As we’ve been reminded by the new Game of Thrones spin-off, Westeros and incest go together like brother and sister. That being the case, it probably doesn’t qualify as a spoiler to reveal that inbreeding rears its misshapen head in the second episode of House of the Dragon. But if you haven’t seen the episode – and would like to save the incestuous plot turn for when you get round to watching – do not read on.
First, a quick reminder of the incest we’ve previously encountered in Westeros. The original Game of Thrones began with Bran Stark peeping at the incestuous canoodling of Jaime and Cersei Lannister, twins who were themselves the product of Tywin Lannister’s marriage to Joanna Lannister, his cousin. Tywin and Joanna’s marriage, by the way, doesn’t count as incest in the eyes of Westeros, just as marriage between cousins has, in the real world, generally been acceptable. We shall focus today on even closer inter-relation relations.
