There is very little left for The House of the Dragon to be released , the prequel to the mythical Game of Thrones that will return us to Westeros. On August 21, a new stage of the franchise will begin in which we will be able to get to know the Targaryens better and, no matter how expert we are in the matter, doubts will arise.
The world created by George RR Martin in his A Song of Ice and Fire is complex and, although David Benioff and DB Weiss have eliminated numerous plots and characters in his adaptation for HBO, the truth is that sometimes it is inevitable that some doubts arise. while watching Game of Thrones . In fact, the wait of almost a year between season and season complicates things even more and sometimes it is difficult to have a completely clear outline of all the plots that make up the story: where they are, what they are doing, what they did in the past or what your future plans are.
- Geography in general
Where is each of the characters? How far apart are they? Sometimes we are not entirely clear not only where the characters are, but also how far they are from their home, what territory to avoid they could find along the way, why it is worth traveling by ship between some territories of Westeros instead of arriving by land or that Braavos and Meereen are a great distance apart even though they belong to the same continent. - The kinship between the Targaryens
The infographic published by HBO not only helped us to confirm the identity of Jon Snow’s parents, but also to clarify what relationships exist between the Targaryens. After all, since the series began we have only been able to “meet” three members of the family -four without counting Jon Snow-: Daenerys, Viserys and Maester Aemon. What we know about other members of the family, such as Mad King Aerys II, Rhaegar or Rhaella, is part of the story, so it’s easy to get confused and think, for example, that Danerys and Jon are brothers instead of aunt and nephew. After all, they seem to be from the same generation. - Terminology
And the difference between some of these terms. Dragonglass, Valyrian steel, wildfire, maester, archimester, grand maester, weirwood, milk of the poppy… Do you have it all figured out? - Names in general
Remembering the names (and surnames) of the main characters can sometimes be difficult for you -some more than others-, but the really difficult thing is knowing them all and not calling Jaqen H’ghar the “guy who is with Arya”, Varys ” the eunuch”, to Meera and Jojen “those who go with Bran” and a long etcetera. - The minor plots that have been away for a while
Some complementary plots that played an important role at a certain moment are taken up again later, when their protagonists are needed again to continue a more main plot.
An example of this has taken place in the recently completed sixth season, when we were reunited with the Brotherhood without Banners with Beric Dondarrion and Thoros de Myr at the helm. So these the Hound just ran into are the same ones who “captured” Arya in Season 3?
Similarly, the political situation in Riverrun, with the Freys and the Tullys at odds, had not been addressed since the Red Wedding. - Be clear about the stories of all the characters, where they are and what they do
You are clear about where Daenerys, Jon, Arya, Cersei, Tyrion, Sansa are… But in a series with so many characters, it is sometimes an impossible task to have them all “signed”. Especially those who are constantly on the move to carry out quests, like Brienne of Tarth and even Jaime Lannister, whom we’ve sometimes lost track of.
Similarly, when a character’s plot falls behind, sometimes we just “forget” about them. Do you remember Gendry, Arya’s friend and Robert Baratheon’s bastard who was last seen fleeing Dragonstone in a boat? Something like this happened to many with Osha and Rickon after saying goodbye to Bran in the third season to get to safety; or with families like the Greyjoys or the Martells, to whom the series has paid less attention. - Daenerys Targaryen’s titles
The most widespread are clear to us: Khaleesi and Mother of Dragons.
But she is much more: Daenerys of the storm, of the Targaryen house, Khalesi of the Dothraki, queen of the Andals, Rhoynar and the first men. Lady of the seven kingdoms and protector of the kingdom. The mother of dragons, the one that does not burn, breaker of chains, and liberator of slaves. - And the names of the five direwolves
… Although fewer and fewer are left alive. Let’s review: Lady (Sansa), Nymeria (Arya), Shaggy (Rickon), Gray Wind (Robb), Summer (Bran), and Ghost (Jon Snow). - The time does not pass at the same time between the different frames
The plots of different characters that are addressed in the same episode are not only not, as a general rule, taking place at the same time, but there may be a completely abysmal temporary difference. For example, it is surprising to see that when Sam arrives at the Citadel, he doesn’t even know that Jon is dead. In fact, by the time young Tarly reaches his destination, Jon has time to die, resurrect, go on a tour to get an army, and even recapture Winterfell.
