How a brief House of the Dragon moment sets up another Game of Thrones spin-off

Emily Carey and Milly Alcock in House of the Dragon — (Image credit: HBO)

House of the Dragon may already have dropped a few Game of Thrones Easter eggs into the mix, but the prequel is also setting up another spin-off. And this time, we're set to go back more than just 200 years into Westeros' history.

In House of the Dragon episode 1, we see Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey) and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) hanging out in the Godswood in the Red Keep and they're discussing their schoolwork – they have been learning about the history of Dorne, and Alicent doesn't think Rhaenyra has done her homework. To prove her friend wrong, Rhaenyra gives her a quick rundown of the kingdom's inception many centuries prior and namedrops Nymeria, who's set to be the subject of her own series titled 10,000 Ships.

Who is Nymeria?

Pedro Pascal in Game of Thrones — (Image credit: HBO)

Nymeria is a warrior queen who led refugees from the Rhoynar to Dorne, one thousand years before the events of Game of Thrones. She is considered to be the founder of Dorne. Fleeing from the Dragonlords of Valyria, the people of the Rhoynar set sail for Westeros in a fleet of 10,000 ships, which Nymeria then set fire to in order to prevent any of her people from deserting her.

Nymeria then married the local king of the city Sunspear, Mors Martell, and the Rhoynish joined forces with House Martell. At the time, Dorne was split into many kingdoms, but, together, Nymeria and Mors united them all. The Dornish people therefore see Nymeria as the founder of their realm.

And if the name sounds familiar, it's because it is – Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) named her direwolf Nymeria in honor of the queen in Game of Thrones season 1. Nymeria Sand (Jessica Henwick), one of Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal)'s bastard daughters who first appeared in Game of Thrones season 5, was named after her Dornish ancestor too.

What is Nymeria's Game of Thrones spin-off?

Jessica Henwick in Game of Thrones — (Image credit: HBO)

A series with the working title 10,000 Ships is currently in development at HBO. According to Deadline, the spin-off is "expected to follow the journey made by warrior queen Princess Nymeria and the surviving members of the Rhoynars, who traveled from Essos to Dorne following their defeat by the Valyrian Freehold in the Second Spice War."

Last year, Deadline reported that Amanda Segel, who previously worked on shows like Helstrom, Person of Interest, and The Good Wife, is on board as a writer on the series. Earlier this year, George R.R. Martin wrote on his blog that "Amanda Segel, our showrunner, has delivered a couple drafts of that one, and we are forging ahead."

House of the Dragon airs on Sundays on HBO and HBO Max, before following on Mondays in the UK on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV. Make sure you never miss an episode with our handy House of the Dragon release schedule.

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