HBO has announced that Milly Alcock and Emily Carey will be joining the cast of House of the Dragon … and their characters support speculation that the show will feature flashbacks or even multiple timelines.
HBO recently updated their House of the Dragon page to announce that Milly Alcock (Reckoning, The Gloaming) and Emily Carey (Casualty, Wonder Woman) will be playing younger versions of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, respectively.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, their roles will be recurring, which suggests that House of the Dragon may feature flashbacks more frequently than Game of Thrones did. This is not a guarantee, of course. Technically, Sam Coleman (young Hodor) and Robert Aramayo (young Ned Stark) had “recurring” roles on Game of Thrones too. However, considering that HBO’s official synopsis says that House of the Dragon will “tell the story of House Targaryen” not just the Dance of the Dragons, (plus the curious choice to cast Olivia Cooke, an actress in her twenties, to play the mother of Aegon II), it’s long been speculated that House of the Dragon will cover decades of Targaryen history. This casting announcement just about confirms this.
What chapters of House Targaryen history before or after the Dance of Dragons are you hoping to see depicted in House of the Dragon? Tell us below.
I hope they don’t use 2 timelines at the same time the whole season… I’d ratter have have a time jump or a few flashbacks.
Oh! That’s interesting, and it actually gives us a lot of information about the timeline, I guess it will be more tragic having Rhaenyra and Alicent closer in age.
HOWEVER, this blows my theory of Olivia playing both young and old Alicent out of the water which, on itself is incredibly disappointing.
We are talking about a show that was going its way to bring more racial diversity (which I applaud) and still managed to fall into one of the most annoying and repetitive mistakes made by Hollywood: casting really young actresses to play older women, couldn’t they find a wonderful 40+ year old actress to play Alicent? Great roles are very sparse for middle aged women and the few that they have are being given to actresses in their 20s, I’m not criticising Olivia who is gonna absolutely kill it as Alicent but it still feels underwhelming
The fact that there’s still no casting information at all regarding any of Rhaenyra or Alicent’s children is the biggest open question (and which will be the most revealing about how much time the writers intend to spend in the buildup).
I don’t know much about HOTD, but isn’t it being made clear that the young actress is playing a young version of Alicent from flashbacks?
If so, wouldn’t that mean they will hire an older woman for Alicent when it’s not a flashback?
EDIT: NVM. The older Alicent is played by a young actress too.
OberonYronwood,
The actress who plays the younger version of Alicent is 18 while the actress playing the older version is 27.
Not much of an age gap. You’re right. It does seem like they could’ve hired an older actress for the older version. It does seem like a bit of a blown opportunity, but I admit I don’t know much about the character or how the flashbacks/time sequences will go for season 1.
Welcome to the cast young ones!
Interesting. Young Rhaenyra, I get that. But young Alicent? This makes me now firmly think that these two characters will be similar in age. The only bit I still don’t know is whether Rhaenyra was aged up or Alicent was aged down.
Sean C.,
On off-topic note, I see my “good friend” The Dragon Demands, who I’m sure several of you know as “Head admin” of GoT Wiki, banned me on GoT Wikia mere days ago even though I haven’t touched GoT Wikia in terms of editing for 5 years! He even went as far as to list me as “Lord Parramandas” on his profile even though my account was never named Lord Parramandas there… this makes me seriously think he’s stalking my comments here, or maybe even on my Youtube channel (which I also haven’t updated in a long time). Like why the hell would he even go search for me there 5 years later?
(Side note, I did abandon my GoT WIkia profile years ago, erased everything on it and even left a defying message “I’m done with this Wiki” on my profile. But it seems it took years for him to even find it XD)
Given how these actresses are only about a year apart, seems like they won’t be doing the 9-year age gap between Alicent and Rhaenyra?
Adrianacandle,
Based on the set photos, grown-up Rhaenyra looks older than grown-up Alicent to me, so I’d have to agree.
Mr Derp,
Yeah, I think Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy are only just a year apart as well.
Erik, formerly Lord Parramandas,
That guy is crazy. I tried to talk to him years ago about factually incorrect things on that site and how it should be for facts about the show not his weird opinions and lies about D&D. He just told me he had an army and blocked me. I could make a list of dozens of lies he has said things like Benioff sexually harassed the actors and he lied to Emilia about her ending. The list goes on and on with his insanity. The scariest part is there are a few professional critics who engage with him.
