Warning: Possible spoilers ahead
The last installment of ‘Game of Thrones’ is still a couple of months away but George RR Martin was kind enough to drop us a little gift last winter with the release of ‘Fire and Blood’.
The book predates the ‘Game of Thrones’ world we have come to know by 300 years and extensively details the history of Targaryens. The book also has some juicy details which actually may become a part of the HBO show. Martin is known as the Tolkien of the modern world and his new book adds more depth to the characters in the ‘Game of Thrones’ mythology.
In an interview with Esquire last year, Martin claimed that Daenerys will actually benefit from reading the new novel. “Maybe if she understood a few things more about dragons and her own history in Essos, things would have gone a little differently,” the author said.
So, here are a few details from the book that we feel will impact the final season of the show.
Tyrion is part of the Targaryen bloodline
There have been numerous theories that claim Tyrion Lannister to be the bastard son of Joanna Lannister and King Aerys Targaryen, aka Daenerys’s father. This would make Tyrion a secret Targaryen. And because of Targaryens’ ability to bond with dragons, it really shows how he was able to get up close with Daenerys’ dragons in the series without getting eating or burned alive.
Gendry’s connection to the Targaryens
Targaryens are looked upon as people who are almost God-like and their ability to control and ride dragons and be immune to almost any disease (we’ll get to that in a bit) eventually saw them as the ruling class of Westeros. The new book confirms the long-held belief that the Targaryens and the Baratheons are distant relatives. Gendry Baratheon’s Targaryen bloodline is through Robert Baratheon, and his bloodline from his potential mother Cersei would actually see Gendry as the rightful heir to the throne and the true King of the Seven Kingdoms.
Gendry’s dragon bloodline may also see him fulfilling the “Three-headed Dragon Prophecy”. The three-headed dragon — Jon Snow, Daenerys and, quite possibly, Gendry — will then be the child of three, referring to the different families all tied to the dragon bloodline.
Dragons can’t cross the Wall
The most important takeaway from the book is that the magic that rules beyond the Wall. While the show takes Daenerys’ Dragons beyond the wall, the book makes it known that the magic of the wall has an effect on dragons and that they cannot cross it. This also applied to White Walkers who were unable to cross the Wall to march south. Until, that is, the Night King married fire and ice magic through the undead Viserion, seemingly breaking the magical seal protecting the rest of Westeros from his army. So, we may not see an epic battle of fire and ice, if the series decides to go the same way.
‘Game of Thrones: Fire and Blood’ released on November 20, and fans could brush up on the history of the Targaryens before the release of ‘Game of Thrones’ season 8 on April 14 on HBO.
