48 Fun Facts About Hard House of the Dragon

How many years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen does House of the Dragon begin?

The opening text sets the series 172 years before the death of the Mad King and the birth of Daenerys, opening at the Great Council of 101 AC, roughly a century after Aegon's Conquest.

Which dragon was King Viserys I the last rider of, before it died?

Balerion, the Black Dread, had carried Aegon the Conqueror himself.

Viserys was the firstborn son of which of Jaehaerys's sons?

Rhaenys, daughter of the elder son Aemon, was passed over for him at the Great Council of 101.

What is Caraxes, Daemon's dragon, also called?

Caraxes is called the Blood Wyrm, the lean red dragon Daemon has ridden since his youth; Meleys is the Red Queen and Vermithor the Bronze Fury.

Rhaenys was the only child of Aemon Targaryen and which half-sister of Jaehaerys?

Jocelyn was a Baratheon, which is why Rhaenys is called the Queen Who Never Was with Storm's End at her back.

What office does Mysaria hold in Rhaenyra's court in season two?

Rhaenyra names Mysaria her Mistress of Whisperers in season two, running her spies in King's Landing; Larys Strong holds the equivalent post on Aegon's council.

The Kingsguard knight who later became Aegon's Hand hails from which region of Westeros?

Criston Cole, son of the steward of Blackhaven in the Dornish Marches, was named to the Kingsguard by Viserys and later replaced Otto Hightower as Aegon II's Hand.

Whom did Harrold Westerling replace as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard?

Ser Harrold Westerling took over from the ailing Ser Ryam Redwyne as Lord Commander in the first episode; Westerling later resigned rather than serve Aegon II.

Jefferson Hall plays which pair of identical twins?

Jefferson Hall plays both Lannister twins, Jason and Tyland; Tyland sits on the Small Council as Master of Ships and later Aegon's Master of Coin.

Which Small Council member did Tyland Lannister replace as Aegon's Master of Coin?

Beesbury was killed at the council table for protesting the plot to crown Aegon.

Aegon II's dragon is called what?

Aegon II rides Sunfyre, the golden dragon called the most beautiful ever seen in Westeros; his sister-wife Helaena rides Dreamfyre.

Where did young Aemond sneak out by night to claim the dragon Vhagar?

Aemond claimed Vhagar on Driftmark the night of Laena Velaryon's funeral, mounting the old she-dragon alone; the brawl with his nephews that cost him an eye followed.

Baela Targaryen rides which dragon?

Baela rides Moondancer, the young she-dragon on which she scouts Criston Cole's army before Rook's Rest; her twin Rhaena tracks the wild Sheepstealer in the Vale.

Which Grand Maester does Orwyle replace?

Orwyle replaces Grand Maester Mellos, who dies during the decade-long time skip, and keeps the post on Aegon II's Small Council.

Alyn of Hull saved his father Corlys's life where?

Corlys says Alyn of Hull pulled him from the sea in the Stepstones when he lay wounded; Alyn serves as a sailor and shipwright in the Velaryon fleet at Hull.

Ulf White claims which dragon?

Ulf White claims Silverwing, the she-dragon once ridden by Good Queen Alysanne, in the Red Sowing; he boasts of being a Targaryen bastard half-brother to Viserys and Daemon.

Who plays Alys Rivers, the witch of Harrenhal?

Gayle Rankin, previously Sheila the She-Wolf in GLOW, plays Alys Rivers, the Harrenhal healer whose visions haunt Daemon through season two.

Which actor joined season three as Ormund Hightower, Lord of Oldtown?

James Norton, star of Happy Valley and Grantchester, was cast for season three as Ormund Hightower, Lord of Oldtown, who marches the Hightower army north for the Greens.

Who are the Winter Wolves?

Roderick Dustin, Lord of Barrowton, leads them.

Daeron Targaryen, Alicent's youngest son, rides which dragon?

Daeron Targaryen, Alicent's youngest son, was sent to Oldtown as a boy and rides Tessarion, the she-dragon called the Blue Queen in Fire & Blood.

Which Game of Thrones episode had earned Miguel Sapochnik an Emmy before he became co-showrunner?

Miguel Sapochnik won the 2016 Emmy for directing Battle of the Bastards; he co-ran House of the Dragon's first season with Condal, then stepped down but remained an executive producer.

The series reworked a rejected spin-off concept from which Game of Thrones writer?

Bryan Cogman's Targaryen prequel pitch was shelved in 2019 and its concept reworked into House of the Dragon; Benioff and Weiss declined involvement in any successor projects.

The Anarchy that inspired the show was fought between Empress Matilda and which rival?

Stephen of Blois, a nephew of Henry I, took the English throne in 1135 over Matilda, Henry's only surviving legitimate child, starting the civil war Martin used as the model for the Dance.

Which Game of Thrones director joined season two as executive producer and director?

Alan Taylor, who directed Game of Thrones episodes including Baelor and Beyond the Wall, joined season two as an executive producer and directed its premiere.

