If you landed here trying to figure out who “Egg” is or how the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms / Dunk and Egg stories connect to the Targaryen family tree, you’re in the right place — and you’re not alone. This is one of the most-searched, most-confusing corners of the entire dynasty, mostly because the story’s hero, Egg, spends the whole series pretending he isn’t a Targaryen at all.
Who Is Egg? (Direct Answer)
“Egg” is the childhood nickname of Aegon Targaryen — later King Aegon V Targaryen, “Aegon the Unlikely.” In the Dunk and Egg novellas, he’s a young prince traveling in disguise as a lowborn squire to the hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall (“Dunk”), roughly 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones. The nickname comes simply from “Aegon” being shortened by his companions — nothing more mysterious than that.
Where Egg Fits on the Targaryen Family Tree
Egg (Aegon V) is a younger son of King Maekar I Targaryen — far enough down the line of succession that, at the start of the stories, no one expects him to ever become king. That changes only after a chain of deaths among his older relatives, which is part of what makes his arc from “hidden prince” to “king” so compelling to fans. He later becomes the grandfather of Aerys II (“the Mad King”) — meaning this obscure hedge-knight-era prince is a direct ancestor of Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow.
Who Is Dunk?
Ser Duncan the Tall — “Dunk” — is not a Targaryen by blood. He’s a lowborn hedge knight who takes young Egg on as his squire without initially knowing his true identity. Their unlikely friendship, across a real class and status gap, is the emotional core of the Dunk and Egg stories, and it’s a large part of why this era has such a different, warmer tone than the war-torn generations covered elsewhere on this site.
How This Era Connects to the Rest of the Dynasty
This is the generation before the Game of Thrones-era Targaryens and after the Dance of the Dragons civil war covered in House of the Dragon. In order:
- House of the Dragon era — the Dance of the Dragons civil war
- This era — Dunk and Egg / A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, roughly a century before the show
- Game of Thrones era — Aerys II, Rhaegar, Daenerys, Jon Snow
Egg’s eventual reign as Aegon V sits directly between these two better-known eras, which is exactly why so many people search for him without quite knowing where he belongs.
FAQ
Is Egg the same as Aegon V Targaryen?
Yes — Egg is Aegon V’s nickname during his youth in the Dunk and Egg stories, before he unexpectedly becomes king.
Where does Egg fit in the Targaryen family tree?
He’s a younger son of King Maekar I, meaning he starts the story far from the throne. A series of deaths among older relatives eventually puts him in the line of succession.
Is Dunk a Targaryen?
No. Ser Duncan the Tall is a lowborn hedge knight with no known family or noble blood — his closeness to the Targaryen dynasty comes entirely through his friendship with Egg, not bloodline.
How is Egg (Aegon V) related to Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow?
He’s a direct ancestor. Aegon V is the grandfather of Aerys II (“the Mad King”), making him Daenerys’s great-grandfather and, by extension, an ancestor of Jon Snow as well.
Is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms a prequel to Game of Thrones?
Yes — it’s set roughly 90 years before the main A Song of Ice and Fire story, focusing on Targaryen history two generations before Aerys II’s reign.