Why Daenerys Can’t Have Kids In Game Of Thrones

Spoilers ahead for Season 7 episode 6, "Beyond the Wall"
9.5
  • Cable
  • Drama
  • Fantasy
2011-04-17
Dany lost one of her children.
Dany lost one of her children. HBO

There’s a bit of confusion as to why Daenerys cannot have children in Game of Thrones. The topic hasn’t come up since Dany lost her child with Khal Drogo, but the budding romance between Jon Snow and Dany gave viewers a reminder of her fate.

At the end of Game of Thrones Season 7 episode 6, Dany is devastated over the loss of Viserion. The Night King brought the dragon down with one of his magical spears. It was insane. Dany opens up to a wounded Jon by his bedside, as he recovers from his brush with death after the wight hunt. She tells Jon her dragons are her children because she cannot have any of her own. He holds her hand and tries to comfort her.

The reason Dany cannot have kids goes back to Game of Thrones Season 1. When Khal Drogo was in his last moments of life, Dany pleaded to witch to help him live. The witch agrees to use blood magic, but it came at a price. In Dany’s case, the price was the life of her unborn child. Dany asks the witch when Drogo would be OK, to which she responds:

"When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves.”

In the show, the loss of Drogo and her unborn child leads Dany to believe she cannot have kids. In the books, the witch’s curse is a bit clearer:

"When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child. Then he will return, and not before."

Whatever the case, the experience leads Dany to believe she is barren. She’s had only one sexual partner in the show since Khal Drogo, the sellsword Daario Naharis . It doesn’t seem like Dany has tried to get pregnant with another child; she’s been a bit busy conquering Meeren and fighting with Cersei. The show pushing the fact Dany cannot have kids, but we're wondering: is this a huge fake-out?

We know Jon is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lynna Stark. Gilly stumbled across information that may prove that Lyanna and Rhaegar were married at the time, making Jon a legitimate son and giving him the strongest claim to the Iron Throne. But that really doesn’t matter. Jon has Targaryen blood and that may help Dany conceive. There’s no real evidence to back that up, but why keep mentioning that Dany’s barren if it wasn’t important to the show? Maybe Jon dies in the end, but Dany lives and gives birth to his son.

What do you think will happen between Jon and Dany? Let us know in the comments below. Game of Thrones Season 7 airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.

REVIEW SUMMARY
Game Of Thrones
9.5
Too Much Is Never Enough
Once you start watching Game of Thrones, you won't be able to stop.
  • Fully realized, intricate world
  • Compelling characters
  • Plot twists you won't see coming
  • Lots of ground to cover if you're new to the series
  • Don't get too attached to anyone
  • Two words: Sand Snakes
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