10 Things Only GoT Fans Will Notice In House of the Dragon
Didn't you read the books? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re scoping out details in the “House of Dragon” series that will mean a whole lot more to you if you’re familiar with either the “Game of Thrones” sister show or the “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels. If you’re not though…SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!
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00:00You are no son of mine.
00:01Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're scoping out details in the House of the Dragon series
00:06that will mean a whole lot more to you if you're familiar with either the Game of Thrones sister show
00:10or the A Song of Ice and Fire novels.
00:13If you're not though, spoilers ahead.
00:15You're no son of mine.
00:23The appearance of dragons in the Game of Thrones setting was a big deal.
00:28They hadn't appeared for centuries, unlike in House of the Dragon,
00:31where the beasts are much more commonplace.
00:34You can catch cool subtleties that showcase their domestication,
00:37like the fact that they have saddles.
00:38The design of each saddle differs based on its dragon and rider,
00:42and their existence and sophistication means that these Westerosi
00:46have experience taming the fire breathers.
00:48Dreams didn't make us kings. Dragons did.
00:52There are also nuances regarding their physical structure.
00:55Showrunner Miguel Sapochnik studied real animal skulls
00:58to help ensure the creature's snouts had different shapes.
01:01Designers also gave each signature traits, like Carax's identifiably long neck.
01:06If you discerned such small world-building distinctions by yourself,
01:10it means you know your dragons.
01:19The golden-haired Lannisters of Casterly Rock have some questionable bloodlines,
01:23and the HBO casting department has taken full advantage of this.
01:26The most notorious case is Dean Charles Chapman,
01:29who played both the young Martin Lannister and an adolescent Tommen Baratheon.
01:33Together, we will restore the Seven Kingdoms to glory.
01:37In House of the Dragon, the recycled face belongs to Jefferson Hall,
01:41who portrays twin brothers Jason and Tyland Lannister.
01:44Appearing as identical siblings might not be a stretch,
01:47but you can also pick out Hall in Game of Thrones as Ser Hugh of the Vale,
01:51one of the mountain's unfortunate victims.
01:53If you're able to make the connection,
01:55it means you've either scoured both shows' IMDb pages or have watched them on repeat.
02:00Let's hope that a Lannister always pays his acting agents.
02:09The role of magic in the Game of Thrones world is uniquely selective.
02:13Fantastic elements often play second fiddle to realistic warfare,
02:17but when sorcery does appear, it's usually devastating.
02:21There's a quick mention of blood mages in the early episodes of House of the Dragon.
02:31If you're schooled in thrones lore,
02:33you likely made a tragic connection to Daenerys' ill-fated husband,
02:37the Dothraki Khal Drogo.
02:39After Drogo fell terminally sick,
02:41Dany turned to an eastern enchantress known as a blood mage
02:44for a spell that might save his life.
02:52It didn't turn out how the princess had hoped,
02:54and she ended up traumatized by the loss of her lover.
02:57We've yet to see much witchcraft in House,
02:59but this line has ominously made its presence known.
03:03Even casual visitors to Westeros know about the prominent families,
03:06which all come with unique ancestry and specific symbols
03:10that are often associated with the family.
03:12The family of the King of Westeros,
03:14the House of the Dragon,
03:16and the House of the Dragon's daughter,
03:18Rhaenys,
03:18are the most famous members of the House of the Dragon.
03:21The House of the Dragon is also known as the House of the Dragon,
03:24and the House of the Dragon is also known as the House of the Dragon.
03:29These sigils return in House of the Dragon,
03:31most obviously during the Pilots' Tournament,
03:33where we can see flags for the Lannister Lion,
03:35Baratheon's Stag,
03:36and of course, the Targaryen Dragon.
03:39Sigil, a stag, a crown stag,
03:41now that Robert's king.
03:43Good.
03:44Words, ours is the fury,
03:46lords, the Baratheons.
03:48Hm?
03:49But there's another place where the mascots reappear.
03:51Near the episode's end,
03:52Rhaenys is seen in the House of the Dragon,
03:55Near the episode's end,
03:56Rhaenys sports a glistening ornate necklace during her crowning ceremony.
04:00Freeze-frame the image,
04:01and you can pinpoint recognizable noble symbols
04:03that are peppered throughout the piece's chain.
04:05You'll spot the wolf of House Stark,
04:07the falcon of House Arryn,
04:08and the sun and spear of House Martell,
04:11to name a few.
04:12That's A-list detailed costume design if we've ever seen it.
04:15Wear it like armor,
04:17and it can never be used to hurt you.
04:20Some major events have already been spoiled.
04:23Queen Alicent has not forgotten the love you once had for each other.
04:27If spoiler evasion is precious to you,
04:30it's not just George R.R. Martin's books that you'll need to avoid.
04:33Mostly attentive Game of Thrones bingers will already know
04:37that some major plot points,
04:38and even deaths,
04:39have already been blatantly spelled out in dialogue.
04:42We mothers do what we can to keep our sons from the grave.
04:47But they do seem to yearn for it.
04:49Though she's not ornamentally detailed,
04:51Shireen Baratheon outlines the dance of dragon civil war,
04:55which House of the Dragons' story is leading up to.
04:57The more the other,
04:58their fight divided the kingdoms in two.
05:01Brothers fought brothers.
05:02Dragons fought dragons.
