A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ first season has brought many lords and knights of the Realm to Ashford. With them comes a whole lot of references to George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. Here are all of the Easter eggs, terms, and lore from Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and the history of Westeros in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ second episode.
Baelor “Breakspear” Targaryen, Heir to the Iron Throne
“Hard Salt Beef” introduced someone who never had to eat such a lowborn food. Baelor Breakspear is a Targaryen Prince, Hand of the King (for 13 years), firstborn son of King Daeron II, and heir to the Iron Throne. His and brother Maekar’s presence at a tourney taking place at a minor castle like Ashford shows how much House Targaryen is trying to reestablish itself throughout the Seven Kingdoms at this time. But that doesn’t make Baelor’s presence any less important. He is beloved by the smallfolk and respected by the highborn as both a warrior and capable leader.
Baelor himself has two children, Princes Valarr and Matarys. Valarr was among the champions at the start of the jousting tournament. Despite his name and impressive armor, Egg was willing to wager Valarr would not remain a champion.
Baelor has two other brothers whom he referenced in the episode, Aerys and Rhaegal, neither of them warriors. House Targaryen reuses names all the time (as well we know). This show takes place roughly 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones. That Aerys is not the one destined to becomes the Mad King. We trust you to realize that Rhaegal is not one of Daenerys Stormborn’s three dragons.
Two of Baelor’s nephews are also currently missing. Maekar has four sons of his own. The smug Aerion Brightflame arrived with his father to take part in the tourney. Maekar’s sons Daeron and Aegon did not arrive as expected and are currently missing. Dunk is confident they aren’t dead, though, so that’s good. Maekar’s fourth son, Aemon, is currently studying to become a maester at the Citadel. Yes, in this one case we do mean that Maester Aemon.
Notable Houses
The show’s second episode featured many references, sigils, and characters from important houses of the Realm. These were the most notable.
Florent
House Florent is a noble house of the Reach that claims lineage with the legendary Age of Heroes figure, Garth Greenhand. Its sigil in the books is a red fox encircled by blue flowers in an ermine field. Game of Thrones dropped the blue flowers. The Florents are sworn to House Tyrell, though it believes it had/has a far stronger claim to rule over the region because of its bloodline.
On Game of Thrones, House Florent originally declared for Renly, but backed Stannis after Renly’s death. That reunited them with one of their own, as Stannis’ wife, Selyse, was a member of House Florent.
Hayford
Minor House Hayford calls a hill in the Crownlands home. Little is known about the Hayford, which is very close to King’s Landing to its north.
Tyrell
House Tyrell, whose members adorned with the family’s golden rose, appeared frequently throughout the episode. That included during a tug-of-war battle with House Baratheon and on the jousting field. The Tyrells were one of the most important houses on Game of Thrones, but it did not survive its war with Cersei.
Baratheon
The stag of House Baratheon was once again a major presence on the show, as Lord Lyonel Baratheon led (sort of) his house in a tug-of-war battle with the Tyrells. He also then took the tourney field as a champion of the joust.
Hightower
Also spotted at the onset of the jousting tournament was a member of House Hightower, identified by the family’s sigil adorned with the Oldtown tower. In HBO’s Westeros, that sigil features green flames rather than the orange and red one of the books. That’s a nod to the Hightower role as one of the two major factions fighting over the Iron Throne on House of the Dragon where they are known as ‘the Greens.” The family’s otherwise muted presence on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms reflects its role in Westeros following the brutal Dance of the Dragons. Yet, despite their general absence in royal affairs almost a century after that first civil war, noble House Hightower remains an important and powerful force in the Realm.
Crakehall
Dunk spoke with two of the three members of the Kingsguard who accompanied Baelor and Maekar to Ashford. The taller of the two he talked with is Ser Roland of House Crakehall in the westerlands, an ancient house descended from the First Men and the Age of Heroes. The family is now sworn to House Lannister. Its sigil features a black and white boar on brown. A young Jaime Lannister will one day squire there.
Duskendale
Ser Duncan also spoke with Kingsguard member Ser Donnel of Duskendale. Duskendale is a major port city in Blackwater Bay that sits to the northeast of King’s Landing. During this time period the ancient noble House Darklyn rules in Duskendale. Ser Donnel is not a member of that family.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ Ser Donnel suggested he was as lowborn as Dunk of Flea Bottom. That is not out of line with the little we know of Donnel from George R.R. Martin’s writings, which indicate he is not noble born. But the show then revealed Ser Donnel comes from a very rich family of crabbers, so while he might not be the son of a lord, he still comes from wealth.
House of the Dragon went to Duskendale when the disgusting, ignoble Ser Criston Cole sacked the city. House Darklyn’s Lord Gunthor—whose son Ser Steffon loyally served in Rhaenyra’s Queensguard—refused to bend the knee. Cole then beheaded him.
Florian the Fool
Game of Thrones fans remember Sansa Stark’s affection for great heroic tales of romance. One of the most famous in Westeros is the tale of Florian the Fool. Tanselle and her troop told the story of the famous figure and his love, a pair also remembered in many bards’ songs, in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ second episode.
Florian is a lowborn knight—most likely fictional—of the riverlands who lived during the Age of Heroes. Even if he did exist, he almost certainly wasn’t a knight like the stories say. Knighthood didn’t arrive in Westeros until thousands of years later when the Andals arrived. As Tanselle’s puppet show revealed, Florian was both a great fool and a great knight who wore a meager, unadorned suit of iron. (Yes, he Florian has much in common with a hedge knight like Dunk.) Despite his unimpressive armor and lack of status, the foolish and noble knight fell in love with a beautiful maid named Jonquil when he saw her bathing with her sisters bathing in a pool. (Tywin made reference to Jonquil on Game of Thrones to his serving girl, Arya Stark.)
We heard of the place where the two met in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ first episode. The town is called Maidenpool in honor of Florian and the woman who fell in love with him. Jonquil’s Pool, Jonquil’s Tower, and the Fool’s Gate in Maidenpool also pay tribute to the couple. As does the lowborn knight enamored with the pretty puppeteer at Ashford…even if he doesn’t realize it.
Blackfyre Bastards
Egg referenced the “Blackfyre Bastards” while playing with a sword at Dunk’s camp. The Blackfyre Bastards were the losing side of the second Targaryen civil war fought 15 years prior. King Aegon IV known as “The Unworthy” legitimized all his bastards on his deathbed, and those of highborn eventually united under Daemon Blackfyre, who took his last name from the sword of Aegon the Conqueror. His father had bequeathed it to him and was a big part of his claim to the Iron Throne.
Daemon Blackfyre died at the Battle of the Redgrass Field near King’s Landing. Dunk made reference to that famous battle, which ended the First Blackfyre Rebellion, while speaking to Lord Hayford. Ser Arlan fought for Daeron II under Lord Hayford’s banner. He was one of the most important commanders of Daeron’s forces, as House Hayford remained loyal to the crown.
While Daemon Blackfyre died that day, not every Blackfyre did. There’s a reason they call Daemon’s uprising the First Blackfyre Rebellion. But that’s a story for another day….
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. He really wants HBO to adapt the Blackfyre Rebellion. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
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