The Targaryen Legacy Unveiled: Rhaenyra's Mythical Connection to Daenerys

Summary

House of the Dragon takes place when the Targaryen bloodline is at its strongest, giving them a firm grip on Westeros with threats only possible from within.

Rhaenyra Targaryen and Daenerys Targaryen share a close familial connection, both in terms of bloodline and their significant positions as influential leaders who have faced heart-wrenching struggles in their quests for the throne.

As Daenerys' sixth great-grandmother, Rhaenyra Targaryen's lineage intertwines with hers, encompassing a lineage that consists of renowned and infamous Targaryen ancestors and ultimately linking their narratives.

Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon and Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones are closely connected, despite the time difference between them. Game of Thrones takes place about 300 years after Aegon the Conquerer's arrival, while House of the Dragon is set only 100 years after his invasion, when the Targaryen bloodline is at its strongest. In Game of Thrones, the Targaryens are almost forgotten, but in House of the Dragon, they have a firm hold on Westeros, with internal threats being their only concern.

The Targaryen family has a long history of intermarriage to protect their dragon lineage, ensuring that anyone with the Targaryen name has a closer connection to their ancestors compared to members of other noble houses. Rhaenyra and Daenerys share a significant bond, as they both play similar roles in their families and in Westeros. They are powerful leaders whose claims to the throne are met with tragedy. Their stories and bloodline make them closely related.

Rhaenyra Targaryen Is Daenerys' Sixth Great-Grandmother (& Jon Snow's Seventh)

Despite her own fate being doomed, Rhaenyra Targaryen's bloodline ensures the continuation of the Targaryen royal lineage, ultimately leading to her triumph over her half-brother Aegon III. Rhaenyra, who is the sixth great-grandmother of Daenerys and the seventh great-grandmother of Jon Snow, shares an ancestral connection with all significant figures in the history of Westeros. The likes of Aegon the Unworthy, who sparked a second Targaryen civil war, Aegon "Egg" V from the Dunk and Egg novellas, and the infamous Mad King Aerys II are all notorious and well-known shared relatives between these two queens.

As time passed between Rhaenyra Targaryen and Daenerys, the purity of the Targaryen bloodline became notably mixed compared to the initial century of the dynasty's presence in Westeros. While Rhaenyra's lineage primarily consists of Targaryens and their closely related families, such as the Velaryons and Baratheons, Daenerys' bloodline has been influenced by the inclusion of the Blackwoods, Martells, and Daynes. These additions to her familial line indicate that Daenerys is not simply a replica of her fiery ancestor.

Rhaenyra Targaryen Died By Getting Eaten By A Dragon

Towards the end of the civil war, Rhaenyra Targaryen and her son Aegon III sought refuge on Dragonstone to evade the fall of King's Landing. Unfortunately, their trust was betrayed when Aegon II captured Rhaenyra and mercilessly fed her to his dragon, Sunfyre. This cruel act briefly placed Aegon II on the throne before he was eventually overthrown. This act of using dragons to execute prisoners and solidify their authority was a long-standing tradition among the Targaryens. Aegon the Conqueror employed Balerion to incinerate Harren the Black and his family, while Vhagar was responsible for the death of Lucerys Velaryon. Similarly, Daenerys used Drogon to eliminate numerous adversaries during her quest for the Iron Throne.

Adding to the brutality of Rhaenyra's demise was the fact that her son, Aegon III, was forced to witness the horrific event. This parallel can be seen centuries later with Missandei's death, as Daenerys helplessly watched her loyal friend being executed by her sworn enemy, Cersei Lannister. Unlike Aegon III, who became brooding and melancholic for the remainder of his reign, Daenerys' shock at witnessing Missandei's death compelled her to descend further into the fiery madness that often plagued members of the Targaryen bloodline. Throughout Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, Daenerys and Rhaenyra share many similarities that are derived from their shared lineage.