The presence of Varys in two very distant places in the final episode of the sixth season proved once again that times not only do not coincide, but that the series often experiences time jumps and we have to assume that, in that time that we do not see, things have happened.
“The times between the different plots are not necessarily aligned in an episode. In fact, Jon and Sansa’s ‘Northern Tour’ probably took them a couple of weeks, but what happens with Arya in the last few episodes takes place in a few days We realized a long time ago that if we tied ourselves up trying to make all the stories align temporarily between the characters, the strength of the series was going to be affected, “explained the screenwriter Bryan Cogman after the broadcast of the seventh episode of the sixth season. - The difference between the different religions
Religion plays a fundamental role in the world created by George RR Martin. The inhabitants of Essos and Westeros believe in different Gods and even belong to sects. Being clear about what all of them are and differentiating them is not always easy.
The Faith of the Seven: The dominant religion in the Seven Kingdoms. The septons belong to her and in the sixth season we have seen her strongly influential in government affairs.
Ancient Gods: They were worshiped throughout Westeros by the Children of the Forest and when the First Men arrived they adopted their Gods. After the rise of the Faith of the Seven and the New Gods, the cult of the Old Ones was reduced to the North and beyond the Wall.
The Drowned God and the Storm God: The deities in the Iron Islands.
R’hllor, the Lord of Light: The religion to which Melisandre and Thoros of Myr belong. It is predominant across the Narrow Sea, on the continent called Essos.
God of Many Faces – A deity worshiped by the Faceless Men. - Associate and “understand” what is not said
Capturing all the details, innuendos and understanding each and every cryptic conversation can sometimes get complicated and we don’t realize a detail until someone tells us about it. For example, if we are not familiar with the R + L = J theory, at the moment Jon Snow’s true origin is revealed we understand that Jon is the son of Ned’s sister, but we still do not know the identity of his father. .
Similarly, when Sansa writes a letter after realizing that they need men for their cause, it could be assumed that she was writing to Littlefinger, although many did not associate it until t - Banners and slogans
The wolf of the Starks, the three-headed dragon of the Targaryens, and the lion of the Lannisters do not escape us. eye! Remembering mottos beyond the famous “Winter is coming” is an almost impossible task unless you are a true expert. - Differentiate between zone and fortress and know which house each house belongs to
Another issue that only Game of Thrones experts comfortably handle . We all know that the Starks are from the North and that their Stronghold is Winterfell. Remember that the Lannister fortress is called Casterly Rock and is in the Westlands, that the Greyjoys live in Pyke, located in the Iron Islands, that the Tyrells reside in Highgarden, located in the Reach, or that the Martells live in Lanza del Sol, territory belonging to Dorne, is already more complicated. - Political relations between zones and between the great houses and their vassals
In the sixth season we become aware of some details of the past whose importance then perhaps we overlooked. For example, Robb Stark’s actions and decisions during the Battle of the Five Kings—such as when he sentenced the head of the Karstarks to death—directly affect Jon and Sansa in rallying support for his cause.
Similarly, relations between the great houses are also affected by their position in past conflicts, for example, King Robert’s Rebellion that ended the Targaryens. The Tyrells and Martells sided with the Targeryens leading to their poor relations with the Lannisters in the present. - Who’s who in Dorne?
Oberyn Martell completely captivated us, but although in the fifth installment we were introduced to more famous Dornishmen, we have not seen enough of them to have a crystal clear what happens in Sunspear. Doran, brother of Oberyn, the head of the Martell , while Ellaria is his lover and mother of his daughters: Nymeria, Tyene and Obara. Also, Myrcella Baratheon’s fiancé Trystane is Doran’s son, while Areoh Hotah is Doran’s Captain of the Guard. Did you have them all located?
