'House of the Dragon' Episode 1: Was House Targaryen aware of the White Walkers threat all along?
Contains spoilers for 'House of the Dragon' Episode 1 'The Heirs of the Dragon'
'House of the Dragon' Episode 1 confirms one of the major spoilers that did the rounds prior to the show's release. The prequel to 'Game of Thrones' ensured that a massive secret in House Targaryen is out, although, on the show, it's still a need-to-know basis only. This concerns the White Walkers, something that fans familiar with the 'GoT' lore would be aware of.
For first-timers, here's a quick introduction per Fandom: "The White Walkers were an ancient race of formerly-human ice creatures who came from the far north of Westeros. After remaining hidden for thousands of years, they returned and were sighted by several sworn brothers of the Night's Watch and countless wildlings. However, most who live south of the Wall believed them to be nothing more than "creatures of legend". The season opener 'The Heirs of the Dragon' suggests the presence of the White Walkers was not alien to the Targaryens.
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'House of the Dragon': Were the Targaryens aware of the White Walkers' threat?
The episode hints that the Targaryen dynasty was aware of the White Walkers threat. It appears that they knew about it all along. The prequel just might explore the thread and answer why the kings had kept the secret, and how it might have been missed out between 'House of the Dragon' and 'Game of Thrones'. With Viserys I telling Rhaenyra at the end of the episode that she is his inheritor, he also talks of a secret — one that needs to be kept as one all the time and that she must be the unifying force for mankind when the moment arrives.
What are your thoughts on the Targaryens being aware of the White Walkers?
'House of the Dragon' airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on HBO. Episode 1 is available for streaming on HBO Max.