7 details you might have missed in the new ‘House of the Dragon’ trailer

Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen in “House of the Dragon. “HBO HBO’s first “Game of Thrones” prequel — “House of the Dragon” — premieres next month. A new full-length trailer released Wednesday reveals more about the cast of characters and Westeros.

See all the best details you might have missed in our full breakdown here. The new trailer shows King Viserys bleeding on the Iron Throne — alluding to the idea that the seat of power in Westeros will turn on certain rulers. King Viserys is bleeding because of the Iron Throne’s sharp blades.

HBOIn the lore that author George R. R. Martin has built around the Iron Throne, there are tales of kings who are literally cut by the swords that make up the seat of power.

King Viserys (played by Paddy Considine in “House of the Dragon”) is one such ruler.  Though his reign was largely peaceful, “House of the Dragon” will tell the story of the fallout that came from Viserys’ line of succession.  And if the name sounds familiar, that’s because King Viserys is the namesake of a character you saw throughout season one of “Game of Thrones.

“HBOViserys was the name of Daenerys Targaryen’s older brother, who was also nicknamed “The Beggar King. ” It was commonplace among the Targaryens for names to be passed down generation to generation.  The Viserys you’ll see in “House of the Dragon” lived about 200 years before the Viserys we met in the first season of “Game of Thrones.

“The trailer also gives us a peek at the dragon pit in its glory days. Previously fans have only seen the ruins of this place. The dragon pit in King Viserys’ time (left) and the dragonpit ruins almost 200 years later in “Game of Thrones” season seven.

HBOAkin to the Colosseum in Rome, the dragon pit was a massive structure built in the heyday of the Targaryen dynasty, but it fell into ruin as the decades wore on. By the time we saw it in “Game of Thrones,” the dragonpit was a hollowed-out structure with crumbling walls and no ceiling.  But in “House of the Dragon,” we will see the might of the Targaryen’s dragons as well as the place where they were bred, raised, and held for safekeeping.

 During this period of Targaryen history, there was a lot more infrastructure and “technology” designed for massive dragons, including harnesses. Daemon Targaryen and his dragon. HBOIn “Game of Thrones,” Daenerys was shown riding her dragons bareback — an impressive show of strength and trust in her babies.

 But in the era of Westeros we’ll be watching in “House of the Dragon,” the characters with dragons have intricate harnesses for their dragons. You can think of them as giant, magical horses who have a special stable and saddle custom-made for them.  Alicent Hightower, one of the central characters for the story, is shown with a prominent symbol of the Faith of the Seven around her neck.

Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen in “House of the Dragon. “HBOThe seven-pointed star is shorthand for the Faith of the Seven, just as a cross is the primary symbol for Christianity in the real world. In Martin’s fictitious history, Alicent Hightower’s ancestors were the first people in Westeros to adopt the Faith of the Seven when it was brought to the continent by the Andals.

 Then, when Aegon the Conqueror came to Westeros to establish Targaryen rule, he was anointed by the High Septon (who is like the Pope of the Faith of the Seven). King Aegon chose to use the date of this anointment to mark the first day of House Targaryen’s rule in Westeros. So all in all, expect to see many references to the Seven from both Alicent Hightower’s character and other Targaryens.

In Westeros, it’s really just the North (aka House Stark) and the Iron Islanders who prefer to worship their “old gods” instead of the Seven.  The trailer also gives us a first-look at Aemond Targaryen, also called Aemond “One-Eye. “Aemond Targaryen in the new “House of the Dragon” trailer.

HBOAemond is the second son of King Viserys and Queen Alicent Hightower. He’s known as a fierce and hot-tempered member of the Targaryen family, and of course has his own ferocious dragon.  Last but not least, the famous “catspaw dagger” makes a big appearance in this trailer.

Bran Stark with the dagger in “Game of Thrones,” and Alicent Hightower holding it in “House of the Dragon. “HBOThis weapon was likely just a normal dagger that any Targaryen or prominent member of the court may have had back in King Viserys’ day. In the trailer, it looks like Alicent pulls it out of a sheath on someone’s back before threatening Rhaenyra (King Viserys’ daughter and named heir to the Iron Throne) with the blade.

 In “Game of Thrones,” we learned that Targaryens historically used “dragonglass” (basically obsidian) to decorate their weapons. The blade is Valyrian steel, also called “dragonsteel. “These two components were the perfect recipe for a weapon magical enough to kill the Night King.

We last saw this dagger in “Game of Thrones” when Arya Stark used it to defeat the ruler of the White Walkers and end the battle for humanity.  For more on “House of the Dragon” and references to “Game of Thrones,” read our breakdown of why the Iron Throne has been changed to better match George R. R.

Martin’s version from the books. Read the original article on Insider.