Episode 1 of House of the Dragon introduced House Targaryen as they rule supreme over Westeros.
King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) is a kind ruler, something not expected for fans of Game of Thrones where the Targaryens are considered much more ruthless and laced with madness than is shown in Viserys.
It is expected by most that the king’s brother, Daemon (Matt Smith), will rule in his place as a male heir has not been produced between Viserys and his wife, Aemma (Sian Brooke).
However, after some conflict and the fact that Daemon might actually be one of the unhinged Targaryens, Viserys places his daughter Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) next in line for the Iron Throne.
It is here that the king reveals a Targaryen secret to his daughter.
This secret is what links House of the Dragon directly back to Game of Thrones thanks to a prophecy and a dagger.
The Targaryen prophecy in House of the Dragon
King Viserys reveals a prophecy to Rhaenyra that harks back to Game of Thrones.
He warns his daughter of a winter that is coming and a threat it will hold. This sounds very much like the Stark motto that reads, “Winter is coming.”
And, for fans of Game of Thrones, we know that this threat will happen by way of the Night King’s (Vladimir Furdik) attack on Westeros.
However, it also speaks of the prophecy regarding the Prince who was Promised. During Game of Thrones, there was much conjecture over whether Jon Snow (Kit Harington) or Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) — or both — were the fabled Prince who was Promised.
As pointed out by Entertainment Weekly, this prophecy was held in high esteem by the Targaryens, with it being central to any important decision-making during the Targaryen’s rule.
Of course, that prophecy turned out to be moot when Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) swept in and got the deed done, killing the Night King with a dagger that appeared throughout Game of Thrones and looks set to continue appearing in House of the Dragon.
The catspaw dagger
Way back in Season 1 of Game of Thrones, an assassination attempt was made on Bran Stark’s (Isaac Hempstead Wright) life.
Used was a weapon that became known as the catspaw dagger.
This dagger appeared over and over again in the original series and finally came to rest in Arya’s hand. It was this weapon that she used to kill the Night King.
In House of the Dragon, the catspaw dagger is in Viserys’ possession and he shows it to his daughter, linking it to the prophecy some 170 years before it was used to illuminate the threat of the White Walkers from beyond the Wall.
In addition to it being an important link to Game of Thrones and the prophecy, it also looks set to cause potential harm in Season 1 of House of the Dragon as the adult Alicient (Olivia Cooke) is seen to wield it in one of the early trailers for the new series.
However, who she intends to use it on remains to be seen and viewers will have to continue watching House of the Dragon in order to find out more.
House of the Dragon airs every Sunday night at 9/8c on HBO Max.