Dragon House: Who is Aeriana Targaryen?

Rhaenyra mentions a mysterious ancestor in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 6: Aeriana Targaryen, a lost princess of uncertain parentage.

If you thought keeping track of every Targaryen king was hard enough, try analyzing the entire Targaryen family tree. It spans centuries of inbreeding, bastardy, and repeated names; seriously, do we need that many Aegons?

Loyal fans have been keeping up to date with the family tree for years, with most members from Aenar to Game of Thrones’ Daenerys.

Prepare yourself for a headache, because House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 6 just threw a major wrench in the works with Aeriana Targaryen.

Who is Aeriana Targaryen?

Aeriana Targaryen was Steffon Darklyn’s grandmother. We don’t know any other details about their lineage; their father, mother, and children remain a mystery.

In Book 6, Rhaenyra takes Jacaerys’s advice and begins searching for nontraditional dragonriders; Targaryen bastards and others who might qualify as dragonspawn.

She begins with Ser Steffon Darklyn, Lord Commander of the Queensguard. “You are of noble birth, and I have always heard, as you know, that Darklyns and Targaryens share the same blood,” Rhaenyra explains.

“I have studied the history, and it is true. Your grandmother, Aeriana, was born a Targaryen princess.”

I’ve searched dozens of subreddits, comprehensive genealogies, and even House of the Dragon fan fiction—Aeriana doesn’t appear anywhere. Still, I have three theories.

Theory 1

Aeriana is Gaemon’s granddaughter and Daenys’s child, her name is unknown.

Gaemon and Daenys were the children of Aenar, the first Targaryen recorded in George RR Martin’s original source material. They had three children together: Aegon (not the Conqueror), Elaena, and another daughter whose name is never confirmed.

According to Fire and Blood, she married a “minor lord” and they had a child together, but little is known about who they were or what they became.

The House of the Dragon begins in 101 AC, while Aegon’s Conquest begins in 2 BC. Aegon was born four generations after Gaemon and Daenys, so Aeriana may be their great-granddaughter.

Theory 2

Steffon Darkyln may have been Theomore Manderly’s grandson. Given their family’s unclear history, it’s not too far-fetched to assume that Aeriana was accidentally a Targaryen bastard who married into the Manderlys.

According to the Reddit theory, “We know that one of Theomore Manderly’s daughters married a young Lord Darklyn in 72 AC, who appears to have been a bachelor before the wedding. Therefore, their first son, if they had any, would have been Steffon Darklyn’s brother, both of whom were born sometime in the mid-to-late 70s AC.

Which means, by the way, that Gunthor Darklyn, grandson of Steffon Darklyn and Lord of Duskandale at the time the Ball began, is the great-grandson of the late Lord of White Harbor and a second cousin of Desmond Manderly.

So what has this got to do with Aeriana? Yes, Theomore had four wives…all known. One of them could have been Aeriana’s niece, given the relationship between the two families; for example, the Manderlys supported Rhaenys’s claim to the Iron Throne at the Great Council.

We also don’t know much about Theomore’s parents. His father was Rodrick Manderly, while his mother is known only as Elise Manderly; she may have been a descendant of the Targaryens.

Theory 3

Admittedly, this is the worst theory: she’s completely making it up, a reference to Fire and Blood’s unreliable account of Targaryen history.

If you haven’t read the book House of the Dragon is based on, you should know that it’s technically a copy of Archmaester Gyldayn’s memoirs written in the Citadel of Oldtown. It’s full of rumors and alternate possibilities, and doesn’t reflect the whole picture – which is why Rhaenyra and Alicent’s relationship is a bigger throughline in the TV show.

Like Gyldayn’s scribbles, Rhaenyra’s family records may be inaccurate. After all, Darklyn has no connection to the Targaryens (or Velaryons) in the books.

“Not all who came forward to answer the prince’s call were seed, nor even the sons or grandsons of seed… among them was her Lord Commander of the Guard, Ser Steffon Darklyn,” the records read.

If you’re looking for more House of the Dragon content, check out our guides to Hugh Hammer , Ulf the White , and Alyn of Hull . Also, make sure you stay up to date with our Season 2 release schedule.