House of the Dragon keeps mentioning a certain Prince That Was Promised, but who’s that person?
If you’re not up-to-date with the latest House of the Dragon installments or if you are some sweet summer children who hasn’t watched Game of Thrones yet, do not keep reading this explainer.
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Who Is The Prince That Was Promised?
The truth is nobody knows who the Prince That Was Promised is, except for author George R.R. Martin. The mystery involving the identity of this person is ironic because he (or she) is the one behind whom the Seven Kingdom rally in during their darkest hour. First things first, one of the Targaryen dynasty’s most intimate secrets is knowing that humankind’s survival is in danger. Aegon I Targaryen, a.k.a. Aegon the Conqueror, dreamt that there would be a time when the Seven Kingdoms would be in great trouble due to an external attack from some unknown evil forces. In the conflict, the Targaryen dynasty will make its part by giving birth to the person who will lead the human army. Aegon refers to that epic clash as “The Song of Ice and Fire,” a nice meta-reference to the title of the literary saga by Martin.
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House of the Dragon Episode 8 mentions the Prince That Was Promised a couple of times when Visarys I addressed the topic first with Rhaenyra and then with Alicent. Prophecies play a pivotal role in Westeros. It is said that Aegon the Conqueror dreamt about his conquest of the Seven Kingdom before leaving Valyria with his sisters and dragons.
In the books, the Prince That Was Promised corresponds to the figure of Azor Ahai, the champion of R’hllor, a.k.a. the Lord of Light. The most important interpreter of the Lord of Light’s will is Melisandre, but even she doesn’t seem to have fully grasped what R’hllor wants. Considering that Martin hasn’t published The Song of Ice and Fire sixth installment yet, the live-action show took a different path than the one originally planned by Martin. In Game of Thrones, it seems that Prince That Was Promised might be Jon Snow. After all, he was Rhaegar Targaryen’s son and led the Westeros armies in the war against the White Walkers. However, Snow didn’t defeat the Night King, who was ultimately taken down by Arya Stark. Hopefully, House of the Dragon will retcon this part of the story and add more details to this intriguing figure.
