HBO Has Finally Fixed Game of Thrones’ Dragon Design Mistake

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George R.R. Martin, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire, has pointed out mistakes in both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon concerning the Targaryen family history. While the early seasons of Game of Thrones were initially faithful to his books, many fans felt the show became less accurate as it went on. Martin also expressed his disappointment with the second season of House of the Dragon for deviating significantly from the original stories. Fortunately, the upcoming release of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms promises to correct these errors.

A new teaser for the show A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms just dropped, and fans noticed something special: a Targaryen flag that looked exactly as it’s described in the original books. This is the first time since the beginning of Game of Thrones that the flag has been perfectly true to the source material, as author George R.R. Martin also wrote some episodes of that series.

The show hasn’t consistently depicted the Targaryen family crest as described in George R.R. Martin’s books. The books detail a three-headed dragon with two legs and two wings. However, the recent teaser for the upcoming series, Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, showcases this exact design, suggesting the show will now align with the book’s description.

The first four seasons of Game of Thrones also accurately depicted the Targaryen family crest. It consistently showed the sigil with two legs and two wings.

But during the fifth season, viewers and George R.R. Martin himself spotted a change to the family crest. The dragon that was originally depicted with two legs now had four.

It was clearly an error, but no one corrected it. The dragon with four legs stayed on the Targaryen family crest throughout the rest of the Game of Thrones series.

Unfortunately, House of the Dragon didn’t correct the mistake with the Targaryen sigil. It continued to use the incorrect, four-legged version, much to Martin’s disappointment.

Martin addressed the error on his blog, pointing it out without being harsh. He explained that the Targaryen sigil – the dragon emblem – clearly has two legs, and that the show’s depiction was incorrect, as anyone familiar with the emblem could easily verify.

Therefore, in my opinion, the Targaryen symbol clearly shows a dragon with two legs, which is how it should be. It doesn’t make sense for anyone in Westeros to depict a dragon with four legs when they can clearly see how real dragons are shaped.

Martin felt both shows were partially correct, but also criticized someone for being careless. He even admitted the flawed design unexpectedly appeared on the covers of his books.

Just so you know, both shows got the family crests partially correct. ‘Game of Thrones’ accurately depicted the two-legged sigils for the first four and most of the fifth season, but then switched to four-legged dragons on the sails when Daenerys’ fleet appeared – a clear mistake. It seems someone wasn’t paying attention to detail, or maybe they misunderstood heraldry. As they say, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Later, ‘House of the Dragon’ decided to make the heraldry consistent with ‘Game of Thrones,’ but unfortunately, they chose the incorrect, four-legged version of the sigil. I was horrified! Those extra legs have even appeared on the covers of my books, despite my protests.

Martin will likely be pleased that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms accurately depicted the family crest. It felt appropriate that House of the Dragon got it wrong, considering Season 2 significantly departed from his original books – a change he openly criticized.

The author has stated that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms stays very true to his books, and the show’s preview seems to confirm this, with some lines of dialogue taken directly from the novellas. The accurate depiction of heraldry suggests the series will closely follow the source material, which should please many fans.

You can now watch the complete trailer for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a story taking place between the events of House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. It’s available below.

Will House of the Dragon Season 3 Fix Its Targaryen Sigil Issue?

While the mistake with the Targaryen banner in House of the Dragon isn’t a major issue, it’s symbolic of some of the show’s broader problems. Season 2, particularly how it handled the stories of Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen towards the end, significantly departed from the events depicted in Fire & Blood.

Since both shows are on HBO, it’s likely House of the Dragon Season 3 will feature the correct symbol. While Season 3 could have reused props from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, there’s still a chance the wrong symbol might appear.

Given the fan reaction to Season 2 of House of the Dragon, it’s likely the show will adjust its approach and stick closer to George R.R. Martin’s books. Season 3 will cover key events from the Dance of the Dragons storyline, and fans are eager to see how the show’s creators will adapt them.

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2025-11-03 12:05