Daemon Targaryen has been taken through some weird and twisty visions in House of the Dragon so far. The latest episode has been the most surprising. Daemon was enjoying a passionate time with a white-haired woman, and fans were shocked and disgusted to find out who she was.
We found out at the end of the vision that Daemon was sleeping with his mother, Alyssa Targaryen. Alyssa was the sister and wife of Baelon Targaryen and the former rider of Meleys. When Daemon was just two, Alyssa gave birth to a third child, but both mother and child died within a year of the birth.
Daemon has always had mommy issues. Now we delve further into his psyche. He didn’t know his mother, and he wants to pretend that she was his favorite son; that she supports his idea that he should be the ruler of Westeros.
Alyssa’s appearance is how Daemon views women in House of the Dragon
Alyssa’s appearance is more than just a twisty, incestuous moment. It brings us another look at the way Daemon looks down on women. They are only around for one thing to him. He doesn’t believe that they can rule.
We just have to look at the way he’s envisioned a young Rhaenyra. He doesn’t think that she is fit to rule. He’s made that clear in conversations with Lord Simon Strong and others at Harenhal. He is the king. He doesn’t want “Consort” at the end. That is unnecessary to him, because he views himself as an equal ruler to Rhaenyra.
Alyssa’s appearance continues that view. He thinks that he mother would want him to be on the throne; that he would have been a better ruler than Viserys.
Yet, in the real world, all of Daemon’s actions are leading to him losing support for Rhaenyra. They don’t want to follow a tyrant, and they won’t raise their banners for Team Black for as long as he acts this way. Daemon needs to make some changes, otherwise Alys Rivers’s words when he first arrived are going to come true. Daemon will die at Harenhal.
I do wonder if the words have a more figurative meaning, though. Is it a sign that this Daemon will die at Harenhal. Could he realize that everything he has believed has been wrong? Could these visions help him understand that he can’t keep going down this path and underestimating the women in his life? We’ll have a new Daemon come out of Harenhal?
We can look at the book to see how it goes, but we know the show isn’t following the book exactly. After all, the book has been written by the victors and doesn’t give a clear and honest account of events. The show could be getting ready for a change of personality to Daemon.