A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Finally Fixes a Targaryen Mistake That George R.R. Martin Complained About

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The new book, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, includes a detail that George R.R. Martin will likely appreciate – something that hasn’t always been the case with adaptations of his work. The Game of Thrones TV series famously moved ahead of his A Song of Ice and Fire books and made many changes. While Martin generally avoided direct criticism, he’s repeatedly expressed his desire for adaptations to remain faithful to his original stories, and has stated his own ending will differ. He was much more vocal with House of the Dragon, even publishing (and later removing) a critical post about changes made to the ‘Blood and Cheese’ storyline and the removal of the character Maelor Targaryen in its second season.

HBO’s new show set in Westeros, co-created by George R.R. Martin and Ira Parker, is based on his Tales of Dunk and Egg stories. Fans should find it more faithful to the original books than Game of Thrones. The second episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms introduces the Targaryen family – Baelor, Maekar, Valarr, and Aerion – and reveals their family crest. Importantly, the three-headed dragon on the crest has only two legs, which is how Martin always envisioned it. While the first five seasons of Game of Thrones used a two-legged dragon, House of the Dragon switched to a four-legged version. Martin expressed his dissatisfaction with this change back in 2024, stating:

I put a lot of thought into how my dragons look. Of course, they fly and breathe fire – those felt like must-have qualities! I specifically gave them two legs and two wings, because four-legged dragons only appear in old coats of arms. Actually, the confusion about how many legs a dragon should have started way back in medieval times with those same heraldic designs. At first, both four-legged and two-legged creatures were called dragons, but over time, heralds started calling the four-legged ones ‘dragons’ and the two-legged ones ‘wyverns’. The funny thing is, nobody had ever actually seen a dragon or wyvern – they were legendary creatures, so the difference was made up! And medieval heralds weren’t known for being animal experts, even when it came to real animals.

Dragons are real in Westeros – and wyverns exist in Sothoryos too – so there’s no reason my heralds couldn’t accurately depict them. That’s why, in my depictions, the Targaryen sigil shows dragons with two legs, as they should be. Why would anyone in Westeros give a dragon four legs when they’ve seen real dragons and know how many legs they have? My wyverns also have two legs, though they’re mainly different from dragons in size, color, and the fact they can’t breathe fire. It’s worth noting that while the Targaryen sigil gets the number of legs right, it’s not perfectly realistic – the wings are too small for the body, and of course, dragons don’t have three heads. The three heads are symbolic, representing Aegon the Conqueror and his two sisters.

Just so you know, both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon got the family crests partially correct. For the first few seasons, Game of Thrones accurately depicted the sigils with two-legged creatures. But when Daenerys’ ships appeared, all the sails showed dragons with four legs – a clear mistake. It seems someone didn’t pay close enough attention to heraldry. Later, House of the Dragon tried to fix the inconsistency, but unfortunately, they chose the incorrect four-legged design instead of the original, accurate one. I was really frustrated by this! These incorrect designs have even appeared on the covers of my books, despite my protests.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Perfectly Adapts GRRM’s Book

It’s ironic that this show, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is the one to accurately depict the Targaryen family crest. Considering the show doesn’t feature any dragons – and hasn’t for over 50 years within the story – it’s surprising that the in-universe designers can still get the heraldry correct, even though no one from House Targaryen has actually seen a dragon in generations.

As a fan, I’ve been really impressed with how the Dunk & Egg adaptation, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is handling the source material. The little changes, like the sigil update, aren’t drastic at all, and it’s clear George R.R. Martin and the showrunners are on the same page. What I appreciate most is that the alterations feel natural and thoughtfully done. We’re seeing moments, like Dunk’s drinking and dancing with Lyonel Baratheon, expanded upon – things that were either hinted at in the novellas or felt like they could organically fit within the story. The novellas are short, and some characters needed a bit more development for the screen, but the show still manages to stay incredibly faithful to the feel and spirit of Martin’s writing.

The series stays remarkably true to the original story, even using dialogue almost word-for-word from the book, especially in the first two episodes. The humor and serious moments all feel like they come directly from George R.R. Martin’s writing. The characters, particularly Dunk and Egg, and the overall world, perfectly capture the atmosphere of the novella. It’s a truly faithful adaptation – hard to imagine it being done any better – and the iconic Targaryen symbol is just one example of how well it’s been brought to life.

It’s as if Dunk and Egg stepped right out of the novellas… #AKOTSK

— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) January 25, 2026

The arrival of the Targaryens marks a turning point for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Although the conflicts are still smaller in scale compared to Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, their presence raises the stakes for Dunk and Egg. Dunk has already encountered Aerion, who will become the main antagonist in Season 1. Now that the initial groundwork is laid, the story is poised to become more expansive than Ser Duncan the Tall ever anticipated.

New episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms release Sundays at 10pm ET on HBO and HBO Max.

Alright, folks, let’s talk A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. I’m really curious to hear your thoughts on it – what did you think? Head on over to the ComicBook Forum and let’s discuss! I’m eager to see what everyone’s saying, so jump into the conversation now!

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/feature/a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms-episode-2s-ending-teases-a-hidden-story-that-defines-everything-itd-be-a-perfect-spinoff/embed/#

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2026-01-26 21:42