After eight fantastic episodes of House of the Dragon, there is so much to talk about. The most tragic part of the show is the decline of King Viserys. In his final moments, he tells his wife about the Song of Ice and Fire, and The Prince That Was promised. But who is The Prince That Was Promised?
Leading up to episode eight of House of the Dragon, we saw Viserys’ health deteriorate.
At first, he was a strong and healthy king. However, after his first wife died in childbirth along with their newborn son, Viserys’ health began to decline. This was foreshadowed when he cut himself on the Iron Throne.
As time passed, Viserys became increasingly ill with leprosy. All the while disputes over his rightful successor simmered in the background.
On one side is Rhaenyra Targaryen, Viserys’ eldest daughter and heir. On the other are Rhaenyra’s half-siblings, the children of Viserys and Queen Alicent.
When Viserys made Rhaenyra his heir, he told her about Aegon the Conqueror’s prophecy – the Song of Ice and Fire. The prophecy told of a Prince or Princess (the pronoun “Prince” is gender-neutral in High Valryian) who would unite the realm against “the cold and the dark”.
As Viserys lay dying, he confused Queen Alicent for Rhaenyra. He told her about Aegon’s dream. Due to Alicent’s son being named Aegon, she misunderstood (or chose to believe) that Viserys was telling her Aegon should be king.
With so much confusion around the prophesied saviour of Westeros, let’s take a look at who is The Prince That Was promised…
Who Is The Prince That Was Promised in House of the Dragon?
While King Viserys clearly believed that Rhaenyra was The Prince That Was Promised, the prophecy comes up numerous times in Game of Thrones. With House of the Dragon being a prequel series, we know that Rhaenyra isn’t the Prince.
Over the course of Game of Thrones, it is implied that a few different people may be the prophesied Prince.
At first, the witch Melisandre believes Stannis Baratheon to be The Prince That Was Promised. However, Stannis is ultimately killed in battle.
In Essos, another Red Priestess believed Daenerys Targaryen to be The Prince That Was Promised. But her turn to madness during the destruction of King’s Landing showed that she wasn’t Westeros’ saviour after all.
Unfortunately, Game of Thrones‘ highly controversial ending threw everything up in the air. Certain things that the prophesy foretold didn’t exactly come to pass. And the matter of The Prince That Was Promised is never definitively settled.
So, who is The Prince That Was Promised? In Game of Thrones, it is strongly implied that Jon Snow is The Prince That Was Promised. This is because he is of Targaryen blood, led the armies of Westeros against the White Walkers and the Night King, and ultimately assassinated Daenerys.
Despite forging the crucial alliance with Daenerys and leading the battle against the Night King, many believe Jon Snow isn’t The Prince That Was Promised.
Instead, many think Arya Stark is the prophesied saviour. This is because she actually killed the Night King and, in doing so, eliminated the White Walker threat.
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