A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: Who Is Daeron Targaryen?

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A common joke among fans of the Game of Thrones world, especially with House of the Dragon, is how difficult it is to keep track of all the Targaryens. With so many characters sharing similar looks – white hair, dragons, and an air of superiority – it’s easy to get them mixed up. The problem is made worse by the fact that many Targaryens have the same names and often marry family members.

The new show, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, simplifies things by removing the dragons and focusing on fewer Targaryen characters. This helps avoid overwhelming viewers with too many names and storylines. Interestingly, this also means some Targaryens, including the last one with special magical abilities, can appear without being immediately recognized.

Who Is Daeron Targaryen?

The first episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms focuses on Dunk, a young knight still grieving the death of his mentor, Ser Arlan of Pennytree. While traveling to a tournament at Ashford to seek a new lord’s favor, Dunk stops at a tavern and encounters a heavily intoxicated man. The man, barely able to stay awake, warns Dunk to avoid him, claiming he had a dream about him.

The tavern keeper dismissed the drunkard, but not before the man left a gold coin bearing the three-headed dragon symbol of House Targaryen, and then went upstairs. While anyone might have a gold dragon – the highest value coin in Westeros – very few would spend one on a simple meal and drinks. Considering his lavish spending, obvious drunkenness, fine red clothes, and tendency to take dreams seriously, the man was almost certainly Prince Daeron Targaryen.

To avoid confusion, it’s worth noting that this Daeron isn’t the first. Other notable Daerons include the son of Alicent Hightower and Viserys I Targaryen, who will appear in Season 3 of House of the Dragon. There’s also King Daeron II Targaryen, who currently rules Westeros in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. He’s often called Daeron the Drunken due to his fondness for drinking.

Daeron, the eldest son of Maekar Targaryen (played by Sam Spruell), was the older brother of Aerion and Aegon V. He was a ‘dragon dreamer,’ a rare magical ability within the Targaryen family, as detailed in the Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas. According to A Feast for Crows, Daeron became so obsessed with his dragon dreams that they ultimately led to his demise.

What Does Daeron’s Warning to Dunk Mean in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?

Helaena is the only other character, besides those in House of the Dragon, known to experience this type of precognitive dreaming in the Game of Thrones world. Like others with this ability, she struggled to understand her dreams until after they happened. She often spoke in confusing riddles and seemingly random words, such as “rats” and “a beast beneath the board,” and the true meaning of her dreams remains a mystery.

As a huge fan of the Dunk and Egg stories, I’ve always been fascinated by Daeron’s fear of Dunk. The novellas finally explain it! Apparently, Daeron had a dream where a dragon fell on Dunk, killing the dragon but leaving Dunk unharmed. Poor Daeron, having no idea what it symbolized, probably thought Dunk was going to kill him or another member of the Targaryen family. It really adds a layer to their relationship knowing that fear was lurking beneath the surface!

By now in the story of Game of Thrones, all the dragons are gone. This strongly suggests that someone from the Targaryen family will die because of Dunk, either directly at his hands or as a result of something he does. If a dragon were to fall on Dunk, it could mean a Targaryen sacrifices themselves to save him, or dies while trying to kill him.

As the story continues in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, we’ll meet more members of the Targaryen family: Baelor, Maekar, and Aerion. These three will significantly impact Dunk’s life when he unexpectedly becomes involved in their affairs. Any one of them could become a casualty of Dunk simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time, leading to a series of unfortunate events.

New episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiere every Sunday on HBO.

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2026-01-19 07:06