House of the Dragon: Who is the antlered man near Harrenhal?
In Westeros, nothing can be said to be certain except death, Targaryen incest, and weird things happening around Harrenhal.
The Seven Kingdoms' most haunted castle and its de facto guardian, witch Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin), treated Daemon (Matt Smith) to a barrage of unsettling visions in House of the Dragon Season 2. That strangeness keeps coming in House of the Dragon's Season 3 premiere, but this time, Alys finds a new target: dragonseeds Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty), Ulf the White (Tom Bennett), and Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew).
The trio have been stationed near Harrenhal on Rhaenyra's (Emma D'Arcy) orders. They've made their camp on the edge of the Gods Eye, the largest lake in the Seven Kingdoms. After several days away from the action and unsure of their next moves, the dragonseeds are antsy. It doesn't help that Alys crashes their party with a haunted goat and a large man who appears to have antlers. We only see him for a second, but his identity is connected to the ancient history of Westeros.
The dragonseeds spot one of the Green Men of Westeros.
The antlered man is one of the Green Men, a group that guards the Isle of Faces in the middle of the Gods Eye. Their order was founded 10,000 years before Aegon's conquest of Westeros, when the First Men warred with the magical Children of the Forest.
The two sides sued for peace on the Isle of Faces, where they signed the pact that decreed that the First Men could control the open lands of Westeros, while the Children could keep the deep forests. Those present carved faces in all the Isle of Faces' trees as a way for the gods to witness the pact, thus giving the island its name. The Green Men were charged with protecting the sacred place. Accounts vary on their appearances: Old tales claim they have green skin and horns, while maesters believe they simply wear green clothing and antler headdresses. House of the Dragon appears to eschew the green clothing and skin visuals in favor of animal pelts.
Are the Green Men in Fire and Blood?
The dragonseeds' sighting of a Green Man isn't the first time we've glimpsed this order in House of the Dragon. Daemon also saw one by Harrenhal's weirwood in the Season 2 finale, as a part of his vision quest.
However, these Green Men moments aren't in George R.R. Martin's Fire and Blood. The only time they are mentioned is a brief section when Addam of Hull visits them on the Isle of Faces for advice. Perhaps these sightings are building towards that meeting, or perhaps House of the Dragon is hoping to flesh out the Green Men's involvement in the Dance of the Dragons in a larger way. After all, the series has shown them venturing further afield than the Isle of Faces, and both times they've popped up, Alys has been present. Has she partnered with them in some way? And if so, what are their next plans for Harrenhal and the surrounding lands? When Aemond arrives there, he may find himself facing down more magic than he'd bargained for.
