House of the Dragon opening credits feature an interesting Rhaenyra Easter egg

Matt Smith and Milly Alcock in House of the Dragon
(Image credit: HBO)

House of the Dragon episode 2 finally unveils the show's opening credits, and the sequence is just as intricate as Game of Thrones'. This time, though, instead of traversing a map, the credits take us through the Targaryen family tree, which is drawn in blood.

While the gears that make up the tree aren't labelled, it's possible to make out which symbol represents which character. The very first gear that we see is Aegon the Conqueror, who won Westeros for the Targaryens – which we now know is because he foresaw the end of humankind with a winter from the North, which ties to a familiar prophecy from Game of Thrones. 

As Rhaenyra is currently the last of her line, the final symbol to be revealed belongs to her. Fans have spotted that this particular design of interlocking swirls is also on the necklace that Daemon gifts her in episode 1

still_cant_get_over_the_fact_that_rhaenyras from r/HouseOfTheDragon

Rhaenyra and her Uncle Daemon have a complex relationship so far in the series. The duo often speak to each other in Valyrian and the necklace is a genuine gift, but things are complicated by the fact that  King Viserys disinherited Dameon by naming Rhaenyra the new heir, and Daemon openly mocked the death of Rhaenyra's new born brother. How that relationship plays out across the rest of the show remains to be seen (we won't get into book spoilers here), but the opening credits make it clear that Daemon is very important to Rhaenyra. 

As for the rest of the Targaryens, this Twitter video handily breaks down who's who on the sprawling, bloody family tree. 

The HBO show drops a new episode weekly, and you can see our House of the Dragon release schedule to find out exactly when the next installment arrives in your time zone. In the meantime, see our roundup of the best Netflix shows to fill out your watchlist. 

Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

Read more
Daemon in House of the Dragon season 2
House of the Dragon season 3 release date speculation, cast, plot, and more news
Abubakar Salim in House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon season 3's opening battle is "beastly", according to one of the show's stars
Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon season 3 will start with one of the bloodiest battles ever written by George R.R. Martin
House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon showrunner says season 3 will introduce something from George R. R. Martin's books that Game of Thrones left out: "I just thought it was cool"
Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg and Peter Claffey as Dunk in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
HBO boss says new Game of Thrones spin-off's battles "match" the mainline series at a "fraction of the price"
Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg and Peter Claffey as Dunk in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
George R.R. Martin has high praise for the next Game of Thrones spin-off: "It's as faithful as adaptation as a reasonable man could hope for"
Latest in Fantasy Shows
Nick Frost in Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead star Nick Frost is playing one of the most beloved Harry Potter characters for the new HBO TV show
Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter
Jason Isaacs says Meryl Streep should play Lucius Malfoy in HBO's Harry Potter series: "She can do anything"
Kratos in God of War Ragnarök
God of War TV show writer reveals Amazon has already ordered two seasons, and that he can’t play the video games at all
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Percy Jackson series gets unusually early renewal for season 3 before upcoming season 2 even airs
George R.R. Martin
Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has a new update on The Winds of Winter: "I wish it would come faster"
Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg and Peter Claffey as Dunk in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
HBO boss says new Game of Thrones spin-off's battles "match" the mainline series at a "fraction of the price"
Latest in News
Mario faces the camera with a thumbs up pose in Super Smash Bros. Ulimate.
Nintendo Direct March 2025 live – all the Switch news, trailers, and reveals as they happen
Batman: Arkham Knight
Rocksteady's rumored single-player Batman game is in development for PC, PS5, Xbox, and "the next generation of consoles"
The Last of Us Part 1
The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann wanted to make sure the first game "was complete" because "I wasn't sure they would ever let me direct a game again"
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp