The release of Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon has sparked renewed interest in House Targaryen, given Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) was one of the most beloved characters throughout the original series.
However, it has also resulted in there being an increased fascination with another family – House Hightower.
In House of the Dragon, the Hightowers hold a great deal of political power, with strong ties to the crown as King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) rules from the Iron Throne.
In addition to being a strong ally to the Targaryen family, the Hightowers also appear to have a lot of ambition themselves as they operate with cunning in King’s Landing.
So who are the Hightowers and do they show up in Game of Thrones?
Who are the Hightower family?
In House of the Dragon, viewers are introduced to several members of the Hightower family.
They include Ser Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, and his daughter Lady Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey), who’s a close friend of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock).
Later in the series when several years have passed, the older version of Alicent is portrayed by Olivia Cooke.
People watching the first episode would have caught sight of Ser Otto’s eldest son, Gwayne Hightower, who Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) challenged to a duel at the tournament, much to Otto’s annoyance.
Other Hightowers in the series include Hobert Hightower (Steffan Rhodri), Otto’s older brother and the ruler of Oldtown, where House Hightower’s ancestral home is located.
Alana Ramsey also stars as another member of House Hightower, Lady Lynesse Hightower, in the series.
In the lore of George RR Martin’s literary works, House Hightower is an old and powerful noble house, with their motto being ‘We Light The Way’.
The Hightowers are known for their strategic minds, preferring to dabble in trade rather than war after the Targaryens began their era of rule in Westeros.
When Aegon I Targaryen conquered Westeros, which is when the iconic Iron Throne was first forged, the Hightowers surrendered to his rule.
Were House Hightower in Game of Thrones?
The Hightowers do appear in Game of Thrones, although in a far less significant manner.
In 2016, Eddie Eyre appeared as Gerold Hightower in Oathbreaker, the third episode of season six.
He made his appearance when Bran and the Three-eyed Raven were transported to a vision of a young version of the former’s father, Eddard ‘Ned’ Stark (Robert Aramayo), when he arrives at the Tower of Joy in Dorne’s Red Mountains during Robert Baratheon’s Rebellion.
Ser Arthur Dayne (Luke Roberts) and Gerold become embroiled in a fight against Ned and his men, with Gerold losing his life to Ned’s blade.
Later on in Game of Thrones, it’s discovered that Ned’s sister, Lyanna Stark, was in the Tower of Joy as she gave birth to her son, Jon Snow (named Aegon Targaryen at birth).
Another significant Hightower mentioned in Game of Thrones who’s never seen is Lynesse Hightower, who was the wife of Ser Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen).
In season one of the series, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) reveals his wife has a new lover.
House of the Dragon next airs on Monday from 2am on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
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