Why Do the Targaryens in 'House of the Dragon' Marry Each Other?Home > Television > Stream & Chill > HBO Max > Game of ThronesSource: HBO MaxViserys I and Aemma from 'House of the Dragon.' The Targaryens Have a Long-Standing Tradition of Unorthodox RelationshipsBy Chrissy Bobic Aug. 19 2022, Published 12:28 p.m. ET Before House of the Dragon was thought up, fans of Game of Thrones knew all about how the Targaryen family works. As in, fans were well aware of the fact that members of the Targaryen family have had romantic relationships with each other for centuries. But, why do the Targaryens in House of the Dragon marry each other?Article continues below advertisement If you ever watched Game of Thrones (which, let's face it, you probably did if you plan to tune in to the spinoff), then you know that Daenerys's own brother once threatened to have sex with her before he sold her to Khal Drogo. So the idea of incest in the Targaryen family isn't exactly foreign. But in the spinoff, there's a whole lot more of it.Source: HBO Max Rhaenyra and Aemma in 'House of the Dragon.'Article continues below advertisement Why do the Targaryens marry each other in ' House of the Dragon' It's briefly explained in Game of Thrones and more thoroughly discussed in the A Song of Ice and Fire books that the Targaryens marry each other in order to keep the family bloodline pure. You know that white-blonde hair that the entire family sports proudly? That is thanks to the Targaryens continuously marrying and conceiving children within the family. It's one reason why Jon Snow doesn't have the signature Targaryen hair, despite being a Targaryen by blood. His mother, Lyanna Stark, married Rhaegar Targaryen and together, they conceived Jon. But, because Lyanna wasn't a Targaryen like her husband, Jon inherited his looks from the Stark side.Article continues below advertisement Everyone at this point has seen or at least heard of Game Of Thrones, particularly the Targaryens. You know what they’re about at this point. Knocking points off of #HouseoftheDragon because you think there’s too much incest is ridiculous. Yes, in this context, it is ridiculous! pic.twitter.com/p6QcjBae87— kylem (@xo_kylem) August 19, 2022 George R.R. Martin told Entertainment Weekly in 2018 that, to him, the Targaryens are "distinctly different" from other families in his books. "They're kings," he told the outlet. "They're practicing incest like the Ancient Egyptians to try to keep the bloodline pure. And they have the dragons, which nobody else has. You can never go wrong with a dragon."Article continues below advertisement Not only have the Targaryens practiced incest for centuries, but some members of the family also leaned into the belief of polygamy. Like Aegon Targaryen I, who married both of his sisters, Visenya and Rhaenys. The fact that Targaryens marry each other isn't a huge plot point in Game of Thrones since there are just a few members of the family left when the series begins. But House of the Dragon will undoubtedly look at that part of the family's history a lot more closely. Me explaining to my parents why incest among Targaryens is okay in the context of the ASOIAF universe #HouseoftheDragon pic.twitter.com/vbeSf7lTtU— Emlyn Hera ?????? (@hera_emlyn) August 12, 2022 Article continues below advertisement ' Game of Thrones' fans rooted for Daenerys and Jon Snow an aunt and nephew Despite incest being, well, icky all around, Game of Thrones fans actually wanted Jon and Daenerys to get together toward the end of the series. Even though Daenerys is Jon's aunt since her brother fathered Jon, fans argued that intrafamilial relationships have always been normal for the Targaryens. And in the end, Jon and Daenerys did sleep together and they were together for a while. The Lannisters aren' t above incest either To be fair, there don't seem to be many Game of Thrones houses that take the negative aspects of incest seriously. The Starks are not historically incestuous, but siblings Cersei and Jaime Lannister had an affair for years. And there was a time when Robert Arryn suggested to Sansa Stark that they get married even though they are cousins.Article continues below advertisementSource: HBO Max Jaime and Cersei from 'Game of Thrones.' Incest is, unfortunately, a *thing* in both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. And in the latter, it's even more common, so we'd better just get used to it. Watch House of the Dragon on Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on HBO Max.AdvertisementMore from Distractify Jon Snow Is Actually a Targaryen — Will He Be in 'House of the Dragon'? 'House of the Dragon' Captures the Bloody Battle of the Targaryen Siblings Robert's Rebellion Is Important in 'Game of Thrones' History — Does It Happen in 'House of the Dragon'? Latest Game of Thrones News and UpdatesAdvertisementABOUT DistractifyAbout UsPrivacy PolicyTerms of UseDMCASitemapCONNECT with DistractifyLink to Facebook Link to TwitterLink to InstagramContact us by Email Copyright 2022 Distractify. Distractify is a registered trademark. 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