05:06By the time it was over,
05:07thousands were dead.
05:08And we won't go into it here,
05:10but that rascal King Joffrey bluntly states the eventual fate of Rhaenyra Targaryen.
05:14As season two unfolds and we meet new characters,
05:17it may be worth revisiting Thrones to see what else they're up to.
05:21The series has already told us.
05:23I would rather feed my sons to the dragons than have them carry shields and cups.
05:30Set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones,
05:33House of the Dragon has ample opportunity to show off some trinkets
05:36that we've previously only heard about.
05:38Take King Viserys's mighty broadsword Blackfyre,
05:41used more as a cane than it's wielded.
05:43The massive claymore is an heirloom of House Targaryen,
05:46originally owned by Aegon the Conqueror.
05:48If you've read your mythology,
05:50you'll know that Blackfyre is eventually involved in some family drama
05:53that starts the First Blackfyre Rebellion,
05:55a historical Targaryen civil war.
05:58The heir for a day.
06:00Did you say it?
06:01It's unclear whether we'll see that great conflict in the new show,
06:05but it's not the only legendary saber that connects both series.
06:09Prince Daemon possesses Dark Sister,
06:11a famous Valyrian steel blade that Arya later references while at Harrenhal.
06:16Missenya Targaryen was a great warrior.
06:20She had a Valyrian steel sword she called Dark Sister.
06:23Number four, a true easter egg.
06:25Dragons are all dead.
06:28They've been dead for centuries.
06:29Though more common in the setting of House than Thrones,
06:32dragon eggs are no less valuable.
06:35A major conflict in the rogue prince episode
06:37involves Daemon's theft of a speckled egg belonging to Dreamfyre.
06:41The treasure bears stark resemblance to the three eggs
06:43given to Daenerys Targaryen at her wedding to Khal Drogo.
06:46The book Fire and Blood elaborates on the origins of Dany's children,
06:51suggesting that they were of Westerosi origin and looted from Dragonstone.
06:54Though the book doesn't state outright that these came from Dreamfyre,
06:58readers speculate that the eggs from both shows are one and the same.
07:06This would make Dreamfyre the mother of Drogon Rhaegal and Viserys
07:10and mean that both Rhaenyra and Daenerys are cradling the same dragonspawn in their hands.
07:24Number three, the Iron Throne's many swords.
07:36It symbolizes dominion over the Seven Kingdoms
07:39and has been sought by many.
07:41But the Iron Throne doesn't look quite the same after its travels
07:44from Game of Thrones to HBO's new prequel installment.
07:48Specifically, there are a lot more swords.
07:50Book readers will know that the added metal
07:53makes the chair more accurate to George R.R. Martin's description.
07:59He envisioned an unorganized mound of quote,
08:02jagged and twisted blades,
08:04rather than the polished platform that most watchers are accustomed to.
08:07House of the Dragon creators also wanted to meticulously communicate
08:11the differences between both time periods.
08:16Adding more weapons helps convey the grandeur of House Targaryen's capstone era.
08:20The blueprint for the actual seat remains the same though,
08:23effectively connecting both epics for returning fans.
08:33Number two, the cat's paw dagger.
08:37If you were caught up on your Game of Thrones binge,
08:49then this knife's appearance probably made your jaw drop.
08:52Given to Rhaenyra by King Viserys,
08:54its edge comes inscribed with prophetic words by Aegon I,
08:58and it contributes to some major throne spoilers during its lifespan.
09:07It's informally named Cat's Paw Dagger for the man hired to murder Bran Stark,
09:12and it becomes a sort of chess piece for Littlefinger's manipulation.
09:16Most triumphantly, Arya restores the weapon's honor by burying it into the Night King.
09:20It's already active in House,
09:22becoming Alicent Hightower's choice tool for a passionate attempt on Rhaenyra's life.
09:27Its inclusion was a specific choice by the showrunners to link both series to each other,
09:32and fans did not miss it.
09:34But now they see you as you are.
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09:52Number one, the Song of Ice and Fire.
09:55From my blood come the prince that was promised.
10:01And his will be the Song of Ice and Fire.
10:04The entire Game of Thrones universe began with George R.R. Martin's series of novels,
10:09collectively titled A Song of Ice and Fire.
10:12As hefty as that phrase looms, there's actually very little we know about it.
10:16You serve Jon Snow now?
10:19He's the prince that was promised.
10:23Forgive me, my lady, I'd have thought that was Stannis.
10:25The words appear in a prophecy that involves an unnamed prince,
10:29that was promised.
10:30But its meaning and intent are subjects of heavy interpretation.
10:34Despite theories that this refers to Daenerys or Jon Snow,
10:37neither the prince nor the song have ever been clearly defined.
10:41Proper translation for that prophecy would be
10:44the prince or princess who was promised will bring the dawn.
10:48Doesn't really roll off the tongue.
10:49Since the famous sentence excitedly returns in House of the Dragon,
10:53diehard readers and watchers wonder if House might provide answers
10:56It could even mean that House of the Dragon won't be our last visit to Westeros.
11:01All of Westeros must stand against it.
11:04And if the world of men is to survive, a Targaryen must be seated on the Iron Throne.
11:08A king or queen.
11:09What did you notice that we missed?
11:11Share in the comments below.
11:13Promise me, Daenerys.
11:19Promise me.
11:20Did you enjoy this video?
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