‘House of the Dragon’: 8 Wild Fan Theories About Season 1

House of the Dragon

Now that we’re halfway through the HBO Max series House of the Dragon Season 1, the fan theories have started to pile up. And everyone has their own thoughts on where the show is headed. With the amount of fan theories that circulated during the run of Game of Thrones, the amount of fan involvement shouldn’t be surprising. 

Let’s talk about the most wild fan theories out there about the first season of House of the Dragon. 

House of the Dragon Season 1 Fan Theories

TV shows with such rich lore and storytelling always compel viewers to involve themselves in the plot. Fan theories are the viewership’s way of participating in the storytelling process. It means the show is constructed well enough that fans can detect the foreshadowing. George R.R. Martin, Ryan Condal, and Miguel Sapochnik have ensured that viewers have a wealth of material to work with.

Let’s dive into some of the most compelling theories out there about House of the Dragon Season 1

House of Dragons
Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO

8. Dragons Run Wild in Westeros

Dragons are deeply loyal to their masters. But what would an untamed dragon look like? Some fans believe that we’ll find out this season. 

In the very first episode of House of the Dragon Season 1, King Viserys (Paddy Considine) says to Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock), “The idea that we control the dragons is an illusion. They’re a power man should never have trifled with. One that brought Valyria its doom. If we don’t mind our own histories, it will do the same to us.”

Are we going to see a wild dragon run rampant in the show? Was this just a throwaway line, or does it foreshadow a dangerous dragon to come? Will someone’s dragon turn on them?

Whether we see a wild dragon or someone’s trusty dragon turns on against their rider, we might see a dragon do some major damage this season.

Aemma
Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO

7. Mellos Murdered Aemma and the Baby

Queen Aemma (Sian Brooke) tragically dies during a C-section and her baby Baelon dies soon after. 

Who was in charge during this tragedy? Grand Maester Mellos (David Horovitch). While it’s not uncommon for births to end in tragedy in the middle ages, Reddit user Necessary_Candy_6792 points at the subtext to prove otherwise. They talk about how he declares with “no hesitation or assessment of Aemma’s condition” that she needs the C-section to spare the child.

“He declares that Aemma would die either way, not even considering she could pull through, and so the king needed to kill her to deliver the baby.” They then point out that when the baby comes out “alive and well…Mellos looks down on it with a troubled look.” The next time we see Baelon? He’s dead. 

Maybe this wasn’t a case of poor healthcare. Perhaps this delivery was decidedly deadly on purpose.

Viserys
Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO

6. King Viserys Has Greyscale

King Viserys is seen struggling with a currently unnamed ailment. We see a wound on his back getting cauterized in the first episode. When we time jump in the next episode, it has spread to his fingers. Doctors at this point prescribe that he let maggots eat off the dead skin. Fans of Game of Thrones think he’s suffering from the fatal disease of greyscale, also known as Prince Garin’s curse. Others believe it’s a form of leprosy, as Paddy Considine (who plays Viserys) recently spoke about on the West of Westeros podcast.

“He’s actually suffering from a form of leprosy,” he told the podcast West of Westeros. “His body is deteriorating, his bones are deteriorating. He is not actually old. He’s still a young man in there. He’s just, unfortunately, got this thing that’s taken over his body. It becomes a metaphor for being king, and the stress and strain that it puts on you, and what it does to you physically, what it does to you mentally.” Considine revealed.

We know this storyline also appears in the books. However there, the timeline has been slightly altered with the ailment showing much earlier than it did in the books. It’s implied there that the blades of throne, which keep nicking Viserys, played a role in his eventual death.

Tyrion Lannister
Photography by HBO

5. Tyrion Lannister Was a Targaryen

When Game of Thrones wrapped, we did not get a concrete answer to Tyrion Lannister’s heritage. Some fans believe that House of the Dragon has brought us closer to an answer. 

Targaryens are immune to greyscale. We were reminded of that when Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) came in contact with the disease during the battle of the Stepstones. Despite his close contact, Daemon was unconcerned with contracting it. 

If we look back at Game of Thrones, we’ll remember that Tyrion was grabbed by the Stone Men in the Rhoyne. Despite that, he never became infected. Perhaps that’s because he’s born of a bloodline that makes him immune. 

Daemon and Rhaenyra
Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO

4. Daemon and Rhaenyra Will End Up Together

In George R. R. Martin’s Fire and Blood, Daemon and Rhaenyra marry and have children together. While the books and the shows don’t always align, there’s been some pretty heavy foreshadowing that alludes to this marriage.

Daemon shows up to Rhaenyra’s wedding feast uninvited. They spoke in High Valyrian to keep their conversation secret. During this talk, Daemon asked why she was marrying Laenor. Rhaenyra retorts that he should take her at that moment to the House Targaryen’s Dragonstone seat and marry her in the “old Valyrian way.” Perhaps he will sooner rather than later. As we do get a significant time jump with next week’s episode, episode 6, The Princess and the Queen

Aegon
Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO

3. Aegon’s Conquest Will Surprise Viewers

The infamous conquest of Aegon has been explored through multiple angles across different books. There isn’t just one telling of the story. It’s been mentioned in multiple books so far. And they don’t all line up. George R. R. Martin emphasizes that these written histories aren’t always accurate. Like real histories, the perspective of the writer influences the writing. When we finally see Aegon’s Conquest, we’ll likely get a brand new perspective. 

Alicent Hightower and Otto Hightower
Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO

2. The Maesters Will Bring Down the Throne

It’s an open secret that the maesters owe their loyalties to the House Hightower. Famous members of the Hightower house include Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke and Emily Carey) and Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans). And this house has a history of manipulating Westeros to their own goals. 

In The World of Ice & Fire, Martin discusses how Hightower founded the maesters. At the same time, he talks about how the House Hightower worked to assassinate someone who vocalized their problems with Targaryen incest. Their encouragement of Targaryen incest plays into their manipulation of the throne. Some believe that this season, the maesters will make their move to completely undo the House Targaryen’s control of the throne.

Game Of Thrones Season 8

1. House of the Dragon Rewrites Game of Thrones

It’s no secret that scores of fans were furious with the ending of Game of Thrones. Many thought the events of the Game of Thrones Seasons 7 and 8 did not match the quality and direction of the first 6 seasons. Reddit user CruzAderjc points to the opening shots of House of the Dragon Season 1 to show that the executive producers want you to stop Game of Thrones after Season 6. 

At the beginning of Game of Thrones Season 7, you see a shot of Daenerys Targaryen taking flight across the Narrow Sea on her dragon. The first shots of House of the Dragon Season 1 show a similar shot of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen returning to King’s Landing after flying with her dragon. The Redditor believes this is the creators’ way of substituting the final two seasons of Game of Thrones with House of the Dragon. Even though they’re set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, they still match thematically. 

Do you share any of these House of Dragon Season 1 fan theories? Have your own? Sound off in our comment section below.

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