”What chapters of House Targaryen history before or after the Dance of Dragons are you hoping to see depicted in House of the Dragon? Tell us below.”
The Doom.
Ever since Jorah and Tyrion recited the poem about the Doom as they sailed past Old Valyria (S5e5, below), I’ve wanted to know what caused it. I also wouldn’t mind seeing a depiction of the story of the Targ daughter who saw it coming, and warned her family to get out of Dodge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z_BdnRsJl0
🌋
Tywin of the Hill,
That guy is maybe the most toxic person in any fandom I have ever seen. The amount of lies he spews is insane. He was also the one who harassed Cogman on Twitter years ago to the point that Cogman left Twitter.
Adrianacandle,
Hmmm. Credibly aging an actor’s appearance up or down twenty years has become possible. (Did you see how they aged down Michael Douglas in the flashback scenes in “Ant-Man”? Impressive.)
Even without prosthetics or CGI, I really thought Olivia Cooke could pull off Alicent from her teen years into middle age. I’m a bit surprised they cast another actress for Young Alicent. Nevertheless…Good job of casting! From the photos, those two newcomers look like a young Emma D’Arcy and a young Olivia Cooke.
Actually, I am too. I mean, isn’t 27 the median age for playing a teen on TV anyway? 😉
But yeah, I agree that Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy could pull off the ages between teen to death of each character but I also agree that these were good casting choices nonetheless. They each bear a nice resemblance 🙂
Mr Derp,
”The actress who plays the younger version of Alicent is 18 while the actress playing the older version is 27.”
Yeah, that’s strange. From what I’ve seen of Olivia Cooke, e.g., clips from her recent movies, she could play a teen Alicent.
It’s too bad they couldn’t go in timeline order with multiple seasons and we could watch the actors grow up like we did on GOT. I have to say though that Emily Carey has a strong resemblance to Olivia Clarke. And I think I mentioned in another post that Grease had the oldest teenagers of all time…
It’s hard to say how much screen time the young actors will get. I remember the opening of GOT season 5 with Nell Williams playing the young Cersei. I loved her scene as she ran through the woods in search of Maggy the Frog. The scene had a more of a magical fantasy feel than many of the other scenes in GOT. Nell Williams didn’t get much screen time. It’s hard to say how many flashbacks they will use.
Tron79,
Yeah, I think it would be nice to watch younger actors (ie. maybe an 8-year old Rhaenyra and a 16 year-old Alicent) grow into the adults they become. I’d say a disadvantage of that would be they’d need to fill in the years between somehow and the Dance would take seasons upon seasons to get to 🙂
Fire blood87,
I posted under one of DD’s videos once. Not under the name I use here but I wasn’t rude but I said something about the two Ds having a somewhat difficult task in the later seasons because of the ASOIAF books being unfinished. Somebody had replied sensibly while not being a fan of the two Ds but I wanted to think about my response to that person. Guess what, when I went back DD had either deleted my comment or shadow bannned me so he doesn’t seem open to debate.
I can’t to the best of my recollection recall having seen the two actresses mentioned above in anything so can’t judge their acting chops. They have the right look.
He is. I had first conflict with him back in 2014 when I mentioned on GoT Wikia if it’s appropriate that there’s a multiparagraph rant under “The Children” episode page openly criticising the omission of Tysha and I got a long lecture from him, including implicitly threatening me with ban if I ever dare to question his “admin level edits”. And yes, his conspiracy theories that “surprisingly” only he knows about… I actually wonder if this guy wanted to be part of the TV show crew and got rejected and thus he developed this intense hate-obssession with it.
I think whole HOTD will be structured around Rhaenyra and Alicent and their conflict. I mean in the book is basically the same, but having them be the same age will probably highlight this even more.
Similar to the endgame of the original show where we had Cersei vs Daenerys. Only here this relationship will be the center of the whole show
I feel the same. I think these two will be the nemesis to each other and Aegon II may be more like Joffrey in terms of his age. Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke are about the same age, and so are the two actresses playing the younger counterparts.
