Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 Episode 8 of House of the Dragon and MAJOR spoilers for Fire & Blood.
The Big Picture
- Daemon's vision reveals the Prophecy of Ice and Fire, connecting House of the Dragon to Game of Thrones and hinting at future events.
- The vision includes the Night King and Daenerys, highlighting the threat to Westeros and emphasizing Daenerys' role against the Night King.
- Despite seeing his own death, Daemon accepts his fate and pledges loyalty to Rhaenyra to unite Westeros against the impending threat.
House of the Dragon Season 2 has taken Daemon (Matt Smith) on a strange journey. His time in Harrenhal gave him visions of dead loved ones and forced him to change his perspective. In some ways, the lessons he learned are already evident in the character's actions, but the Season 2 finale gives him one final vision and the most important yet. This is no hallucination but an intentional look into the future using the magical weirwood tree, which Game of Thrones fans know allows people to look beyond distance or time. Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) brings Daemon to the tree, saying he is ready to learn his fate, but what Daemon sees is much more than that.
While this final vision does hint at Daemon's death, it goes much further, giving flashes of the future and revealing to him the Prophecy of Ice and Fire. Daemon is not the first Targaryen to learn of this. Aegon I foresaw it, passing it to his descendents, and Viserys I (Paddy Considine) believed in the prophecy wholeheartedly. Even Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) clings to it as a reason for her to rule. But the fans of the series are even more familiar with it as the prophecy foretells the events of Game of Thrones. Adding another purpose for the prophecy through Daemon's story, House of the Dragon once again connects to its predecessor, this time going so far as to show characters from the original series. As Daemon's vision cycles through familiar and unfamiliar images, the meaning may be easy to miss.
This article details some pivotal scenes and therefore spoils major deaths in the seasons to come based on George R. R. Martin's Fire & Blood.
House of the Dragon
810
TV-MA
Fantasy
Drama
Action
Adventure
The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO seriesGame of Thrones. Based on George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, House of the Dragonis set nearly 200 years before Game of Thrones, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.
- Release Date
- August 21, 2022
- Creator
- Ryan J. Condal, George R.R. Martin
- Cast
- Paddy Considine , Olivia Cooke , Rhys Ifans , Matt Smith , Eve Best , Steve Toussaint , Emma D'Arcy , Milly Alco*ck , Emily Carey
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Seasons
- 4
- Distributor
- HBO
Is That the Three-Eyed Raven and Bloodraven Sitting in the Roots?
Daemon first sees a man trapped in the roots of a tree but unbothered. He has Targaryen-like silver hair and a wine stain birthmark on one side of his face. The distinctive birthmark identifies him as Brynden Rivers or "Bloodraven," the bastard son of Aegon IV, making him Daemon's great-grandson. This scene offers more evidence that Bloodraven has appeared before. Through hints about his past, the Three-eyed Raven (Struan Rodger and Max von Sydow) in Game of Thrones is hinted to be Bloodraven, though he does not share all the signs. Like House of the Dragon's portrayal, the Three-eyed Raven has both eyes and is not albino. In Game of Thrones, he is even missing the birthmark.
However, his position in the roots suggests the character is the same Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) meets. The vision also marks the return of the more literal three-eyed raven, which appears in Bran's vision. The bird seems to guide Daemon in his vision. Though the significance of Bloodraven and the bird may not be clear to Daemon himself, it connects House of the Dragon to Game of Thrones and demonstrates the power of the Heart tree.
Why Does Daemon See the Night King and the White Walkers?
The next part of Daemon's vision is more relevant to the prophecy as he sees the Night King (Vladimir Furdik) and his undead army marching through icy woods. We swoop in from the perspective of an animal running on the ground, likely a wolf, before we see the Night King. This image shows him the threat to Westeros, referenced by the Prophecy of Ice and Fire. They are the proof that winter is coming, just as the Starks say, putting all of Westeros in danger. The Night King is a great evil that Westeros must prepare for. According to Viserys, Aegon I conquered the continent to do just that, believing only his family could unite the realm against the Night King. But for Daemon, the message is different. Westeros must be united, and he is not the one to do it.
