Will the Targaryen line end?!

[TheUnknownTargaryen]

I don't think Aegon is real or that Jon will father a child. That leaves Daenarys and I'm not sure she'll be having one either.

I just don't think GRRM would end this historical family and no have some sort of heir.

What do you guys think?

[Rickeen Baratheon]

I'm not sure, as far as I'm aware; the blood is in Stannis, any of Robert's bastards, Dany, (f)aegon is he's a Blackfyre and possibly even Brown Ben Plumm.

[mindchap]

Thanks to Aegon IV there is probably Targ blood all over the place. As for the OP, only if the Stark line ends. They have to balance each other out.

[The Dornishman's Wife]

The name Targaryen may end, but their blood will continue. All the examples the loose Roose mentioned, plus the Martells have a bit as well. And let's not forget our favorite celibate watchman, who may not stay celibate for ever.

[C0bR]

Thanks to Aegon IV there is probably Targ blood all over the place. As for the OP, only if the Stark line ends. They have to balance each other out.

Not really.

[shk12344]

Depends on how you define Targaryean. After defeating Dany, I expect Jon to take the Iron Throne out of sense of duty for the realm. Since I expect him to eventually to marry and have heirs, technically Targ will live on, expect that I expect Jon to rule as Stark and not Targ.

So technically yes, but in practice and legally speaking, no.

[Constantinople]

Even if Aegon is a Blackfyre, he's still got plenty of dragonblood in him.

But in any case, historically the age of the dynasties in ASOIAF is complete nonsense. It's really very rare to have a title passed down in the male line of one family over more than four or five generations, and thousands of years is just ridiculous, IMHO, especially given the ease with which written records historically disappear in decentralised societies like Westeros. In reality, I suspect people in Westeros would have very little idea who even Aegon the Dragon actually was, and all sorts of daft myths would already have sprung up about him.

That said, perhaps they already have, and what we're actually presented with is a garbled version of the real Westerosi history. Brandon the Builder and the whole Age of Heroes being maybe 1500 years before the present, and the Andal invasion perhaps 1000 years BP would be much more reasonable dates for people in Westeros to actually remember.

I say that as a student of Ancient History, with a particular interest in the late antique world of Rome and its successor states between 300 and 700.

[Dr. Pepper]

I just don't think GRRM would end this historical family and no have some sort of heir.

Why not? Houses in the series end all the time, by name at least. House Durrendon ended when Orys Baratheon was made Lord of Storm's End, for example. It's not like ending the name somehow sucks all the blood from anyone who was genetically related.

[binga]

A Blackfyre is a Targaryen right? They were legitimized.

[BallpointBanana]

I'm sure there have been plenty of dynasties being fixed over the years.

When we consider the condition of the great houses at "present" - Stark, Tully, Arryn....And consider that these houses and others have been at each others throats for untold generations (ie, when Boltons wore Starkskin cloaks). It has to be assumed that there have been many, many cases of distant cousins being dropped in to continue things, in much the same way Harry is the heir to the Vale despite his distant relation to Sweetrobin.

That said, there are many cases of extinctions, too. House Whent seems to be as extinct as everyone else who claimed Harrenhal. The Reynes, and the Tarbecks. The Gardeners.

A house survives only as long as it's allowed to. The Starks will survive, even if all the characters we know die, because they are well loved. The Northern Lords would find some distant cousin amongst themselves and they would be the new lord Stark (Wiki links the Ned's great-aunt to House Royce). House Targaryen has few friends....apart from in Dorne. It may linger through Aegon and Arianne's potential hookup. Even though I believe he is fake, he carries the name. It's the name that matters, ie Tommen is of house Baratheon despite his parentage.

If that doesn't happen, it's probably done. Even though many could claim lineage (Particularly amongst the Baratheons), I can't imagine anyone would do so unless they could afford to buy a new head.

Dany branch is done, though. MMD seems to have seen to that.

This is probably stuff that will happen after GRRM types "the end", though. I'm not sure it matters.

[Kanali]

A Blackfyre is a Targaryen right? They were legitimized.

They were legitimised, but that didn't make them Targaryens apparently. Otherwise, Daemon would have just called himself Daemon Targaryen rather than create a whole other House.

[silentwanderer]

A Blackfyre is a Targaryen right? They were legitimized.

I understand they were.

But then they were killed.

[NorthRemembers10]

I have an odd feeling that it might happen. But i would be sad if they did.