I was the showrunner, I wouldn’t have even mentioned anything about the White Walkers or the Night King as their storyline was mutilated by D&D. I still don’t really understand why they felt the need to mention such a devise, criticized character/plot line from Game of Thrones.
To me, it would seem like the showrunners wanted to reignite old, bitter flames from the past. But I don’t actually think they’re the responsible party behind this piece of lore inclusion.
(HBO-Game of Thrones-Beyond the Wall)
I actually believe that this prophecy scenario is directly from the brain of George R.R. Martin.
Why else would Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik have added this obscure piece of lore from a king long dead (by the start of both HOTD and GOT) unless George R.R. Martin wanted it included? The White Walkers are now hated and memed by the Game of Thrones fanbase because of their horrific ending in GOT, so it doesn’t make too much sense to harken back to it unless George R.R. Martin told them to do that.
George R.R. Martin was heavily involved in the creation of this show and was rumored to have been a driving inspiration on different aspects of lore (as you’ll see in this link) that would and would not be included in the show.
And with the author’s yet-to-be released ASOIAF book, the Winds of Winter, still in development, wouldn’t it be a good idea to see how the fanbase would react to such a massive lore revelation before he included it in his book?
Let’s face it, his magnum opus cannot suffer another reputational blow. Even more so since GOT Season 8’s dreadful ending and the 11-year delay of Winds of Winter that has caused his fans to nearly riot in anticipation and frustration over the wait.
Therefore, he might be experimenting how the general audience would react to some major (but still vague enough to not be a spoiler) Winds of Winter plot points through House of the Dragon, and not damage the reputation of Winds of Winter.
He’s already said that the things he told D&D in that infamous Sante Fe meeting to determine the future plot points of GOT have changed since the show concluded. Why couldn’t he do the same thing with HOTD if this plot point becomes even more dumber than it sounds?
Maybe that’s the case, and maybe it isn’t. I really have got no idea what’s in George R.R. Martin’s head, or Aegon I’s fictional head either. Because, if my theory isn’t correct and George R.R. Martin will write that Aegon I really did just keep the White Walkers a secret, then Aegon the Conqueror might very well be the (unintentionally as this is George R.R. Martin’s fault) dumbest king to sit the Iron Throne.
Images Source: Featured Image: (HBO) (House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 1-Heirs of the Dragon)
In text Image 1: (HBO) (Game of Thrones: Season 7, Episode 7-Beyond the Wall)
In Text Image 2: (HBO) (House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 1-Heirs of the Dragon)
Other Sources: (Business Insider) (‘House of the Dragon’: GRRM Asked for 3 Book Details in the Show (insider.com))
