Why Did Rhaenyra & Daemon Name Their Kids Aegon and Viserys?
If there’s one thing that we’ve all noticed about the world of George RR Martin’s works that were adapted into Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, it’s that the people there tend to repeat names that are common in their family history. We saw this in House of the Dragon when King Viserys and Queen Alicent named their first son Aegon. However, Rhaenyra and Daemon did the same when their first son was also named Aegon and when they named their second child Viserys. So, why did Rhaenyra and Daemon name their kings Aegon and Viserys?
Rhaenyra and Daemon named their first child Aegon because Aegon the Conqueror has always been the greatest figure in the history of House Targaryen. It was only right for them to name their child after a great king. Meanwhile, the same is true with Viserys because he was named in honor of King Viserys.
George RR Martin has certainly made things easier for us by repeating the names of his characters, as we no longer have to remember unique names. But, then again, it has also made things quite complicated not only for us but also for the characters in House of the Dragon. So, with that said, let’s talk more about why Rhaenyra and Daemon named their sons such.
Why Did Rhaenyra Name Her Sons Aegon And Viserys?
Back in episode 7 of House of the Dragon, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Prince Daemon Targaryen put together an elaborate scheme that allowed them to fake Ser Laenor Velaryon’s death so that they could marry each other without any legal impediment while allowing the Velaryon knight to live out the rest of his life in Essos with his lover. In that regard, the long-awaited wedding between Rhaenyra and Daemon finally happened at the end of episode 7.
Meanwhile, there was a huge six-year gap between episodes 7 and 8, as we saw the children of both Rhaenyra and Daemon with their former spouses already grown up. Of course, considering that they were married for six years, Rhaenyra and Daemon also had children of their own during that time span, as the princess was actually pregnant in episode 8.
It was during their visit to King’s Landing for the petition in relation to the succession of Driftmark that Rhaenyra and Daemon introduced their sons to King Viserys Targaryen. The first boy was named Aegon, and the second one was named Viserys. Of course, these names aren’t exactly unique because two other characters in the series were already given those names. So, why did Rhaenyra and Daemon name their sons Aegon and Viserys?
Take note that if there’s one thing that a lot of people have noticed about the names of the characters in George RR Martin’s books, it is that they tend to repeat quite often. The different characters in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon often repeat the names of their children because it was common for them to name their children after great people from their houses and in the history of the Seven Kingdoms. For example, Bran Stark was named after his uncle, the older brother of Ned Stark. Even Jon Snow was given the name “Jon” in honor of Jon Arryn, who was always close to Ned.
Of course, House Targaryen does this as well but takes it to a different level because of the fact that they name their children after great kings. After all, the different people in the Targaryen family would want their children to be as great as their predecessors. And there is no other way of hoping that their children would be great than to name them after some of the greatest kings that have ruled the Seven Kingdoms.
This explains why Rhaenyra and Daemon named their sons Aegon and Viserys. Of course, we all know that Aegon the Conqueror is regarded as the most important figure in the history of the Seven Kingdoms because he was the one who united the entire continent under Targaryen rule. And we know that Viserys was the most recent king of the Seven Kingdoms during the time of House of the Dragon.
Of course, everyone is now confused about the fact that there are now two Aegons in House of the Dragon, as we already know that King Viserys and Queen Alicent named their first son Aegon due to how the king believed that it was through his line that the Prince that was Promised was going to come. But the fact is that Rhaenyra and Daemon also named their son Aegon as they also wanted him to be as great as the Conqueror himself. In the book, this was an insult to Alicent because she felt that Rhaenyra and Daemon tried to upstage her and her first son.
There are even a lot of different Aegons in the history of the Seven Kingdoms, as a total of five of them ruled as kings. We also know that Jon Snow was revealed to have been named Aegon by his mother when he was born.
Meanwhile, Viserys was named after King Viserys himself, who is the boy’s grandfather. Rhaenyra loved her father so much that she paid the ultimate tribute to him by naming her second son after him. Of course, Daemon also loved his brother so much that he agreed to name his son after him. In that regard, naming the boy after King Viserys was the ultimate sign of love and respect for a person that Rhaenyra and Daemon both loved deeply.
The Fates Of Aegon And Viserys Explained
As mentioned, it is quite customary for the different members of House Targaryen to name their children after great kings so that they would also become great leaders in their own right as well. And that was what happened to Aegon and Viserys.
While Aegon and Viserys were never supposed to reign because Rhaenyra had three other sons born ahead of them, all of the “Strong Boys” died during the Dance of the Dragons. That meant that Aegon and Viserys were now next in line to the Iron Throne as far as the legitimate succession through Rhaenyra’s line was concerned.
Rhaenyra, of course, never lived to see the end of the Dance of the Dragons because King Aegon II killed her. Meanwhile, Viserys was presumably killed as well when he was sent to Essos to keep him away from the war. That meant that Aegon the Younger was the only one left from Rhaenyra’s line. But King Aegon II decided to spare the young boy to use him as a bargaining chip against the Black forces that were marching on King’s Landing.
Nevertheless, King Aegon II died when he was assassinated during the civil war. The regents of the Seven Kingdoms elevated Aegon III to the Iron Throne because he was the only remaining Targaryen male. As such, he became King Aegon III. It was during his reign that Viserys was revealed to have survived his trip to Essos, as he was merely passed on from one noble family to another after he was captured during the Dance of the Dragons. Viserys was the Hand of the King almost his entire life ever since returning to Westeros.
King Aegon III had two sons that became kings as well but never had heirs of their own. As such, Viserys became King Viserys II after the deaths of Aegon III’s sons, as he was the one who established the line of kings that went as far as Mad King Aerys. Even Daenerys and Jon Snow directly descended from his line.
So, by naming her sons Aegon and Viserys, Rhaenyra not only named them after great kings but also allowed them to become legacy kings as well because they continued the legacies of their namesakes as kings of the Seven Kingdoms.
