House of the Dragon can hardly claim to surpass mass expectations when it has, in fact, gone above and beyond. The HBO prequel series to Game of Thrones began with a record-breaking debut during its premiere and even though the initial hype has petered out, the epic fantasy series remains a delightfully nostalgic callback to the days of our first encounter with Westeros and its politically accrued narration.
The Debated Hypothesis of Tyrion Lannister’s True Identity
As the world of Game of Thrones kept building, so did the theories and the foreshadowing. With the secrets of the fictional world being kept closely guarded, it befell upon full-time enthusiasts to single out each strand of detail from the hour-long narratives so as to gain a clue as to the future fate of our favored characters. One such character who managed to win over the most divisive fandom of all time was Tyrion Lannister, portrayed by Peter Dinklage.
Also read: Game of Thrones: Quotes From Characters That Contradict Their Personality
For as long as one can remember, Game of Thrones had been leading us toward a singular goal. The dance around the dominion over the Iron Throne began from the very first episode. And it wasn’t until Season 5 when a lot of bloodlines and Houses started to meet and merge and clash. However, since the beginning, there had been one theory that remained in a constant state of query and hypothesis and over time, it only picked up more traction, i.e. Tyrion Lannister’s bloodline.
Although it was never entirely explored in the series, Tyrion actually had white-blond hair in A Song of Ice and Fire instead of the usual Lannisters’ signature golden-blond. But the series did tread the confusing waters of Tyrion’s ancestry on several of its occasions, especially in Season 5 Episode 5, Kill The Boy, when the youngest Lannister made his journey across the ruins of Old Valyria accompanied by Ser Jorah Mormont to reach Meereen. The journey had left Ser Jorah infected by the fatalistic Greyscale whereas Tyrion remained immune, a power that only the descendants of Valyria possess.
House of the Dragon Answers the Long-Debated Question
In the latest episode of House of the Dragon, the prequel to Game of Thrones, the Rogue Prince, Daemon Targaryen portrayed by Matt Smith faces off against the elusive and barbaric foe, the Crabfeeder on the Stepstones. As had already been established by the legends of Valyria, the true descendants do not contract Greyscale even upon coming in direct contact with an infected person or the Stone Men. That was proved once again when Daemon Targaryen remained immune to the disease after his bloody battle on the Stepstones.
However, this is not the first time the fandom has witnessed a Targaryen being indifferent about coming into contact with the disease. When Ser Jorah revealed his infection to Daenerys Targaryen, she solemnly shook his hand before ordering him to seek a cure and return to her. These instances provided more than enough evidence to substantiate that it isn’t merely a myth but a fact that the Targaryen bloodline is immune to Greyscale. And looking back at how Tyrion was grabbed by the Stone Men in the Rhoyne and managed to remain unaffected, this could then actually be an indirect indication of Tyrion Lannister’s true heritage, thus resolving one of the most sought-after answers in the history of the fandom.
