House of the Dragon opening credits explained with hidden meaning

By Lewis Knight

Published: Monday, 12 September 2022 at 12:00 am

We’re all so glad that the Game of Thrones theme music lives on, but the prequel series House of the Dragon does offer us some rather different opening titles.

Game of Thrones boasted an opening title sequence that showed off various locations around Westeros and beyond throughout its run, with different places folding out of the map while the credits of actors displayed relevant sigils for their characters’ houses beside their names.

However, House of the Dragon has always had a clear focus: House Targaryen.

The ruling family of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros for hundreds of years, the Targaryen family have always used the motto ‘Fire and Blood’.

So, it is only fitting that the opening sequence includes at least one of these in spades…

Here is the meaning behind the opening title sequence in House of the Dragon.

House of the Dragon opening credits explained

The opening titles for House of the Dragon show a series of sigils with blooding from them, whilst it runs across a stone surface that resembles King Viserys I Targaryen’s model of Old Valyria.

Fans will recall that the Valyrian Freehold was the ancient empire from which Houses Targaryen and Velaryon are descended, until the cataclysmic Doom of Valyria saw the empire destroyed.

The opening of the credits shows the sigil of the first Targaryen monarch of Westeros: King Aegon I Targaryen, better known as Aegon the Conquerer.

From his sigil there then flows two streams of blood, representing Aegon’s marriages to his sister-wives, Queen Visenya Targaryen and Queen Rhaenys Targaryen.

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House of the Dragon opening credits.
HBO

From these unions came two sons, King Aenys I Targaryen (by Rhaenys) and King Maegor I Targaryen (by Visenya).

Although Aenys was deposed and murdered, his line would continue, but his successor Maegor the Cruel does not and so the trail of his blood ends with his sigil.

However, Aenys’s sigil sprouts those of his son King Jaeherys I Targaryen and his sister-wife Queen Alysanne Targaryen. There is a large collection of streaming rivers of blood from these two as their prosperous reign and marriage brought about multiple children and grandchildren.

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House of the Dragon opening credits.
HBO

Two of the streams represent their children Prince Baelon Targaryen and Princess Alyssa Targaryen, who go on to marry and produce their own two offspring which proceed to flow as two streams of blood over a clifftop.

The resulting sigils represent both King Viserys I Targaryen and his brother Prince Daemon Targaryen.

Other sigils are shown for families, including House Velaryon, as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen marries Lord Corlys Velaryon and has two children: Lady Laena Velaryon and Ser Laenor Velaryon.

We also are later shown the sigil for House Hightower as Lady Alicent Hightower goes on to become the second queen of King Viserys.

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House of the Dragon opening credits.
HBO

However, we also see the sigil of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, heir to the Iron Throne, as she looks set to continue the line.

As the episodes pass, further streams will likely be added as more children are introduced in the bloodline, such as Alicent’s children from Viserys, including Prince Aegon Targaryen.

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House of the Dragon continues on Mondays on Sky Atlantic and NOW. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.

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