House of the Dragon's Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: A Targaryen Trend That Explains Jon Snow's Fate!
House of the Dragon: A Seemingly Small Change with HUGE Implications for Game of Thrones!
House of the Dragon makes changes to George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, and one seemingly tiny detail has gigantic implications for Game of Thrones! The show focuses on the Dance of the Dragons (that civil war that nearly destroys House Targaryen), pulling from Martin's text— which is a historian's account. This difference in source material created significant impacts to the resulting storyline which are explained further in the rest of this very article! The show turns Martin's history into a fully fleshed-out story. Characters' personalities get shifted. Even how they look differs!
Princess Rhaenys Targaryen is a prime example. The show gives her that signature silver-blonde Targaryen hair. But in the book, she has black hair (and later black hair with white streaks)! A small thing? Nope! This hair change totally breaks a Targaryen trend linked to Jon Snow's fate in Game of Thrones.
The Dark-Haired Targaryens: A Pattern of Exclusion from the Iron Throne
Rhaenys’ black hair in the book came from her Baratheon mother’s side. And she's not the only dark-haired Targaryen! Targaryens have that silver-blonde hair; it's kind of their thing. But some have other features inherited through mixing bloodlines over hundreds of years. It would make total sense, folks. And what is interesting regarding Rhaenys is this: she is the first dark-haired Targaryen; establishing a trend and that trend goes as follows: none of them got to sit on the Iron Throne, even when their claim is ridiculously good! This has further significance, even deeper underlying connotations which have far-reaching impacts and these points and further significance will be explored further in this very article.
Rhaenys is “The Queen Who Never Was”—a major character and yet passed over, during the succession for King Jaehaerys I. Her dad (Aemon) was older than Viserys I's father – giving her an extremely strong claim to the Iron Throne. But no dice! Gender gets in the way, and the Great Council chose Viserys. It would highlight that this specific rule impacts even high profile individuals and was never simple to just bypass. Rhaenys is one of several such characters.
Other dark-haired Targaryens were passed over for this same reason: Rhaenyra's son Jacaerys Velaryon, and Baelor Breakspear.
And we all know this infamous and important person: Jon Snow. A black-haired Targaryen whose claim to the Iron Throne is better than Daenerys—but who does nothing with it!
There are explanations outside of appearances and ancestry and that makes all those points mentioned before more of a coincidence! However, the importance placed on those "pure Valyrian" appearances and blood purity is very clear, so much so that that entire thing would be the most relevant part which led to those seemingly unfair decisions in the timeline concerning who exactly becomes royalty.
Why House of the Dragon Changed Rhaenys' Hair (and Why It Matters)
The show made Rhaenys silver-blonde, diverging completely from Martin’s version! No official reason was given! It seems pretty simple why that change would be considered. Casual viewers probably wouldn't know that someone’s a Targaryen if they look drastically different from her own family members! That iconic Targaryen hair instantly confirms her identity.
It is critically important to emphasize exactly why the book's choice remains flawed. It is essential to focus on why this could easily confuse the viewer, conveying the wrong kind of message to a generalized audience member unfamiliar with the book material which was used for adaptation. While this could work amongst the fans, it would risk losing those unfamiliar, potentially affecting viewers in ways unintended. It is essential that shows do not only aim to convey a storyline, but also convey it well; and to appeal to the majority of the audience.
Additionally, House of the Dragon heavily uses Hair Color to highlight illegitimate children: Jace, Luke, and Joffrey. It would completely not make sense with Rhaenys keeping her black hair (even if fans familiar with the book would immediately understand), so the hair change would be an intentional choice for clarity, easily conveying certain themes without ambiguity, resulting in this hair change; a practical storytelling necessity which makes it understandable.
Jon Snow’s Fate: The End of a Targaryen Dynasty (and a Very Important Lineage!)
Just like other dark-haired Targaryens, Jon Snow never gets the Iron Throne— that isn’t why his storyline functions, to begin with. His claim doesn’t matter! The series ultimately highlights the end to traditional succession with Bran becoming king–a very unpopular idea that also satisfies everyone by meeting almost all expectations while delivering that huge and critical resolution! This point might anger certain viewers; however, the story would’ve evolved such that it broke from prior succession plans; that was an important step to take, for the plot to go onward without being trapped by unrealistic expectations surrounding traditional rulership!
Jon himself wants nothing to do with the Iron Throne. He achieved his initial goal: unity against the White Walkers (followed by his preventing Daenerys' tyranny). This ends with Jon’s exile. This makes total sense; the very oath breaking which leads to him killing Daenerys ends the desire for further leadership. His desire for those positions is minimal to begin with, only undertaking it because he’s actually forced, creating several emotional high points that are ultimately necessary for his character development!
Conclusion: A Simple Hair Change With Enormous Implications!
That Rhaenys hair change appears minor, even seemingly inconsequential to begin with; and it actually connects House of the Dragon to Game of Thrones' much larger story and larger narrative involving Jon Snow! This shows that a seeming inconsequential, seemingly accidental creative choice involving such a basic character trait would still actually greatly and profoundly alter several larger themes! The choice of storyline ultimately makes far more sense— this subtle and unexpectedly brilliant narrative approach which impacted Jon’s very own storyline, emphasizing those important aspects of lineage; and completely changing the overall dynamic; making this otherwise irrelevant and fairly small point; and highlighting a critically essential and very smart choice that was only apparent after additional examination of details that weren’t clearly explained originally!
