In House of the Dragon season 2, episode 6, Lord Larys Strong shockingly reveals a potential origin for his Clubfoot. Played tremendously in the House of the Dragon cast by actor Matthew Needham, Larys Strong fits into a similar archetype to characters like Littlefinger and Varys from Game of Thrones, as he’s a schemer with often questionable motives. However, one of the critical differences between him and those characters is the family dynamic he comes from, with his father and brother having been characters in season 1.
Like many second sons in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice & Fire universe, Larys has no love for his older brother or father, proven by his murdering them in a fire during House of the Dragon season 1. Larys’ father, Lord Lyonel Strong, was King Viserys I Targaryen’s second Hand of the King, while Ser Harwin Strong was regarded as a brave warrior, often referred to as “Breakbones.” Larys Strong, known as “Clubfoot” in the cruel Westerosi society, was left to use other tools to compensate for his abnormality, which season 2 suggests wasn’t born of natural causes.
House Of The Dragon Suggests Alys Rivers Caused Larys Strong’s Clubfoot
Lyonel Strong Thought Alys Rivers Caused His Son’s Clubfoot
In House of the Dragon season 2, episode 6, Larys poses an origin for his Clubfoot to King Aegon II. He claims that upon his father’s realization of the matter, Lord Lyonel called it sorcery and blamed it on a member of the household for “casting maligned spells.” While this isn’t confirmation, the implication here is that Alys Rivers had something to do with Larys having Clubfoot, which raises questions in and of itself, which can be supported by information from the show’s source material book, Fire & Blood. First of all, this raises questions about Alys Rivers’ age.
Alys Rivers’ age is questionable in the book, with some characters suggesting she’s remained the same age for decades. It’s not the first time this has been seen in the Game of Thrones TV universe, with Melisandre being centuries old. Alys was allegedly Larys’ wetnurse, so she would’ve been in proximity to him as a baby. While it’s hard to put it past her, given her meddling in House of the Dragon season 2, it’s highly possible that Lord Lyonel just wanted someone to blame for his son not being the ideal representation of his house by his standards.
Why Would Alys Rivers Have Caused Larys Strong’s Clubfoot?
Alys Is A Bastard, So She Could’ve Been Jealous Of Larys
If it was truly Alys Rivers who caused Larys Strong to have Clubfoot, her motivation comes into question. In a more direct sense, she’s considered by some to be Lyonel Strong’s bastard, and it could’ve been her way of exacting revenge on a true-born child for the luxuries Larys would have that she didn’t. More broadly, her role at the cursed castle of Harrenhal seems to resemble that of an evil spirit, and it could just be her nature to cause torment in various ways to those who inhabit the halls.
Alys Rivers’ role in “Smallfolk” seems to have some implications for her purpose. While she seems to be partially tormenting Daemon, she’s also forcing him to reckon with aspects of himself he needs to understand. It’s almost like she’s pushing him toward his destiny, and she even fixes his mistakes with the Riverlords with the implication that she’s killed Grover Tully. Alys could be a character who has visions and pushes characters toward what she sees in her vision, helping them reach their fate. This could be her reasoning for causing Larys Strong’s Clubfoot.
Just How Powerful Is Alys Rivers?
Alys Definitely Has Visions, But Beyond That, It’s Quite Vague
Magical properties and supernatural elements are generally pretty vague in George R.R. Martin’s universe. There are no quantifying values that can be used to determine the power of someone like Alys, so the only information is what’s available on the TV show and supplementary ideas from the book. It seems certain that Alys, like Helaena Targaryen or Melisandre, sees visions in some capacity, potentially in her dreams or through some subconscious intuition. Nothing seems to be entirely clear beyond that.
Alys is known as a healer in Harrenhal, having skills with potions and things of the sort. Her inflicting dreams on Daemon could be through some potion that forces him to feel his subconscious feelings more vividly. Her having such intense magical powers that she can force visions upon another character seems less likely. The mystical elements in House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones generally aren’t that potent, though there are, of course, exceptions.