Is Helaena The Three-Eyed Raven? Her Dreams, Powers & Possible Bran Stark Connection Explained

WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Fire & Blood, the book on which House of the Dragon is based.

Summary

• Helaena Targaryen And Brynden Rivers Were Part Of Daemon’s Visions.
• Helaena Targaryen’s Prophetic Dreams Are Becoming More Accurate.
• Helaena Targaryen Has Predicted Major Events Already;

House of the Dragon season 2 made it clear that Helaena Targaryen is a dragon dreamer and established a connection between her and Game of Thrones’ Bran Stark. Although George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire universe is known for its relatively grounded and gritty approach to fantasy, it does include fantastical elements, including magic. The rules of the ASOIAF’s magic system are not exactly clear, which is addressed from an in-universe perspective through the fact that Westeros and the rest of the world have different beliefs, legends, and costumes.

For example, House Targaryen claims that only those with the blood of the dragon, descendants of the dragonriders from Old Valyria, can ride dragons. The power of the blood of the dragon also ties into dragon dreams, which are inherently associated with the Targaryens. While Fire & Blood does not address whether Helaena is a dragon dreamer, HBO’s House of the Dragon teased several times that she had prophetic visions. This was all but confirmed in House of the Dragon season 2’s finale, during which Helaena somehow appeared in Daemon’s visions of the future.

Helaena Targaryen Is Not The Three-Eyed Raven (But HOTD Connects Them)

Helaena Targaryen And Brynden Rivers Were Part Of Daemon’s Visions

The fact that Helaena, a Targaryen, has prophetic visions in House of the Dragon may have led many to assume that she is or was once meant to be the Three-Eyed Raven. Introduced in Game of Thrones season 4, the Three-Eyed Raven was a symbol of everything Bran was going through and served as a mentor to him. Following the death of the Three-Eye Raven, Bran inherited his powers and mission to stop the Long Night and save the world of the living. Though his name was never said on the show, the original Three-Eyed Raven was assumed to be a Targaryen.

One of the oldest ASOIAF and Game of Thrones theories was that the Three-Eyed Raven was Brynden Rivers, one of the Great Bastards of King Aegon IV Targaryen. Daemon’s visions in House of the Dragon season 2’s finale all but confirmed that Brynden Rivers, the Bloodraven, does become the Three Eyed-Raven. Helaena is not directly tied to Brynden, as the latter was the great-grandchild of Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen. Regardless, the fact that Daemon, Helaena, and the Three-Eyed Raven all appeared in the same vision connects them.

Aegon IV legitimating Brynden and a series of other bastards would lead to the Blackfyre Rebellion.

What Are Dragon Dreams & What Powers Does Helaena Actually Have?

Helaena’s Prophetic Dreams Are Becoming Increasingly More Accurate

Targaryens having prophetic dreams has been an important concept in House of the Dragon and the ASOIAF universe as a whole, going back to Daenys Targaryen’s vision of the Doom of Valyria and Aegon the Conqueror’s Song of Ice and Fire dream. Aegon’s dream, which was the main reason why he sought to conquer Westeros, was never brought up in the books. House of the Dragon season 1’s premiere changed Aegon’s entire journey in hindsight by revealing he was a dragon dreamer and had a vision about the Long Night.

Bran’s most recent appearance in the ASOIAF books sees him meeting the Three-Eyed Raven for the first time.

Interestingly, it seems like Viserys I Targaryen was also a dragon dreamer since he kept mentioning dreams he had about his son sitting on the throne. Helaena’s dragon dreams have been much more intense and precise, though. It is unclear how much control Helaena has over her visions or how she perceives each of them, but the fact is that she has been able to sense and predict major events. This includes the death of one of her children and the fates of Aegon II and Aemond Targaryen. Helaena’s powers were particularly impressive during the season 2 finale.

Helaena Teases Bran Stark Becoming The Three-Eyed Raven

Helaena May Have Teased Bran’s Future As The Three-Eyed Raven

The Princess’s observation that the “last ring has no legs at all” seemingly describes Bran Stark, who won’t be born for over 150 more years. The “last ring” could also refer to Bran being the last known king of Westeros by Game of Thrones’ timeline, who would reign once the Targaryen dynasty was completely destroyed and be the symbolic outer ring of their time in Westeros.

