Fans Translate Rhaenyra’s Words to Daemon in ‘House of the Dragon’ S2E4

Fair warning: there are spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 4 ahead! This weekend, House of the Dragon opened with another eerie dream-vision for Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), featuring a younger version of Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) on the Iron Throne. The vision’s meanings are evident even without a High Valyrian translation, but fans quickly translated the speech following the premiere.

According to fan translations confirmed by the show’s linguist David J. Peterson, Rhaenyra says: “It’s been said that Targaryens are closer to gods than men. In my eyes, you were a god, Daemon Targaryen. The Prince of the City. The Lord of Flea Bottom. I was an innocent. You exploited me and abandoned me. You sullied my name at court. You empowered my rivals. You tried to make my ruin. You put me on that throne. And you love me and you hate me for it. You created me, Daemon. Yet you are now set on destroying me. All because your brother loved me more than he did you. This is what you always wanted, is it not?”

As depicted, the speech ends with Daemon striking off Rhaenyra’s head, which continues speaking from the floor, ignoring the attack. Its last words, “There has been a raven,” bring Daemon back to reality. This conclusion is significant as it implies these visions are influenced by the weirwood trees and the old gods. Ravens, as seen in Game of Thrones, are the messengers and spies of greenseers.

Daemon’s guilt was evident through Smith’s performance and the show’s meticulous writing. He is trying to maintain a sense of superiority and entitlement, which Rhaenyra threatens. Meanwhile, the subtle magic of Harrenhal seems to be stripping away his ego. Although Daemon’s visions were not mentioned in George R.R. Martin’s book, dreams and visions are central in the main series. Many fans lamented the absence of significant visions in Game of Thrones, so their depiction here is somewhat of a consolation.

David J. Peterson first developed the High Valyrian language for Game of Thrones, along with the descendant languages for Astapor and Meereen, and the Dothraki language. When HBO greenlit House of the Dragon, Peterson was hired to expand the language further. Fans can study the language on Peterson’s website or learn it on the DuoLingo app.

The show often depicts House Targaryen characters speaking in High Valyrian as a display of status. For example, in Episode 4, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) speaks to Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) in High Valyrian, but Aegon is unable to respond. Fans have interpreted these scenes as private conversations among Targaryens. However, Martin’s writings suggest that many high-born individuals in Westeros learn High Valyrian, similar to how medieval nobility learned Latin. Therefore, many characters around the Targaryens can probably understand their discussions.

House of the Dragon Season 2 airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max. Martin’s books are available in print, digital, and audiobook formats.

Source: Pop Culture