In House of the Dragon episode 8, Aemond Targaryen refers to Rhaenyra’s sons, Jacaerys, Lucerys Velaryon, and Joffrey Velaryon, as ‘Strong’ boys. Aemond does so to insult these boys, reminding them that they’re, in reality, sons of Ser Harwin Strong.
In the previous episode, Aemond broke into a fight with Rhaenyra’s sons, Jace and Luke and Daemon’s daughters, Baela and Rhaena. The fight between the children broke out after Aemond claimed Vhagar as his dragon.
During the fight, Aemond constantly referred to Jace and Luke as bastards.
In Game of Thrones lore, bastards are children born out of wedlock or through affairs outside of marriage. Jace and Luke are widely considered to be the children of Ser Harwin Strong, Rhaenyra’s knight.
One of the major reasons why Rhaenyra’s sons are considered bastards is because of their hair color. They do not have any features resembling Ser Laenor, including the characteristic silver hair of the Velaryons.
Jace and Luke also agree to the fact that their legitimacy would never have been questioned had they looked more like Ser Laenor and less like Harwin Strong.
Aemond’s reasons for calling Jace and Luke ‘Strong boys’ are primarily two. Firstly, he wanted to instigate them into a fight so that he could take revenge for what happened years ago. The last time the boys fought as children, Aemond ended up losing an eye.
Secondly, King Viserys had declared in the previous episode that anyone who would dare to call his grandsons, Jace, Luke, and Joffrey ‘bastards’ would have their tongue cut off. Aemond could not directly call them bastards for this reason.
However, he referred to them as ‘Strong’ boys indicating that they were fathered by Harwin Strong, which literally means the same thing. Aemond wanted to instigate Jace and Luke into a fight.
Had the boys actually attacked him, it would only help Aemond prove his point. After Daemon stopped the boys from fighting, Alicent asked Aemond why he had to create trouble. It is then that Aemond sarcastically replied that he was only trying to be respectful to his nephews, but was disheartened to know they did not agree.
It seems like Aemond’s plan was to instigate Jace and Luke to prove that they actually agree with his statement about them being ‘Strong’ boys. The word also refers to their strength, indicating that they should display their strength to prove themselves capable.
In other words, Aemond only wanted to insult Rhaenyra’s sons. He already holds a grudge against them because he had to lose an eye because of them. Calling them bastards is the only way to insult them, so Aemond took the chance.
Moreover, proving them bastards would challenge Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne as it would prove that she had been unfaithful in her marriage. While it is true that Rhaenyra’s sons were indeed fathered by Harwin Strong, it is not a strong cause to challenge her claim to the throne.
Jace and Luke are Targaryens because they are Rhaenyra’s trueborn sons. It can be argued that irrespective of who their father is, they are eligible to Rhaenyra’s heirs because they have Rhaenyra’s blood. However, children born out of wedlock may not be easily accepted as heirs to the throne.
It is therefore a dicey situation, and the Greens will naturally try to take advantage of it. But they should also remember that Rhaenyra now has a son from Daemon, Aegon III who is a legitimate heir. Rhaenyra could easily name him heir even if Jace and Luke’s legitimacy was threatened.
Having said that, Rhaenyra always considered her firstborn, Jace, as her heir, up until his death during the Dance of Dragons.
With the death of King Viserys, the already brewing rivalry between the Blacks and the Greens will now turn into a full-fledged civil war. Watch out for the next episode of House of the Dragon on October 16.
About House Of The Dragon
House of the Dragon is the prequel series to HBO’s blockbuster Game of Thrones based on George R. R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood.
Set three hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon will show Westeros under the Targaryen family’s rule before the dragons went extinct. It will follow the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war between siblings Aegon II and Rhaenyra, who fought for the throne after the death of their father, Viserys I.
Directed by Ryan Condall and Miguel Sapochnik, the show stars Paddy Considine as Viserys I Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Craney as Aegon II Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Rhaenys Velaryon, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole, and Graham McTavish.
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