Episode 5 of House of the Dragon is where we part ways with the younger Rhaenyra and Alicent along with any hope that they might reconcile. The new poster from the show seems to highlight this. If we pay attention to the dragon’s eye, the pupil is shaped like a dagger between the women. That dagger is not just any standard weapon, though. It is Aegon’s dagger, handed to him by his ancestors. The blade even made its way down to Arya Stark in Game of Thrones; two centuries later, it was known as the Catspaw dagger.
The Significance of Aegon’s Dagger
The weapon is so old that one of Aegon the Conqueror’s ancestors gave it to him. It is made of the rarest metal, Valyrian Steel, and decorated with melted obsidian. Aegon deemed it important enough to inscribe his prophetic dream onto the weapon’s blade in high valyrian. Seeing it in House of the Dragon and its predecessor, Game of Thrones, shows this dagger’s significance. It has made its way through the most historical events in Westerosi history. It eventually helped Arya end the White Walkers and in turn, the Long Night.
The position of the dagger in the poster looks as though it is cleaving the women apart. The blade engraved with Aegon’s prophecy talks about his heir saving the world from a long winter descending from the North that aims to void all life from the world. And now, Viserys passes the responsibility of fulfilling this prophecy to his heir, Rhaenyra. While Westeros thinks women can not be heir to the Iron Throne, it is unclear if the Valyrians do. The Valyrians have the same word for prince and princess, darilaros. So assuming that the heir must be a man is technically incorrect.
But the talk of who is King Viserys’ true heir is already dividing the kingdom into two sides which is what the poster seems to represent. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
Read More: What Aegon’s Dream of A Song Of Ice And Fire means
