Daemon Targaryen’s Harrenhal nightmares continued during House of the Dragon‘s “Regent.” His latest bad dream/waking vision was pretty scary for viewers, too. The King Consort dreamt about sleeping with a different member of his House, and it was weird even for a family that constantly marries siblings. Daemon Targaryen had an Oedipal nightmare—at least we hopes he considers it a nightmare—about having sex with his dead mom, Alyssa Targaryen.
Who Did Daemon Have Sex With During His Nightmare on House of the Dragon?
During House of the Dragon season two’s fifth episode Daemon Targaryen had an explicit, uncomfortable (to say the least) sultry sex dream about his dead mom, though he didn’t realize who she was at first. When he did his happiness turned to fear and shock.
This is what Alyssa Targaryen said during the nightmare:
Daemon, you were always the strong one. The finest swordsman…the fearless dragonrider. Your brother had great love in his heart, but he lacked your constitution. Viserys was unsuited for the crown, but you…Daemon, you were made to wear it. If only you’d been born first. My favorite son.
This was Daemon’s latest waking dream at Harrenhal. He was actually eating lunch with members of the Strong family during his creepy vision. The blood he saw on his mother’s bare chest at dream’s end wasn’t actually dripping from his own hands. It was from the bloody duck on his fork, the latest blending of dreams and reality for the King Consort.
Who Was Daemon and Viserys’ Mother Alyssa Targaryen?
Alyssa Targaryen was born 69 years before the Dance of the Dragons. She was the fifth child of King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne. They named Alyssa after her grandmother.
Alyssa married her older brother Baelon the Brave, who was briefly heir to the Iron Throne before he died of appendicitis. (Baelon is also the Targaryen Ulf the White claims is his father on House of the Dragon.) Together Alyssa and Baelon had three children: Viserys, Daemon, and (a totally different) Aegon who died before his first birthday.
As a child Alyssa preferred to spend her time sword fighting, riding horses, and playing with boys rather than spending time with girls and participating in activities considered more appropriate for a Lady or Princess of Westeros. Many thought the strong, smart Alyssa had the heart and spirit of a warrior. Meanwhile, she thought she was as “bawdy a wench as any barmaid in King’s Landing.”
Her infamous wedding night supported her claim. Those in attendance said the sounds that came from Baelon and Alyssa’s bedchamber could be heard miles away. She was also not shy about sharing how much she loved being intimate with her husband and that she planned to have many more such nights with. She also told Baelon she hoped to give him twenty sons.
How Did Daemon’s Mother Alyssa Targaryen Die?
Alyssa gave birth to Viserys the future King, in 77 AC. Daemon followed four years later in 81 AC. But Alyssa never recovered from Aegon’s long and challenging birth in 84 AC. She passed away at the age of 24 later that year. Aegon died without reaching his first nameday. Viserys was seven when his mom died, Daemon only three.
Was Alyssa Targaryen a Dragonrider?
Alyssa Targaryen was the first person to ever ride Meleys. She claimed the swift she-dragon the same year she married her brother. The two frequently flew together. (Baelon rode Vhagar, the same dragon that would one day kill Meleys and her only other rider ever, Rhaenys.)
Alyssa took each of her infant sons Viserys and Daemon for a ride on Meleys shortly after giving birth to them. But everything we know about her reveals which one of the boys took after her dragonrider warrior spirit : Daemon.
What Did Daemon’s Oedipal Dream About His Mom Mean on House of the Dragon?
Daemon loved his late brother Viserys, but he also resented him. He believes Viserys was too weak to be King and that he was better suited for the role, if only he’d been born first. Daemon is also still upset Viserys bypassed him and named Rhaenyra heir, when the laws of Westeros (and past precedent) said Daemon should have been heir. The reckless, selfish, ambitious Dameon also desperately wants his family to love him and validate him. He wants them to accept him, but his very nature is why they can never fully trust him.
This Oedipal dream with his mother gave him everything he wanted. Alyssa validated his feelings of superiority. She confirmed his belief that both fate and the Seven Realms wronged him before just as it is wrong him now by denying him the Iron Throne. And she also said said Daemon was “her favorite,” giving him the love he so desperately craves.
It was a dream that gave everything the amorous Daemon ever wanted until he realized exactly what was going on. When he realized he was having sex with his own dead mother, a woman he doesn’t remember, his ecstasy turned to horror. Targaryens might marry their own siblings, and Daemon himself might have married his own niece, but even a man of fire and blood wouldn’t have sex with his own mother. That’s the stuff of nightmares. The question is why did he have such a terrible dream in the first place?
Did Alys Rivers Cause Daemon’s Dream About His Mom on House of the Dragon?
Even before “Regent,” we wondered what is causing Daemon’s nightmares on House of the Dragon. Is it his guilty, insecure subconscious? Cursed Harrenhal itself? Or is it our favorite owl-witch, Alys Rivers? Is she just an astute woman who pays attentions to her surroundings and can read people? Or does she know a lot about Daemon because she’s more than just the castle’s de fact maester?
The episode hinted at her having magical abilities, unnatural knowledge, or both when she curiously mentioned Daemon’s mother later in the episode. Her comment about how it’s too bad he didn’t know his mom might have just been a huge coincidence. (Though not an impossible one, since Daemon’s war crimes might have simply made Alys wish he’d had a motherly influence growing up). Or it was a dead giveaway she knew all about his creepy sex dream, either because she caused it or she has a way of reading his mind.
Daemon’s still at Harrenhal, so there’s still time to learn more about Alys and whether she’s messing with his mind. If she is responsible for his nightmares hopefully that’s the last time she makes us watch him have sex with his mom. Alyssa Targaryen’s notorious escapades with another family member was more than enough.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.