House of the Dragon: What Does “Sobriquet” Mean?

In the latest episode of House of the Dragon, “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” a notable scene captures King Aegon losing control during a Small Council meeting to his younger brother, Aemond. Aemond publicly shames King Aegon by flaunting his superior command of High Valyrian, revealing that he is planning a military campaign with Criston Cole. Meanwhile, Aegon remains ignorant and is painted as a colossal screwup.

During the tense moment, Aegon questions why he hasn’t been kept in the loop regarding plans. Aemond sarcastically responds, pointing out that Aegon has been preoccupied with trivial matters, such as appointing his idiot drinking buddies to the Kingsguard and choosing his “sobriquet.”

The term “sobriquet” refers to a nickname. Aemond is referring to an earlier scene in the season where Aegon was sitting on the Iron Throne with his friends, trying to come up with an impressive title. Options like “Aegon the Dragon-Hearted” or “Aegon the Magnanimous” were discussed but none seemed to stick. Given that Aegon has recently crash-landed into a forest after losing a dragon battle, any title they might have chosen could now seem irrelevant. It appears Aegon is back to square one.

After this traumatic event, it’s possible that Aegon might not care about choosing a nickname anymore. Both Aemond and Alicent, Aegon’s own mother, pointed out that he’s inexperienced and frivolous as a king. If he wants to be taken seriously, he may need to start focusing on issues beyond titles, assuming he survives his injuries.

The next episode of House of the Dragon airs on HBO and Max next Sunday, July 14.

Next. House of the Dragon ties the season together in a thrilling new episode, “The Red Dragon and the Gold”. House of the Dragon ties the season together in a thrilling new episode, “The Red Dragon and the Gold”. dark

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