JiveDash

One of the things that made Dany’s storyline so cool at the beginning of Thrones is how mysterious House Targaryen was. There were only two of them, and Daenerys was like Anastasia or something–a missing princess from a family who was overthrown after ruling for centuries. The HBO prequel House of the Dragon informed us right out of the gate that it takes place “172 years before…the birth of Princess Daenerys Targaryen.” Not before Game of Thrones, before Daenerys’s birth. And not khaleesi either, princess. They stressed that Targaryen connection, possibly because the heroine of the series, Rhaenyra Targaryen, reminds us of Daenerys at her best.

So how exactly is Rhaenyra connected to Daenerys? Let me walk you through the fiery hot mess (affectionate) (sometimes) that is the Targaryen family tree.

If you don’t want to know anything about who marries who and whose child is whose on future episodes or seasons of House of the Dragon, be warned that there will be [spoilers ahead!]

Related Story

The history of the Targaryen family has been documented in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire as well as Fire & Blood and other supplemental texts. Knowing this, we know a lot of what’s going to happen in the prequel series. The short answer is that Dany is directly descended from Rhaenyra and that the two princesses are eight generations apart. The long, detailed answer is more complicated….

How are Daenerys and Rhaenyra connected by family tree?

Let’s work back from Dany. As you may remember from Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen had two brothers, Rhaegar and Viserys. Rhaegar was killed after running away with Lyanna Stark, and the two of them were Jon Snow’s parents. Viserys and Daenerys were smuggled to Essos and raised in secret. Rhaegar, Viserys, and Daenerys are the children of the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen, and his sister/wife Rhaella.

(If that makes you queasy, you might wanna nope out of this explainer ASAP. Game of Thrones lightly mentioned how much the Targaryen family loved incest, and more or less “inspired” Jaime and Cersei to continue their affair, but seeing it in action is so much worse.)

Aerys and Rhaella are the children of sibling-spouses King Jaehaerys II Targaryen and Shaera Targaryen. Their parents are King Aegon “the Unlikely” V Targaryen and a woman named Bertha Blackwood. Good for you not doing incest, Aegon the Unlikely! His father, King Maekar I, also married outside of the family—a woman named Dyanna Dayne—and Maekar’s father, King Daeron “the Good” II Targaryen, married Princess Myriah Martell.

Then we’re back to incest. Daeron’s parents were King Aegon “the Unworthy” IV Targaryen and his sister Naerys Targaryen. Aegon and Naerys’s mother is a woman named Larra Rogare and their father is King Viserys II Targaryen, the son of *drumroll please* Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, at long last. Viserys II’s father is, maaajor spoiler alert, Rhaenyra’s uncle Daemon Targaryen. There we have it!

Related Story

In conclusion, Rhaenyra is Daenerys’s great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother, aka her sixth great-grandmother. Just don’t think about how many of those grandparents are also great-aunts and great-uncles along the way.

Are Daenerys and Rhaenyra connected in any other way?

Like Dany, Rhaenyra is initially ambivalent about the Iron Throne. She's an unbothered, cool princess. But once she accepts ruling as her destiny she starts thinking about how she would change things. She also feels, IMHO rightfully, entitled to the throne. That's something she has in common with the Mother of Dragons, from a certain point of view. Daenerys felt that way as well–though their situations are very different.

Daenerys and her brother Viserys grew up hearing lies about the people of Westeros longing for them to take back the kingdom. (In reality, most everyone assumed they were dead.) Rhaenyra on the other hand was promised the Throne by her father, also named Viserys, who stayed loyal to her and that promise even when he was dying. Daenerys saw herself as an underdog and as a savior before a conquerer. Rhaenyra is not really concerned with all that.

As for their personalities? They could not be more different. Rhaenyra is spunky and snarky. Daenerys is quiet and intense. Rhaenyra does not seem as ruthless, though that may change over time (season 2 is not getting off to a great start in regards to this). Luke's murder has already incited her rage. How far will Rhaenyra go to take back the Throne? Since dragons are in abundance at this time in Westeros, it would not be particularly shocking if she burned down King's Landing or any other town. We'll just have to wait and see...

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLvSpqapp5yewaK6jZympmeVo8GmvtOaoKellaPBcMDVaJhtaWBmhXKFlWifqK9dnsBuvseanKexopZ6ta3RoJirsZWjerOxy5qrnpxdma6musSrsKxlmKTCtLGMqJ1mrJiaeqW%2BwKCmp2c%3D