That’s right — there are Targaryens that exist without the famous pale hair. And this doesn’t include Jon Snow, probably the most well-known example of a dark-haired character who looked so Westerosi that he easily passed as a non-Targaryen for his entire life. Even when the Targaryens were at the height of their power, there were a select few members who sported dark hair that was passed down from the non-Targaryen side of their family. But starting with House of the Dragon‘s premiere in 2022, this was an interesting genetic fact that the television universe neglected to address. The show that finally fixed the problem is none other than A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the upcoming spinoff that author George R. R. Martin has done nothing but rave about.
Not All Targaryens Are Blonde in Game of Thrones Lore
New images and a trailer for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms show more of the Targaryen clan that will be present in the first season of the show. Of course, there’s the adorable Prince Aegon, who goes by “Egg,” and is recognized for his bald appearance. The more typically silver-haired Targaryens are Prince Aerion (Egg’s older brother) and Prince Maekar (Egg and Aerion’s father).
To understand why this is exciting news for Targaryen fans, we have to look back at the history of the Targaryens’ hair color and how the silver hair eventually went out of style. The Targaryens’ hair is a result of their Valyrian heritage, a near extinct race of people from Essos who were either killed or driven out of their homeland in the Doom of Valyria. The most noble people of Old Valyria were known to be strikingly beautiful and a little inhuman because their characteristics were not commonly shared with other people in the world.
The Targaryens practiced incest in Westeros to keep their bloodline pure and ensure their rule would last for generations. However, exceptions were made for political alliances. For example, the marriage between Prince Aemon Targaryen and Jocelyn Baratheon resulted in a black-haired child named Rhaenys Targaryen. Yet, Rhaenys did not have her notable black hair in House of the Dragon. Instead, she was given the typical silver locks of her Targaryen ancestors.
Why Some Targaryens Have Dark Hair
Baelor Targaryen’s commonly appearance was the direct result of an alliance between the Targaryens and the Martells, which paved the way for Dorne to finally join the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. Baelor’s mother was a Martell, from whom he inherited her dark hair and eyes. People looked down on him because he looked so different than the rest of his family, the implication being that he didn’t look the part of a royal.
If it’s so easy for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to allow Baelor to have a dark hairstyle, then it presumably would be just as effortless for House of the Dragon to do the same for Rhaenys. There’s not an explanation as to why the showrunners and/or hair and makeup department chose a blonde wig for Rhaenys, but the running theory is that they wanted there to be less confusion about her relation to the Targaryens.
House of the Dragon Created a Rhaenys Problem
With the parentage of Rhaenyra’s first three sons (because of their dark hair) being a colossal motivator for the overall conflict in the show, the creatives behind House of the Dragon might have believed that Rhaenys having dark hair as well might make casual viewers believe she’s a bastard as well. They could’ve also wanted to avoid any ongoing potential uncertainty regarding how she’s related to Viserys and Rhaenyra, since she’s not a direct sibling or parent.
But removing Rhaenys’ peculiar identity didn’t exactly solve that problem either. As opposed to Game of Thrones, which only featured one Targaryen for most of its run, House of the Dragon introduced several silver-haired dragonriders in the first episode alone. In the second season, it also added bastard dragonseeds, further complicating the family tree. People were bound to forget who was related to whom. More casual viewers were mixing up Rhaenys and Rhaenyra’s names. Confusion is an expected part of telling a Targaryen story. Keeping all the wigs the same color doesn’t change that.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Will End a Long-Running Targaryen Misunderstanding
This is all to say that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is gearing up to be a show that appears to be more aligned with Martin’s lore than House of the Dragon cares to be. Adaptation changes are always a given, and sometimes they’re even for the better. But for House of the Dragon, many changes have had such an impact that they completely alter the canon history of the Targaryens. As Martin would put it, it’s the simple “butterfly effect” at play.
Even just changing Rhaenys’ hair color takes away some of the implications of what it would’ve meant for her to be Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Of course, the main reason she wasn’t chosen over Viserys is that she’s a woman, but people would’ve sneezed at a dark-haired Targaryen on the Iron Throne during their peak. It also made it a lot weirder that Rhaenyra was able to claim her illegitimate children as Laenor’s. Had Rhaenys been given her black hair, it would make so much more sense to say they got it from their grandmother.
Targaryen supremacy was always an issue with House of the Dragon, and it’s relieving to see that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is exploring the house’s nuance. Truthfully, House of the Dragon could be on its way to showing how the Targaryens caused their own downfall through greed and carelessness, and how that led to the pure bloodline ultimately destroying itself. It’s fascinating to see the consequences of that many years down the line just by Baelor’s conventional look.
Without their dragons or silver hair, the Targaryens truly have become just like anyone else. And if that’s the case, then it makes sense why the smallfolk and other houses begin to question why they’re still in charge.
