Despite being set a long time in the past, House of the Dragon season 1 episode 1 contains numerous Game of Thrones Easter eggs and references. Set about 200 years before the events that viewers witnessed unfold in Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon allows for a drastically different Westeros. This one is populated by different characters and has a lot more dragons. It is still ruled by the House Targaryen empire and won’t end for another 172 years.
The first episode of season 1 of House of the Dragon immediately establishes this. It defines its storyline and its characters, and while it makes obvious references to Game of Thrones and acknowledges that it is building on the show’s roots, it also aims to leave its own legacy. House of the Dragon has a significantly richer vibe and more magnificent look that’s appropriate for House Targaryen being in its pomp. George R.R. Martin created a thick universe in A Song of Ice and Fire, and even from season 1, episode 1, you can sense more of that.
Nevertheless, there are a few glaring similarities between the two. After all, the Iron Throne, which serves as the principal seat of power, is the focus of this story. Even though there are no Game of Thrones personalities in the prequel, there are references and connecting threads that are both expected and unexpected. Here are all the Easter eggs from the first episode of season 1 of House of the Dragon.
Here Are House Of The Dragon Episode 1 Game Of Thrones Easter Eggs:
Promise Me
One of the sadder House of the Dragon episode 1 Easter eggs is when Viserys mentions Aegon’s dream to Rhaenyra and makes a reference to Lyanna and Ned Stark. Viserys ends his speech with these words: “Rhaenyra, make a vow to me. Promise me.” That may sound familiar since it is similar to Lyanna’s last words to Ned before giving him the child who would grow up to be Jon Snow, Ned’s bastard, and assuring him of his safety and the secrecy of the truth at the Tower of Joy: “Promise me, Ned, Promise me.”
References Daenerys Stormborn
The opening text of House of the Dragon episode 1 makes reference to Daenerys’ birth in addition to The Mad King. Despite being the daughter of the Mad King, Dany wouldn’t have been born until after his death because her mother had returned to Dragonstone. Dany was born during a severe storm, which is why the name Daenerys Stormborn. Dany is the final Targaryen ruler that viewers will see; therefore, the mention enables a clearer sight line from House Targaryen’s peak to its death. This connection is significant and goes beyond simply being a House of the Dragon Easter egg.
A Feast For Crows
A subtle allusion to George R.R. Martin’s writings is one of the best Easter eggs in House of the Dragon season 1, episode 1. Although it is based on his Fire & Blood book, King Viserys quotes from A Song of Ice and Fire, saying: “…Suffer crows that arrive to feast on their bodies.” It doesn’t sound exactly like the book, but it is comparable. Both titles refer to the horrors of war, the destiny of so many people, and how death levels the playing field in Westeros.
Set 172 Years Before Game Of Thrones
The timeline of House of the Dragon fast-forwards to King Viserys’ ninth year in power after the Great Council. This was 172 years before the Mad King’s death, according to writing that appears on the screen at this time. It’s a simple House of the Dragon reference, permitting it to both establish when it is set more clearly and firmly in the same world. The timeline more or less matches, give or take a year or two (although given Martin’s increased involvement, it’d make sense to remain closer to the source material). In the books, Viserys became ruler in 103 AC; being in his ninth year might place the timeline around 111–12 AC, depending on the month. Aerys II died in 283 AC based on the books’ timeline, but in Game of Thrones, it’s 280 AC.
House Of The Dragon Begins How Game Of Thrones Ended
The Great Council, assembled by King Jaehaerys I Targaryen in 101 AC to choose his heir, serves as the first event in the House of the Dragon. Not only does it start off so much of what happened, but it also relates to the ending of Game of Thrones since it begins where that story ended. Bran Stark was chosen as the new King of Westeros at a Great Council that was held in the Dragonpit rather than at Harrenhal; however, it was conducted differently: there were much fewer nobles there, and there was no narrowing down of candidates before the vote was cast.
Valyrian Steel Swords
A few times in House of the Dragon, Valyrian steel is mentioned; it is also the material of the necklace Daemon Targaryen gifts Rhaenyra. However, the two major Easter eggs are the swords that Viserys and Daemon Targaryen, respectively, own: Dark Sister and Blackfyre. Aegon the Conqueror personally handled the first of these Valyrian steel swords, while Visenya, his sister-wife, used the second. Following House of the Dragon, the two swords move on to experience new adventures. Curiously, both swords are mysteriously absent during Game of Thrones.
Dark Sister was last owned by Brynden Rivers, or Bloodraven, who traveled to the Wall to join the Night’s Watch and is popularly thought to have become the Three-Eyed Crow in the books. Blackfyre was last held by Aegor Rivers, aka Bittersteel, who later founded the Golden Company. Both swords’ whereabouts are unknown.
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Daemon Targaryen The Commander To The City’s Watch
In the first episode of season one of House of the Dragon, Daemon Targaryen is shown to be the leader of the City’s Watch, also known as the Gold Cloaks. This is important since it not only gives him command over the troops guarding the city but, more significantly, because it prevents him from being included in the King’s Small Council. When Tyrion Lannister served as the Hand of the King in the first few seasons of Game of Thrones, Janos Slynt, who held the role, executed a number of Robert Baratheon’s bastard kids on the orders of King Joffrey Baratheon. Disgusted by this, Tyrion gave Bronn the order to exile Janos to the Night’s Watch. But Daemon seemed to have no such concerns.
Targaryen Needs Heat
A more subdued Daenerys Easter egg may be found in House of the Dragon, where Queen Aemma is seen taking a bath to make her feel more at ease in the final stages of her pregnancy. Aemma can only tolerate the water being lukewarm, but as Viserys points out, a dragon craves heat. Daenerys was frequently depicted taking baths throughout Game of Thrones’ early seasons, and the House of the Dragon metaphor serves to underscore this important difference.
