Game of Thrones Prequel House of the Dragon Finally Reveals What The Song of Ice and Fire Actually Is

While television viewers know George R.R. Martin's fantasy saga as Game of Thrones, fans of Martin's novels know that it is called A Song of Ice and Fire. It's a mysterious title, mentioned but never fully explained in the five books in the series thus far. Tonight, HBO premiered the first episode of its new Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon, based on Martin's Targaryen family history titled Fire & Blood. In this first episode, Martin finally reveals what the "song of fire and ice" actually is and the revelation recontextualizes the entire Game of Thrones saga to date. SPOILERS follow for the first episode of House of the Dragon.

Targaryens have prophecy in their history. Whether that's the result of coming from fabled Valyria with its blood magic or simply one of the things that makes Targaryens special is unclear. It's that gift of foresight, manifested in young Daenys the Dreamer, that provided warning about the coming Doom of Valkyria, which allowed her father, Aenar Targaryen, to flee the freehold 12 years before the cataclysm that destroyed all of its other houses and establish a new home on Dragonstone, off the coast of Westeros.

House of the Dragon's first episode revolves around King Viserys I choosing his heir. With no sons to his name, the choice comes to either his brother, Daemon or his daughter, Rhaenyra. After quarreling with Daemon, he chooses Rhaenyra, but must first tell her the royal secret.

If the stories are to be believed, Aegon I Targaryen, later known as Aegon the Conqueror, had prophetic dreams himself. One such dream involved darkness rising in the North that would come down to sweep away the world of the living. Only a unified Westeros under a strong leader could hope to stand against that tide. This prophecy is the song of ice and fire. 

To put it simply, Aegon foresaw the coming of the White Walkers centuries before it happened. This is why Aegon conquered the Seven Kingdoms and united them under Targaryen rule. This secret prophecy has been passed down from one king to the next to impart upon them the importance of ensuring the Targaryen Dynasty perseveres and that the realm remains one. And here, Viserys passes that information down to his daughter.

But the chain of prophecy became broken when Robert's Rebellion broke the Targaryen chain of rulership. Since the two surviving Targaryens, Viserys and Daenerys, were only children at the time of the rebellion, they would not have learned of the prophecy. Daenerys would later hear it spoken of in her vision while visiting the House of the Undying. In her vision, she hears Rhaegar Targaryen speaking of his son Aegon. He says, "He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire." Knowing what we know now, it would seem that Rhaegar believed that this new Aegon would be the one to fulfill Aegon the Conqueror's prophecy (and, given the timing of the White Walker invasion, he may have been correct if not for Robert's Rebellion).

What do you think? Let us know in the comments. House of the Dragon airs new episodes Sundays on HBO. It also streams on HBO Max.