I haven’t either. However, Milly Alcock was recently in a comedy/drama series on Foxtel called “Upright” with Tim Minchin.
Here are two promo clips:
• Milly Alcock with Tim Minchin in Foxtel series “Upright” – Interview [2:40 long]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlzXREiEITw
(Where have I heard of Tim Minchin before?….)
• Milly Alcock – Behind the Scenes of “Upright” [1:34]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcvwsp17neU
I’m not sure what streaming service (“Binge”?) is carrying “Upright.”
Erik, formerly Lord Parramandas,
Yeah. Aegon II will probably be Tommen’s/Jeffrey’s age. Around 15 years old.
Which will make his story even more tragic.
This is what this show has to capture. This is a personal and tragic story of this broken family. Characters will make or break the show.
Plot is interesting enough already, George did his job here, but characters are missing from the book. This is the main task showrunners have here.
Erik, formerly Lord Parramandas,
Yea that’s not what that sites suppose to be for. It’s suppose to be info about the show not opinion pieces that’s what critics are for.
Musical break. Hamilton Leithouser + Rostam (“In A Blackout”). Lyrical Video
And The Lumineers “Ophelia”…
Erik, formerly Lord Parramandas,
I don’t think that would work by the time you get to the Dance.
mau,
I wholeheartedly agree with this, I think they’ll play into the “they were / could have been friends but life made them enemies” which would be incredibly tragic.
I would honestly not be that mad about that change tbh, it would add another layer of complexity to their relationship, knowing each other since they were children and knowing their weaknesses and strengths would be quite nice.
Sean C.,
Well, I think they are making both Alicent and Rhaenyra the same age for the tragedy effect but I’m sure they’ll age them up with tons of makeup and they’ll me middle aged when the actual conflict begins.
Tbh, I think that on paper it’s a nice idea but I’m curious about the execution though.
Fire blood87,
Wow, there is so much people talking awful things about him online, the thing is that most of them seem to be true? Wow. Although I have to admit I’ve watched some of his recent videos, they are quite entertaining but that doesn’t excuse him of course.
Actually, I’ve just looked up Emily Carey’s Wikipedia entry and in fact I’d seen her as young Diana in Wonder Woman.
OberonYronwood,
If you are referring to DD, he is of course entitled to an opinion as is anyone but he blocks/shadowbans/belittles anyone who disagrees with him.
Yes, this information is in the article as well.
“HBO recently updated their House of the Dragon page to announce that Milly Alcock (Reckoning, The Gloaming) and Emily Carey (Casualty, Wonder Woman) will be playing younger versions of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, respectively.”
Sean C.,
”Especially on the side of the Greens,you need Alicent’s sons being old enough to be combatants for that faction to be in the civil war at all…”
From what I gather, it does seem like most of the major players and their supporters will be committing to one side or the other: Team Black 🖤 or Team Green. 💚
Unless both factions adopt a “You’re with us or you’re against us” policy, I assume there will be some non-combatants and a few Hightower-Targaryen family members who are able to remain neutral.
Also, I don’t expect that the story will be non-stop conflict and escalating retaliation: I wonder if there will be any characters, e.g. intermediaries or mutual friends, who try to bridge the divide; or if pacifists will get taken out by warmongers. There should be some complexity and shades of grey to keep things interesting. (HotD can’t all be Team Black vs. Team Green, right?)
To add some intrigue and dramatic twists, might there be characters who are portrayed as non-partisan or who appear to be steadfast supporters of Green 🟩 or Black ⬛️, and only later do we see their true colors shining through?
🌈
Mr Derp,
Oops – must have skim read.
Dame of Mercia,
lol, no hard done, Dame 🙂
loco73,
“In a Blackout”
Not sure about “Ophelia” by The Lumineers. They really skimped on the music video. A guy walking down a rain-drenched street. That’s it?
⚠️Time for a HotD-related Musical Interlude?
The girl on the left looks like a Frey. The one on the right looks like a cross between Drew Barrymore and Kate Winslet.
We aim to please but cannot always succeed…LOL…
In terms of The Lumineers and “Ophelia”, it’s not that they skimped on the video. That was the original concept for it…LOL. Plus indy bands don’t really have large budgets for their videos. Each track from this album that had a video released tells a story and are loosely related. There is some kind of overarching narrative/theme which is carried throughout the album.
