House of the Dragon has made many notable changes from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood novel. Some changes were successful, while others received backlash, but Season 1 Episode 1 came out the gate with a bold change that has implications for the entire Game of Thrones franchise. At the end of the pilot, Viserys (Paddy Considine) reveals that Aegon the Conqueror had a prophetic dream of the future, where the Others arose from the dead to invade Westeros, and he believed a Targaryen must unite the Seven Kingdoms against the threat. Aegon’s dream bears the same name as the novel series – The Song of Ice and Fire – and while it has never been officially confirmed in the books, there are many hints to suggest that a similar revelation will occur in Martin’s upcoming novel, The Winds of Winter.

The Targaryens are the most powerful house in Westeros. They are well known for their silver hair and abundance of dragons, but in the time of Old Valyria, they were considered a minor house. However, there’s a reason House Targaryen was the only family to survive the Doom of Valyria – their unique ability to foresee future events. Daenys the Dreamer saw the Doom in a dream, and her family heeded her warning. Her genetic gift has been passed down to select Targaryens over the generations, and it seems that Aegon the Conqueror shared her gift. Aegon’s dream passed from King to King as time passed, and several notable characters in the books might be aware of his vision.

Rhaegar Knew About the Prophecy

The Song of Ice and Fire novels leave several hints that suggest Rhaegar Targaryen (Wilf Scolding) was aware of Aegon’s dream, and that his actions during Robert’s Rebellion were all in service to his prophecy. Rhaegar was Daenerys’ (Emilia Clarke) older brother and was later revealed to be Jon Snow’s (Kit Harington) father. There is strong evidence that suggests Rhaegar knew of Aegon’s prophecy in A Clash of Kings. When Daenerys enters the House of the Undying, she witnesses a series of visions that show her the past, and predict the future. In a sequence cut from Game of Thrones, Daenerys witnesses Oberyn’s (Pedro Pascal) sister, Elia Martell, giving birth to Rhaegar’s son. Rhaegar claims, “He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire.” Rhaegar goes on to explain, “There must be one more… The Dragon has three heads.”. There are multiple instances where Aegon’s prophecy is tied to the idea of a three-headed dragon. Rhaegar is likely referring to his children in this sequence and was seemingly trying to emulate the original three Targaryens who conquered Westeros — Aegon and his sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya. Rhaegar had two children by Elia, whom he named Rhaenys and Aegon, and he likely anticipated having another daughter, whom he would name Visenya. Rhaegar’s plans were thwarted when it was revealed that Elia couldn’t survive another childbirth, which caused him to look elsewhere for his third child, leading to the birth of Jon Snow.

Rhaegar Tried To Create Azor Ahai

Another excerpt in A Storm of Swords further implicates Rhaegar in Aegon’s prophecy. Barristan Selmy (Ian McElhinney) recalls “Rhaegar found something in his scrolls that changed him… the boy suddenly appeared early one morning in the yard… and said, ‘I will require a sword and armor. It seems I must be a warrior.'” This implies that Rhaegar was not only aware of Aegon’s dream but also thought it pertained to himself. During A Feast For Crows, Maester Aemon (Peter Vaughan) explains how Rhaegar initially thought himself to be Azor Ahai, the prophesied hero destined to lead the war against the Others. “He shared my belief when he was young, but later he became persuaded that it was his own son who fulfilled the prophecy, for a comet had been seen above King’s Landing on the night Aegon was conceived, and Rhaegar was certain the bleeding star had to be a comet.” Rhaegar was clearly mistaken. Jon Snow’s birth threw out any notion of Rhaegar giving birth to the next three Dragonriders, given he was male, and the red comet later reappeared when Daenerys gave birth to her three dragons. Rhaegar’s character is underpinned by tragedy. He was consumed by Aegon’s dream and devoted his life to manipulating his circumstances to bring that dream into reality, though ultimately he failed. But there is one burning question that remains – how does this tie into House of the Dragon?

‘House of the Dragon’ Confirms Rhaegar’s Theory

Viserys leaves little to interpretation about the validity of the prophecy and confirms that Aegon’s dream is real. Showrunner Ryan Condal has clarified that this idea came from Martin himself, “That actually came from [Martin]… he casually mentioned the fact that Aegon the Conqueror was a dreamer who saw a vision of the White Walkers coming across the wall … We infused that into the story.” However, we still don’t have an answer for the mystery surrounding the three-headed dragon. The Targaryen sigil is our clearest reference to the theory, but another crucial hint is hidden in House of the Dragon Season 1, Episode 10. When visiting Vermithor, Daemon (Matt Smith) sings a song in High Valyrian, and when translated, the lyrics offer some important information about Rhaegar’s theory.

“Fire breather, winged leader. But two heads, to a third sing… As one we gather, and with three heads, we shall fly as we were destined.”

House of the Dragon suggests that the prophecy stems back to the time of Old Valyria, and Aegon wasn’t the first person to see this apocalyptic vision of the Others. There is undeniable evidence that Targaryens have a vital role to play in the war against the Others, but also that there must be three Dragonriders to ensure victory. Daenerys coincidentally gives birth to three dragons and is missing two riders. Fans have speculated about the identity of the other riders for years, with Jon Snow being a likely contender for one of the spots. Now, yes, Game of Thrones dismissed this theory when the Night King claimed Viserion, and the show makes the prophecy’s legitimacy even more murky given that Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) sat on the Iron Throne when Arya (Maisie Williams) killed the Night King. Nevertheless, sufficient evidence suggests Rhaegar was well aware of the prophecy, and House of the Dragon confirmed his theory nearly twenty years after A Feast For Crows was published.

Aegon’s dream is a well-kept secret during House of the Dragon. The only living characters who know of it are Rhaenyra, (Emma D’Arcy) Jacaerys, (Harry Collett), and Daemon after his Weirwood visions at Harrenhall. Whether the secret survives the Dance of Dragons is uncertain. But even if the secret is lost, the books suggest that the secret will be uncovered almost 200 years later, just in time for Daenerys to take the throne.

Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are available to stream on MAX in the U.S.