Aemond & Daemon: Two Sides Of The Same Coin In The Targaryen Civil War

Aemond and Daemon Targaryen are two rogue princes on opposing sides of the Dance of the Dragons. While they are each terrifying and powerful representations of their houses and seem like they are two sides of the same coin, they are not necessarily mirror images of one another.

Content Of This Video:

00:00 Intro
00:39 The Rogue Prince Daemon
04:15 Aemond Targaryen, Forged In Fire & Blood
10:36 Daemon vs. Aemond = The Blacks vs. The Greens
14:11 Outro

[Gothicwill]

little aemonds glare at viserys after getting mutilated is one of my favorite parts of the scene. you can see what little innocence remained in him disappear when he realizes that viserys truly does not care. that young actor is def going places

[anpatman]

They really named a SECOND son an anagram to Daemon, like he was destined to be unhinged

[ganykaliya]

There is also the fact that Aemond spent much of his childhood being mercilessly bullied by his older brother and nephews. After Vhagar he did everything he can to become the person that would never be bullied again.

[Okkotsu]

A personal headcanon of mine is, Aemond didn’t just shape himself into a cunning warrior because he sensed a war coming. But to protect his family, namely his mother and sister. Because he knew Visereys wouldn’t when push came to shove. I find it funny how fans champion Daemon and Rhaenyra for the love of their family, but condemned Aemond and Alicent for theirs.

[KuningannaSansa]

"this was a traumatic event for all of viserys's kids who aren't rhaenyra" - well that could sum up their whole childhood lol

[robbybeckmeyer]

I think you nailed it when you said Aemond was crushed into becoming himself: Daemon grew into Daemon, Aemond had no other choice

[thesahel]

Your point about Aemond and Daemon being forged by opposite circumstances is so true. Aemond did not just claim Vhagar that night because he wanted a dragon. He did it because he knew that if he let the opportunity slip away, he would go back dragonless and would probably have to settle for a hatchling while Rhaena gains Vhagar (the most powerful dragon in the world) for the blacks who already have Cyrax, Caraxes, Meleys, and 2-3 smaller dragons. He was forced to become politically aware at a young age, earlier at Laena’s funeral he adviced Aegon to wed Helaena and strengthen the line, those are not the words of a clueless child, he knew war was coming. Daemon on the other hand never learned diplomacy or politics because he solved every obstacle in his life through violence and intimidation. Aemond is different because of his relationship with Alicent. Kids pick up on stuff like that easily, he may have seen or heard Alicent worrying about Rhaenyra and took it upon himself to make sure his mother never has to fear anyone ever again.

[Mic-Mak]

Although Daemon and Aemond are not siblings, their dynamic reminds me of how siblings who are raised with the exact same set of parents, can have opposing reactions to their upbringing, regardless of if they are treated the same or not.

[yasmina]

It hits me how unnecessary it was for Rhaenyra and Viserys to focus that Aemond called the kids bastards and how irrelevant it was compared to what a kid with a gouged eye felt. Alicent said the right thing "they're kids, they throw words around all the time". Like, Aemond is a 10 year old boy, even if he did say that they are bastards, this is not the same if an adult lord said this and accused Rhaenyra of treason.

[LadyDreamfyre]

I absolutely agree with your points. Daemon chose to become the monster he is. Aemond was shaped by trauma, the fear of losing his family and his desire to protect them.
Even when he burnt the Riverlands to lure Daemon, he was consumed by grief and without a doubt guilt regarding little Jaehaerys' fate and he wanted to not only avenge his nephew but also make sure the Blacks' greatest warrior was focused on him.
I'm not saying he was right, obviously. Just that I can see how he got there.

[AnAmbientBlack]

In regards to Aemond's character development in the show, I think it is interesting that the writers decided to depict the bullying he suffered as well, wherein he's presented as a victim of systemic bullying, tormented by his elder brother and his nephews. I feel that his bullying by Aegon, Jace and Luke contributes to his ambition to claim Vhagar for his own and then his violent turn when confronted by Baela, Jace, Luke and Rhaena for doing so, a similar dynamic which he has experienced before. As you say yourself, Aemond is portrayed as having to take everything for himself and learns he's the only person who will stand up for himself.

[truetory]

This is exactly why I CANNOT understand when people say Viserys was a good father, he was a horrible father. A good father loves all his children while Viserys has made it clear time and again that he only loves Rhaenyra and her children while caring nothing for the children he had with Alicent. That's the opposite of a good father

[vitorfreitas]

I’m so glad than the series actually make the green side motivations more substantial and relatable

[lukaz]

"Uncle, you have lived more than enough."
"Of that we can agree."

[kimberlyplatt]

Aemond basically had to work for everything, while Daemon was cuddled and allowed to get away with murder literally.

[ratgirl]

It occurs to me that Aemon and Sandor kind of have similar childhood experiences. Both were maimed by a relative, though the circumstances are very different. Both incidents were basically brushed off by their fathers. And both were shaped by the experience.

[annieandelsieofarendelle]

One thing I wished that was in House of the Dragon was Rhaenerya’s relationship with her younger siblings. I think it would’ve been very interesting if in the beginning she loved or at least liked them to the point that Aegon, while not a good person at all, still cares about her and tries to reject his mother trying to put him on the throne until they see she’s willing to do anything to protect her sons and her own rights to the throne.

[WisteriaNerium]

I can't help but to feel so much sympathy for Team Green. Aemond and Alicent in particular. I can relate to them in ways I just can't with characters of team black. Maybe it's because it's more personal and I relate more to having responsibilities I don't want being trusted on me and having my feelings disregarded by my own family. Team Black seems appealing in a wish fulfillment way, Daemon and Rhaenyra are seemingly free and wild spirits who "shouldn't" be held back by the rules, but ultimately care about their loved ones. While Team Green are those who've had to suffer so other people can enjoy their freedom and privileges, it doesn't seem particularly appealing to people. They get demonized to such a vitriolic extent because to the people that support Team Black the Greens represent the very rules that threaten the lifestyles of Daemon and Rhaenyra, but they don't realize that the Greens are the ones that get affected the most by those rules and Daemon and Rhaenyra's freedom was basically built on top of Alicent and her children's.

[samsonright]

I’m very excited to see where Aemond’s character goes. I guess he can look similar to Daemon on the surface, but even on a purely moralistic level they’re clearly different. Sometimes I feel like HotD fans are desperate for Aemond to be a “wannabe” Daemon because of how much attention Aemond is getting lol.

Anyways, I love this video! Another great one from Hill Alive ❤

[normtrooper]

The spiderman pointing at spiderman meme comes to mind here. Aemond is definitely my favourite targaryean psycho