Sean C.,
But Alicent and Rhaenyra will be of the same age. That’s clear from the casting. So their children can’t be older than Tommen/Joffrey
Sean C.,
And when it comes to children if they cast 15 years old actors for S1 by the time the show ends they will be older than 20. Especially if new season airs every two years. So I expect like in GOT that they will just ignore passage of time
No excuse. 🤔
There’s a way to make an infectious music video on a shoestring budget, with the lead singer dancing down a city street.
Recruit your family, your friends, your lawyer, and other volunteers to appear in it, supply your own wardrobe and accessories, and you come up with a classic like this:
💃
mau,
Do we know if they’ve mapped out how many seasons they anticipate they’ll need to tell the story?
Because if (knock on wood) S1 of HotD is a success and the show is renewed for several more seasons, before long Milly Alcock and Emily Carey will look to. be about the same age as Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke. As it is, they’re all pretty close in age now, right?
Plus, as you noted, if they cast child actors in the 13-15 age range, within a few years they’ll be young adults. Maybe you’re right, and they’ll just ignore the passage of time (and fudge the ages of the book! characters a bit).
Ten Bears,
LOL…I don’t think hipsters do that…
Speaking of hipsters…
Still one of the best…
loco73,
The video and audio quality of that Beatles” live clip is extraordinary. Is that one of Peter Jackson’s restored and enhanced films?
No, because showrunners still haven’t gave official interview or even statement. But most fans expect 4 or 5 seasons for HOTD. Probably 5.
And if every new season airs every two years the show will be finished in 2030.
Ten Bears,
No, I’m talking about when we get to the actual war in whatever season.
mau,
”And if every new season airs every two years the show will be finished in 2030.“
And we’ll still be waiting on TWOW, won’t we…🤥
Ten Bears,
Doesn’t appear to be. It is from their official YouTube Channel and it looks like it was released in 2015. It may just be a restored HD version…not necessarily the 4K stuff Jackson is working on…
Ten Bears,
Controversial opinion – but I expect GRRM to die before 2030.
Nope. You are wrong. He’ll endure forever as a pickled head in a jar. Have you never watched “Futurama”?!
mau,
Another controversial opinion:
I feel for the guy. I really do.
He was able to zip through the first few books and bask in the glory…and he just can’t find his mojo again. In a way, it reminds me of Dr. McCoy in an old (cheesy) Star Trek episode, “Spock’s Brain.”
After Spock’s stolen brain is recovered, an alien knowledge machine gives Dr. McCoy the ability to work at lightning speed to surgically re-implant Spock’s stolen brain… but midway through, the effect wears off, and McCoy is unable to finish the operation:
at 1:01 to 2:11
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycpzl6dvWIc
At first:
McCoy: “Of course. Of course! A child could do it.”
But then…
Dr. McCoy: ”…I don’t remember… What am I supposed to do!”
Kirk: “Bones, you can’t stop now!”
Dr. McCoy: “I’m trying to thread a needle with a sledgehammer. What am I supposed to do? I can’t remember. I don’t remember!”
loco73,
⚠️ Musical Interlude
Dedicated to Daenerys and Rhaenyra Targaryen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flSmiIne-4k
⬛️
OberonYronwood,
His problem is his creepy obsession with Benioff and the lies he makes up about him. Just weird things like he changed Dany ending at the last minute and he was horrible to the entire crew. Weird things that have no actual evidence to back them up. Even the most vocal D&D haters have mostly either blocked or avoided him except a few. The guys been saying since 2015 he has insider info that will expose Benioff but he still hasn’t shown any proof of anything he claims. As a person who’s been around lots of people with mental health issues the guy seems to have a few and doesn’t seem right mentally.
Ten Bears,
Nice one! 👍👍 Thanks.
I can’t see that anyone else has linked it so here is Emily Carey’s showreel from late 2019. https://youtu.be/0SWgjoae0Ac She played teenage Diana I realise and Lilly Aspell played child Diana. Warning – on my computer the sound quality is abominable on the clip but I thought it’s possible some of you have better sound systems than me.
