This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon episode 1.Game of Thrones - after a fashion. At last, the prequel series to Game of Thrones has finally begun. The first episode ended with a striking scene in which King Viserys Targaryen told his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, of a vision that had been ed down through the generations - a prophecy of a coming winter that would threaten the entire world of men.
Aegon's Dream directly links to Game of Thrones, recontextualizing the Targaryen's lust for power and firmly establishing their place in the franchise's lore. In an amusingly meta touch, Aegon's prophecy is called "A Song of Ice and Fire," a fitting title given his vision covers the arrival of the Night King and his forces (ice), and the opposition led by the dragons of House Targaryen (fire). According to showrunner Ryan J. Condal, the dream was provided by writer George R.R. Martin himself. He tossed out the observation in a matter-of-fact manner and then gave permission for this to be incorporated into House of the Dragon.
It's fascinating to look at how Aegon's Dream came true in Game of Thrones. In the end, not one but two Targaryens played a crucial role; Daenerys may not have been seated on the Iron Throne at the time, but she did declare herself queen, and it was Jon Snow who united the realm against the cold and the dark. What's more, the prophecy does not state a Targaryen must remain on the throne after the Night King has been defeated. There is a sense in which both Daenerys and Jon Snow played their appointed roles, and then were removed, with the great tide of history sweeping onwards. The Targaryens fulfilled their destiny, and then were no longer needed.
Will Aegon's Dream Come True In The A Song Of Ice & Fire Books?
The interesting question, of course, is whether the prophecy will also come true in George R.R. Martin's books - and, indeed, whether it will play out even more effectively. Aegon's Dream came from George R.R. Martin, surely suggesting he intended to weave it into the lore somehow, but it's interesting to note he doesn't seem to have come up with the idea of it being ed on through the generations. "He just casually mentioned the fact that Aegon the Conqueror was a Dreamer who saw a vision of the White Walkers coming across the wall and sweeping over the land with cold and darkness," Condal recalled, "But it never made the history books, because he never told anyone. Or at least the people that he told didn't tell the history writers. So, it's in George's head, and at some point, it will come out." It's possible he intended this to be a flashback of some sort in the (as yet unfinished) final books in the saga of A Song of Ice & Fire.
Martin has cautioned that things will play out differently from the end of Game of Thrones season 8 in the books. In part that's simply because, as a writer, he always tends to rework his ideas as he develops them; evolution is therefore natural. It may also, of course, be that he is informed by the reaction to the original show's ending, and knows its Daenerys twist was unpopular. Thus it's quite possible Martin will conclude the books with Daenerys Targaryen seated on the Iron Throne, serving as the foretold unifier and leading the nations of Westeros against the Night King. If so, House of the Dragon could ultimately feel like a better prequel to the books than it does to Game of Thrones itself.