House of the Dragon’s Helaena Targaryen also could have still been referring to Bran Stark through her comment about losing an eye, as Bran’s major storyline in Game of Thrones involved using his elevated internal sight as the Three-Eyed Raven. When being trained by the old Three-Eyed Raven, Bran had to learn to use his third “eye” in his mind to see the future and travel through other beings, at which point he had to “close” his eyes back on his physical body.

Helaena’s Prophecies In House Of The Dragon & Which Ones Came True

Helaena Has Predicted A Lot Of Major Events

Helanea has made quite a few prophecies in House of the Dragon already, although not all of them were meant to be direct predictions of what was going to happen. The show suggests that, when she was younger, Helaena could not comprehend exactly what her dreams and feelings meant. However, the older version of Helaena, especially in the season 2 finale, was aware that whatever she was seeing was tied to future events.

“Last ring has no legs at all:” The possible dragon dreamer’s statement about losing legs could also apply to her brother Aegon, who becomes crippled when his legs are shattered during the Battle at Rook’s Rest. It could also have to do with Bran Stark, who becomes crippled at the beginning of the Game of Thrones.

“He’ll Have To Close An Eye:” When Helaena says “he’ll have to close an eye,” she’s referring to her younger brother, who will soon lose an eye and become known as Aemond One-Eye. When he descends from Vhagar, Aemond maliciously calls Rhaenyra’s sons “Strongs,” at which point Jacaerys Velaryon attacks his uncle. Fire & Blood explained that Aemond began beating Jacaerys so brutally that Lucerys grabbed a knife and slashed at Aemond’s face, unintentionally taking out his right eye.

“Hand turns loom; spool of green, spool of black. Dragons of flesh, weaving dragons of thread:” Before Viserys’ death, Helaena predicted the Targaryen civil war between Rhaenyra, whose supporters would be known as the blacks, and Aegon, whose supporters would be known as the greens.

“Beware the beast beneath the boards:” During the family dinner in House of the Dragon season 1, episode 8, shortly before Viserys died and Aegon was crowned in King’s Landing, Helaena warned her mother about the “beast beneath the boards.” During Aegon’s coronation, Rhaenys invaded the sept with her dragon, killing dozens of people.

“I’m afraid … Not of dragons. Of rats:” House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1’s premiere included the horrifying Blood & Cheese scene from the book, although it made some changes to it. One of those changes was the fact that Helaena either predicted or could feel that something was about to happen, as her mentioning of “rats” foreshadowed the involvement of a ratcatcher in the murder of her infant child Jaehaerys Targaryen.

While they have not come true yet in House of the Dragon, Helaena’s visions about Aegon sitting on a wooden chair and Aemond dying above the God’s Eye will both come true. As Helaena warned Aemond, Aegon will prevail over his brother and Rhaenyra eventually. Aemond and Daemon die fighting each other above the God’s Eye, whereas Rhaenyra is burned alive by Sunfire as Aegon, sitting in a wheelchair, watches it.

Is Helaena Targaryen A Dragon Dreamer In The Book?

House Of The Dragon Has Made Changes To The Book

Since the history of House Targaryen explored in Fire & Blood comes from the accounts of unreliable narrators outside the family, the book has no confirmation of Targaryens being dragon dreamers unless it was widely documented or suspected. As such, Helaena Targaryen wasn’t described as being a dreamer in Fire & Blood. So far, every major revelation from House of the Dragon about Targaryens being dreamers (except for Daenys) is new to the story.

Helaena Targaryen was described as quieter and slightly more mysterious in the book (…)

Aegon the Conqueror wasn’t said to be a dreamer in Fire & Blood, and neither was King Viserys I Targaryen, whose dream of his son Aegon sitting on the Iron Throne wearing the Conqueror’s crown will eventually come true. However, Helaena Targaryen was described as quieter and slightly more mysterious in the book, so the character being a dragon dreamer in House of the Dragon is still realistic.