Highlights
- Rhaenys Targaryen’s black hair in the book starts a trend of dark-haired Targaryens not becoming rulers.
- The show changed Rhaenys’ hair color to ensure casual viewers recognize her as a Targaryen.
- Dark-haired Targaryens in the books have legitimate claims but are often passed over.
- Jon Snow, with his dark hair, shares a similar fate by not becoming king.
- Jon’s story wasn’t about ruling but uniting Westeros against threats like the White Walkers.
House of the Dragon made several changes to George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, including altering Princess Rhaenys Targaryen’s hair color.
This decision impacts a trend that ties directly to Jon Snow’s fate in Game of Thrones. Starting 200 years before Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon explores the civil war called the Dance of the Dragons and pulls material from Martin’s book.
The show adapts these events into a detailed story, leading to some character changes, especially in appearances and motivations.
One of the biggest visual changes concerns Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. While Martin describes her with black hair in Fire & Blood, the series presents her with silver-blonde hair.
Rhaenys’ original dark hair connected her to a recurring pattern in House Targaryen’s history, a trend that Jon Snow becomes a part of in Game of Thrones.
Rhaenys Targaryen Breaks the Dark-Haired Trend
In Martin’s source material, Rhaenys inherits her black hair from her Baratheon mother. Despite having a strong claim to the throne, Rhaenys is known as “The Queen Who Never Was.”
She’s passed over for her cousin Viserys due to her gender. Interestingly, she starts a trend where dark-haired Targaryens with legitimate claims don’t become king or queen.
This pattern continues with other dark-haired Targaryens like Prince Jacaerys Velaryon and Baelor Breakspear. Their dark hair, inherited from non-Targaryen bloodlines, highlights how strongly the Targaryens valued their silver-blonde hair and blood purity.
Jon Snow shares this characteristic, having black hair through his Stark lineage, which ties back to Rhaenys’ original depiction.
Why House of the Dragon Changed Rhaenys’ Hair Color
House of the Dragon altered Rhaenys’ hair color to make her more recognizable as a Targaryen. Showrunners likely wanted to ensure that even casual viewers wouldn’t mistake her identity.
Unlike book readers familiar with Rhaenys’ Baratheon ancestry, TV audiences might have found her dark hair confusing, given how consistently House of the Dragon uses hair color to establish lineage and question legitimacy.
For example, the series highlights the darker hair of Rhaenyra’s sons, Jace, Luke, and Joffrey, as evidence of their rumored illegitimacy.
Presenting Rhaenys with black hair could undermine that plot point, as her Baratheon roots make her darker locks legitimate.
How Jon Snow’s Dark Hair Connects to His Story in Game of Thrones
Just like Rhaenys, Jon Snow also has a strong claim to the throne but doesn’t end up as king. Although he’s the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, his dark hair sets him apart from other Targaryens, continuing the trend set by Rhaenys.
By the end of Game of Thrones, Jon is exiled beyond the Wall after killing Daenerys, reflecting the passing over of dark-haired Targaryens with claims to power.
Jon’s storyline was never truly about ruling the Seven Kingdoms. Throughout the series, he repeatedly expresses his lack of interest in becoming king.
His actions focus on saving Westeros from greater threats, such as the White Walkers and Daenerys’ growing tyranny.
In the end, Jon’s fate ties him to the dark-haired Targaryens who came before him, highlighting how their claims, while legitimate, never led to ruling the Iron Throne.
House of the Dragon strategically changed Rhaenys’ hair color, emphasizing the importance of lineage and visual identity.
The pattern of dark-haired Targaryens being passed over, seen with Rhaenys, continues with Jon Snow, reinforcing the idea that appearance, lineage, and fate are closely tied in the world of Westeros.
