Our current read is Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin, the prequel novel to the famous books that inspired the hit HBO series, Game of Thrones. We recently reviewed what we’d read so far in the “historical tome” written about the Targaryen dynasty. But there is more to this.
Since we’ve watched House of the Dragon, the prequel series to Game of Thrones, we thought we’d explore what was NOT included in the television series inspired by Fire and Blood. As of the writing of this article, we have not completed the book, so we cannot do a full breakdown. However, we can talk about what we know was omitted leading up to the reign of King Viserys I Targaryen.
We’re currently up to King Jaehaerys’ reign, where he has just gotten control over Westeros upon turning 16 and has no further use for his mother, Queen Alyssa, being his regent.
Before continuing, we will review bits that we know are different during the reign of Viserys I in the book compared to House of the Dragon.
Also, we won’t discuss anything after Luke’s death as House of the Dragon Season 2 is still filming, meaning there is only so much we can discuss after this.
Finally, this post is placed here in Book Haven, exploring the book Fire and Blood, not House of the Dragon. The prequel series is covered in the Westeros category.
The Rise Of The Targaryen Dynasty – Aenar Targaryen, Aegon The Conqueror And His Sister-Wives
One of the most significant events that House of the Dragon skips over entirely is the reign of Aegon I Targaryen. Aegon was better known as Aegon the Conqueror. However, parts of it are alluded to, including the crowning of Aegon II Targaryen with his namesake’s crown.
There is also the omission of Aenar Targaryen‘s arrival in Westeros. He was the founder of the Targaryen dynasty. The only reference to Aenar made in House of the Dragon is during a conversation between Viserys and young Rhaenyra regarding the origins of the Valyrian Steel dagger. Daenys Targaryen, Aenar’s daughter, is referenced indirectly during this discussion.
Queen Visenya, one of the sister-wives of Aegon I, is mentioned a few times in House of the Dragon. Queen Aemma mentions to her husband, King Viserys, that Rhaenyra hopes for a sister they call Visenya.
Rhaenyra would go on to have a stillborn daughter with Daemon they would’ve called Visenya.
Queen Rhaenys would only get two references in House of the Dragon. One is her name is shared with her descendant, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, the cousin of King Viserys. Princess Rhaenys would be dubbed The Queen That Never Was.
Aenys And Maegor
There is very little reference to Aegon’s two sons. His firstborn son, Aenys, is depicted as a statue in the Red Keep’s Great Hall. Aenys is the son Aegon I had with Rhaenys. Aenys is the one who is the ancestor of all the other Targaryens.
Maegor, the secondborn son of Aegon, whose mother is Visenya, is also depicted as a statue. However, he gets a bit more screen time, so to speak, than his brother. Princess Rhaenys and her husband, Lord Corlys Velaryon, discuss his reign and how he bought about the most recent war.
Ser Otto Hightower mentions Maegor’s name when he compares the late Targaryen with Daemon’s chances of becoming king.
The Descendants Of Aenys I Targaryen
Another point that is also omitted about the Targaryen dynasty that is not referenced in House of the Dragon is that the Targaryens we’ve come to know are the descendants of Aenys, not Maegor.
Maegor and his wives tried having children, but none of them could birth a live child, leaving the tyrant king childless, meaning the throne passed to his only surviving nephew, Jaehaerys.
So, this means that even the later generations of the Targaryen that appear in Game of Thrones, meaning Danaerys, her brothers and Jon Snow are descended from Aenys and therefore, his mother Rhaenys.
Aenys’ Children Are Not All Referenced
None of Aenys’ five children are referenced in House of the Dragon. However, four of them are referenced in Histories and Lore, an animated micro series, talking about aspects that were not included in the original Game of Thrones series. The micro series was included on the Blu-Ray editions.
Only Aegon, Jaehaerys, Rhaena and Alysanne are referenced in Histories and Lore. Aenys and his wife Alyssa had three sons and two daughters. The one that is not referenced is Viserys (not King Viserys). Though, they did have a third daughter who is also not referenced that died in the cradle. However, she is not included as she did not live past infancy.
Alicent And Rhaenyra
The last thing we wanted to touch on is Alicent and Rhaenyra. While not omissions exactly, we wanted to include these last couple of notes for anyone who might read Fire and Blood and be confused why the book versions of the characters are very different to the show.
So, in Fire and Blood, Alicent and Rhaenyra don’t have that much of a relationship. They’re not even close in age. In House of the Dragon, they’re the same age and grew up as best friends only to become divided when King Viserys marries Alicent after Queen Aemma dies in childbirth.
Alicent is almost an entire decade older than Rhaenyra is. Rhaenyra was a child when her stepmother entered the picture.
