- "There is no power but what the people allow you to take."
- ―Mysaria
Mysaria is a brothel proprietor, information broker, and former prostitute and slave. Under the alias White Worm, she leads a network of spies and informants active in King's Landing.
Biography[]
Background[]
Originally a slave from Yi Ti,[1] Mysaria eventually found herself in Westeros, where she worked her way up the ranks in the criminal underbelly of King's Landing, to become the most trusted ally of Prince Daemon Targaryen,[5] as well as his paramour.[4][2]
House of the Dragon: Season 1[]
After being chastised by King Viserys and the Small Council for his extreme actions with the City Watch, Daemon goes to visit Mysaria. When his worries prevent him from completing their lovemaking, Mysaria comforts him, reminding him that Viserys can't replace him.[4]
After the death of Queen Aemma and Prince Baelon, Mysaria congratulates Daemon on being the king's sole heir once again, and proposes a toast. She and the gold cloaks listen as Daemon makes a speech.[4]
When Daemon is sent away from King's Landing by Viserys, Mysaria accompanies him, and goes for a ride on Caraxes with him.[4] She joins Daemon on Dragonstone when he occupies it.[2]
After Daemon steals a dragon egg, Mysaria is present at the confrontation between him and Otto Hightower. Upon learning that Daemon had falsely announced, without her knowledge, that they were to be wed, and that she was pregnant, Mysaria storms off and returns to the castle. When Daemon returns, she confronts him on his lies, reminding him that he swore to protect her, and that by using her as a pawn in his games, he is putting her in danger. She tells him that she came to him not out of a desire for gold, power, or station, but simply to be liberated from fear, and then she leaves.[2]
In the following years, Mysaria picks up a new profession, as she builds up a spy network on the streets of King's Landing, donning the alias "The White Worm." One night, one of her spies sees Prince Daemon and Princess Rhaenyra in a pleasure den together, and informs her. She finds Daemon unconscious and hungover, and watches over him until he wakes, while paying the spy for reporting the information to Otto Hightower. When Daemon wakes, she gives him something to help with his greensickness, but he refuses help from "a common whore." Satisfied that Daemon is safe, Mysaria leaves him.[3]
Years later, following King Viserys's last supper with the members of both factions of House Targaryen, Talya delivers information about the royal family to Mysaria.[6]
Understanding that King Viserys is soon to perish, Mysaria arranges to kidnap Prince Aegon, taking advantage of his inebriated state, and has him hidden beneath an altar in the Grand Sept. She sends her collaborator Jayne to offer the location of the missing prince to Arryk and Erryk Cargyll and demand a meeting with the Hand of the King. Ser Otto acquiesces and the two meet outside a pot-shop. Mysaria takes the gold brought by Ser Otto and then demands that the crown to bring down the establishments in Flea Bottom that exploit poor children, forcing them into fight rings or prostitution. She also throws a not-so-subtle barb at Otto; she knows it's his manipulations that are pushing Aegon towards the throne, that she could easily have had him killed, and reminds Otto that the common people are not to be discounted as a powerful force. While Otto seems to take these words to heart, Mysaria's manse is later set on fire by an agent of the Lord Confessor, Larys Strong, with the approval of Queen Alicent Hightower.[7]
Personality[]
Mysaria is strong-willed and cunning. She is against the abuse of children in Flea Bottom.[8]
Quotes[]
Spoken by Mysaria[]
- "I have been sold as property more times than I care to count, beginning in a homeland I can no longer recall. Most of my years have been spent living in terror."
- ―Mysaria to Daemon Targaryen
- Mysaria: "I didn't come into your service wanting gold. Or power. Or station. I came to you to be liberated."
- Daemon: "Liberated. From what?"
- Mysaria: "Fear."
- — Mysaria and Daemon Targaryen[src]
Behind the scenes[]
Mysaria was revealed to be a recurring character in House of the Dragon on December 8, 2020. On February 11, 2021, HBO announced that Sonoya Mizuno had been cast in the role for the series. Her character description reads as follows:
- "[Mysaria] came to Westeros with nothing, sold more times than she can recall. She could have wilted... but instead she rose to become the most trusted -- and most unlikely -- ally of Prince Daemon Targaryen, the heir to the throne."[9]
In the books[]
In The World of Ice & Fire and Fire & Blood, Mysaria is a dancer from Lys. Prince Daemon met her in a brothel at King's Landing, and soon she became his lover and collaborator. She was lithe and lissome in her youth, but age thickened her body. She is described as an albino, hence (among other reasons) her derogatory nickname Misery, the White Worm.
After King Viserys declared Rhaenyra as his rightful heir, the furious Daemon left for Dragonstone and took Mysaria with him. They remained there for six months, during which time Mysaria became pregnant; when Daemon learned of her pregnancy, he gave her a dragon egg, and by that infuriated Viserys. Viserys commanded him to return the egg, send his whore away, and return to his lawful wife, or else be attainted as a traitor. Daemon reluctantly obeyed.
Mysaria was sent (eggless) back to Lys, and miscarried her child during a storm on the narrow sea. When Daemon heard about that, he spoke no syllable of grief, but his heart hardened against his brother.
The TV version in House of the Dragon changed this to make her Asian in appearance - apparently a slave passed along the shipping lanes from Yi Ti or Leng in the Further East - or perhaps the descendant of slaves from the Further East. TV-Mysaria says she simply doesn't remember her original homeland, and thus may have been born into slavery.
Appearances[]
- The Dance of Dragons (mentioned)
- – "The Heirs of the Dragon"
- – "The Rogue Prince"
- – "King of the Narrow Sea"
- – "We Light the Way" (mentioned)
- – "The Lord of the Tides"
- – "The Green Council"
- – Season 2
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/House-Of-The-Dragon-It-Starts-On-The-Page.pdf
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 2: "The Rogue Prince" (2022).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 4: "King of the Narrow Sea" (2022).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 1: "The Heirs of the Dragon" (2022).
- ↑ House of the Dragon | Official Website for the HBO Series | HBO.com
- ↑ House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 8: "The Lord of the Tides" (2022).
- ↑ House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 9: "The Green Council" (2022).
- ↑ Mysaria. HBO. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ↑ Unknown author (Unknown date). House of the Dragon | Character Descriptions. Warner Bros. Discovery. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
Notes[]
- ↑ Mysaria is stated to be in her 30s in the script for "The Heirs of the Dragon;" therefore, she was born between 73 and 82 AC.
- ↑ "The Black Queen" picks up shortly after "The Green Council," which takes place in 132 AC.
External links[]
- Mysaria on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (potential spoilers for House of the Dragon)
- Mysaria on The Official Guide