House Of The Dragon Sets Up A Massive Battle With Major Jaime Lannister Connection

Includes minor SPOILERs for Fire & Blood, which House of the Dragon is based on.

Summary

• The Lannister army is amassing at the Golden Tooth, a strategic location in Westeros’ ongoing civil war.
• Armies play a critical role in controlling territories, while noble families choose sides in the conflict.
• Battle lines are drawn between Black and Green factions, setting the stage for major conflicts in House of the Dragon.

The House of the Dragon season 2 premiere has set up one of its critical battles, mentioning a location with a Jaime Lannister Game of Thrones connection. House of the Dragon’s season 1 ending saw war in Westeros become inevitable, and season 2, episode 1 continues to barrel toward all-out conflict. The Dance of the Dragons is a civil war fought between opposing Targaryen factions, represented by Rhaenyra and Aegon II Targaryen, but in order for them to rightfully lay claim to the realm, bringing the great houses of Westeros to their sides is vital.

As the battle lines have been drawn between the Black and Green factions, noble families have declared for one of the two sides in the Dance. While the war is known for its dragon action, both House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones have demonstrated the critical value soldiers still play in war. Armies are needed to capture and control territories and castles, making the contributions of allies vital. One of the Greens’ main allies is House Lannister, with Lord Tyland seated on King Aegon’s small council as Master of Coin and Lord Jason Lannister ruling Casterly Rock.

House Of The Dragon Season 2 Mentions Lannisters Marching On The Golden Tooth

Tyland Lannister Mentions That The Lannister Army Is Amassing

During the small council scene in the season 2 premiere, Tyland Lannister declares that his brother Jason is amassing Lannister forces at the “Golden Tooth.” In the feudal society of Westeros, great houses such as Lannister and Stark have their own individual forces, but much of their armies come from the might of their vassals (lesser houses within their territory). Therefore, it takes time for armies to assemble, as lords must “call their banners” and gather the accumulated forces before they begin their march. Jason Lannister is currently assembling the armies of the Westerlands.

The Lannisters are one of the major houses in House of the Dragon, but they’re not quite as prominent as they are during Game of Thrones. The Westerlands are a naturally wealthy territory due to their gold mining, but much of their power in Game of Thrones is due to the strength and longevity of Lord Tywin’s rule. As demonstrated in House of the Dragon season 1, Jason Lannister is far more arrogant and not quite as competent. Still, they’re a vital ally to the Greens during the war, capable of amassing armies in close proximity to the conflict.

What Is The Golden Tooth? The Westeros Castle & Importance Explained

The Golden Tooth Is A Strategic Castle In The Westerlands

The Golden Tooth is a castle in the Westerlands, known as the seat of the minor House Lefford. While the Leffords aren’t very important, the Golden Tooth is a vital strategic location, as it’s seated on the main road connecting the Westerlands and Riverlands. Given the Riverlands’ centralized location on the continent, the region typically becomes the battleground for wars, as is the case in both the Dance of the Dragons and the War of Five Kings in Game of Thrones. This makes the Golden Tooth a crucial strategic location in both, much like Harrenhal.

The Westerlands’ Golden Tooth is a far less impressive structure than Harrenhal, which is known more for its geographical location. If a force was to attack the hilly, mountainous Westerlands region, the Golden Tooth would be necessary to capture, and it’s one of the first battle locations in Game of Thrones. After conflict erupts between the Westerlands and Riverlands in the parent show, Edmure Tully sends bannermen to hold off Lannister forces entering his territory from the Golden Tooth. This battle isn’t shown in the TV series, but it’s mentioned in season 1.

The Golden Tooth May Be Setting Up The Battle At The Red Fork

The Battle At The Red Fork Is A Conflict Between The Westerlands & Riverlands In The Dance Of The Dragons

House of the Dragon season 2’s main battle will be the Battle of Rook’s Rest, which is a crucial conflict in the Crownlands that sees dragons fighting each other. Since this is anticipated to occur midway through the season, a less prominent battle could happen in the later episodes. In the Battle at the Red Fork, Jason Lannister leads his bannermen into the Riverlands to wage war for the Greens. The battle doesn’t have any dragons or main characters fighting in it, but it results in Jason Lannister’s death, so it seems necessary to briefly show the conflict.

The Red Fork is one of the main rivers in the Riverlands, with its southernmost mouth just near the Golden Tooth. The mention of House Lannister amassing forces there seems like a clear indication that this battle is coming, which will be a pyrrhic victory for the Greens. Although the Lannister forces win the battle, their house is sent into disarray through the death of its lore, and they’re subsequently raided by the Greyjoy fleet, costing the Greens one of their most significant allies.

The Golden Tooth Was A Place Of Great Victory For Jaime Lannister

Jaime’s First Victory In The War Of Five Kings Was At The Golden Tooth

The first battle in the War of the Five Kings is fought at the Golden Tooth, as Jaime Lannister leads his house’s forces east into the Riverlands by crushing the defending forces. This establishes the Westerlands’ base force in the Riverlands, which is split into two armies, one led by Jaime and the other by Lord Tywin. In Game of Thrones, Tywin and Jaime meet sometime around this battle, and Jaime is granted half of the Lannister army to contend with the northern forces led by Robb Stark. Jaime considers the Golden Tooth victory a glorious accomplishment.

The first season of Game of Thrones didn’t have the budget for massive battle sequences, but the pivotal fight between Starks and Lannisters is shown in episode 9, “Baelor.” This is the Battle of the Whispering Wood, where Robb sends Roose Bolton with a force to combat Lord Tywin so he can lead his own force to capture Jaime. Shortly after Jaime’s astounding victory at the Golden Tooth, he’s imprisoned by House Stark and misses a majority of the battles in the War of the Five Kings.

There’s far more context for this battle sequence in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice & Fire book series, as even in early seasons, Game of Thrones typically skimmed the details and left out many of the battles occurring in the war. On the contrary, House of the Dragon seems to have slowed down its pace and is acknowledging the relevance of minor castles and strategic locations in its narrative.