House of the Dragon episode 4 adds to the mythology of Game of Thrones' most famous weapon

Paddy Considine and Milly Alcock in House of the Dragon episode 4
(Image credit: HBO)

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon episode 4! Turn back now if you haven't seen the latest episode! 

House of the Dragon episode 4 has added even more to the mythology of that famous Game of Thrones weapon, the catspaw dagger. In the original show, that was the Valyrian steel blade used by an assassin sent after Bran Stark, and was eventually used by Arya Stark to kill the Night King and end the Long Night. 

We saw the weapon again in House of the Dragon episode 1, when King Viserys explained the prophecy of the Song of Ice and Fire to his daughter Rhaenyra. As the story goes, Aegon the Conqueror, the first Targaryen King of Westeros, foresaw the end of humanity thanks to a winter from the North. He believed that, to prevent this horrible fate from coming to pass, a Targaryen must be on the throne to unite the Seven Kingdoms against the threat. This also ties to the prophecy of the prince that was promised, who is destined to rescue the world from darkness. 

The prince that was promised comes up again in House of the Dragon episode 4. Viserys tells Rhaenyra that the dagger once belonged to Aegon the Conqueror himself, and his song was written on the blade. Rhaenyra takes the weapon from the fire, and the heat of the flames reveals the significant words: "From my blood come the prince that was promised, and his will be the song of ice and fire." 

All along, this major prophecy has literally been inscribed on this very significant weapon, which fulfilled its destiny when it was used to kill the Night King. Judging by the events of Game of Thrones, we can assume that Jon Snow was the prince that was promised – he was the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark and was King in the North when he tried to unite Westeros against the White Walkers. 

It remains to be seen if we'll find out more about the prophecy as the show continues: check out our House of the Dragon release schedule to find out when the next episode drops in your time zone. In the meantime, see our roundup of the best Netflix shows streaming now to fill out your watchlist. 

Molly Edwards
Entertainment Writer

I'm an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.