As the fantasy series ushers in a darker chapter, House of the Dragon season 3 has a new opening credits sequence, but fans have spotted a mistake in the tapestry.
Towards the end of the opening credits (around the 1 min 31 seconds mark on YouTube), the tapestry includes a four-legged, three-headed black dragon against a red background. This is the Targaryen sigil, which is mentioned in Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin's books and in the main show. However, in Martin's works, the dragon on the sigil has two legs, not four, which Martin has brought up before.
"George R.R. Martin has already said a thousand times that the dragons in his universe have only two legs," said one fan on Twitter, and another added, "Absolute ragebait, this is incredible." You can see it below.
You may be wondering why it is so important that the dragon on the sigil has two legs when it has three heads. The three headed dragon on the sigil represents Aegon the Conqueror and his two sister-queens, Visenya and Rhaenys, who forged the Seven Kingdoms. As for the legs, fewer limbs provide balance and stability, which are key to taking flight.
Martin has shown his distaste for the four-legged beast before. When House of the Dragon season 2 aired, the author took to his blog and wrote, "In my books, the Targaryen sigil has two legs, as it should. Why would any Westerosi ever put four legs on a dragon, when they could look at the real thing and could their limbs?" The author added that Game of Thrones got the sigil right "for the first four seasons and most of the fifth."
"Someone got sloppy, I guess. Or someone opened a book on heraldry, and read just enough of it to muck it all up," added Martin.
However, the reason why House of the Dragon continues to use the incorrect sigil may be for consistency, as Game of Thrones had already adapted it. Nevertheless, Martin does not approve. "Those damned extra legs have even wormed their way onto the covers of my books, over my strenuous objections," said Martin. Alas, at least the living dragons in House of the Dragon do have the correct number of legs.
House of the Dragon season 3 continues to air weekly on HBO in the US and HBO Max and Sky in the UK. See our House of the Dragon season 3 release schedule for exact timings. For more, check out our spoiler-free House of the Dragon season 3 review, and guide to upcoming Game of Thrones movies and TV shows.
