House Of The Dragon's First Episode Had So Many Subtle GOT Easter Eggs

Subtlety isn’t the first thing to come to mind when thinking about the Game of Thrones universe. And on a macro scale, the House of the Dragon premiere was not subtle at all when it came to reminding fans how intrinsically linked the prequel series is to Game of Thrones. Not only did Daenerys get a shoutout right off the bat, but the first episode also included that oh-so-familiar score and a character uttering the words “A Song of Ice and Fire” out loud, just in case you needed more reminders we’re back in Westeros. However, for all its heavy-handed callbacks, the House of the Dragon premiere actually *did* hide some truly subtle Game of Thrones easter eggs that only the most eagle-eyed viewers could have caught.

Like I mentioned, most of the GOT references in House of the Dragon’s premiere episode were immediately obvious to even the least attentive viewer. The series opened with a card explaining the new time period: to be172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen. And Dany stans got even more love when her ancestor, Rhaenyra, shouted her famous command, “Dracarys,” ordering her dragon to burn the corpse of her mother and short-lived brother. These references, along with Viserys’ speech about a foreboding “song of ice and fire,” which preceded the original show’s epic score at the end of the episode, were all very clear nudges for casual fans, but the real superfans caught some more interesting details that you might have missed. Here they are:

1. Rhaenyra’s Westerosi Jewelry

One of the coolest fashion statements came at the end of the episode, when Rhaenyra donned royal regalia to accept her father offering the Iron Throne to her. If you look closely at her golden necklace, it actually contains the sigils of every house in Westeros.

2. That Iron Throne Shot

Fans also noticed the new series alluded to Game of Thrones’ destructive finale by replicating one of the original show’s final scenes.

3. Dark Sister

The new series also showed off an important object that had been mentioned in Game of Thrones before. The premiere saw Daemon Targaryen gift his niece Rhaenyra a Valyrian steel necklace called Dark Sister. Back in Season 2 of GOT, Arya Stark mentioned Dark Sister’s history in a conversation with Tywin Lannister, recalling that Visenya Targaryen, sister of the first Targaryen king Aegon, wielded a Valyrian steel sword called Dark Sister.

4. Rickon Stark

Although the new show is all about the Targaryens, the Starks got some love, too. Fans were delighted to hear a familiar name at the end of the premiere: Rickon Stark. Of course, the Rickon Stark who introduced himself as the Lord of Winterfell in House of the Dragon is not the Rickon Stark GOT fans are most familiar with. This Rickon is several generations older than Sansa, Arya, and Bran’s little brother.

Since House of the Dragon is so inextricably connected to Game of Thrones, fans should keep their eyes peeled for a lot more easter eggs in the upcoming episodes. The series airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.