Who is the "White Worm" in House of the Dragon? | Radio Times

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However, one of the people who end up well-informed about the events is the Hand of the King, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans).

The courtier is informed of Rhaenyra's trip to a brothel with Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) by a child spy and later goes on to tell King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) about his discovery.

The child spy is told by Ser Otto to deliver payment to the "White Worm" and we later see the child hand over payment to Daemon's former paramour, Mysaira (Sonoya Mizuno).

So, who exactly is the White Worm in House of the Dragon?

Who is the "White Worm" in House of the Dragon?

The "White Worm" in House of the Dragon refers to Mysaria.

The former paramour of Prince Daemon Targaryen has left behind her former profession as a dancer and prostitute in King's Landing and has now taken on a new profession entirely.

While only lightly hinted at in this episode, Mysaria now has her own network of spies in the city and takes money for providing espionage services, as evidenced by Ser Otto Hightower delivering payment to one of her child spies which was then returned to her.

Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria in House of the Dragon — Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria in House of the Dragon Ollie Upton / HBO

Mysaria appears to still have a soft spot for Prince Daemon, however, as she pulls him from his drunken antics to a safe location in a cellar she has in the city.

In the series, the root of her name appears to be in her consistent white wardrobe choices - Mysaria has a brand, okay!

In the book Fire and Blood, the name also likely referred to the literary character's skin which was noted to be as pale as milk.

Also, in the book, Mysaria's reputation as a spymaster earns her the name Lady Misery, but it remains to be seen if this will be used in the series.

If House of the Dragon keeps to the book, then we can expect Mysaria to eventual rise to the unofficial position of Mistress of Whisperers.

Game of Thrones fans will remember that Varys (Conleth Hill) served as the official Master of Whisperers in the Small Councils of King Robert I Baratheon (Mark Addy), King Joffrey I Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) and King Tommen I Baratheon (Dean-Charles Chapman) before he switches allegiance to Queen Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke).

Conleth Hill as Varys in Game of Thrones — Conleth Hill as Lord Varys in Game of Thrones season 8 HBO

Varys similarly deploys a network of spies in King's Landing - including children - to report back to him, referring to them as his 'Little Birds'.

Following his departure from the city, Varys' spies went on to serve Qyburn (Anton Lesser), an advisor to Queen Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) and aided in the murder of Grand Maester Pycelle (Julian Glover)

By the end of the original series, Varys' own plotting against Queen Daenerys resulted in his being executed by the fires of her dragon Drogon.

Will Mysaria manage to avoid such a gruesome fate?

Read More:

House of the Dragon is coming to Sky Atlantic and NOW in August 2022. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.

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Lewis Knight

Lewis KnightTrends Editor

Lewis Knight is the Trends Editor for Radio Times, covering trending titles from TV, Film and more. He previously worked at The Mirror in TV, Film, and Showbiz coverage alongside work on SEO. Alongside his past work in advertising, he possesses a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Film Studies.