Did 'Game of Thrones' Just Hint At Tyrion The Targaryen?

The latest episode of Game of Thrones made several longstanding fan theories canon, or at least danced around them. We learned Jon Snow might be Azor Ahai reborn, thanks to his resurrection. Thanks to Bran’s mystical peek into the past, we got an intriguing peek at a pre-Hodor Hodor. Jon’s mother is probably Lyanna Stark, thanks to what Isaac Hempstead Wright told us about the Tower of Joy, and Tyrion might be a Targaryen. Confused about that last one? If you’re a non-book reader, here’s an explanation.

The Basic Theory

Tywin Lannister is not Tyrion’s real father. The Mad King raped Tyrion, Jaime, and Cersei’s mother and he is therefore Tyrion’s biological father. That’s why Tywin constantly insisted he was “no son of mine.” Isaac Hempstead Wright told us, “I quite like that theory.”

Does it hold up to Tyrion-level scrutiny?

It’s admittedly more of a stretch than the Jon is The Prince That Was Promised theory — after all, Tywin made it very clear he didn’t tolerate anything that would soil the Lannister name, not just dwarfism and facetiousness at Small Council meetings. It’s likely the “no son of mine” phrase was just Tywin’s vicious figure of speech. “The house that has family first will always defeat the house that puts the whims of its sons and daughters first,” he famously said.

But that’s discounting all the times he used the justification, “because you’re a Lannister!” to Tyrion.

It also discounts all of the times he’s been equally harsh to Jaime, his pride and joy, no kidding, definitely biological son. Game of Thrones has given no real indication that Tywin’s hatred was anything other than his signature disdain for everyone, mixed with Tyrion’s failure to conform to his visions of what a Lannister man should be.

But new Season 6 information thickens the plot

In Season 6’s “Home,” — otherwise known as the episode that made the internet say FUCK YEAH, WE KNEW IT, JON SNOW! — Tyrion’s scene with the dragons is getting Tyrion-is-a-Targaryen theorists abuzz all over again.

See, when Daenerys takes her Season 2 trip to The House of The Undying, one of her visions tells her, “the dragon has three heads.” The common interpretation is that Dany’s three dragons need three riders: Daenerys, Jon, and Tyrion, all allegedly Targaryens.

In “Home,” Tyrion tells Varys that dragons are intelligent creatures. “They have affection for their friends and fury for their enemies,” he says. “I am their friend.” Varys quips, “do they know that?”

They sure seemed to, by failing to incinerate him. Tyrion’s mixture of awe and fear made the scene far more emotionally resonant than it should have been — par for the course with Tyrion — and it’s fueled the fires of speculation once more. Could the show be setting Tyrion up to eventually ride one of Daenerys’s dragons?

We can’t say whether the show will move in that particular direction, but as always with Game of Thrones, it’s enthralling to hope.