House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal has revealed why, unlike George R.R. Martin's works, the HBO show leaves the Prince That Was Promised prophecy very much out in the open.
Warning, the following contains mild spoilers for the House of the Dragon season 3 finale. Turn back now if you haven't caught up, but make sure to read our House of the Dragon season 3 episode 8 review first.
There has been a lot of talk of The Prince that Was Promised in House of the Dragon. The prophecy comes from Aegon the Conqueror's Dream, which foretold that many years after the death of all dragons, one Targaryen prince would wake the beasts and defeat an evil force from the Long Night.
In Martin's works, the prophecy is kept secret. But in the season 3 finale, Rhaenyra announces it to the world. In a bid to gain the support of the smallfolk and justify her legitimacy, the Queen announces, "I am The Prince That Was Promised!" (admittedly, in High Valyrian, but the cat is already out of the bag before that). However, Condal has his reasons for this.
"It's something that is certainly not in the book, and it's not in the history, but there is a bunch of talk about how Rhaenyra became very despotic and became a tyrant at the end and was very unpopular with the people," explained Condal in a House of the Dragon season 3 press conference attended by GamesRadar+. The showrunner said that this could well have happened, but because she doesn't outright reveal Aegon's dream, and as no one really knows what she is talking about, it wouldn't have made historical record.
"But my sort of toss-off from the historians is 'Oh well, Targaryens say crazy shit all the time'" said Condal, jokingly, adding that the townsfolk probably thought that Rhaenyra was just trying to prove her legitimacy once again. So, why include it at all? "We wanted something that felt like a real seismic change, a sea change in Rhaenyra's relationship to her people," added Condal. The statement also ties in to the shocking murder Rhaenyra is responsible for right before. You can read our House of the Dragon season 3 ending explained for more on that.
"This old Valyrian faith of dragons and fire gods and blood magic, and pronouncing herself as the chosen one, the leader that is going to take them through the fire and out of the darkness." Of course, Game of Thrones fans will know that Rhaenyra is not the Prince That Was Promised.
House of the Dragon season 3 is streaming now on HBO Max and NOW. For more, check out our guide to House of the Dragon season 4, and keep up with all the upcoming Game of Thrones movies and shows.
