The White Hart in 'House of the Dragon' Has a Deeper Meaning Than You Think
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In Episode Three of House of the Dragon, the Targaryen family leaves their castle in King's Landing for the traditional hunt. It's the young prince's second birthday, and the kingdom is determined to kill a great deer in his honor. The king's brigade is on the hunt for a large, white hart that has been reported in the area, but they find a normal brown deer instead. Bummer! The white stag only makes its presence known to Princess Rhaenyra and her trusty knight. Of course, this is leaving fans wondering what it means.
The great stag has long been a symbol of the spiritual and divine power of nature throughout much of European and Asian folklore. In Celtic mythology, they are messengers from the otherworld, while in Arthurian legend, the animal represents a spiritual quest. In the Harry Potter series, the creature acts as a magical charm to guide Harry to the sword of Gryffindor. Likewise, in Japanese stories like the animated film Princess Mononoke, a great deer acts as the spirit of the forest. Arceus, the god Pokémon, is even a giant white stag. What the animal's symbolism means for House of the Dragon, however, depends on how the series chooses to interpret the historically spiritual being.
According to Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, "the stag is the king of the King's Wood" and "a regal portent for Prince Aegon's name day." He later adds that the animal was a symbol of royalty before dragons ruled over Westeros—and that seeing one meant that the gods were displaying their "favor." If the gods are sending a white hart to the realm of men to speak their mind on who should be its ruler, its lack of appearance toward King Viserys or his two-year-old son Aegon should've turned some heads. Instead, the great white stag appears only to Princess Rhaenyra and Ser Criston Cole.
Without reading too far into it, the hart's appearance likely symbolizes that the gods favor Princess Rhaenyra as the rightful ruler of Westeros—over her father, and even her young step-brother. Whereas King Viserys slaughters the large brown deer at the behest of his loyal followers, Rhaenyra chooses to let the great white stag live. Her decision is clearly meant to show that she would be a more merciful and kind leader. Even though Rhaenyra saw a big ol' deer in the forest, it might not mean anything for well-worn fans of the Game of Thrones universe. George R.R. Martin's cruel world may never let her sit in a position of power, no matter what any god may say. Hell, it could even mean that Ser Criston Cole should be king. Wouldn't that be something?
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