A lot of fans have been seeing Aemond Targaryen as one of the most remarkable characters in House of the Dragon. Book readers have been intrigued by him for even longer. With the release of the show's first season, fans are finally seeing so much more of the character and are learning more and more about him.
As much as the character is highlighted in the first season of the show, there's a lot more about this character most people don't know about. Fans of the character and of the House of the Dragon can find a better appreciation of both just by learning these few facts.
7 A Somewhat Unique Name
The world of Game of Thrones and the world of The Song of Ice and Fire is plagued by characters who share the same name. A lot of people find this aspect of the series very confusing. This is even the cause of one of the biggest misunderstandings in fiction, and is ultimately one of the sparks that ignite the event known as the Dance of the Dragons.
Aemond, however, is somewhat a unique character in this aspect, especially as a Targaryen. Unlike his brother, father, and many other family members, Aemond doesn't share a name with any of his relatives or ancestors. There have been no other Targaryen since who have taken the name either. His closest namesake is Aemon, a name shared by a handful of Targaryens, including Maester Aemon, a master at Castle Black.
6 He's Only 19
Aemond Targaryen was born in 110 AC. The Dance of the Dragons officially broke out in 129 AC. This makes Aemond only 19 years old by the time the war happens. This may surprise many, given how formidable he is and how mature he looks in the show.
However, this should come as a no surprise in the world of Westeros. A lot of the heroes and central figures throughout the series already do remarkable things at a young age. This also pans out to the series' inclinations to draw inspiration from real-world history, which also details a lot of young knights, princes, kings, and queens.
5 He's Given More Depth In The Show
Aemond is far from being the show's holiest saint. However, he's at least portrayed to have emotional intelligence. He's shown to have a look of regret and an awareness of a wrong-doing whenever he makes a monumental mistake. This is emphasized at the end of his and Vhagar's encounter of Lucerys and Arrax.
In the books, however, none of this is detailed. This is mainly because no one was there to witness what actually happened. Whatever it is he felt in the books, he's written to have no regrets in the aftermath of the event. Some have even claimed that he pre-meditated Luke's demise. He becomes even more ruthless and unyielding after that.
4 Aemond's Nicknames
Aemond has two known nicknames: Aemond One-Eye and Aemond the Kinslayer. It's yet unclear how Aemond will react to these nicknames in the show, but in the books, he seems very apathetic towards them. He owns the fact that he's one-eyed (despite murdering Luke for it) and adorns it with a beautiful sapphire jewel. In the books, he only wears his eye patch when around noble ladies as he does not want to scare them. Otherwise, he refrains from wearing one.
Being a kinslayer in Westeros is seen as taboo. It is said that those who slay their own kin are cursed forever and that they should be looked down upon. Despite this superstition, a wide array of characters ends up killing their relatives given how prevalent wars and chaos are in Westeros. Aemond doesn't seem concerned by the fact that he's dubbed a "kinslayer." If he is, he has never expressed it in the books.
3 He's Motivated By Viserys
When Laenor Velaryon died in the books (replaced by the death of Laena Velaryon in the show), King Viserys sailed to Driftmark along with his wife Queen Alicent, and three of their children, including Aemond. By this time, Aemond has yet to claim a dragon for his own. King Viserys told Aemond that they should travel to Dragonstone afterwards so that he can finally claim a dragon egg for himself.
Aemond seemed to have been annoyed by his father's comment. To prove himself to his father and to everyone who has mocked him for not bonding with a dragon yet, Aemond resolves to claim Vhagar, the largest dragon in the world at the time. Him being motivated by Viserys wasn't shown in the show, but who knows if Aemond would still claim Vhagar, or if he'd claim a dragon at all, if Viserys didn't make that comment.
2 His Similarities With Daemon
Aemond and his uncle Daemon Targaryen are examples of characters that are fated to become rivals. Their characters share similarities and their journeys mirror each other. Both Aemond and Daemon are second sons. Both their older brothers become rulers, while they themselves believe they are better suited to rule the realm. Aemond and Daemon became adept warriors at a young age, and both claimed dragons that are war-vetted.
Not only do Aemond and Daemon mirror each other, their dragons share a history as well. The massive Vhagar and Caraxes the Blood Wyrm flew beside each other constantly when both were still ridden by the siblings Baelon and Aemon Targaryen respectively. Both were active participants in the Fourth Dornish War. They flew together still when Laena, Daemon's previous wife, was Vhagar's dragonrider.
1 He's The Rider Of The Second-Biggest Dragon In History
Not only is Aemond the dragonrider of the world's biggest dragon in the show, but he is also the rider of the second-biggest dragon in history. The only dragon that's bigger than Vhagar is Balerion, also known as Balerion the Dread, the dragon of Aegon the Conqueror. Since then, no other dragon has ever grown as large as them.
This makes Aemond truly one of the most dangerous participants of the Dance of the Dragons, and his dragon the most powerful during this time. Both Aemond and Vhagar play a huge role during this civil war and are among the biggest threats to Queen Rhaenyra's desires to reclaim the Iron Throne.