'House of the Dragon' season 2 introduces the series' first Stark -- see how that family tree connects to 'Game of Thrones.'
House of the Dragon's first season introduced a new generation of Westeros royalty to Game of Thrones fans -- depicting House Targaryen's dominating but divisive rule two centuries before the events of the original HBO series. But some fans of the books were left wondering, where is House Stark?
That question will be answered in some part in HoTD's second season, which sees Rhaenyra Targaryen's (Emma D'Arcy) eldest living son, Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett), traveling to The Wall in search of allies for The Blacks. There, he'll meet with the series' first Stark -- an important ancestor to the family fans came to know and love in the original GoT series.
In George R. R. Martin's book canon, Cregan Stark (played in HoTD season 2 by Tom Taylor), was the Lord of Winterfell during the time of the Dance of the Dragons -- the conflict centered in the new series. He was known as the Wolf of the North and, later in life, the Old Man of the North. He succeeded his father, Rickon Stark, to head House Stark during the reigns of the two Targaryen kings viewers have seen so far -- Viserys I (Paddy Consindine) and Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) -- as well as their two successors, Aegon III and Daeron I.
So, how is Cregan Stark related to the family Game of Thrones fans know and love?
It's a complicated but ultimately direct family tree. Cregan was the great-great-great-great-grandfather of Ned Stark (Sean Bean), whose death propelled his house into turmoil, but ultimate triumph during the events of GoT's eight seasons.
To be specific, after Cregan's death, the Lord of Winterfell title passed through Brandon Stark, Berran Stark, William Stark, Edwyle Stark, (another) Rickon Stark, and then to Ned. (If the nomenclature is confusing, it's because these houses apparently only had a handful of names to choose from!)
As for what we can expect from Cregan and the Starks in House of the Dragon, Martin's Fire & Blood prequel novel depicts a true alliance between Jacaerys and Cregan, which comes to be know as the Pact of Ice and Fire. The North agrees to support Rhaenyra, in exchange for Jace agreeing to marry his firstborn daughter to Cregan's eldest son.
While the North takes part in several key battles during the Dance of Dragons, Cregan's major influence on Westeros as a whole comes after the Targaryens' family war has concluded. He and his army march to King's Landing and instill Rhaenyra's son, Aegon the Younger -- who becomes Aegon III -- as King of Westeros.
It remains to be seen how closely House of the Dragon will follow Fire & Blood, as several major storylines have already been altered in the show. However, what fans can be sure of is that House Stark will remain a major player in the years to come.
House of the Dragon premieres Sunday, June 16 at 9 p.m. PT/ET on HBO and streaming on Max.
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