The new Game of Thrones spin-off, A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms, follows the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall / Dunk, who, in the first episode, meets a seemingly inconsequential little boy named Egg and reluctantly takes him on as a squire.
Throughout the episode, several clues suggest there is more to Egg than meets the eye, and his real identity is linked to one of the Great Houses.
Highlights
- A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms' premiere quietly introduced Egg, a character whose true identity is yet to be revealed.
- Subtle clues in Episode 1 hint that Dunk’s young squire is hiding a legacy tied to Westeros’ most powerful dynasty.
- Despite his seemingly minor role in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Egg is secretly connected to major events that define the main series.
What a lot of GOT fans may not realize immediately is that the character is crucial to the wider lore of the world of Ice and Fire and is hiding a legacy tied to Westeros’ most powerful dynasty.
Spoilers ahead for A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms season 1.
Who is Egg in A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms?
Image credits: HBO
Played by child actor Dexter Sol Ansell, Egg is a young boy whom the “hedge knight” Dunk meets outside an inn on his way to the tourney in Ashford Meadow. The character was first introduced in George R.R. Martin’s 1998 novella The Hedge Knight.
In the book, it is later revealed that Egg is actually Prince Aegon Targaryen, the son of Prince Maekar Targaryen. The first episode hints at Egg’s true identity when the boy reveals he is from King’s Landing, but implies he isn’t an orphan from the slums of Fleabottom.
Egg was initially supposed to squire for his older brother, Prince Daeron "The Drunken" Targaryen, who shaved the boy’s head to prevent him from being recognized by men sent by their father.
How is Egg related to major Game of Thrones characters?
Image credits: HBO
Since he belongs to the Targaryen bloodline and is the namesake of Aegon I, who established the family’s reign over the Seven Kingdoms, Egg is directly connected to several key GOT characters.
He is the father of Jaehaerys II, whose son, Aerys II, also known as the Mad King, was defeated during Robert's Rebellion in the prologue to the main series. Aerys' daughter, Daenerys Targaryen, is the great-granddaughter of Egg.
Image credits: HBO
Egg is also the paternal great-great-grandfather of Jon Snow, who was later revealed to be the son of Daenerys’ elder brother, Rhaegar Targaryen, in the show, with both sharing the same birth name.
However, the exact nature of Jon’s relation to the Targaryen bloodline is yet to be determined in the source material.
Additionally, Egg’s older brother, Aemon Targaryen, the maester at Castle Black, unbeknownst to him, was Jon’s great-great-uncle in the series.
How does Egg become the King of Westeros in the books?
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In the books, Aemon has already taken his vows as a member of the Night’s Watch after his father and elder brothers, Daeron and Aerion, perished. He had relinquished his claim to the Iron Throne, making Egg the next in line of succession.
Egg was crowned as the King of the Seven Kingdoms in 233 AC and was dubbed “Aegon the Unlikely” since he was the fourth son of a fourth son, which made it highly unlikely that he would sit on the throne.
Image credits: HBO
His reign lasted until 259 AC, when he lost his life in a great fire at the Targaryen summer palace of Summerhall, allegedly trying to hatch the last three dragon eggs.
The same eggs would later be gifted to his descendant, Daenerys, who successfully hatched them, directly tying Egg with major events in Game of Thrones.
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms is currently streaming on HBO Max.