Interview
House of the Dragon showrunner explains how Helaena completed Viserys’ dream
Helaena fulfills Viserys’ dream.
Helaena’s Power of Prophecy is a rare and remarkable gift that elevates her above other Targaryens. Unlike her relatives who rely on dragonriding, Helaena’s ability to see into the future gives her an unparalleled perspective. Her visions offer a strategic advantage, allowing her to navigate the complex web of alliances and rivalries in Westeros. Moreover, her prophecies provide a personal window into her thoughts and experiences, adding depth to her character.
How Helaena completed Viserys’ dream?
Ryan Condal draws parallels with Viserys’ obsession with prophecy and the legacy of Daenys the Dreamer, highlighting the importance of Targaryen’s foresight. He explains that Viserys saw the power of prophecy as the true strength of the Targaryen family, a quality that made them special. Ironically, Viserys’ daughter, Helaena, possessed the very power he so desperately sought, yet it was overlooked due to her being perceived as unusual or simply dismissed. Ryan Condal in an interview with Collider says,
“We love this idea that, you know, Viserys, he saw the dragons as this dangerous thing that the Targaryens had to contend with, this nuclear power that we possess, and we need to be careful with, and we wield it to hold power and to keep things united, but we have to take care not to wield it, to take it too far, because that way leads to doom the way it did in Valyria.
And the real power, he saw in the family, was this power that Daenys the Dreamer had, the power of prophecy and Targaryen foresight, arguably the thing that made them special.”
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Viserys’ vision of the power of prophecy and dragonfire
Viserys viewed the dragons as a double-edged sword a powerful tool for the Targaryens to maintain control and unity, but also a dangerous force that could lead to destruction if wielded recklessly. He believed that the true source of the family’s strength lay in their prophetic abilities, as exemplified by Daenys the Dreamer.
Her visions allowed the Targaryens to avoid the downfall that befell other dragon-lord families in Old Valyria. Viserys was deeply fascinated by this power and longed to possess it himself, often sharing his own dreams and visions.
“Everybody had dragons in Old Valyria, but she was the one who had this dream that preserved them from the fate that fell every other Dragonlord family, and this idea that Viserys was so obsessed with it, he wanted so desperately to be a dreamer himself that either did or did not have this dream that told him that Baelon was going to be born to him and sit on the throne all the things he tells Aemma and then Alicent in Season 1.
And the idea that Helena, his daughter, right under his very nose, had this power that everybody kind of ignored because they view her as different or odd or just, ‘Oh, that’s just Helena.’ But now people are starting to take a little bit more care and notice of her.”
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