In House of the Dragon, Viserys was talking about Aegon the Conqueror, Aegon second of his name, as Alicent mistakenly thought, which led directly to the Targaryen civil war: Dance of the Dragons.
House of the Dragon is the second series released under the expanding Game of Thrones franchise. The first season of the prequel was a rating winner with the first episode reportedly having 10 million live viewers.
The prequel’s first season is set 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones and it was focused on the events that led to the Targaryen civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons.
This civil war was set in motion after Queen Alicent misheard King Viserys speaking about King Aegon the Conqueror, believing that he was referring to their son, Aegon ll, she crowned her son as King instead of Princess Rhaenyra.
Aegon the Conqueror as a catalyst for the civil war
Aegon the Conqueror, or his prophecy, interestingly did not play as much of an integral role in the Targaryen war in the book as he did in the series.
This is as his prophecy is not mentioned in the novel on which the prequel is based, Fire and Blood.
Instead, it is said that it was included in the series after George R.R Martin mentioned it during the early days of the writing room. As showrunner, Ryan J. Condal, told Polygon:
“He told us very early on in the room — just as he does, just casually mentioned the fact that Aegon the Conqueror was a dreamer who saw a vision of the White Walkers coming across the wall and sweeping over the land with cold and darkness”.
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House of the Dragon: Which Aegon was Viserys talking about?
King Viserys, after naming Princess Rhaenyra the heir to the throne, told her about Aegon the Conqueror’s prophecy, which he stated was passed down from generation to generation between successive rulers of the Seven Kingdoms in Westeros.
The prophecy, he said, was known as A Song of Fire and Ice. Viserys said:
“Tis to begin with a terrible winter gusting out of the distant north. Aegon saw absolute darkness riding on those winds. And whatever dwells within will destroy the world of the living. When this Great Winter comes, Rhaenyra, all of Westeros must stand against it. And if the world of men is to survive, a Targaryen must be seated on the Iron Throne.”
In season one, episode eight, when Rhaenyra was fighting for her succession claims after the paternity of her children was being called into question, she had a heart-to-heart conversation with her father asking if he still wanted her as his heir and whether he still believed in the prophecy by Aegon the Conqueror.
But at the time, Viserys did not answer, as he was heavily medicated on milk of the poppy for the pain he was experiencing.
Therefore, when he spoke to Queen Alicent during his final hours, he thought that he was talking to Rhaenyra as he confirmed that he still believes in the prophecy of A Song of Fire and Ice by Aegon the Conqueror, and not his son, as Alicent had thought.
Did Alicent lie about the “Aegon” Viserys was talking about?
Since A Song of Fire and Ice was passed from ruler to successor, the prophecy by Aegon the Conqueror was not widely known.
As such, when Alicent heard Viserys’ Aegon being described as “The Prince that was promised”, adding during their discussion, “To unite the realm against the cold and the dark. It is you. You are the one. You must do this”.
Queen Alicent thought that the king was talking about their son, rather than Aegon the Conqueror, who is now speculated to be Jon Snow.
Why is Jon Snow believed to be the ruler Aegon and Viserys were talking about?
To understand why Jon Snow is believed to be “The Prince who was Promised” and needed to be at the helm in order to defeat The Winter which threatened the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, you need to have watched Game of Thrones.
This is as it revealed Jon’s lineage as being the secret son of Rhaegar Targeryen and Lyanna Stark, who, at her deathbed, was named Jon Aegon. But Ned Stark named him Jon Snow to conceal his Targaryen lineage against the wrath of Robert Baratheon.
How is Aegon’s prophecy and House of the Dragon righting a wrong?
Game of Thrones is one of the most successful series to have had one of the most unanimously consented worst endings in the history of television.
However, it now seems that House of the Dragon is laying the groundwork to right that wrong through the prophecy which affirmed that a Targaryen was meant to be at the helm of the Seven Kingdoms.
Though we know that this did not happen in Game of Thrones as Arya was responsible for the killing of The Winter King and Bran became King of the Seven Kingdoms.
As the franchise readies a Jon Snow-led series, House of the Dragon is seemingly laying the foundation for the follow-up and third instalment of the Game of Thrones franchise.