British viewers (and not to do with HoD) have any of you watched the parody video by Munya Chawawa about the recently resigned UK Health Secretary, Matt Hancock? Very short and a bit saucy but I thought it was hilarious. Not linking it because I doubt it would interest anybody not British.
loco73,
⚠️ Monday Morning Musical Interlude
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsmVgoXDq2w
… and 35 years later:
– Susanna Hoffs, live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPGao6b7odk
⏰
Milly Alcock + Emily Carey = Am I the only one who’s brain first skimmed the headline and read “Emilia Clarke joins House of the Dragon” I swear to R’hllor!!!
Fire blood87,
He actually planned to make a 3 hour video “Inside the mind of David Benioff” but eventually decided against posting it because he said Benioff could very likely press charges if he released this video. Makes me wonder what kind of stuff he wanted to talk about there…
Yay…we are now past the tenth year anniversary of the release of “A Dance With Dragons”! Amazing celebrations and fireworks! The GRRM must be mighty proud of his accomplishment…NOT writing another ASOIF book for a whole decade! Belated happy anniversary!
Someone once asked what do Patrick Rothfuss and the GRRM have in common? Easy answer; a combined twenty years between them of not writing a book! 😳🤪
Ten Bears,
LOL…good choices!
I didn’t read it that way but you made me laugh.
loco73,
I don’t know about PR but to be fair GRRM has written books within the timeframe just not the 6th book in ASOIAF.
Let’s be honest…none of which matter to most people, including myself. His magnum opus is ASOIF. And he has failed at it. Even if he somehow manages to finish. It doesn’t really matter anymore. Water under the bridge. Speaking for myself….I’m kinda played out on these books and on the GRRM. The show is it for me. I just don’t need or want to hold onto the books anymore. Time I cleaned up house when it comes to ASOIF…and Martin…my days as a fan are at an end…and it’s been too long a time coming….
Erik, formerly Lord Parramandas,
Lies is what he was going to talk about. If that guy truly had concrete evidence of things he described as incriminating and so horrible it would shock the world he wouldn’t take 7 years to reveal it. His new claim is the VFX guys said in a commentary they changed all the wildfire explosions color to regular fire at the last minute because D&D demanded it. I checked they never once said that.
loco73,
⚠️ Friday Morning Musical Interlude
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnqxbdnzlhw
– The Easybeats
(at 0:33: Was lead singer Stevie Wright the inspiration for Austin Powers?)
… and about 22 years later..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsomkbNgFYQ
loco73,
”Time I cleaned up house when it comes to ASOIF…and Martin…my days as a fan are at an end…and it’s been too long a time coming….”
Yes. It sounds like your message to Big G would be: “Time goes slowly, but carries on. And now the best years, have come and gone.”
(cont. from 7/6/21 at 8:16):
“What chapters of House Targaryen history before or after the Dance of Dragons are you hoping to see depicted in House of the Dragon? Tell us below.”
In addition to the Doom, I’d like to know more about the provenance of Arya’s Valyrian steel dagger. On GoT, Sam saw an illustration of the dagger in the old Citadel book he was reading:
https://assets3-thrillist-com.cdn.ampproject.org/ii/AW/s/assets3.thrillist.com/v1/image/2690486/792×459/flatten;scale;jpeg_quality=70
• Some book readers speculate that it may have been a Targaryen heirloom, passed down to Rhaegar, and maybe then filched from him by Robert.
• If in fact the dagger was passed down by the Targ family over many generations, it could very well show up in HotD, without coming off as gimmicky. Besides, some subtle continuity from the flagship series GoT to the prequel wouldn’t be terrible:
I thought this literary device was effective to tie together the stories in different eras.
– A brief homage to Game of Thrones without blatantly ripping it off could be a nice touch. The series premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation did this with a brief scene featuring 137 year-old “Admiral McCoy” (Dr. McCoy from the original series)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCe6d6F-Hdo
– If that dagger was in fact Rhaegar’s, it wouldn’t be farfetched if one of his recent ancestors had it.
• GoT teased that there was something very special about that dagger (aside from shanking NK) and there must have been a good reason for a Maester to include an illustration of it in a history book.
