House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s book, Fire & Blood. Unlike A Song of Ice and Fire, which reads like a novel, Fire & Blood is an account of Westeros’ history under the Targaryen dynasty. Multiple unreliable narrators chronicle this book, so we do not know the exact conversations between our main characters. And while we may not come across jokes and humor in the book, George made up for it by introducing Muppets into the books.
In episode 6 of House of the Dragon, during a council meeting, Lyonel Strong brings up the dispute between House Blackwood and Bracken. Queen Alicent asks why Lord Grover Tully isn’t handling this matter since both the houses are in the Riverlands. Ser Lyonel explains that Lord Grover’s son is the unofficial ruler of the Riverlands for now. And Elmo Tully is the name of Lord Grover’s grandchild. Ser Elmo has two children, named Kermit and Oscar Tully.
House Tully of Sesame Street
For those who don’t know, Grover, Elmo, Kermit, and Oscar are all names of the characters from the hugely popular kids’ show Sesame Street. The author even calls Kermit Tully “green” and Oscar Tully “prickly,” like the muppets they share their name with. Here’s the excerpt from the book:
Then as now, the riverlords were a fractious, quarrelsome lot. Kermit Tully, Lord of Riverrun, was their liege lord and nominally commander of their host…but it must be remembered that his lordship was but nineteen years of age, and ‘green as summer grass,’ as the northmen might say. His brother Oscar, who had slain three men during the Muddy Mess and been knighted on the battlefield afterward, was still greener, and cursed with the sort of prickly pride so common in second sons.
Readers aren’t familiar with the name of Lord Grover’s son. As Polygon pointed out, House of the Dragon can take the joke further and name him after any of the (more than 500) Muppets. Since we might see the new Lord of the Riverlands and House Tully in the upcoming battles, place your bets on what his name will be.
Do you think it’ll be Ser Gonzo Tully? Ser Fozzie Bear Tully? Join in on more fun discussions on our discord server.
