Like Game of Thrones before it, the opening titles of House of the Dragon change with almost every episode. While the opening titles of Game of Thrones glided over a map of Westeros and Essos, giving us hints as to what locations we were going to visit that week, the opening titles of House of the Dragon show us a tapestry being woven. The tapestry depicts important events in the prehistory of the show, going as far back as the Doom of Valyria and Aegon’s Conquest, right up to Rhaenyra Targaryen’s (Emma D’Arcy) current struggle to take and hold the Iron Throne. The first episode of House of the Dragon Season 3 climaxed with the Battle of the Gullet, where Rhaenyra’s son Jace (Harry Collett) was killed after his dragon drowned in the ocean and he was pelted with crossbow bolts fired by Triarchy sailors. The newest version of the intro shows his death being woven into the tapestry:
HBO
In the latest episode of the show, “Rhaenyra Triumphant,” Rhaenyra imagines seeing Jace walking the halls of the Red Keep, so clearly his death will continue to haunt her. The opening credits have changed in other ways. There’s a new image of Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) fighting against Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorn) during the Battle of the Gullet. The Battle of the Gullet in general is depicted in an interesting way, with the tapestry folding and undulating to simulate waves. There may even be hints of things to come in the opening credits, so it pays to keep an eye on them throughout the season.
How the ‘House of the Dragon’ Intro Has Changed
HBO
In the first season, the House of the Dragon credits were very different. Instead of a tapestry, they revolved around a large model of the ruined city of Old Valyria, where the Targaryen family lived long before they came to Westeros. Rhaenyra’s father King Viserys (Paddy Considine) kept such a model in the Red Keep; we still see it from time to time on the show. But swooping over a grey-black model of a city isn’t as dynamic as seeing a colorful tapestry being woven in real time, so the show switched things up in Season 2. The tapestry in House of the Dragon is modeled after the real-life Bayeux Tapestry, an 11th-century work that depicts the Norman conquest of England.
The iconic Game of Thrones theme song has remained in place for all three seasons, although it’s been updated for Season 3. There’s a heavier drumbeat that plays under the melody, appropriate now that the characters are in the thick of war.
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