Game of Thrones Confusion: No One Seems to Know for Sure What Viserion is Breathing
If there’s one thing Game of Thrones theorists and speculators would like to believe, it’s that there’s an answer out there, somewhere. If they theorize that Bran is the Night King, while they’ll argue their reasons for why they’re right, what they must have, at some point, is definitive proof one way or another. Whether in a Reddit forum or over some beers IRL, Game of Thrones has likely generated more fan theorists than any other show in history (including Lost), and to a shocking degree, on this show and elsewhere (Westworld comes to mind), the fans are smart, their research can be exhaustive, and their theories sometimes turn out to be true.
Save for whatever the heck Viserion is breathing, the dragon killed and brought back to life by the Night King. As i09 points out, the general consensus around what Viserion used to down the Wall was blue fire, which would make him less an ice dragon than a dragon with, well, blue fire. For a refresher on what Viserion’s breath looks like, here you go:
In George R. R. Martin’s books, ice dragons were a thing, but they were a totally different breed of dragon, larger and made of actual, “living” ice. In HBO’s Game of Thrones viewer guide, Viserion is described as an ice dragon that breathes blue fire. Director Jeremy Podeswa echoed this sentiment to HuffPo, saying that Viserion still clearly breathed fire, as it melted the Wall. While this seemed to have settled the matter, Reddit, of course, uncovered some conflicting information. Here’s i09 on the discovery:
In the HBO Store, as pointed out on Reddit, there’s an item called the “Game of Thrones Ice Targaryen Sigil Mug” (the design is also on some t-shirts). It takes the traditional Targaryen House Sigil and turns one of the dragon’s three heads blue to represent how the Night King turned Viserion into an undead dragon walker last season. But take a look at the description for this mug:
The Game of Thrones Ice Targaryen Sigil Mug is a new take on the Targaryen sigil design. Now that Viserion has been turned to an Ice Dragon by the Night King, he is shooting ice and not fire. This 11oz Mug is a great new addition to your Game of Thrones collection-perfect for at home or in the office.
So…he’s not shooting fire, but ice? Was this a mistake, and we should trust HBO’s viewer guide and director Jeremy Podeswa over…the copy on a mug? Or, is there more to this and we’re going to find out, in the final season, what happens when a dragon breathing fire and a dragon breathing ice do combat?
