'Game of the Thrones' prequel 'House of the Dragon': Three BIG changes to the book in 'The Heirs of the Dragon'
Making a novel into a big movie or a TV show is never easy and even though you try to add everything substantial from the source material in your projects, there might be some things that will be changed by the writers. The same happened with the first episode of ‘House of the Dragon’. Although the series is based on George RR Martin’s novel ‘Fire & Blood’, the premiere saw the makers taking some liberty and introducing some things in a manner that was different than they were in the books.
‘House of the Dragon’ was announced in 2018 and a year later, it was given a straight-to-series order by HBO. Set 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen, the series focuses on the rise and fall of House Targaryen. It also gave us a detailed look at the internal politics of the world’s most powerful dynasty and how everyone wanted to have a claim on the Iron Throne. But there were some pivotal moments during the episode that were shown pretty differently, and even though the main theme of the show remains the same, these changes were made to add some extra spice to the characters that are already so complex.
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Here are three of the biggest changes that Episode 1 of ‘House of the Dragon’ made from the book ‘Fire & Blood’.
Aegon’s dream about the end of the world of men
There is no doubt that the discussion about Aegon Targaryen’s dream was the biggest change that the show made to its source material. For the uninitiated, King Viserys is talking to his daughter Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and telling her how he has been wrong about having a son and making him his heir to the throne. He understands that Rhaenyra is more than capable of leading the world and defeating the darkness that would come from the North. He told her about Aegon’s dream and said that it will begin with a terrible winter gusting out of the distant north. He also revealed that Aegon saw absolute darkness riding on those winds and whatever dwells within will destroy the world of the living. The conversation concluded with Viserys telling Rhaenyra that if “the world of men is to survive then a Targaryen must be seated on the Iron Throne”. The King revealed that Aegon called this dream “A Song of Fire & Ice”.
The aforementioned conversation is completely new and there is no mention of it in any of the books written by George RR Martin. This is a straight reference to the ‘Game of Thrones’ ending and saw Daenerys Targaryen sitting on the throne and helping the Starks in defeating the White Walkers. Well, it’s still unclear if Martin’s books will also follow the same pattern and include this prophecy or not, but as of now, it’s highly possible that this might play an important role in the future.
Was Rhaenys even meant to be the new heir?
In the very first scene of ‘House of the Dragon’, we get to know that King Jaehaerys’ health is failing and he is looking to announce a new heir. The show mentions that a total of 14 claims were heard to sit on the Iron Throne and only two were left in contention. The king had to choose the new heir between Prince Viserys and Princess Rhaenys and he ultimately chooses Viserys to be his new heir. However, things were slightly different in the books.
According to the books, indeed 14 claims to the Iron Throne were made, but nine were immediately disqualified due to their lesser strength. While hearing the last remaining claims, it was announced the claims of Archmaester Vaegon, Princess Rhaenys, and her daughter Laena were also discounted. Yes, you heard it right. Princess Rhaenys didn’t reach the last two. Instead, it was her son Laenor Velaryon whose claim made it to the last round.
We know how ‘Game Of Thrones’ made it clear that women can’t rule kingdoms and people like Cersei and Sansa had to fight for their claim to the throne. So, this is just another example of how kings only choose male members to continue the line of succession.
Alicent and Rhaenyra are not of the same age
This is another change made in the series and it might turn out to be pivotal as the story moves forward. In ‘House of the Dragon’, we are shown that Princess Rhaenyra and Alicent Hightower are best of friends and are of the same age. They spend time together, share things with each other and even gossip about other houses. They are so close that viewers started believing that they might be in love with each other. However, things are very different in the books.
In the books, Alicent is actually nine years elder than Rhaenyra and even though they were good friends in the books as well, the show takes their relationship to a whole new level. The books reveal that Alicent was born in 88 AC whereas Rhaenyra was born in 97 AC. We believe that the decision of introducing them to a similar age bracket will turn out to be more impactful when their relationship becomes hostile as they grow older. Viewers are already invested in their friendship and when things change, it would be really hard to think of them as separate entities.
It’s really a masterstroke by the makers and we can’t wait to see what other changes they introduce as the show moves forward.
'House of the Dragon' returns to HBO with a new episode every Sunday at 9 pm EST.