Is the Night King a Targaryen? If watching the fantasy series House of the Dragon has taught me anything, it’s that if something bad happens in Westeros, then the Targaryen family are normally to blame. So what about the worst disaster to ever befall the seven Kingdoms, the Long Night?
Well, in the TV series, the Long Night is caused by the villainous Night King and his White Walkers. These undead warriors were created by the Children of the Forest to help them in their battles with the First Men, but they turned against their creators and now act only to kill. So are the Targaryens related to these villains? Is the Night King a Targaryen?
Is the Night King a Targaryen?
No, the Night King is not a Targaryen. In the drama series, we don’t know what house the man who became the Night King was from. It’s likely, considering he was born thousands of years ago during the Children of the Forest’s war with the First Men, that the current house system didn’t exist when the Night King was human.
In the books, however, the story of the Night King is slightly different. The Night King isn’t the leader of the White Walkers. Instead, he’s a legendary historical figure who supposedly betrayed the Night’s Watch to marry a “corpse queen” and then crowned himself a king.
This Night’s King (note the apostrophe) committed unspeakable acts in the North until the Starks eventually stepped in to stop him. While the Night’s King’s house hasn’t been confirmed, there are whispers he was a Bolton, an Umber, or even a Stark.
If you want to know more about the atrocities the Targaryens did commit, then check out our guide to House of the Dragons season 2, or we have guides on some of the best House of the Dragon characters, including Otto Hightower, Larys Strong, King Viserys Targaryen, Daemon Targaryen, Alicent Hightower, and Rhaenyra Targaryen.
Finally, check out our article looking into whether Game of Thrones season 9 and if Daenerys Targaryen and the rest of the Game of Thrones cast could ever return.