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WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 1 and George R.R. Martin’s book, Fire & Blood!The reveal of Aegon’s Song of Ice and Fire dream in House of the Dragon supports a major Game of Thrones theory regarding the return of dragons. The last of the dragons died just a few decades after House of the Dragon’s war, and wouldn’t return until nearly 150 years later when Daenerys Targaryen’s dragon eggs magically hatched. For the century-and-a-half that dragons were extinct, Targaryen kings desperately attempted to bring them back, but to no avail. The dying of the dragons not only contributed to the fall of House Targaryen during the Mad King’s reign, but also made the White Walkers’ success more likely and put Aegon’s prophecy in jeopardy.
The sudden, inexplicable rebirth of dragons in Game of Thrones was often speculated about, with one major theory claiming the dragons only returned because the White Walkers did. Dragons and the White Walkers vanished for long periods of time, but both magical creatures happened to return at the same time. Not coincidentally, dragonfire was one of the few ways to destroy White Walkers, indicating humanity might have failed without them. House of the Dragon gives far more weight to this theory due to Aegon’s Song of Ice and Fire dream, as his prophecy links the defeat of the White Walkers (ice) to the Targaryens and their dragons (fire).
Did Dragons Return Because Of White Walkers?
Game of Thrones’ magic turned out to play a big role in the White Walkers’ defeat, primarily through Bran being the Three-Eyed Raven. However, the magic of Dany bringing back the dragons and Jon Snow being the Prince That Was Promised indicates House of the Dragon’s Targaryen prophecy was far more significant to the White Walkers’ demise. While Jon Snow seems to apply more to the Prince That Was Promised prophecy, Daenerys Targaryen also fits the role, especially since she brought back the dragons and eventually took the Iron Throne. Without Daenerys’ dragons and army, the living never would have prevailed against the dead.
Since Targaryens were the saviors, Aegon’s lore-changing dream had to have foreseen that dragons would be present when the White Walkers emerged from the north. However, Aegon and his Targaryen descendants didn’t know exactly when the White Walkers would return, so the dying of the dragons during King Aegon III Targaryen’s reign must have contributed to his broken despair at potentially failing Aegon’s dream. At the same time, the absence of dragons was somewhat of a good omen, as it meant the White Walkers were still dormant. Dragons finally returning in Game of Thrones was thus a magical signal that the White Walkers were also back, as Aegon’s dream foresaw fire battling ice.
Why Did The White Walkers Themselves Take So Long To Return?
Following House of the Dragon, the Targaryen dragons were extinct for approximately 150 years, whereas the White Walkers vanished for over 8,000 years after being driven deep in the north during the Long Night. Game of Thrones doesn’t give a clear explanation why the White Walkers stayed hidden for so long, but it seems they were waiting until their army was strong enough to combat mankind again. Of course, Aegon’s dream saw the solution for the living, with the magic that brought back the White Walkers likely being similar to the magic that conjured Aegon’s prophecy and later brought back the dragons.
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