House of the Dragon fans are debating who is the greatest maternal figure in the Seven Kingdoms.
RoylesPika posted a collage of six of the most famous motherly maidens on the r/HouseOfTheDragon subreddit, along with the distinctly Oedipal questions, “Which one would you prefer to have as mother and why? Which one would be your least choice?”
Fans were invited to select from Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley), Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) , Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), Aemma Arryn (Sian Brooke), Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), or Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey).
The most popular choice proved to be a matriarch who wasn’t even on the list. Redditor Equal-Sheepherder-24 opted out of the game because Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) was not included, and over 4000 fans shared the sentiment.
Not everyone was enthusiastic about adding Lady Olenna to the mix, though. Rudderforkk pointed out that having her as a mother might have led to all kinds of psychological dysfunction.
Freshprinceohogwarts chose Catelyn Stark as their fantasy mom, but balked at having her as a stepmother because of her studious contempt for Jon Snow (Kit Harrington). Their post was popular, too, and received over 3000 upvotes.
MelangeMost chose Queen Aemma because of her gentleness and mollifying demeanor. They expressed admiration for Cersei’s unbending devotion to her children, but were fearful that she might unleash her infamous aggression toward their friends.
M0arcaffeine’s first choice fantasy mom was Rhaenys Targaryen, who strikes them as a stalwart figure – and scores extra points for being a cool grandmother. They empathized with the adversity Queen Alicent endured, but felt that she inevitably inflicted lasting generational trauma on her children.
What makes the women in the Game of Thrones universe so compelling is that they move between light and dark expressions of feminine power depending on what life throws at them. Their ambiguity makes them infinitely relatable, and serves as a reminder that even the most doting mother can be dangerous when she feels that she or her family are under threat.