Here’s everything you need to know about “The House of the Dragon”

“Game of Thrones” fans, it’s time to put the trust issues of Season 8 aside and return to Westeros for another emotionally draining adventure!

HBO’s new spin-off, “The Dragon House” promises to have all the rich lore of the original series, plus an extended budget for computer-designed dragons.

As with any good fantasy tale, your “House of the Dragon” experience will likely benefit from a little geeky homework.

Here’s everything you need to know before watching the series to avoid typical questions like “Why are all these blonde people so sad?” or “Wait, are they related?”

(HBO and CNN share parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.)

We’re in a past full of dragons

“’House of the Dragon’ is a prequel series that focuses on the Targaryen dynasty; those of myth, madness, incest and purple shampoo. In the original program “game of Thrones ” and in the book series “Songs of Ice and Fire “, the mighty Targaryens House almost died thanks to regicide and what appears to be a lack of family impulse control from generations of inbreeding.

Daenerys Targaryen is one of the few left in GoT times, and even she is prematurely sent to the Shadowlands by her lover-nephew, Jon Snow . (The Targaryen family tree is very narrow, but complicated. The Targaryen family’s system of moral conduct, if you will.)

Anyway, “House of the Dragon” is set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones”, when the Targaryens are in full power and about to enter a very nasty and fierce war of succession known as “Dance of the Dragons “.

Keep in mind that during the height of their power, the Targaryens were the terror of dragons, hence the house motto: “fire and blood “. His massive steeds brought the family back from their original Valyrian home and helped them conquer all of Westeros. In the original GoT series, all these dragons have been dead for some time. In “House of the Dragon”, they are (presumably) alive and well.

As this is just before the eventual fall of House Targaryens, there are many active Targs. Too many Targs, one might argue. Some name tags would be nice.

• King Viserys I is the current King of Westeros. He’s actually a really nice guy. To give you an idea of ​​time here, Viserys I is Daenerys’ great-great-grandfather. His children and loved ones are the ones struggling to inherit the power for when he finally leaves it;
• Princess Rhaenyra is Viserys’ daughter by his first wife. Her father favors her as his successor, but there are several other candidates at stake. It looks like most of the action will be centered around her. Think of her as the Daenerys of this series. She wants to rule, she has qualities, but too many guys get in the way. Her dragon name is Syrax;
• Prince Aegon II is the eldest son of Viserys and half-brother of Rhaenyra. He is another possible successor and a very important part of the war to come;
• Prince Daemon is Viserys’ brother and Rhaenyra’s uncle. He’s the typical “always a prince, never a king” type Hamlet. He’s a bit of a libertine and there’s a lot of sexual tension between him and Rhaenyra, which is, again, normal as far as this family is concerned;
• Alicent Hightower is Viserys’ second wife and Rhaenyra’s stepmother. She is the mother of Aegon II and has plans to be the first queen regnant of Westeros, so she doesn’t get along with her stepdaughter. An evil stepmother? innovative. At this point, let’s assume that everyone is corrupt and power-hungry. (Also lots of Margaery Tyrell vibes. RIP the queen.)

There are many more Targaryens and people close to the Targaryens to follow, but let’s control our pace.

Another good thing to remember is that many people in Westeros believe that the Targaryens have a genetic tendency towards madness. (Ser Barristan Selmy put it best: “Every time a new Targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin and the world holds its breath.) So even the good guys are, in theory, a minor inconvenience of mass murder.

Much of Westeros will seem familiar to you.

O Iron Throne definitely exists, as it was built by the first Targaryen king, Aegon. You may remember that many GoT characters spoke in awe of Aegon and his two sister wives, Rhaenys and Visenya, who were the first generation of Targaryens to come to Westeros to (literally) blow things up. They became the first ruling house of the Seven Kingdoms in Westeros. So, at this time when “The House of the Dragon” takes place, the current political system has only seen Targaryen rulers.

The Red Keep was also Aegon’s work, so it’s there too, as is the nearby city of King’s Landing.

You will recognize some houses! The Tall Towers have representation, of course. There are some Baratheons scattered throughout. The Lannisters at this point in Westeros history are just minor characters, albeit very wealthy ones. We will learn more about House Velaryon, another house of Valyrian descent that was occasionally mentioned in “Game of Thrones”. However, don’t expect to see familiar faces from the original “Game of Thrones” series.

And lastly, you’ll spend half your time learning everyone’s names

Are you fully prepared for a new era of “Game of Thrones”? Are you absolutely sure? Great! Here is a sampling of Targaryen names from the “Game of Thrones” universe.

• aegon
• Aegor
• aemon
• aemond
• aenys
• rhaenys
• Rhaena
• Rhaella
• rhaegar
• rhaegel
• rhaelle
• jaehaera
• Jaehaerys
• Viserys
• Demon
• daeron
• baela
• Baelor
• maelor

No wonder everyone went crazy. Fortunately, only a small portion of those names will appear in “House of the Dragon”, but it makes one wish for the good old days of GoT, when the main character simply went by “Jon”.