Although Targaryens are more heat-resistant, Game of Thrones went farther into making Daenerys fireproof (in A Song of Ice and Fire, her rebirth from Khal Drogo’s sacred fire was a one-off magical event). Daenerys’ baths were always clearly scorching hot, but the temperature never troubled her. The House of the Dragon might be quietly addressing it right now.
Alicent And Rhaenyra Discuss Nymeria
As Rhaenyra and Alicent discuss Nymeria, the legendary warrior who is credited with leading the Rhoynar to Dorne and establishing the rule of House Martell, which continues through Game of Thrones (Arya Stark’s dire wolf has even been named after Nymeria), one of the Easter eggs in House of the Dragon season 1, episode 1 relates to an even deeper period of its history. The 10,000 Ships spinoff from Game of Thrones, which is centered on Nymeria’s saga, is one of the many Game of Thrones spinoffs in different stages of development. This isn’t just history, though; it may also be sowing new seeds for what might appear on the screen.
Began With A Death
The first episode of House of the Dragon’s first season features Viserys’ wife Aemma Arryn, who unfortunately passes away due to the fact that this is Westeros from Game of Thrones. Aemma passes away during childbirth, and her son passes away shortly after, in a heartbreaking and tragic scene that also includes a Game of Thrones connection. Similar to how that show began with Jon Arryn’s death serving as a major trigger for the subsequent events, House of the Dragon also begins with an Arryn dying and having significant effects on the realm.
The Weirwood Tree
Although it was more frequently connected with the North of Westeros, the enormous Heart Tree of Winterfell was a recognizable sight in Game of Thrones. But in the first episode of the first season of House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra, and Alicent may be seen standing beneath a weirwood tree in King’s Landing’s godswood. It was previously believed that the Andals had destroyed the weirwood trees in the south long before the events of House of the Dragon, therefore it is confusing that one was included here when there isn’t one in Game of Thrones.
That implies that either it was abandoned in some way or that it had been cut down by one Targaryen and then transplanted by another. Another hint to this may be found in the House of the Dragon season 1 episode 1 finale, which talks about “the Old Gods and the New.”
Dracarys
In House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra speaks the most famous of all High Valyrian words to start her mother’s funeral pyre. However, the usage of the term “dracarys” in the prequel also indicates a distinction with Daenerys: though it was frequently motivating, it was typically for an attack. This makes it more than merely a House of the Dragon Easter egg. The use of Rhaenyra reveals a different side to it and to dragons, emphasizing more of their connections with people.
The Doom Of Valyria
Among the Easter eggs in House of the Dragon, the Doom of Valyria is mentioned briefly but not fully explained. Around 100 years before Aegon’s Conquest, a series of volcanoes known as the Fourteen Flames erupted, causing the Doom, a catastrophic event that destroyed what is now known as Old Valyria. The Targaryens survived because they had already departed Valyria for Dragonstone, despite the destruction of places, people, and dragons. That was made possible by one of Aegon’s ancestors, Daenys, having a prescient dream, which links in nicely with another Easter egg from House of the Dragon episode 1.
Aegon’s Dream
The main revelation in the House of the Dragon opening is that Aegon dreamed of a horrible winter and impending darkness that will bring an end to the existence of men. Of course, this refers to Night King and the White Walkers, and in Game of Thrones, the Night King leads his army south of the Wall, fulfilling Aegon’s dream. The reason Aegon gave his dream the name “A Song of Ice and Fire” was because he thought that only a Targaryen on the Iron Throne (the fire) could lead to the realm’s victory against the White Walkers (the ice). In addition to changing the course of Game of Thrones, this adds new depth to the book series that served as the show’s inspiration, A Song of Ice and Fire.
Viserys’s Catspaw Dagger
King Viserys also possesses a dagger made of Valyrian steel, in addition to Blackfyre. But this isn’t just any dagger; it’s the one that, nearly 200 years from now, will be used in the effort to assassinate Bran Stark and, a few seasons after that, will be used by Arya Stark to slay the Night King. Given that it is made of Valyrian steel and has a dragonbone hilt, it is not particularly surprising that it is in Targaryen’s hands. However, what is most intriguing in terms of Easter eggs for House of the Dragon is that Viserys hits the dagger just as he is trying to tell Rhaenyra about Aegon’s dream, in a tiny moment of foreshadowing its future.
Balerion The Black Dread
Although there are 17 dragons in the House of the Dragon, none of them can compare to the size and power of Balerion the Black Dread, the dragon that Aegon the Conqueror once rode. In the premiere, Balerion’s enormous skull may be seen (as it was in Game of Thrones), along with his final dragonrider Viserys, who took Viserys’ place about a year before the Dread died. Vhagar is now the largest and oldest dragon in Westeros, despite not having yet made an appearance in the series.
The Game Of Thrones Tune
Ramin Djawadi, the series’ recurring composer, is one of Game of Thrones’ not-so-secret weapons in House of the Dragon. The work in the premiere is as bit as amazing as you’d expect it to be and contains some well-known songs. The Game of Thrones theme song is heard near the end of House of the Dragon season 1, episode 1, which is very telling, but other brief bits and pieces of it are used elsewhere and incorporated into new works, such as when Rhaenyra and Alicent are being seen together following her dragon ride. That dragonride also contains notes from the House Targaryen tune from Game of Thrones, making it one of several Easter eggs in House of the Dragon that have musical overtones.
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