House of the Dragon: 10 Game of Thrones callbacks, Easter eggs and references in episode 1

From Arya’s direwolf to a key Jaime Lannister moment

New HBO epic House of the Dragon is transporting TV viewers back into the world of Game of Thrones.

The show, which is the first of the network’s planned spin-offs, is set almost 200 years before the events of Thrones and tells the story of the Targaryens.

Fans of Game of Thrones, which drew to a close in 2019, have been left feeling nostalgic for the series, thanks to the many references featured in the prequel’s season premiere.

Among the references are nods to Ned Stark (Sean Bean), Jaime lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and, of course, the Mother of Dragons herself, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke).

Below, we run through every reference and Easter egg to Game of Thrones featured in House of the Dragon episode one.

Viserys Targaryen

Viserys Targaryen is the charcater played by Paddy Considine. Game of Thrones will remember that, in season one, Harry Lloyd played a character named Viserys, a distant nephew of Considine’s character. Lloyd’s Viserys was the older brother of Daenerys and, unlike his distant uncle, was not destined for the Iron throne. Instead, he died after having molten gold poured onto his head by Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa).

Ned Stark

Early on in the series, Ser Harrold Westerling (Graham McTavish) mentions that he’s keen to avoid having his “head on a spike” – a fate Game of Thrones viewers know was suffered by Ned Stark. Whether this season will feature a moment as surprising as Ned’s death remains to be seen...

Dark Sister

Dark Sister is the name of the Valyrian steel sword belonging to Visenya Targaryen, the sister-wife of Aegon the Conqueror. In season two of Game of Thrones, Arya (Maisie Williams), while posing as a servant, mentions Visenya’s weapon to Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) while discussing her role in the burning of Harrenhal. Here, Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) gifts a pendant made of Dark Sister to his niece, Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock). Also, the dagger worn by Viserys? That’s the one that will ultimately find its way into Arya’s hands for her fateful encounter with the Night King.

Princess Nymeria

In one scene, Rhaenyra and best friend Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey) are revealed to be learning about the legend of Princess Nymeria and her invasion of Dorne. Game of Thrones viewers will know that, hundreds of years later, this is the same subject that had a profound effect on Arya, who named her direwolf after the princess.

The season one finale

In a scene between King Viserys and Queen Aemma (Sian Brooke), the latter, while bathing, quips: “After this miserable pregnancy, I wouldn’t be surprised if I hatch an actual dragon.” Little does she know that this is exactly what a distant niece named Daenerys Targaryen will go on to do 188 years later in the season one finale of Game of Thrones.

Daenerys in the ‘Game of Thrones’ season one finale (HBO)

Jaime’s hand

Viserys’s brother Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), as Commander of the City Watch of King’s Landing, leads his army in the slaughtering of those he believes might jeopardise his family during a tournament held in honour of the king’s unborn child. In this violent sequence, several people have their hands chopped off, which may or may not be a callback to the lopping of Jaime Lannister’s hand in Game of Thrones season three, episode three.

Lady of the Vale

This is Daemon’s place of residence. In Game of Thrones, it’s where Lysa Arryn (Kate Dickie) and her son Robin (Lino Facioli), live their pretty odd life.

Milk of the poppy

King Viserys has a wound, and it is suggested that it should be treated using Milk of the Poppy. This is the medicine used throughout the Seven Kingdoms as both a painkiller and an anesthetic. In Game of Thrones, it’s mentioned numerous times by characters including King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), Ned Stark and Arya Stark.

Rickon Stark

Stark and Tarly family members are either mentioned or featured in the episode. David Hounslow plays Rickon Stark, who we know is the namesake for the young Stark played by Art Parkinson AKA the one who gets killed by Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon).

Rickon Stark got his name from a character introduce in ‘House of the Dragon’ (HBO)

Commander of the City Watch

In Game of Thrones, Janos Slynt has the job that Dameon Targaryen has (and loses) in House of the Dragon. After Slynt’s death, Bronn (Jerome Flynn) takes over.

A Song of Ice and Fire

The moment that brought on the biggest chills in the season premiere is when Viserys briefs his daughter on the prophecy that gives George RR Martin’s book series its title: A Song of Ice and Fire. Viserys explains Aegon’s dream that led him to conquest, a dream in which he “foresaw the end of men” and “the beginning of a terrible winter”. Viserys tells his daughter: “When this great winter comes, all of Westeros must stand against it. He adds: “Aegon called his dream A Song of Ice and Fire.” The speech is made even more powerful by the knowledge of what happens in the battle against the Night King in Game of Thrones’ final season.

House of the Dragon airs weekly on Sundays in the US, with the UK premiere arriving 2am on Monday on Sky. The episode will then be repeated at 9pm on Monday, and will be available to stream on Sky and NOW after its initial airing.

Find The Independent’s verdict on the series here.