George R.R. Martin’s Face Was Incorporated Into House Of The Dragon Season 2, Episode 7

Summary George R.R. Martin's face appears in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 7, "The Red Sowing," as a tribute.

Weirwood trees are tied to Westeros' religious history and influence Daemon's story in season 2.

These trees also appeared in Game of Thrones, although there are not many left.

House of the Dragon featured George R.R. Martin's face in a surprising way in season 2, episode 7, "The Red Sowing." In addition to being the author of the Song of Ice and Fire novels that Game of Thrones is based on, Martin is the author of Fire & Blood, which acts as the source material for House of the Dragon. He is also an executive producer for the prequel series that tells the story of the Dance of the Dragons and its larger impact on the universe Martin created.

A behind-the-scenes video from Game of Thrones reveals that the face carved in Harrenhal's weirwood tree is modeled after Martin's face, and the author visited the set where he was able to see it for himself. Check out the video below:

According to production designer Jim Clay, showrunner "Ryan [Condal] wanted to do [it] as a bit of a tribute, and the idea was that it gradually started to disappear back into the bark of the tree." Supervising director Dominic Masters added, "The brief was to make it feel enough like him, but you were never really sure."

Why Weirwood Trees Are Important In Westeros

They Are A Major Part Of Westeros' Religious History & Daemon's Season 2 Story

Close

In the behind-the-scenes video, Condal discusses Harrenhal's godswood falling into disarray, and how the castle was originally built using felled weirwood trees as lumber, suggesting that this could be the reason for the strange experiences people have there.

Weirwood trees have been featured in many locations throughout Westeros in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, not only in Harrenhal, but in the godswoods of Winterfell, King's Landing, and beyond the Wall. The trees are connected to Westeros' old gods and the faces on the trees are believed to have been carved by the Children of the Forest. The Andals cut down many of the trees when they came to Westeros thousands of years ago to enforce their religion, the Faith of the Seven, instead of worshipping the old gods.

Game of Thrones season 6 revealed that the Children of the Forest created the White Walkers.

Some weirwood trees that were in the castle godswood, including King's Landing's Red Keep, survived being cut down. The Faith of the Seven became the dominant religion in Westeros, as seen by the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing, the importance of the High Septons in Game of Thrones, and commoners praying to the seven gods. Nevertheless, many in the North still worship and believe in the old gods, which is one of the reasons why many of the Starks in Game of Thrones go to a godswood and sit or stand in front of the weirwood tree there.

In the behind-the-scenes video, Condal discusses Harrenhal's godswood falling into disarray, and how the castle was originally built using felled weirwood trees as lumber, suggesting that this could be the reason for the strange experiences people have there. This means that the weirwood trees and their ties to the old gods and to ancient people are the source of Daemon Targaryen's haunting visions while at Harrenhal in House of the Dragon season 2. It is satisfying to see the weirwood trees continuing to be central to the expanding universe and for Martin's face to now be part of it.

Source: Game of Thrones