House of the Dragon: Aemond’s blue sapphire eye explained

In House of the Dragon Episode 10, Aemond Targaryen has a blue, sapphire eye – but why? Let’s break it down.

House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones prequel focused on the Targaryen dynasty, has reached the end of Season 1. The Dance of the Dragons has officially begun, and it’s going to be brutal.

While there’s lots to talk about following the finale – you can read our review here, and our breakdown of the ending here – one of the standout sights of Episode 10 was Aemond’s sapphire eye.

Why does Aemond have a blue eye? Well, we’re going to dig into the character’s backstory and look at how it compares to the book.

House of the Dragon: Why does Aemond have a blue eye?

Aemond has a blue, sapphire eye as a result of losing his original eye in a fight with Lucerys Velaryon, who slashed a blade across his face and caused an irreparable wound.

In the episodes since, we’ve generally seen Aemond (now played by Ewan Mitchell) wearing an eye patch, but in Episode 10, he removes it, showing the shining sapphire underneath.

HBO

This comes when he meets Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) in Storm’s End and demands he repays his debt with one of his own eyes, at which point he reveals his sapphire eye and the scar surrounding it.

If you’ve paid attention to House of the Dragon’s opening credits, you may have noticed a small, blue gemstone sigil – this is in reference to Aemond’s eye.

In George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood, he keeps his missing eye hidden for years – however, revealing his sapphire is an indication of him being ready to seek revenge on Lucerys at Storm’s End, making him the first aggressor of the Greens in the Dance of the Dragons.

We won’t go into what happens in that fight, on the off chance you’re still watching it now – but you can read more about it here.

All of House of the Dragon is available to stream on HBO Max. You can find out more about Season 2 here.