Who is Alys Rivers and who plays her in House of the Dragon?

The allies of Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) are readying for clashes with her half-brother King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney), while her husband Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) has now taken the ghostly castle of Harrenhal from his enemies.

However, one addition to the House of the Dragon cast in Harrenal is Alys Rivers, and she's already made quite the impact as Daemon seemingly starts to lose his mind and encounter some spooky happenings in the supposedly haunted castle.

So, who the mysterious Alys and who plays her in House of the Dragon?

Who is Alys Rivers in House of the Dragon?

Alys Rivers is a healer working in the service of House Strong in the ancient ruined castle of Harrenhal.

Her surname, Rivers, is given to bastards born in the Riverlands. The character is incredibly knowledgeable, worldly, and unsettling, with some believing she's a witch.

In the third episode, Alys is shown to serve in Harrenhal and acts as a healer but also appears to be present in the maddening visions experienced by Prince Daemon Targaryen there, as well as giving him a suspicious drink early in the season.

Episode 4 gave us our closest look at Alys yet, as she speaks to Daemon of the Harrenhal "curse".

She tells him: "Harrenhal's been cursed since its first stone was laid. Black Harren felled the grove of weirwood trees that grew on these lands. Heart trees imbued with the spirits of those who lived long before he came. It's said their whispers can still be heard sometimes."

While Daemon is sceptical, he notices Alys has strange knowledge of his life, including his quarrel with Rhaenyra. However, she explains this away by noting that he's sent no ravens home while he's been at Harrenhal. She goes on to taunt Daemon about Rhaenyra taking away his claim to the throne. But, still, things might not be all as they seem with Alys.

Who plays Alys Rivers in House of the Dragon?

Scottish actress Gayle Rankin portrays Alys Rivers in House of the Dragon.

Rankin is best known for her roles in Netflix series GLOW and HBO drama Perry Mason, along with her film parts in The Greatest Showman, Her Smell, Blow the Man Down, and The Climb.

*Spoiler warning for the book Fire & Blood and potential spoiler warning for House of the Dragon.*

What happens to Alys Rivers in the book Fire & Blood?

Alys Rivers is a wet nurse who lives at Harrenhal in the service of House Strong.

The rival historians in the book disagree on her familial origins but she is widely believed to be a bastard daughter of a member of House Strong. Some wondered whether she was the bastard child of the late Hand of the King, Lord Lyonel Strong (Gavin Spokes) but others said she had served as his wet nurse – betraying her real age.

While some believed her to be a mere healer, others claimed she was a wood witch and dabbled in the supernatural, utilising this to hide her true advanced age.

She is also shown to witness visions in flames – this along with rumours of hiding her true age with magic certainly provides parallels with the Red Priestess of Rhollor from Game of Thrones, Melisandre of Asshai (Carice van Houten).

Alys is present in the book throughout various events at Harrenhal and survives numerous assaults on the castle, crossing paths with Prince Daemon Targaryen.

However, a key relationship that develops for Alys is when her path crosses with Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) and she becomes his lover...

Read more:

• How to watch House of the Dragon – where can you stream?
• House of the Dragon planned to last three or four seasons
• When is House of the Dragon set? Game of Thrones timeline explained
• Where was House of the Dragon filmed?
• What is Dark Sister in House of the Dragon?
• Your guide to the dragons of House of the Dragon
• Game of Thrones books in order: A Song of Ice and Fire and more

House of the Dragon season 2 airs on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK from 17th June – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV.

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