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The Dead Dragons Not Only Hint at the War, but Future Tragedies
Daemon next sees a dead dragon with more behind it, bringing the vision to a much more immediate place: the death of the dragons. Though there is no actual battlefield with so many dead dragons, this image shows the extinction of the beasts that happens shortly after the Dance of the Dragons. The war kills many dragons. In fact, they have already started dying in House of the Dragon, but there are more to go. This brings the vision back to Daemon's role in the story, as he is a major player in the war that kills the dragons. The specific dragon on the ground is difficult to identify since it looks unlike any of the existing dragons in the show, but it could be Dreamfyre, whose death is far more tragic than dying in battle. She is killed when the smallfolk storm the Dragonpit to kill the dragons in outrage and the structure crashes on top of the people and the remaining dragons.
Daemon Sees His Own Death by Drowning in Water
Continuing to reveal the future to Daemon, the visions show him himself, but not on the Iron Throne as he once hoped. When Daemon first came to Harrenhal, Alys predicted his death, and that's what he sees. In the vision, Daemon falls into the water, sinking and, assumedly, drowning. Fire & Blood tells of Daemon's final moments when he fights Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) on dragonback over Harrenhal. Referred to as the Battle Above the God's Eye, this conflict kills both Targaryen princes and their respective dragons. The two dragons crash into Harrenhal's lake, and though Caraxes dies on the water's edge and Aemond and Vhagar are found in the lake, Daemon's body is not located, but he is never seen again. While it is unconfirmed that he drowned, that is the most likely outcome of his situation.
In the grand scale of the visions, Daemon's death is not the biggest issue, but it may be the most significant thing Daemon sees. He could try to fight his fate by not returning to Harrenhal or fighting in the war. And, at one point in his life, Daemon would have done exactly that. However, he accepts his role, knowing what will happen to him.
Wait, Was That Daenerys With Her Dragons?
After Daemon's death, the visions skip forward, showing a comet streaking across the sky and three familiar dragon eggs in a fire. Then, the image of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) sitting in ashes as three newly-hatched dragons climb on her. These images show a crucial chapter in the Targaryen future, which plays a part in the battle against the Night King. First, the comet references the prophecy from Game of Thrones, referred to as The Prince That Was Promised, but it is the same as the Song of Ice and Fire referred to in House of the Dragon. The prophecy claims that the comet will cause the coming of the prince. The rest of the vision shows Daenerys, who is one of the contenders to fulfill the prophecy in Game of Thrones, though it becomes very convoluted.
The dragon eggs in flames show the rebirth of dragons, which happens near the beginning of the original series. This is paired with the image of Daenerys with the baby dragons. Though her face is not shown, the image is clearly her. Not only do the three dragons give it away, but it is the reverse of the shot in the Game of Thrones Season 1 finale, where she reveals her dragons. Daenerys and her dragons are significant to the battle against the Night King, and this vision asserts Daenerys is the prince who was promised. She is from Aegon I's line and the only hope against the long night.
Daemon Sees Rhaenyra Sitting on the Iron Throne
At the end of his vision, Daemon sees his next steps. When he walks into the throne room, he sees his wife, Rhaenyra, sitting on the Iron Throne as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, destroying any thoughts he may have had of taking it for himself. As the only contender in the Dance of the Dragons to know the prophecy as Aegon I passed it down, Rhaenyra carries the legacy, though she is born far too early to be the person in the prophecy herself, as Viserys believed.
Daemon's visions end with a challenge from Helaena (Phia Saban) of all people. Seemingly the only Targaryen with the power of prophetic dreams alive during this time, Helaena's presence in this vision makes sense in a way. She is the first to speak in his vision, saying, "It's all a story, and you are but one part in it. You know your part." Her words issue a challenge to him. Now, Daemon knows his fate, but he must let it play out.
What Does This Mean For Daemon's Loyalty to Rhaenyra?
While a connection to Game of Thrones is always an interesting addition to the story, Daemon's journey has a more immediate significance. Throughout Season 2, he has considered fighting for his own claim to the Iron Throne. Daemon's earlier visions cause him to hesitate in that goal, but when he is face to face with Rhaenyra, he doesn't say he doesn't want to be king, but that Winter is coming and that the Realm's only hope is unity. Because Viserys chose Rhaenyra to carry this legacy, Daemon accepts her as Queen, kneeling before her and preparing his army of Riverlanders to fight for her claim.
House of the Dragon Season 1 revealed that Daemon didn't know about the prophecy, but now that he does and seemingly believes in it, he shows a new loyalty to Rhaenyra, promising to serve her as the Queen. Even when Rhaenyra threatens him if he leaves again, he claims he cannot. Daemon's newfound loyalty comes just in time as the Dance of the Dragons grows more dangerous, but his attention is set on the battle beyond that, which will determine the fate of Westeros.
House of the Dragon is streaming on Max in the U.S.