Which two Spanish locations doubled for King's Landing in season one?

Cáceres, whose medieval old town stood in for the streets of King's Landing, and nearby Trujillo, with its Moorish castle, were both filmed in Extremadura for season one.

Which Derbyshire village provided locations including Cave Dale and Eldon Hill Quarry?

Castleton, in the Peak District, provided Cave Dale and Eldon Hill Quarry for season one; Cornwall's Holywell Bay and Kynance Cove also featured.

Where did the show shoot its main stage work for its first two seasons?

The series' main stage work was shot at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Hertfordshire, the former Harry Potter base, for both seasons one and two.

Why could the show keep filming through the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike?

Season two wrapped by September 29, 2023.

In which episode does the opening title sequence with Djawadi's Game of Thrones theme first appear?

The opening title sequence, set to Djawadi's Game of Thrones theme, first appears in the second episode, The Rogue Prince; the premiere ran without one.

Which conlanger returned to build out High Valyrian for the series?

David J. Peterson, who created Dothraki and High Valyrian for Game of Thrones, returned to expand High Valyrian for the series, which uses far more of the language.

The first season's production budget was roughly how much?

The first season cost nearly $200 million, just under $20 million for each of its ten episodes; HBO's marketing spend added well over $100 million.

House of the Dragon was HBO's first new series to stream in which formats?

House of the Dragon was the first HBO original offered in 4K, Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos on HBO Max, from its premiere on August 21, 2022.

By what percentage did season two's premiere audience fall from season one's?

The season two premiere drew 7.8 million US viewers against the first season's 9.99 million, a fall of roughly 22%.

Which Golden Globe did House of the Dragon's first season win in 2023?

House of the Dragon won Best Television Series – Drama at the 80th Golden Globes in January 2023; Emma D'Arcy was nominated for Best Actress in a Drama but did not win.

Whom did Blood and Cheese actually intend to kill?

They killed the child Jaehaerys instead, in retaliation for Lucerys's death.

Whose plan sent Ser Arryk Cargyll to Dragonstone to assassinate Rhaenyra?

Criston Cole, newly made Hand, sent Ser Arryk to Dragonstone disguised as his twin to kill Rhaenyra; the attempt ended with both Cargyll brothers dead.

Who delivered Viserys's crown to Dragonstone, allowing Daemon to crown Rhaenyra?

Ser Erryk Cargyll, having taken Viserys's crown from King's Landing, presented it on Dragonstone at the funeral of Rhaenyra's stillborn daughter Visenya, and Daemon crowned her.

How does Vaemond Velaryon die?

He had publicly called Rhaenyra's children illegitimate while petitioning to be heir to Driftmark.

What did Larys tell Alicent that the Grand Maester had been ordered to deliver to Rhaenyra?

Larys told Alicent the Grand Maester had been sent to Rhaenyra with moon tea, a contraceptive brew, on the king's order, which led her to question Criston Cole about the princess.

Who arranged the Harrenhal fire that killed Lord Lyonel Strong and his son Harwin?

Larys Strong had condemned men from the dungeons set the fire at Harrenhal that killed his father Lyonel and brother Harwin, clearing his way to the lordship and Alicent's favour.

Who was the first would-be rider burned alive trying to claim Seasmoke in season two?

Ser Steffon Darklyn, the Kingsguard knight Rhaenyra sent to claim Seasmoke, was burned alive in the attempt; the dragon later sought out Addam of Hull on its own.

Which season-three cast member plays Ser Torrhen Manderly, a Northern knight sworn to Rhaenyra?

Dan Fogler, Jacob Kowalski in the Fantastic Beasts films, joined season three as Ser Torrhen Manderly of White Harbor, whose house fights for Rhaenyra.

How many days after its August 21, 2022 premiere was House of the Dragon renewed for a second season?

HBO renewed the show on August 26, 2022, five days after the premiere; Sapochnik stepped down as co-showrunner days later.

Which actress plays Helaena Targaryen, Aegon II's sister-wife?

Phia Saban plays Helaena Targaryen, the dreamer who marries her brother Aegon and rides Dreamfyre; Bethany Antonia and Phoebe Campbell play the twins Baela and Rhaena.

Which Cornish tidal island served as a season-one filming location?

St Michael's Mount, the tidal island off Marazion, stood in for High Tide, the Velaryon seat on Driftmark, in season one; Holywell Bay and Kynance Cove also featured.

Which visual effects house that worked on Game of Thrones also produced effects for House of the Dragon?

Pixomondo, an Emmy winner for Game of Thrones, handled part of the dragon-heavy VFX.

Which actor plays Cregan Stark, the young Lord of Winterfell, in season two?

Tom Taylor plays Cregan; Freddie Fox is Gwayne Hightower and Kieran Bew is Hugh Hammer.

Which veteran stage actor plays the castellan of Harrenhal, great-uncle of Larys Strong?

Simon Russell Beale joined in season two as Simon Strong, who hosts Daemon at Harrenhal.