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‘House of the Dragon’: Aegon Confusion, Explained

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House of the Dragon recreated one of the biggest accomplishments of Game of Thrones – drawing casual fans deep into the world of high fantasy. However, there as always there are some elements of the genre that baffle unaccustomed viewers, and in this case the naming conventions of the Targaryen dynasty was definitely one of them. If Season 1 left you feeling a little confused about who’s who, here’s a cheat sheet on all of the characters named Aegon.

Author George R.R. Martin has often noted that writing professors used to advise young authors not to re-use the same name in one story – or even to use multiple names that start with the same letter. He threw this advice out the window in A Song of Ice and Fire, feeling that it would be more authentic for history to be filled with repeated names. Accordingly, many characters bore the name of the first Targaryen monarch, Aegon. This is especially true in House of the Dragon, which is all about House Targaryen at the height of its power. Adding to that confusion, the first season skipped through several decades, and at times the same character might be portrayed by two or three different actors.

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Keeping these names straight will likely get easier in House of the Dragon Season 2. There should be no more casting changes or great time skips, so Tom Glynn-Carney will continue to portray Aegon II for the rest of the series. Meanwhile, his younger cousin Aegon – Rhaenyra’s son – should remain a child for the rest of the show. Now that the time skips are over and the casting is stabilized, a few nicknames should be plenty to keep these names straight.

House of the Dragon Season 1 is streaming on HBO Max. Season 2 is expected sometime in 2024. Here’s a reference guide for all the characters named Aegon you’re likely to encounter there, but fair warning: There are spoilers ahead.

Aegon the Conquerer

Aegon the Conquerer was the first Targaryen king – the one who united (most of) Westeros and forged the Iron Throne. He lived about 100 years before the events of House of the Dragon and about 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones. While he has been heavily referenced in both shows, he has not been cast nor shown on screen in either show.

Aegon the Conquerer has been especially important in House of the Dragon because King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) revealed that the conquerer foresaw a prophecy about the White Walkers and passed it down secretly from monarch to monarch. In Episode 3, Aegon also shared a confused version of this prophecy with Alicent (Emily Carey.) Finally, in Episode 8 he mentions it again on the night of his death in the conversation that had many fans confused – or, at least, angry at Alicent (Olivia Cooke).

Of all the names to be re-used in this series, it makes sense that Aegon would be favored again and again. However, typically the dialogue will include some kind of denotation of which Aegon is being referenced. In the case of the conquerer, he may also be referred to as Aegon I, Aegon the Dragon, or Aegon Dragonlord.

Aegon II

So far, the Aegon fans have seen the most on-screen in House of the Dragon is Aegon II – played by Ty Tennant in Episodes 6 and 7, then by Tom Glynn-Carney from Episode 8 onward. Aegon II is the eldest son of Viserys and Alicent, the grandson of Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), and the younger half-brother of Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy). Those that oppose Rhaenyra and/or believe that a male should inherit the crown hope to put Aegon II on the Iron Throne.

It’s worth noting that Aegon II is not the second person ever to be named “Aegon” in House Targaryen. The Roman numeral denotes that he was the second Aegon ever to be crowned king, which in itself is obviously a spoiler for what is to come. In fact, there were three Aegons between the Conquerer and the second, but none of them ever inherited the throne for various reasons.

In Martin’s book Fire & Blood, Aegon II is often referred to as “Aegon the Older,” differentiating him from Aegon III as you will see below. His other nickname is “Aegon the Usurper,” bestowed on him by his half-sister and her comrades. Aegon rides the dragon Sunfyre, and is married to his sister Helaena. In the book, he uses the personal sigil of a golden dragon to differentiate himself from his sister, but it’s not clear if the show will keep that detail just yet.

Aegon III

So far, House of the Dragon has only depicted Aegon III as an infant, played by the twins Jake and Rory Heard in Episode 8. This Aegon is the first child of Rhaenyra and Daemon (Matt Smith), so at this point he is far down in the line of succession. Because Rhaenyra insists that her children are all true-born, her eldest son Jacaerys (Harry Collett) is her heir, followed by Joffrey. Daemon’s daughters Baela (Bethany Antonia) and Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) are also his half-sisters.

