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House of the Dragon is back with a bang, as the bloody Battle of the Gullet has already caused the death of a major character.
But there's one, easily missed detail in the episode that might be just as seismic: a major location from George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire lore makes a pretty lowkey appearance. Spoilers for the new episode follow.
In the episode, the dragonseeds – Hugh Hammer, Ulf, and Addam of Hull – sit together on an island on the lookout for Aemond Targaryen and his fearsome dragon Vhagar. There, they glimpse a mysterious man with antlers, as well as the witch Alys Rivers.
Thanks to the man with antlers, though, we know that the dragonseeds are hanging out on the Isle of Faces, a very significant location in Martin's fantasy world.
First appearance of a mythical character from r/HouseOfTheDragon
In the Westeros lore, the Isle of Faces is the site of the pact between the First Men and the children of the forest – you might remember them as the woodland folk who helped Bran in the later seasons of Game of Thrones. It's also full of weirwood trees, which were given faces as part of the pact (so the old gods could witness the agreement): then, the green men were created as guardians of the weirwoods and the island.
In the Game of Thrones TV show, the children of the forest created the Night King as part of their war against mankind. The Night King, however, is a show-only invention. Daemon Targaryen sees a vision of a green man in season 2, during his long stay at Harrenhal, and it's a green man that appears on the Isle of Faces in season 3 (recognizable by his antlers).
What this means remains to be seen, but, for now, it's a surprising inclusion for one of Westeros's most mysterious and magical locations.
House of the Dragon season 3 continues weekly on HBO in the US and HBO Max, Sky, and NOW in the UK. You can keep up to date with our House of the Dragon season 3 release schedule. For even more, read our House of the Dragon season 3 review.
