Daenerys Targaryen’s Origin, Backstory & Life Before Game Of Thrones Explained (& What The Show Cut) md20

Daenerys Targaryen is one of the most iconic characters in Game of Thrones, but there’s plenty related to her life that the show’s events. The prolific HBO series is based on the A Song of Ice & Fire novels by George R.R. Martin, which introduce audiences to a dense fantasy world of fascinating power struggles and mythology. While Game of Thrones’ early seasons do a fantastic job of providing audiences with the information they need to know, there’s still plenty that gets left out, especially in the lore leading up to its events.

When audiences meet Daenerys Targaryen, she and her brother Viserys are all that remains of the Targaryen dynasty, a family that united the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and ruled over them for nearly three centuries. House Targaryen’s history is long and tumultuous, and it’s vital to understand it to reckon with Daenerys and Viserys’ personalities. However, Dany’s own life leading up to Game of Thrones was rather unlike how the rest of her family had lived, and it importantly shapes her character.

Daenerys’ Mother Was Pregnant With Her When The Targaryens Fled King’s Landing

Rhaella Targaryen Fled To Dragonstone With Daenerys In Her Womb

Daenerys’ mother isn’t a primary character in Game of Thrones lore, but she’s still worth knowing. Rhaella Targaryen was the sister and wife of the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen, making her the mother of several children, including Rhaegar, Viserys, and Daenerys. After Robert Baratheon killed Rhaegar in their duel at the Battle of the Trident, Aerys had Rhaella and baby Viserys evacuated to Dragonstone, the island fortress of House Targaryen. Neither knew she was pregnant with Daenerys at the time.

Rhaella spent the next nine months on Dragonstone before dying due to complications giving birth to Daenerys. After King’s Landing was sacked by the Lannisters and Jaime killed King Aerys, Rhaella named Viserys king in his stead, though Robert Baratheon had taken up the mantle on the actual Iron Throne. Stannis Baratheon sailed to Dragonstone with a new fleet after the siege was lifted at Storm’s End, and he took back the fortress for his brother. This forced Willem Darry to flee to Essos with the babies, Viserys and Daenerys.

Daenerys “Stormborn” Comes From Her Birth On Dragonstone

Daenerys Was Literally Born During A Storm

Daenerys Targaryen is known in Game of Thrones for her numerous titles. Among Daenerys’ many titles is “Stormborn,” which is perhaps her coolest but also the most simplistic. Daenerys is called Stormborn because she was born during a great storm raging above Dragonstone, which unfortunately sank the rest of House Targaryen’s fleet. Many have associated the storm at Dragonstone lighting the ships on fire with the “Born amidst salt and smoke” aspect of the Prince that was Promised prophecy.

Daenerys & Viserys Were Taken To Essos & Lived In Various Locations

Daenerys & Viserys Had To Move Around To Avoid Being Killed

Daenerys and Viserys were escorted to Essos, where they began their lives on the run. Robert Baratheon not only wanted to defend his and his heirs’ right to rule the Seven Kingdoms, but he also had a personal vendetta against House Targaryen due to his hatred for Prince Rhaegar. Because of this, Daenerys and Viserys were never safe. Still, they managed to find allies in the Free Cities and beyond who took an interest in their potential to someday return to Westeros and take power. Viserys was commonly known as the “Beggar King” for demanding favors of these potential allies.

The sibling pair visited Myr, Tyrosh, Qohor, Braavos, Volantis, and Lys during their travels, with various wealthy and influential individuals taking an interest in them. However, that interest dwindled over time, and Daenerys and Viserys were forced to sell their heirloom treasures, including their mother’s crown, to survive. Viserys once met with the sellswords of the Golden Company to consider an arrangement, but they declined. The dwindling success led Viserys to be bitter and violent, often taking out his anger on Daenerys.

The House With The Red Door In Braavos Explained

Daenerys Remembers A Mysterious House With A Red Door

An important aspect of Daenerys that’s left out of the show is that she experiences nostalgia for a specific house in Braavos that had a red door. This is a marquee bit of imagery for her, and there are a few important aspects of it. Firstly, this is where Willem Darry passed away, and Daenerys remembers him as being kind to her as a child. More notably, in the grand scheme of things, Daenerys mentions a lemon tree outside the house with the red door. This is crucial because characters have mentioned that there are no lemon trees in Braavos.

Braavos’ cold climate prevents the growth of citrus trees, but there are places that do grow them, like Dorne, for example. It’s likely that Daenerys misremembered where this house was or was lied to, meaning there’s a key part of her past that the reader still doesn’t know about. Given that this location was likely in Westeros, she has crucial allies there that she doesn’t know about. Tinfoil hat theories have even speculated that Rhaella isn’t her mother, along with many other concepts that are worth checking out just for the fun of it.

How Daenerys Ended Up With Illyrio Before Marrying Khal Drogo

Illyrio Mopatis Is A Magister From Pentos Who Aligns With Viserys

Illyrio Mopatis is a character Game of Thrones fans may remember from the show’s opening episode, where he joins Daenerys and Khal Drogo in marriage. He later appears in season 1 conspiring with Varys in the dungeons of the Red Keep, which Arya watches from behind a dragon skull. Illyrio is a magister of Pentos who offers his help in retaking the Iron Throne to Viserys, and the Targaryen pair begin living with him roughly half a year before the events of the story begin. Unlike in the HBO adaptation, Illyrio remains an important player in the book series.

Illyrio is a schemer with plans to bring back Targaryen control in Westeros, which would benefit him for aligning with them. His plans change over time, as after Viserys dies, he begins sending help to Daenerys in the books, including men and ships. However, in A Dance with Dragons, after Daenerys has spent time in Meereen, Illyrio shifts his focus to planting Aegon Targaryen, a character who isn’t in Game of Thrones, on the Iron Throne instead of her. His intention could be to marry the two of them, but he’s very much a self-interested schemer.