Meet all the characters from House of the Dragon

Even if in The Dragon House (House of the Dragon) There are fewer family houses to follow, if we only consider the Targaryens, we will find several uncles, cousins, brothers, cousin-spouses and all possible variants with very different names and a complex, not to say bizarre, family tree. So if you forgot the name of any of them along the way or want to know more about the new characters, this is the right time.

Notice: besides having spoilers, the characters are divided between the Green Council and the Black Team according to the first configuration and division of houses. It may be that some change sides over the course of new episodes. 

Green Council

The Green team or Green Council is led by Alicent and her father Otto Hightower in support of Aegon II on the Iron Throne. As explained in the Black Council, the Green team takes its name because of the color of the dress worn by Alicent, which represents her house Hightower. 

Queen Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey/Olivia Cooke)

Queen Alicent Hightower (played by Emily Carey as a young girl and by Olivia Cooke as an adult) is the daughter of Otto Hightower, the former and future Hand of the King. She lived most of her life in the Red Keep, so she was always present at court and , automatically established ties with Rhaenyra from childhood. Greatly influenced by her father, she ends up marrying King Viserys and having three children: Aegon II, Aemond and Helaena. From this and due to her thirst for power, her relationship with Rhaenyra turns upside down. 

Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans)

Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) was Hand of Viserys (and later grandson Aegon II). He is a powerful, ambitious and treacherous advisor who used his own daughter as a bargaining chip for power among the Targaryens. 

Ser Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox)

He is the brother of Alicent and son of Otto, who first appeared briefly in the tournament in Season 1. But in the 2nd season, from the third episode, he appears helmetless, coming from Oldtown to join Criston Cole to march. Since then he has been appearing more often. 

King Aegon II Targaryen (Ty Tennant/Tom Glynn-Carney)

King Aegon II Targaryen (played by Ty Tennant as a young man and by Tom Glynn-Carney as an adult) is the eldest son of King Viserys and Queen Alicent. As a teenager, he was immature and liked to pick on his brothers and cousins. Six years later, as an adult, he becomes a worse and more perverse man. 

Prince Aemond Targaryen (Leo Ashton/Ewan Mitchell)

Prince Aemond Targaryen (played by Leo Ashton as a young man and by Ewan Mitchell as an adult) is the youngest son of King Viserys and Queen Alicent. Constantly the victim of bullying from his cousins ​​and his own older brother for not being able to connect with a dragon. Everything changes when years later he manages to conquer the biggest dragon of all, Vhagar. 

Helaena Targaryen (Evie Allen/Phia Saban)

Daughter of King Viserys and Queen Alicent, Helaena Targaryen (played by Evie Allen as a young woman and by Phia Saban as an adult) had been nominated by Rhaenyra to marry her eldest son, Jacaerys. But Alicent chooses to betroth her daughter to her own eldest son, Aegon II. She has prophetic and mysterious gifts that can be further explored throughout the series.

Jaehaerys, Jaehaera and Daeron

Aegon and Helaena have twin children, a boy and heir named Jaehaerys and a girl named Jaehaera. Daeron, the last of Alicent and Viserys' children, is the twins' youngest uncle, mentioned in the sixth episode of the second season by Gwayne, who reveals that the boy is already sixteen years old and has become a good person in Oldtown. 

Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel)

Ser Criston Cole is one of the most popular knights in the Seven Kingdoms. He holds no power among the important houses, but earns respect for his gifts in battle. Because he gets involved with Rhaenyra and makes unpredictable decisions, he ends up being an important figure in the plot. 

Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham)

Larys Strong is the youngest son of Lyonel Strong and brother of Harwin Strong. Although no one says it directly to him, many refer to Larys as “Clubfoot” due to a birth anomaly that causes him to walk with a limp. Although he is shown to be a cunning and ruthless man, he is often ignored because of his small and unhealthy stature. His alliance with Queen Alicent puts him in a powerful position in the kingdom.

Black Council 

Everyone on the Black Council is those who have sworn loyalty to Rhaenyra, Prince Daemon and their nuclear family. The name came from the dress worn by the queen in one of the most iconic scenes of the first season, in which she had dinner with Alicent, her opponent – ​​who, having worn a green dress, naturally gave rise to the color team. Furthermore, black is one of the main Targaryen colors along with red.

Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen (Milly Alcock/Emma D'Arcy)

Played by Milly Alcock in her youth and by Emma D'Arcy as an adult, the Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen She is also known as the one true queen who had to be exiled to Dragonstone. She was the only surviving daughter of King Viserys when The House of the Dragon (House of the Dragon) has been started. Everything changes when his father marries his ex-friend, Alicent Hightower, and they have a son. She was married twice and had five children.

Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith)

Played by Matt Smith (eternal 11th of Doctor Who), Daemon Targaryen is the younger brother of Viserys. He is a dishonest person who lives according to his most selfish interests and usually doesn't care what people say about him. Eventually he becomes commander of the King's Landing City Watch. His dragon was named as Caraxes.

