What Is Wrong with Helaena Targaryen? Why Is She Acting Weird
We know for a fact that each of Alicent Hightower’s children is unique in their own right and has their own individual quirks. But one of the most unique characters we’ve seen so far in House of the Dragon is Helaena Targaryen, who is the second child of King Viserys with Queen Alicent and is the wife of King Aegon II. The reason why we believe she is unique is the fact that she has been acting differently and has been saying odd stuff. So, what is wrong with Helaena Targaryen?
The reason why Helaena Targaryen may be acting weird is the possibility that she is a Dragon Dreamer. According to King Viserys, Dragon Dreamers have the power of prophecy. But Helaena may not know what a Dreamer is and what her true powers are, and that’s why she is acting weird.
As weird as she may be, Helaena is quite lovable when compared to her brothers, as she is a lot nicer than they are. Nevertheless, she still acts weird from time to time, especially when she has just made a prophecy. But we do know that her prophecies have all come true, even though her family may not recognize her gifts. So, with that said, let’s look at why Helaena has been acting strange.
What Is Wrong With Helaena Targaryen?
One of the things that we’ve seen so far in House of the Dragon is that Queen Alicent Hightower’s family can be quite odd, as her children all have their own personalities. We know that King Aegon II is the perverted and depraved one among Alicent’s children. Of course, Aemond One Eye is a sadistic and gifted fighter. And then there is Helaena, who is arguably the oddest one out of all of the characters in House of the Dragon.
Ever since the teenage version of Helaena was introduced back in the events of episode 6, we already saw just how weird she could be compared to the other characters in the series. She says things that don’t really make sense when you look at the context of the situation she is in. Even Alicent Hightower didn’t have any interest in what Helaena was saying during the scene where she was introduced, as she may have understood that her daughter was always quirky.
Of course, as she grew older, Helaena became less gloomy than she was when she was still younger as she learned how to smile, even though she was married to her older brother. But the fact is that there were still instances when she said things that were still out of context and didn’t make any sense. One case in point was when she suddenly acted out in episode 9 when Alicent was about to tell her that the king was dead, as she said, “There’s a beast beneath the boards.” So, what is wrong with Helaena Targaryen?
Conventionally, there is nothing wrong with Helaena Targaryen because she seems to be a happy young woman during the times when she isn’t saying anything odd. She was normal enough to be able to bear children and become a loving mother during her adult years. Helaena was even seen having fun with her nephew Jacaerys when they were dancing during the final dinner with King Viserys. Nevertheless, there are still instances when she can be quite odd, and that’s because she says things that can be quite prophetic.
The reason why she may be acting weird from time to time is the possibility that she could be a Dragon Dreamer. That explains why she has a tendency to say things that are not really related to the situation and why she may suddenly act out. Of course, none of her family members, except for King Viserys, probably know what a Dragon Dreamer is. That is probably the reason why her family members don’t understand her or even utilize her gifts.
What Is A Dragon Dreamer?
Back in episode 1 of House of the Dragon, King Viserys Targaryen introduced the concept of a dreamer when he talked about Daenys the Dreamer, whose prophecy saved House Targaryen from the Doom of Valyria when she dreamt of it. Meanwhile, Aegon the Conqueror conquered Westeros when he dreamt of the threat that was going to come from the north and realized that only House Targaryen could unite the entire continent against the Night King.
Meanwhile, in episode 3, Viserys once again talked about what a Dreamer is as she told Alicent that the power of the dragons pales in comparison to the power of prophecy. But what exactly is a Dragon Dreamer?
A Dragon Dreamer is basically a member of the Targaryen family that’s capable of prophecies. We don’t know exactly how the power works, but there is a good chance that they dream of their prophecies in their sleep, as that was the case for Viserys when he said that he dreamt of the Prince that was Promised. However, it does seem like Helaena’s powers work differently, as she suddenly talks about her possible prophecies out of nowhere.
At this point, it is possible that Helaena’s possible powers as a Dragon Dreamer come out of nowhere, as her prophecies probably come in any given situation instead of in her sleep. That is probably the reason why she acts strange from time to time, as her prophecies suddenly take over her.
We saw this in episode 7 when she was playing with a spider in Driftmark and was talking about spools of green and spools of black weaving dragons. At that moment, Aegon called her an idiot as she was talking about something that was odd and out of context. But it was possible that she was talking about the dragon banners of the Greens and the Blacks during the Dance of the Dragons.
Meanwhile, in episode 9, we saw her suddenly acting strange out of nowhere when Alicent was about to tell her that Viserys was now dead. She said something about the “beast beneath the boards,” as this seemed to be a prophecy regarding Rhaenys and Meleys, who popped out from under the floor during the events of King Aegon II’s coronation.
In that regard, these prophecies are manifestations of Helaena’s probable powers as a Dragon Dreamer. But it is possible that none of her family members understand her powers due to the fact that they dismiss what she says as manifestations of her strange personality. Of course, had King Viserys paid more attention to his children with Alicent, he would have recognized Helaena’s gifts.