• Also, the show (and the books) left a lot of unanswered questions about the dagger, e.g., who really “owned” it, where did it come from, why was it in the Citadel book, and who commissioned the assassin to try to kill comatose Bran? Some speculate it was Joffrey, who would’ve had access to the dagger from King Robert’s armory.
Note: I don’t see how LF could possibly have been behind the assassination attempt: LF was far away in KL at the time of Bran’s defenestration in WF and the attempt to kill him shortly thereafter.
• Then there were the odd statements in the show about the dagger that were never really reconciled. Paraphrasing:
– In S1, LF told Cat: “It was mine, but I lost it in a bet to Tyrion Lannister.”
– In S7e4, Bran asked LF point blank: “Do you know who this belonged to?” LF answered: “No” or “I don’t know.”
– In LF’s trial by ambush in S7e7, Arya accused LF: “You told our mother this knife belonged to Tyrion Lannister. That was a lie. It was yours.”
Oddly, LF’s disavowal of knowledge to Bran in S7e4 never came up at the “trial” in S7e7. That denial of any knowledge was a demonstrable lie.
• Other questions that I don’t recall were ever addressed:
– What kind of schmuck arms his catspaw with a murder weapon that could be traced back to him?(Didn’t Tyrion pose this or a similar question to Cat during their journey to the Vale?)
– For that matter, why supply an assassin with a rare and super expensive Valyrian steel dagger, when any old generic knife could have done the job? If an expensive knife supposed to be payment to the assassin, why give him something identifiable that he’d have to pawn or sell. Why not just give him untraceable gold coins?
• I would not expect HotD to answer questions posed by GoT about the identity of the assassin’s employer, though a few historical tidbits about the chain of ownership of the dagger, why it was pictured in the Citadel book, and why it was so special, might shed some light on various fan theories about the person(s) behind the assassination attempt.
Ten Bears,
I believe there are only two known Targaryen family swords: Blackfyre and Dark Sister.
In HotD,
Unless HotD is supposed to answer some of the mysterious origins of Catspaw in the unpublished books as well, I don’t really think Catspaw will really make an appearance because I don’t think it’d be necessary. In that way, it could look out of place and done just in hopes some devoted GoT viewers recognize the dagger. That’d open up a ton of speculation when, if Catspaw doesn’t belong in this part of GRRM’s history, that speculation would be for naught.
Adrianacandle,
”I don’t really think Catspaw will really make an appearance because I don’t think it’d be necessary. In that way, it could look out of place and done just in hopes some devoted GoT viewers recognize the dagger.”
GoT viewers like me. 😇
Ten Bears,
I don’t think it’s at all out of the realm of possibility for the Catspaw dagger to have once belonged to the Targaryen family — but there’s no known ancestral Targaryen dagger (as far as I know). It is possible though. However, I think — for me — this would have to be a detail that would be in the source material as well or otherwise, it could be kind of gimmicky as the origins of the Catspaw dagger are under much speculation and if it were just included for no other reason than as an easter egg for especially devoted GoT fans, well…
I’m not at all opposed to the idea in and of itself — I just think it’d have to be something GRRM intends as well so it has that purpose. It’d be revealing another piece of the Catspaw puzzle. I think that’d be a good idea if GRRM intends that.
Anyway, that’s my feeling on it 🙂
Adrianacandle,
”I believe there are only two known Targaryen family swords: Blackfyre and Dark Sister. In HotD,Blackfyre is wielded by Alicent’s son Aegon Targaryen while Dark Sister is used by Daemon Targaryen.”
Thanks. It was my understanding that one of the Targs from the period covered by HotD would wield Dark Sister. Maybe that could provide an opportunity for homage to GoT:
According to this GoT conversation between Tywin & Arya (S2e7) about Aegon Targaryen’s conquest (which preceded the events in HotD by ?? years), Dark Sister was once owned by Aegon’s sister Visenya:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OTOiMQchKw
at 2:30 – 3:19
Arya: “Visenya Targaryen was a great warrior. She had a Valyrian Steel sword she called Dark Sister.”
A bit of exposition in HotD about Dark Sister’s prior owners (i.e., a subtle callback to Tywin’s chat with “student of history” Arya) wouldn’t seem out of place, would it?
