With the highly anticipated second season of House of the Dragon captivating audiences, fans of George R.R. Martin’s expansive universe are once again drawn into the web of prophecies. Despite initially going strong with characters’ motivations and intrapersonal conflicts, the prequel show ventured towards “The Prince Who Was Promised” prophecy.
Showing up once again with the most popular Game of Thrones prophecy that was wasted away by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss as they diverged from it, House of the Dragon S2 seemingly frustrated fans with the same old concept. But with Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower reuniting at the end of S2 E3, it seems the prophecy is set to be the focal point, from now onwards.
The Popular Game of Thrones Prophecy: The Prince Who Was Promised
Ever since David Benioff and D.B. Weiss ventured into George R.R. Martin‘s fictional world, prophecies have been an integral part of the storyline. Weaving the plot together by foretelling events, Game of Thrones utilized uncountable prophecies like ‘all of Cersei’s children will die’ or that ‘Stannis needs to make a sacrifice to win the battle’, to navigate the characters towards their doomed trajectory.
But one prophecy that remains the most popular and prominent one is ‘The Prince Who Was Promised’ aka the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy. It was Aegon the Conqueror’s vision where he foresaw that in order for the world of men to survive, a Targaryen must be seated on the Iron Throne. Whether a king or queen, only a Targaryen strong enough to unite the realm against the cold and the dark, could save the realm of men.
Following this prophecy, in Game of Thrones, it was either supposed to be Daenerys Targaryen or Jon Snow (who eventually turned out to be Aegon Targaryen VI), who would be seated on the Iron Throne. But quite anticlimactically, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss diverged from George R.R. Martin’s plot and wasted away the prophecy, turning Jon Snow’s identity as a Targaryen absolutely useless.
In the show, neither did a Targaryen reside on the throne, nor did a member of that family slay the Night King, to win the battle against the White Walkers. The prophecy that created the base of the storyline was unfortunately turned into a running joke when Arya Stark’s move won them the battle and Bran Stark was elected as the new King of Westeros (after the Iron Throne was destroyed).
Fans are Upset with House of the Dragon S2 Venturing Towards Prophecies
After teasing ‘The Prince Who Was Promised’ prophecy in Game of Thrones and yet ending the show with such disservice, fans now appear frustrated as the HBO prequel House of the Dragon seemingly ventures towards that very theme. Although Ryan Condal’s show has overall honored George R.R. Martin’s lore, fans are still wondering whether the upcoming episodes with be able to delve deeper into the prophecy’s origins and implications or end on an unsatisfactory note.
The very first episode of House of the Dragon, saw King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) telling his daughter Princess Rhaenyra (the younger version played by Milly Alcock) about Aegon the Conqueror’s vision and how they were to act on blind faith and do everything they could to ensure a Targaryen’s reign on the Iron Throne.
But eventually, their plan goes into vain when Viserys tells his wife Alicent Hightower about the vision on his deathbed and she thinks he was referring to their son, Aegon II. This offered her an excuse to usurp Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne.
But then as House of the Dragon S2 E3 brought the two leads, Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower face-to-face, the latter was informed about the true meaning of Visery’s last words by Rhaenyra. This eventually led her to realize how she upended the realm by standing beside her monster of a son Aegon II.
Unfortunately, since Alicent isn’t ready to back down, despite her fault, the show hints at the prophecy as an inevitable clash awaits in a major way.
Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are both available on Max.
