The Targaryens have always been known for having long white hair that symbolized their Valyrian heritage, as most of the Targaryens we’ve seen tend to stand out because of this trait. Prince Daemon Targaryen, of course, was introduced with that long and silvery hair that quickly made him quite iconic. But the thing is that we saw him in episode 4 with hair that was much shorter, as this wasn’t something we’re used to seeing in House Targaryen. So, why did Daemon cut his hair in House of the Dragon?
Even though it was never explained, Daemon most likely cut his hair as a way of showcasing that he was different from the other Targaryens or as a means of proving that he had already grown and evolved as a character and was ready to leave his past version of himself behind.
In real life, a lot of us change hairstyles as a symbol of new chapters in life, and that must have been the same for Daemon. After all, he was away from his family for years before he returned with a fresh new look that made him appear different from the Daemon that they knew in the past. Now, with that said, let’s look at some of the reasons why Daemon cut his hair.
Why Did Daemon Cut His Hair?
Ever since the very beginning of Game of Thrones, we already knew that the Targaryens are known for their long silvery-white hair because that was one of the things that made them unique compared to the other houses in Westeros. After all, they had the blood of Old Valyria in them, and that’s why they tend to have silver hair that almost no other house in the world has.
Of course, it was the same case in House of the Dragon, where all of the different members of House Targaryen and even House Velaryon, which has Valyrian blood in them, have long silvery-white hair. And out of all of the Targaryens, probably the one with the best hair was Daemon, who looked dashingly cool, swinging Dark Sister around while his hair was all over the place.
Nevertheless, we did see in episode 4 that Daemon opened up his return to King’s Landing after several years of absence with a crown on his head and with shorter hair. In that regard, the people of King’s Landing were surprised to see a familiar face with a not-so-familiar look that suddenly marched into the throne room. So, why did Daemon Targaryen cut his hair?
It was never explicitly stated why Daemon decided to cut his hair in episode 4 of House of the Dragon. However, there are some things that we can infer based on the way Daemon has been acting in the past few episodes.
First off, we believe that Daemon cut his hair to make himself more distinguished when compared to the other members of his house. Since the very first episode, it was already clear that Daemon was the black sheep of House Targaryen because he didn’t seem to belong anywhere. Even his brother Viserys, who respected the fact that they are brothers, had trouble finding where to put Daemon because he is such a volatile person.
In that regard, Daemon cut his hair short to make people see that he was different from the rest of the Targaryens. While Daemon was always known for his fighting prowess, it was his victory as a military leader in the Stepstones that made him a hero in the eyes of a lot of people because he almost singlehandedly took care of the Triarchy while slaying the Crabfeeder in the process.
As such, that victory in the Stepstones was his crowning glory, as he now had an accomplishment that none of the other living Targaryens have. And by cutting his hair short, he was able to show people that he was different from all of the people in his House, considering that he was always a black sheep among the dragons.
Second, there is also the possibility that he cut his hair short due to how he wanted to move on to a new chapter in his life. It’s basically the same as a lot of people in the real world. We often cut our hair or change our hairstyle to signify a new chapter in our lives. It could have been the same case for Daemon, who wanted to move on from what he used to be so that he could be seen as an entirely new person.
One case in point was the fact that he gave his Stepstones crown to King Viserys and told his brother that there was only one true king in the Seven Kingdoms. We know for a fact that Daemon had been longing for his own crown, which was taken away from him when Rhaenyra was named the heir to the Iron Throne instead.
The fact that he gave Viserys his crown showed that he was ready to move on from what he used to be as a person so that he could now showcase that he is now an entirely new man that grew and learned from his mistakes through the different battles that he experienced while he was at the Stepstones.
Then again, there is a more practical reason for cutting his hair because it was full of the Crabfeeder’s blood and guts. We saw in episode 3 that he basically butchered the Crabfeeder in half as his hair was soaked red due to that incident. And he probably cut his hair short because he had trouble removing the Crabfeeder’s blood and guts.
Whatever the case may be, it is clear that Daemon went for a new look that won more fans over because, let’s face it, people are used to seeing Matt Smith with short hair. And while he may still be as toxic as ever, Daemon probably made people rethink his character when he entered the throne room in episode 4 with short hair and all.
What Is The Significance Of Daemon’s Short Hair?
In many ways, Daemon’s short hair is a new step toward a different direction for the character because it signified that he now has different goals in life compared to the goals that he once had when he was still leading the City Watch in King’s Landing.
We saw in the earlier episodes that all that Daemon wanted was to be recognized as someone who had power. That was the reason why he wanted to be named heir to the Iron Throne so much and why he took over Dragonstone during the events of episode 2. And while he was unsuccessful in all of those endeavors, he became successful in his war against the Triarchy in the Stepstones.
So, with that in mind, Daemon’s new hair signifies that he is now in a different chapter in his life as he now has goals that may be different but are still quite similar to his original endeavors in life. He may have failed in his attempt to become king consort to Rhaenyra, but we all know that he wanted to improve his political standing and station in life by killing Rhea Royce so that he could marry into a much more powerful family.
And considering that Daemon and Laena Velaryon ended up getting married during the ten-year time skip, it was clear that his goals changed a bit but were still consistent with his personality as someone who will never get tired of wanting more from what life had to offer to him.