In Fire & Blood, Westerosi historians speculate that Rhaenyra may have named Aegon to spite Alicent, who had already named her son Aegon much earlier. For convenience, the fictitious author of the book, Maester Gyldayn, refers to Alicent’s son as “Aegon the Elder” and Rhaenyra’s son as “Aegon the Younger.” It seems likely that the show will take these nicknames as the story goes on. Aegon III’s other nicknames include Aegon the Unlucky, Aegon the Dragonbane, The Broken King and The Uncrowned King.

Depending on how far House of the Dragon goes into its own story, Aegon III may or may not become an important player. He is a child for the duration of the civil war and does not fight, though he does have a dragon named Stormcloud. He may appear in later seasons near the end of the war, and he should be crowned king in the end when he is about 11 years old. However, even when he begins spending time on screen he may be a passive character.

Aegon II Actors

To be clear, Aegon the Elder did not appear in House of the Dragon until Episode 6, when he was portrayed by Ty Tennant. Here, he was shown with curly silver-blonde hair that hung past his shoulders. He was shown standing nude on his window ledge in one infamous scene, and then later drank himself sick at his aunt’s funeral in Episode 7.

Starting in Episode 8, Aegon the Elder was portrayed by Tom Glynn-Carney. Some fans have complained that these two actors bear the least resemblance of any character in all of the show’s time jumps, so it’s understandable if this one is hard to keep straight. However, as far as we know Glynn-Carney will hold the role for the rest of the series, so things should get easier from here.

Missing Aegons

Showrunner Ryan Condal is a die-hard fan of Martin’s writing, and there’s always a chance he will make references to the other three Aegons that lived between the conquerer and Aegon II without being crowned. In case of that, here’s a quick briefing on each one.

“Aegon the Uncrowned” was the first grandson of the conquerer, and the heir-apparent to the Iron Throne after his father, Aenys I. This Aegon was betrayed by his uncle, Maegor the Cruel, who seized the throne for himself. Aegon the Uncrowned died fighting his uncle on dragonback.

The next ill-fated Aegon was the firstborn son of King Jaehaerys I and Queen Alysanne Targaryen. He was born prematurely and died after just three days. The queen suffered a traumatic attack by rebels wile she was pregnant, which she blamed for Aegon’s poor health. She and Jaehaerys went on to have 13 children in total, but none took the throne. Instead, Jaehaerys was succeeded by his grandson, Viserys, as depicted in the pilot episode of House of the Dragon.

Finally, the next Aegon was the younger brother of Viserys and Daemon – son of Prince Baelon and Princess AlyssaTargaryen. This Aegon lived to be just over a year old, while his mother died in childbirth. He was not granted a nickname either.

Future Aegons

Finally, it’s worth keeping in mind that there are plenty of Aegons in Martin’s writing after the events of House of the Dragon, though they may not be mentioned in this show. Aegon IV – also known as “Aegon the Unworthy” – may not make it to TV anytime soon, but a show about Aegon V is actually in development right now.

Aegon V is also called Aegon the Unlikely, Aegon the Fortunate or simply “Egg.” He is the star of Martin’s novella series The Tales of Dunk and Egg, which are currently being developed into a TV series. He is the younger brother of Maester Aemond from Game of Thrones, and he could easily become a fan favorite if he makes it to the small screen.

After that there was another prematurely-born Aegon from Aerys II, “The Mad King,” and finally an Aegon born to Prince Rhaegar and Princess Elia. This last Aegon becomes extremely important in A Song of Ice and Fire, though he was left out of the TV show altogether. Meanwhile, the show did reveal that Jon Snow’s true name was Aegon Targaryen, but many fans doubt that will be the case in the books. With Martin still working away on his last two volumes, we may find out soon enough.

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