Egg’s Real Identity in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Explained & What Happens to Him Before Game of Thrones

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The identity of Egg, a character in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, has finally been revealed. While it wasn’t a complex mystery, many viewers were curious about his true background, and the show offered hints along the way. The series suggested there was more to this orphan boy – his shaved head and unusual accent hinted he wasn’t from the poorest of backgrounds – and now, the questions have been answered.

Please be aware that this contains spoilers for Episode 3 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the Dunk & Egg novella series, and events related to the character of Egg’s future.

The identity of Egg is finally revealed at the end of the third episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1, and it happens unexpectedly. After Prince Aerion Targaryen assaults Tanselle for a puppet show showing a dragon being defeated, Dunk retaliates by attacking the prince. However, Dunk’s actions have serious consequences, and he’s about to face punishment until Egg intervenes. The audience then discovers that Egg is actually Aerion’s brother, revealed with some comical reaction shots.

Egg Is Aegon Targaryen – Real Identity Explained

Even though Egg doesn’t reveal his name in this episode, we learned it earlier in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. As Aerion’s brother, he’s one of Prince Maekar’s sons, and we found out in Episode 2 that two of them – Daeron and Aegon – were unaccounted for. Since Daeron was meant to compete in the tourney – something Egg is too young and small to do – you don’t need to be familiar with Game of Thrones lore to figure out this is Aegon Targaryen (yet another one!).

Aegon is the youngest of Maekar’s four sons, only nine years old during the events of the first season. He was meant to be Daeron’s squire at the tourney, but Daeron, his older brother, was a heavy drinker and didn’t want to participate. While Daeron was off drinking, Aegon, nicknamed Egg, ran away to Ashford Meadow and became the squire of Ser Duncan the Tall, a knight who was willing to take him on.

Why Egg Ran Away From The Targaryens & Lied About His Identity

Egg claims he shaved his head to avoid resembling Aerion, but that’s only partially true. The story actually reveals that Daeron shaved Aegon’s head to help him hide from Maekar’s men. However, Egg genuinely dislikes Aerion, who has consistently mistreated him – even threatening him and cruelly harming his cat.

It’s understandable why Egg would run away. With a drunken brother and another who was simply unkind, he knew he’d never get the chance to train as a knight under either of them. He’d always dreamed of joining the Kingsguard, and serving someone as honorable as Ser Duncan seemed like a good first step. It also offered him a freedom he’d never known, a chance to experience life outside the constraints of his family.

Following that event, he was forced to hide his Targaryen heritage, which sheds light on his behavior in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. For example, he appeared noticeably anxious when the family arrived at Ashford. If anyone discovered the truth, they would have returned him to his father – even Dunk – so he kept up the deception until he had no other option.

Does Egg Become Another King Aegon?

At this point in the timeline, there have been four kings named Aegon in Westeros:

  • Aegon I, aka Aegon the Conqueror, he’s the Targaryen who led the family from Dragonstone to invade Westeros, unifying its kingdoms under his rule.
  • Aegon II, aka Aegon the Usurper, he’s the king that we see in House of the Dragon, who was installed on the Iron Throne by the Greens despite his half-sister, Rhaenyra, being named the father’s heir.
  • Aegon III, aka Aegon the Younger, is the king who follows Aegon II onto the Iron Throne after the Dance of the Dragons, and it’s during his reign that the Targaryen dragons die out.
  • Aegon IV, aka Aegon the Unworthy, was a selfish ruler who legitimized his bastards on his deathbed, leading to the civil war known as the Blackfyre Rebellion.

Eventually, Egg grows up to become King Aegon V Targaryen, also known as Aegon the Unlikely. He earned this nickname because, given his birth order, he had very little chance of becoming king. As the fourth son of a fourth son, it seemed impossible he – or even his father – would ever sit on the Iron Throne. However, after several years and the deaths of his brothers, his father, Maekar, does become king in 221 AC, roughly 12 years after the events of the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

By 233 AC, Daeron and Aerion had both passed away – Daeron from illness, and Aerion in a bizarre accident involving wildfire. After Maekar’s death, a Great Council gathered to choose the next king. Ultimately, Aegon’s brother, Aemon – the same Maester known from Game of Thrones – helped secure the throne for Egg. Egg ruled for 26 years, facing several rebellions but gaining the support of the common people. Ser Duncan served in his Kingsguard, eventually rising to Lord Commander, and both men died in 259 AC.

Was Egg In Game Of Thrones?

Okay, so Egg – that’s Aegon Targaryen – wasn’t in Game of Thrones as a character, because he actually died way before the show even started, almost forty years earlier! But he’s definitely still talked about and his story matters. You hear about him through Maester Aemon, who tells Jon Snow about him and reveals a bit of his own past. And honestly, one of the saddest moments in the show is when Aemon is dying and whispers Egg’s name – it’s a really powerful scene and shows how much Egg meant to him.

Daenerys Targaryen is a direct descendant of King Aegon V Targaryen, despite being born after his death. The family connection is presented a little differently in the TV show Game of Thrones compared to the books. The show simplifies the lineage by removing a generation. In the books, Aegon V is Daenerys’ great-grandfather and the grandfather of the Mad King. In the show, he’s Daenerys’ grandfather, Jon Snow’s great-grandfather, and the Mad King’s father. Even though Aegon V doesn’t appear on screen, his lineage is still important to the story.

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

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2026-02-02 06:42