Summary

• Dragon dreams influence Targaryens' decisions, leading to consequences in the form of civil wars and tragic outcomes.
• Dragon dreams are powerful and potentially deadly, blinding rationality and pushing characters to make poor decisions.
• The Targaryen bloodline's magical bond with dragons drives obsession with power, aggression and indifference toward others.

Prophecies and dreams have been a prominent theme in the Game of Thrones franchise. The latest installment, House of the Dragon, again taps into the familiar magical mysteries — the prince who was promised, "dragon dreams" and dragon riders. Without doubt, House Targaryen is full of intrigue.

In the prequel, dragon dreams again take center stage in Season 1. As many viewers might have observed, dreams play an important role in King Viserys' decision to name his heir. Some might even argue that they are the true cause of the Targaryen civil war that will unravel in Season 2.

​​​​​What Are Dragon Dreams?

Dragon dreams are powerful visions many have within House Targaryen. While most dreams involved dragons, many didn't. In Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen dreamed of her dragon eggs hatching. Maester Aemon had a vision of the red comet and the return of dragons to the world once again. In this case, both of their visions came true. However, dreams can also be problematic as one of the after-effects of the magic that bonds Targaryens to the dragons.

In HotD, King Viserys I Targaryen's vision of his son sitting on the Iron Throne drove him to make the worst decisions. He not only murdered his wife by allowing the maesters to perform a C-section without her consent but also secretly questioned his decision to name Princess Rhaenyra his heir. Briefly before he passed away, Viserys had another dragon dream, in which he saw Aegon II being "the prince who was promised." He asked Queen Alicent to support Aegon II as the heir. Fans who have finished the book Fire & Blood by George R. R. Martin know that Aegon would later die during the civil war, known as Dance of the Dragons, and the prophecy of "the prince who was promised" continued over the next 300 years into GoT's timeline. Viserys' dragon dreams weren't prophetic but a manifestation of his own doubt and fear, knowing the challenges Rhaenyra would face as a woman.

Dragon dreams can also be deadly in nature. For the dreamers (as seen in King Viserys I's case), there's no way to tell if it's real. It blinds the dreamers' eyes and overwrites their rational thinking. House of the Dragon has spent a lot of screen time showing how Aegon II was far from being the right person to sit on the Iron Throne. Viserys knew that Rhaenyra was the right choice, which was why he made her the heir in the first place. Despite knowing the right path forward, he couldn't help but act on his dream, which in turn split House Targaryen in two and eventually led to the beginning of an end for House Targaryen. As Maester Aemon told Samwell Tarly in GoT, "My brothers dreamed of dragons too, and their dreams killed them, every one."

What Dragon Dreams Really Mean

Dreams, visions and prophecies are interchangeable terms for dragon dreams, which, in many cases, represent the dreamer's own obsession with power and a search for destiny. Dragon dreams are irrational and mysterious. They could either drive the dreamer into madness or make them great. Most dreamers are tempted to pursue their dreams, not realizing how far they have drifted from reality and rationality.

Dreams tap into the realm of magic and spirituality and, in some cases, are simply the manifestation of one's hope in difficult times. Viserys suffered from chronic infectious disease. He longed for a son, but he only had one daughter, two stillbirths and two miscarriages with Queen Aemma. With only a female heir to the Iron Throne, Viserys worried greatly about the realm's future. During that time, he dreamed of his son on the Iron Throne and became so fixated on the vision that he went against his own moral values and beliefs trying to make it come true.

Similarly, Daenerys had a dragon dream when she first married Khal Drogo. Her dream was the only thing that kept her going during this difficult time. When she lost her husband and unborn child, she again dreamed of dragons hatching. In turn, she walked into a fire with three dragon eggs and improvised a blood magic ritual that brought back dragons after centuries of extinction. In this case, Daenerys' dream came true. Had it not, she would have walked into an early grave.

Why Targaryens Have Dragon Dreams

House Targaryen has a magical connection to dragons. However, their practice of magic doesn't have a clear scientific explanation. In the legend, Daenys Targaryen, the first dragon dreamer, dreamed of her home, Valyria, becoming a ruin, which came true seven years later. Before her time, the Targaryens had already mastered the art of dragon riding, which means that dragon dreams might have been a developed trait from their magical bond with dragons.

Known as "the blood of the dragon," the Targaryen bloodline is foremost important to the great House. They are notorious for keeping their bloodline pure by breeding brothers and sisters. There's magic in their blood, and as long as there's Targaryen blood through a person's veins, they share a bond with dragons, which also means power. In GoT, Jon Snow was able to bond with Daenerys' dragon due to having Targaryen blood. In HotD, Rhaenyra has repeatedly reassured her children with Ser Hardin Strong about the importance of being a Targaryen.

The exact magic performed to bond the Targaryens with dragons is unclear, but it seems to affect them greatly. As viewers can observe from the show, the Targaryens share traits similar to those of dragons, such as aggression, impulsiveness, love for conquest and power, selfishness and general indifference toward life and others. They are known for their obsession with fire — especially death by fire. In HotD, Season 1, Episode 6, "The Princess and the Queen," upon death, Laena asks to be burned alive by her dragon. Aemond later claimed her dragon, disregarding the pain and grief Laena's children were suffering.

"The lords of Westeros are sheep. Are you a sheep? No, you are a dragon. Be a dragon."

- Olenna Tyrell

Dragons are untamable, vengeful creatures. They have a temper and act on their worst impulses when evoked. As seen in the season finale of HotD, Lucerys' young dragon attacked Aemond's grown dragon. Despite knowing the consequences of killing Lucerys, Aemond wasn't able to control his dragon, who came after Lucerys' dragon along with its rider in a heartbeat. In GoT, Daenerys burned down King's Landing in rage, showing that she was a true dragon. Her transformation from "Mhysa" and the "mother of dragons" to "the mad queen" also seems to be interconnected to the bond she shared with her three dragons, which made her closer to them than humans.

So far, HotD has only given viewers a glimpse at dragon fights. The clash between Lucerys and Aemond is brutal and quick, given the significant difference in strength and size between the dragons. War makes good people do terrible things and terrible people do more horrible things. In GoT, the fight between Daenerys and Cersei only saw one side with dragons, but the Targaryen civil war involves multiple dragons and dragon riders on both sides being blinded by their respective visions and beliefs. Madness and impulsiveness come into play in the epic war, leading to an inevitable tragedy — many will die, and neither will win.

Dragon dreams, like prophecies, have symbolic meanings in the Game of Thrones universe. They are intricately connected to the main plot, driving characters toward different paths, as discussed in King Viserys' decision to name an heir. So far, viewers have yet to see Aegon II stepping into the role of a true king. Princess Rhaenyra inherits many good traits from her father, but in the face of loss and power struggle, it's unclear if she will be able to maintain her sanity. Dreams might come true in GoT, but House of the Dragon seems to be where dragon dreams' tragic nature comes to light.