Rhaenys Targaryen, The Queen Who Never Was (Eve Best)

Princess Rhaenys, cousin of King Viserys and wife of Lord Corlys, was one of the main candidates to inherit the Iron Throne after King Jaehaerys, but ended up being neglected by the patriarchal and conservative character of Westeros, losing to her cousin.

She is an extremely political, observant and intelligent character. She has two children, one being Laena, who Corlys eventually offers as a possible suitor to King Viserys, and Laenor, a son who ends up marrying Rhaenyra. 

Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) 

Lord Corlys Velaryon, known as the Sea Serpent, was a legendary Lord of the Tides, Master of Driftmark, and head of House Velaryon. With his travels and conquests, he made the Velaryon the richest house in Westeros, surpassing even the Lannisters. He ends up joining Rhaenyra's cause after his wife, Rhaenys, convinces him.

Laenor Velaryon (Matt Carver/Theo Nate/John Macmillan)

Son of Lord Corlys Velaryon, the Sea Serpent, and Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, the Queen Who Never Was, Laenor is a powerful knight. Husband and king consort of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the couple have three children: Jacaerys, Lucerys and Joffrey. Laenor loves her children and does not allow the question of her legitimacy to continue to threaten their future. Ultimately, he agreed to flee Westeros to live his truth, allowing Rhaenyra to remarry, strengthening her and her son Jacaerys' claim to the Iron Throne.

Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr)

Harwin Strong was Lyonel Strong's eldest son and heir to Harrenhal. He was known by the nickname “Bonebreaker” and was said to be the strongest man in the Seven Kingdoms. He was a fierce protector and became Lord Commander of the City Watch. The constant allegations of his relationship with Princess and heiress Rhaenyra and her children eventually led to his downfall in King's Landing. He returned to his home in Harrenhal, where he was tragically killed in a fire.

Prince Lucerys Velaryon (Harvey Sadler/Elliot Grihault)

Rhaenyra's youngest son, Lucerys (played by Harvey Sadler as a child and Elliot Grihault as a young man), participated in the fight that resulted in the loss of Aemond's eye. Six years later he suffered the consequences of a kind of dance of the dragons, Arrax and Vaghar. 

Prince Jacaerys Velaryon (Leo Hart/Harry Collett)

The eldest of Rhaenyra and Laenor's three children, also known as Jace (played by Leo Hart as a child and by Harry Collett as a teenager). He is the first of the children to notice that Laenor is not his biological father and that the paternity actually belongs to Harwin Strong. He later participates in a brutal fight against Aemond after he steals his dragon Vhagar.

Joffrey Velaryon (Oscar Eskinazi)

Joffrey Velaryon is the youngest son of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Laenor Velaryon. There are rumors that he, like his brothers, is actually the biological son of Harwin Strong – something that is clearly a fact.

Aegon and Viserys

Rhaenyra has two other living children, both from her marriage to Daemon: Aegon and Viserys. (A third daughter, Visenya, died at birth).

Rhaena Targaryen (Eva Ossei-Gerning/Phoebe Campbell)

Daughter of Prince Daemon Targaryen and Lady Laena Velaryon, Rhaena Targaryen (played by Eva Ossei-Gerning as a child and Phoebe Campbell as a young woman) is engaged to her cousin Luke, strengthening the alliance between House Targaryen and House Velaryon. But with Luke's death, she follows other paths and takes on an important mission requested by Rhaenyra.

Lady Baela Targaryen (Shani Smethurst/Bethany Antonia)

Lady Baela Targaryen (played by Shani Smethurst as a child and Bethany Antonia as a teenager) is one of the daughters of the relationship between Daemon Targaryen and Laena Velaryon. She participates in the bloody fight against Prince Aemond alongside her sister Rhaena and her cousins ​​Jacaerys and Lucerys in the dispute for the dragon Vhagar. Baela is bonded to a dragon named Moondancer.

Maester Gerardys (Phil Daniels) 

He is an important Maester in the service of Princess Rhaenyra. Among his duties is helping to educate Prince Jacaerys (nicknamed Jace) so that the young man can learn the High Valyrian language. He is a crucial player in the Black Council. 

Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor)

At the end of the first season of House of the Dragon we see Jacaerys flying to the Vale, to negotiate with Jeyne Arryn, and then to Winterfell, where he reaches an agreement with Cregan. So, we finally see the character in the second season.

Until now he has not been well explored in the series, but this is a very important character in Dance with Dragons. According to the book Fire & Blood, Cregan is stern and a very admirable warrior, considered one of the best of his time in Westeros.

Lady Jeyne Arryn, Maiden of the Vale (Amanda Collin)

In the fifth episode of the second season, we meet Jeyne Arryn, who declares her support for Rhaenyra by sheltering Rhaena and Rhaenyra's three youngest children, which makes her a valuable ally, as she holds power in the Vale.