That’s right! Visenya wielded Dark Sister while her brother Aegon I had Blackfyre 🙂
Ten Bears,
Regarding valyrian dagger, I actually wonder how rare were valyrian weapons initially supposed to be when GRRM was writing his first novel because later, especially in TV shows, valyrian weapons seem to become a very rare thing, like only a few of them exist and they’re all documented and owned by lords of noble families. But in first novel/first season, the dagger is simply deemed as “something too expensive an assassin would wear”, implying valyrian weapons are indeed rare but not such immense treasure as they seem to be considered in later novels/story. So the whole dagger story may have been a bit of an error already from GRRM.
As for the origins, I think both in novels and in TV’s “Histories and Lore”, it’s been specified there are a couple hundreds of valyrian blades in Westeros so they’re not supposed to be THAT rare.. but on other hand, it’s also specified that no new valyrian blades were ever made in Westeros so all those hundreds of blades must have arrived from Valyria but the Doom of Valyria happened a hundred years before… that would technically mean Aegon and his army must have possessed all these blades.
LOL… pretty much! Much obliged for the musical interlude! Thank you sir!👍👍✌️
loco73,
⚠️ Tuesday Afternoon Musical Interlude
Dedicated to the Wight Army
The Moody Blues, at the Isle of Wight (1970)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp_IpRkILv8
Get it? Isle of Wight? 🧟♂️
loco73,
⚠️ Musical Interlude
Dedicated to Rhaenyra Targaryen ⬛️
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTVu-UkXSYo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwO0lNfc_h8
🖤
I really like the idea of flashbacks! There is so much in a Fire & Blood but some chapters are quite dull and the stability of certain rules would not like make for good TV so this could be a good way to get around all of that whilst giving context to how we arrive at the Dance.
Never nice to say but given his obesity and the average life expectancy in the USA it would be a fair assessment. In reality that’s why we will almost certainly never see the final book.
Can someone help me with a question about the original GOT series? All series we were told “winter is coming”. Toward the end there was evidence of the final arrival of colder weather – aided locally by white walkers and the Night King. Of course they all disappeared at the end of S8E3 – the long night. With their departure it seemed that the winter, whose coming was the Starks’ defining phrase and had been intoned over all eight series, suddenly disappeared. Winter came and went in the blink of an eye and the shattering of a Night King. Thus a liberated John Snow with all the wildlings were able to trek far north into apparent springtime 🌱. Was winter in Westeros only caused by magical bad boys from north of the wall? Were there no ordinary seasons of the orbital obliquity type? I won’t even ask about seasons of different durations and the planet’s splitting into several liquified parts that would result from the orbit changing speed.
Dire Guineapig,
I don’t know how much this will pertain to the show but this post contains a variety of excerpts from GRRM interviews where he talks about seasons in his ASOIAF world 🙂
Adrianacandle,
Thanks – that’s a nice explanation from the author himself. In fact I’m wrong to think of it in terms of orbit speed only since the years and seasons are clearly separate in GOT, with both winters and summers lasting for a variable number of years. So the years are fixed but the seasons variable. It turns out that’s not so different to earth.
This is fantasy after all, as the great man reminds us, not sci-fi. However pursuing this nerdish point a little further, there are some possible scientifically plausible scenarios for the decoupling of seasons from the planetary orbit such as happens in Westeros. This only requires modification of the orbital dynamics that we have here in earth – I’m referring to the Milankovitch orbital variations that are responsible for our own long winters and long summers – the glacial and interglacial intervals. We’re in a long summer now, the Holocene interglacial that has lasted 12,000 years already. Before it the long glacial winter lasted about 100,000 years – back to before humans had complex language. Hypothetically, with faster and more chaotic Milankovitch variations of larger amplitude – those of precession (wobble), obliquity (tilt) and eccentricity (elliptical orbit), the long winters and summers could be just a handful of years, occurring within a human lifespan.
In addition, Milankovitch type orbital variations interact with something else just as important: chaotic emergent pattern in a climate system, such as “bi-stability” or attractor seeking behaviour where for example our climate switches between glacial and interglacial states where it is more stable than in intermediate states. So there are plenty of ways that a Westeros like scenario of multi-year “winters and summers” could arise.