Summary
One scene inHouse of the Dragonseason 2, episode 3, distinctly reminded me of George R.R. Martin’s novels in a subtle way neither TV series has accomplished so far.House of the Dragonand its parent show,Game of Thrones, are based onMartin’sA Song of Ice & Firebooks, which are regarded as some of the fantasy genre’s most prolific works.Martin constructs his world with immense detail, establishing entire cultures, languages, and historiesto the degree that readers like myself can truly dive into and analyze. But there’s importance to the little things, too.
An aspect ofHouse of the Dragon’ssecond season that I’ve appreciated so far is its attention to the minor houses and castles that make up Westeros. This was an area I found thatGame of Thrones, particularly in the later seasons, greatly overlooked. DespiteHouse of the Dragon’sbook changes, I find that the show embraces its source material in waysGame of Thronesnever had time to, with an apparent focus on subtle details like military strategy and, in one scene, food.
House Of The Dragon’s Harrenhal Scenes Remind Me Of GRRM’s Food Descriptions
Simon Strong’s Introduction Involves A Discussion About Harrenhal’s Venison & Peas
In season 2, episode 3, Daemon captures thecursed castle of Harrenhal, and we’re introduced to Ser Simon Strong, played delightfully by the great Sir Simon Russell Beale. He welcomes Daemon to his table and invites him to dine, speaking of his venison, the chef’s peas, and the lack of redcurrant. It’s a charming scene, and itreminded me of George R.R. Martin’s lengthy, detailed food descriptions in theA Song of Ice & Fireseries.
I find Martin’s writing style to be compact and easy to read, with a focus on sharp dialogue. As much as I admire fantasy authors like J.R.R. Tolkien or Robert Jordan, I’m partial to ASOIAF in that I’m spending a majority of my reading examining conversations, as opposed to lengthy descriptive text to build the world. But if there are two things that Martinwillspend a good number of words describing in detail, they’re sex and food. His descriptions of feasts are enough to make the mouth water, and they serve a purpose in his text.
House Of The Dragon Already Set Up A Massive Betrayal (Despite 1 New Character’s Book Change)
House of the Dragon continues to make changes to the source material with its newest character but still sets up a pivotal part of their story.
Why The Food Scenes In A Song Of Ice & Fire Are Important
Food Is Crucial To Character And World Design In ASOIAF
Food inA Song of Ice & Fireis vital to world-building and character-building. There’s a clear line distinguishing the haves and have-nots in Westeros, withfood often demonstrating the gluttony and ignorance of the nobles. Passages inA Game of Thronesshow Lord Commander Jeor Mormont complaining about eating the same venison meal for days in a row, showing the dire straits of the Night’s Watch. Meanwhile, King Robert Baratheon sends the realm in debt for feasts, parties, and tournaments.
Food speaks to the lifestyle of leadership. During a siege, Stannis Baratheon eats horses, dogs, and rats with his men to survive, whileKing Joffrey Baratheon holds feasts while the people of King’s Landing starveto death. It will be fascinating to see this dynamic change even more during winter inThe Winds of Winterwhen food becomes even more scarce.House of the Dragon’ssubtle detail with Simon Strong exemplifies this aspect of the novels, and I appreciate the show all the more for it.
How Else House Of The Dragon Lives Up To GRRM’s ASOIAF Books
House of the Dragon fixes a couple of Game of Thrones mistakes.
HBO’sHouse of the Dragonis set in the same universe asGame of Thrones, yet I believe the former is arguably a slightly more faithful adaptation of George R.R. Martin’sASOIAFthan the latter. AlthoughHouse of the DragonandGame of Thronescover very different periods,the new series took into consideration some of the criticism the original show received regarding the portrayal of Westeros and the world ofASOIAFas a whole.The biggest example of this is the Iron Throne, which looks different inHouse of the Dragoncompared toGame of Thrones.
ASOIAFdescribes the Iron Throne as having been made of a thousand swords.
The Iron Throne inHouse of the Dragonis bigger and more imposing than the one inGame of Thrones. While it is not as large as the one described in the books, it is a more faithful recreation of the Iron Throne as envisioned by George R.R. Martin.Another small but important detail is the inclusion of “the Rhoynar”whenever a king is being announced. I was disappointed thatGame of Throneswould often only use“King of the Andals and the First Men,”butHouse of the Dragonhas fortunately mentioned “the Rhoynar” a couple of times.
House Of The Dragon’s Biggest Difference From Fire & Blood Makes It Even Better
House of the Dragon can be seen as the “true story” of the Dance of Dragons.
George R.R. Martin’sFire & Blood, the book on whichHouse of the Dragonis based, presents itself as an in-universe history book that documents thefull history of House Targaryenin Westeros. This in-universe historical research was done by Archmaester Gyldayn using several sources. Those include theDance of the Dragons, A True Tellingby Grand Maester Munkun, and the verbal testimony of Mushroom, a court fool who claimed to have inside knowledge. On many occasions,Fire & Bloodpresents two or even more versions of an event and points out that the sources are conflicting.
House of the Dragondoes not present itself as the result of a Grand Maester’s research but rather as the “true story” as it happened.
From whether a character whose body was never found was actually alive to what words were said before an execution,Fire & Blooddoes not have all the answers and leaves a lot for readers to decide– similar to any real history book. When bringing the Dance of the Dragons, arguably the second most important event accounted inFire & Bloodafter Aegon’s Conquest, to the screen, HBO was bound to make some big changes to the source material.House of the Dragondoes not present itself as the result of a Grand Maester’s research but rather as the “true story” as it happened.
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My favorite way of looking atHouse of the Dragonis as if it is the definitive version of the Dance of the Dragons, whereasFire & Bloodis a more contradictory narrative due to its different sources. This also serves as an in-universe explanation forHouse of the Dragon’s book changes – maybe not everything in Gyldayn’s research was accurate after all. After the astonishing success ofGame of Thrones,House of the Dragonlikely has more freedom to embrace all sorts of aspects of George R.R. Martin’sASOIAFbooks, even though it also makes some big changes to the source material.
House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon is a 2022 fantasy drama set in the world of Westeros, chronicling the Targaryen dynasty at its height. The story revolves around King Viserys’s controversial decision to name his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, sparking tensions and divisions within the realm.
