House of the Dragon May Have Finally Answered the Biggest Daenerys Mystery—And It’s Not What You Think!

One of the lingering questions after the Game of Thrones finale was: What happened to Daenerys Targaryen’s body after Drogon flew off with her following her tragic death at the hands of Jon Snow? While some fans speculated that Drogon may have taken her to Kinvara, the Red Priestess, in hopes of resurrecting her, the prequel series House of the Dragon may have just provided a more fitting explanation.

House of the Dragon, set almost two centuries before Game of Thrones, offers a deeper look into Targaryen customs, particularly surrounding death and funerary practices. In the first episode of House of the Dragon, viewers witness the funeral of Aemma Arryn, where her body is cremated by Rhaenyra Targaryen’s dragon, Syrax. This moment gives a significant clue about Targaryen (and Valyrian) funeral traditions: the deceased are often cremated, with their ashes typically interred in the Great Sept of Baelor. Dragons, central to the Targaryen lineage and symbolizing “fire and blood,” are used to ignite the funeral pyres, honoring the family’s fiery heritage.

This practice hints at what may have occurred with Daenerys. While the theory of her resurrection by Kinvara seemed plausible, especially given the Lord of Light’s role in bringing people back from the dead throughout Game of Thrones, this route would have been narratively questionable and would have risked diluting Daenerys’ complex arc. Instead, it seems much more likely—and narratively satisfying—that Drogon honored Targaryen traditions by cremating Daenerys’ body, mirroring the very act of rebirth she experienced when she emerged from Khal Drogo’s funeral pyre with her three dragons.

This would bring Daenerys’ journey full circle. Her story began with fire—the symbolic act of emerging unscathed from Drogo’s pyre—and it could have fittingly ended with her death also marked by fire. This final tribute would not only resonate with her Targaryen roots but also underscore the powerful connection between Daenerys and her dragons, especially Drogon, the last of her beloved dragons.

However, Game of Thrones introduced an intriguing wrinkle: Daenerys was fireproof. Her immunity to fire was established early on, most notably in season 6, when she emerged unscathed from the burning of the Dothraki khals. In the A Song of Ice and Fire books, her fireproof nature was more magical and momentary, limited to Drogo’s funeral pyre, and her hair was even singed in the process. This was a shift from the books, where Daenerys’ survival of fire had been a one-off event rather than an enduring power.

Given this lore change, one potential question arises: Could Daenerys’ fireproof nature still apply after her death? House of the Dragon didn’t offer a clear answer, but fans are left to wonder if her death may have triggered the end of her immunity to fire. The possibility of Drogon cremating her body would be a perfect opportunity to reconcile this inconsistency, allowing her to be treated like any other Targaryen when it came to death rituals—fireproof in life, but not in death.

Ultimately, this explanation of Drogon’s actions may serve as a satisfying closure to Daenerys’ storyline, particularly if Game of Thrones season 9 were ever made. It would effectively rule out any resurrection theories and allow the final moments of Daenerys’ journey to remain poignant and in line with the Targaryen tradition. If Drogon indeed burned her body, it would be a fitting, symbolic sendoff for the character who was, in many ways, born from fire.