Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 finale of House of the Dragon.
TheSeason 2 finaleofHouse of the Dragoncomes with the promise of a lot of blood for further seasons of the series — and other series, too. In one of the best scenes, Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) takes Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) to the godswood in Harrenhal, and what follows is some of the strangest things in the series so far. Daemon has a vision of a man with tree branches twisted in and around his body, and a red birthmark on his face.This is Brynden Rivers (Joshua Ben-Tovim), the Bloodraven, and we have seen him many times before inGame of Thrones. Back then, he was known asthe Three-Eyed Raven(Max von Sydow), and he plays a crucial part in the history of House Targaryen. He also hasn’t been born yet, so why is he in Daemon’s vision?
House of the Dragon
The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO seriesGame of Thrones.Based on George R.R. Martin’sFire & Blood,House of the Dragonis set nearly 200 years beforeGame of Thrones, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.
Bloodraven Is a Direct Descendant of Daemon and Rhaenyra
There are almost two centuries between the events ofHouse of the DragonSeason 2 and the start ofGame of Thrones. That’s more than enough time for a family to split into multiple branches, andHouse Targaryenis no different. Eventually,Brynden Rivers, a great-grandson of Daemon and Rhaenyra(Emma D’Arcy), will become a key figure in keeping the Realm together once again and keeping the right Targaryen on the Iron Throne, as well as becoming a mythical entity known as the Three-Eyed Raven. Few people in Westeros have had a story as remarkable as Bloodraven’s.
Bloodraven was born an albino with pale skin and white hair, so the red birthmark on his face shaped like a raven has always stood out, earning him the nickname Bloodraven. He also has his own sigil: a white three-headed Targaryen dragon against a black background. He is a bastard son of King Aegon IV, one of the worst monarchs in Westeros history, with one of his many mistresses, Lady Melissa Blackwood.Aegon IV had more than a dozen bastard children, including Bloodraven, Aegor “Bittersteel” Rivers, and Shiera Seastar - all with different women. When Aegon dies, though, he legitimizes all his bastard children, andthis leads to a schism in House Targaryen that evolves into a series of military conflicts known as the Blackfyre Rebellions. Bloodraven supports his trueborn half-brother, King Daeron II Targaryen, while some of his other half-siblings support his half-brotherDaemon I Blackfyre, who claims the Iron Throne and starts his own branch of House Targaryen, House Blackfyre.
Born ofBlackwood and Brackenmothers, respectively,Bloodraven and Bittersteel naturally end up on opposing sides. They never got along, and, as if that weren’t enough, they both love Shiera, so the rebellions are, above all else, personal for them.They fight and plot against each other in the first three Blackfyre Rebellions, and their rivalry alone would make fora greatGame of Thronesspin-offseries. In the end, it’s safe to say that Bloodraven wins because he is always on the winning side, although Bittersteel has always proved to be a formidable adversary.
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Season 2 just wrapped up last night.
Bloodraven Kept the Realm United Despite the Blackfyre Rebellions and Other Succession Crises
For decades, the Blackfyre Rebellions kept happening, with the Blackfyres always losing to the main branch of House Targaryen. This is thanks to Bloodraven’s political and military prowess, leading armies on the battlefield and anticipating Bittersteel’s moves to prevent further clashes. In this period,Bloodraven is Hand of the King to two monarchs, Aerys I and Maekar I (Sam Spruell), as well as their Master of Whisperers. Brynden lost one of his eyes in the First Blackfyre Rebellion, but the fact thathe possessed a vast spy networkled people to believe he had unnatural powers. This even leads to a popular riddle about him: “How many eyes does Lord Bloodraven have? A thousand eyes, and one.”
When Maekar I dies, a succession crisis ensues. To solve the matter, Bloodraven calls for a Great Council in the same mold of the one summoned by King Jaehaerys I (Michael Carter) in Harrenhal a century earlier. Bloodraven even surprises everyone by granting Aenys Blackfyre, a descendant of Daemon Blackfyre, to stake his claim, only tocapture and behead Aenys as soon as he arrives in King’s Landing. The council eventually crowns Maekar’s youngest son as the new king, Aegon V (Dexter Sol Ansell), who isthe brother of Maester Aemon Targaryen(Peter Vaughan) of the Night’s Watch inGame of Thrones. Aegon is horrified at Bloodraven’s execution of Aenys Blackfyre, andsentences Bloodraven to either death or to join the Night’s Watch, with Bloodraven choosing to take the black.
Bloodraven also has a successful career in the Night’s Watch,rising through the ranks until he becomes Lord Commander. Eventually, though, he disappears during a ranging beyond the Wall. His fate is only revealed in theA Song of Ice and Firenovels, as Bran Stark (Isaac Hampstead-Wright) finally finds him.Bloodraven was found by the Children of the Forest beyond the Wall and became the Three-Eyed Raven, and it’s also revealed that he has been a greenseer (someone with the ability of seeing flashes of the future) all along.
Why Is Bloodraven in Dameon’s Vision in ‘House of the Dragon’?
Bloodraven is a character whose influence spans many decades in Westeros history. He may even show up in the upcoming seriesA Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, for example, as Maekar is already confirmed as appearing. His role in Daemon’s vision inHouse of the Dragonmay seem confusing, though, since he is only going to be born decades after the events of the series. The vision’s purpose is to make Daemon finally bend the knee to Rhaenyra for good, and, for that,he needs to see just how important it is that she sits on the Iron Throneto ensure the future of House Targaryen.
The Three-Eyed Raven has a deep connection to the ancient magical aspects of Westeros, as greenseers usually do. InGame of Thrones, Bran learns that there isn’t just a single Three-Eyed Raven, but that everyone who has ever taken on this mantle eventually comes to share the same mind and memories through a network comprised of all living beings. So Bloodraven is in Daemon’s vision, becauseit’s important for the rogue prince to see a Targaryen playing a crucial role in the future. Also, since all Three-Eyed Ravens are the same being who is present through all space and time, Bloodraven is alive through this network of living beings - as is Bran Stark, too.
The whole point of Daemon’s vision is to make him believe that Rhaenyra is the rightful Targaryen to sit on the Iron Throne inHouse of the Dragonfor the sake of the future of Westeros.Bloodraven plays a crucial part in this sense on two different fronts. First, he defeats the Blackfyres multiple times, keeping the main Targaryen bloodline on the Iron Throne. Then, he becomes the Three-Eyed Raven and trains Bran Stark as his successor, thus aiding in defeating the Night King (Vladimir Furdik). For all that to happen in the future, though, Daemon must bend the knee to Rhaenyra right now. Thankfully, the vision is convincing enough.
Season 2 ofHouse of the Dragonis streaming on Max.
WATCH ON MAX
