Note: This story contains spoilers from “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” Season 1, Episode 4.
In “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” Episode 4, titled “Seven,” Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) is accused of two crimes — attacking Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett) without just cause and kidnapping young Aegon “Egg” Targaryen (Dexter Sol Ansell). Aerion accuses him of the former crime, but it is another one of Aegon’s brothers, Daeron (Henry Ashton), who accuses Dunk of the latter. He later meets with Dunk to apologize, in his first appearance since his brief cameo in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” Episode 1.
In addition to promising to go down early during the Trial of the Seven the next day, Daeron pulls Dunk aside to have a private word with him. He begins that conversation by telling Dunk, just like he did at the inn in “The Hedge Knight,” “I dreamed of you.” While Dunk initially brushes that comment off, Daeron continues. “My dreams are not like yours. Mine come true,” he says, calling it “an impressive talent for an unimpressive man.”
“I have seen you, ser,” Daeron explained. “And a fire. And a dead dragon. A great beast with wings so large they could cover this meadow. It had fallen on top of you. But you were alive and the dragon was dead.” When Dunk asks if he killed the dragon in question, Daeron replies, “That I could not say… We were dragon masters once. Hard to believe. Now they’re all gone, but we remain.”
We cannot talk about the meaning of Daeron’s dream quite yet — because, spoilers — but he is not the only character in the “Game of Thrones” universe who experiences prophetic dreams. On the contrary, there is an extensive history of such phenomena — known unofficially as “dragon dreams” — in author George R.R. Martin‘s various “Song of Ice and Fire” books. There have even been a few instances of dragon dreaming in HBO’s other “Game of Thrones” spinoff.
Dragon dreams, which are what Daeron experiences, are only experienced by those with the blood of the dragon, meaning — in “Game of Thrones” terms — Targaryens or Targaryen bastards. Martin’s novels make mention of other Targaryens who have experienced dragon dreams, including Targaryen legends like Daenys the Dreamer, whose vision as a child that Valyria would be destroyed convinced the rest of her family to move to Dragonstone and, therefore, save the Targaryen line from going extinct during the Doom of Valyria.
Aegon the Conqueror is also said to have experienced at least one dragon dream, while other canonical dreamers include Daemon II Blackfyre and Daeron and Egg’s other brother, Maester Aemon. The latter experiences several dragon dreams during his final days in Martin’s “Song of Ice and Fire” novels and remarks at one point, “My brothers dreamed of dragons, too.”
While she does not experience any dragon dreams in “Game of Thrones,” Daenerys Targaryen also has several visions of a black dragon before her dragon eggs hatch in Martin’s first “Song of Ice and Fire” novel, as well as other visions and dreams afterward, including one potentially involving the White Walkers.
Dragon dreams are, notably, different from the weirwood visions of the past and future that Bran Stark sees during his time with the Three-Eyed Raven. Dragon dreams typically involve dragons or members of the Targaryen line, which brings us to the only other live-action “Game of Thrones” character outside of Daeron who is known to have experienced dragon dreams.
Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) actively experiences dragon dreams and prophetic visions throughout the first two seasons of “House of the Dragon.” Not only does she unknowingly predict in “House of the Dragon” Season 1 the death of one of her own children, but she also lays out two of her brothers’ fates in the “House of the Dragon” Season 2 finale. Several of Helaena’s visions have already come true in the “Game of Thrones” spinoff, and book readers know that there are still more that are destined to come to fruition as well.
As for the dragon dream Daeron describes in “Seven,” viewers will have to keep watching “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” to see how — and if — it comes true.
“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” releases new episodes Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.
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