Before she is even introduced, it is said that Jace negotiated with her to have her support in the war. Jeyne offered knights in exchange for a dragon to protect her castle. Now, in the second season, to fulfill the agreement, Rhaenyra sends Joffrey Oscar Eskinazi and his dragon Tyraxes. However, Jeyne understands that the agreement was not fulfilled. This is because Tyraxes is still a young dragon, a factor that makes the protection too weak for the Valley's needs. She gets into a fight with Rhaena, but doesn't send her away. We're still going to see a lot of history unfold here. 

The series has not yet provided much information about her, but the character has considerable importance in the story. Furthermore, a curiosity is that in the book Fire & Blood the rumor that Jeyne preferred women to men is mentioned. Still, Jessamyn Redfort was mentioned as a dear companion – but it's easy to read between the lines of their relationship. To reinforce the theory, Jeyne never had a husband and passed her throne to a distant cousin. This is a part of the story that would be interesting to see on screen in an adapted and clearer way. 

Other characters

Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine)

Grandson of Former King Jaehaerys, Viserys Targaryen ended up being chosen by the lords of Westeros over his cousin, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, to rule. He was the fifth ruler of the Targaryen dynasty.

Considered a sensible ruler, his reign was peaceful, although not without challenges, mainly due to his brother Daemon. He had a daughter, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, with Queen Aemma Arryn.

After Aemma's death, Viserys married Alicent Hightower, much younger than him and previously a friend of Rhaenyra. The two had several children, with Aegon Targaryen being the eldest. Although he had named Rhaenyra as his heir, Aegon's birth created conflict over the issue of Viserys' succession.

After many years of failing health, he died in his quarters, unable to broker peace among his family members before his death.

Lady Laena Velaryon (Nova Foueillis-Mosé/Savannah Steyn/Nanna Blondell)

Laena Velaryon was the wife of Prince Daemon Targaryen, mother of Baela and Rhaena, and a valiant dragonrider. She was the daughter of Lord Corlys Velaryon and Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. She died during her third pregnancy.

Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno)

Mysaria is a former slave from Essos who came to Westeros, where she began to make her way in the underworld of King's Landing. She was also a dancer of Lys who eventually became Prince Daemon Targaryen's lover for a time and soon the unofficial mistress of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen's secrets – currently the person closest to her. 

Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin)

Alys Rivers is a healer who was properly introduced in the third episode of the second season of House of the Dragon, when Daemon invades Harrenhal and takes the castle. She supposedly had visions of flame and ability similar to that displayed by some red priests of R'hllor. She is the main suspect of having something to do with Daemon's hallucinations.

In fact, she is a bastard, as shown by her surname “Rivers”. In Game of Thrones, all bastards acquire the surname specific to the region in which they were born. Those from the north, for example, are known as Snow – I miss you, Jon!

Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale)

Ser Simon Strong is a knight of House Strong and great-uncle of Lord Larys Strong. He currently rules Harrenhal, which is a controversial place, due to the attempt by the Greens and Blacks to take it as a base in their civil war.

Alyn and Addam of Hull (Abubakar Salim and Clinton Liberty)

Alyn and Addam are brothers, both bastard children of Corlys. This was revealed in a more blatant way in the fourth episode of the second season of House of the Dragon thanks to a scene featuring Rhaenys, Corlys' wife. She meets with Alyn and recognizes the similar traits the young man has with her husband. Instead of having a bad attitude, she suggests to Corlys that she at least recognize her first as her legitimate son. Both Alyn and Addam are essential to the Targaryen civil war.

Blood and Cheese (Sam C. Wilson and Mark Stobbart)

Both are assassins hired by Daemon. While Blood was part of the Gold Cloaks, Cheese was a rat catcher. They were called to kill Aemond Targaryen, but end up murdering Jaehaerys, the young son and heir of Aegon II and Helaena. Indirectly, they were the ones who started the Dance of the Dragons. 

Ulf the White (Tom Bennet)

In the third episode of the series' second season, Ulf draws attention for his charisma and for telling everyone in the bar that he is part of the Targaryen lineage. According to his speech, he is the grandson of King Jaehaerys, son of Baelon the Brave of Daemon and Viserys I, and uncle of Rhaenyra. In the book, he plays an important role in the Dance of Dragons, but in the series not much about the character has yet been revealed.

Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew)

He was just a blacksmith when he petitioned King Aegon II Targaryen in the first episode of the series' second season. But, if we take the book into account, his role will be much greater in Dance with Dragons.

The Dragon House began to give more prominence to Hugh in this second season, showing his struggle with his wife, his sick daughter and other commoners who are trying to survive hunger and disease because of the kingdom's negligence. But more than that, her silver hair betrays her legitimate origin linked to the Targaryens. And as Rhaenyra is in search of “dragon seeds” (bastards of Valyrian origin) to try to claim the riderless dragons, if the series follows the same path as the book, he will be an essential piece.

Text revised by Wanessa Alves on July 29, 2024.

See also other features

REVIEW: House of the Dragon S02 EP06 Rhaenyra finally wakes up to life (with help)

REVIEW: House of the Dragon S02 EP05 behind the scenes of the war

Sources: The Wrap, The New York Times e Collider