Over the course of Game of Thrones, Tyrion quickly became a favourite among fans, winning them over with his wit, friendliness, and willingness to make a fool of himself when he deemed it necessary, which was quite often. A couple of key moments throughout the series, caused fans to start speculating about the true parentage of Tyrion Lannister, many coming to the conclusion that he was actually a son of the Mad King Aerys Targaryen.

Tyrion’s Way with Dragons

Targaryen’s are best known for their dragon-riding skills and the deep bond they have with the creatures is unique only to them. Tyrion has not only been able to talk with dragons in a calm manner, happily telling them stories, but has ridden them without too much trouble.

Many fans argue that the reason he has a “not going to be immediately burnt into a crisp” relationship with the dragons is because of the extensive knowledge he has developed about them over the years and the fact that they know that he can be trusted.

Tywin Has Denied Tyrion as His Son

It is clear that Tywin has very little love for his youngest son, easily dismissing him or insulting him. While for the most part, he seems to do this because Tyrion’s birth is what took his wife from him, there is also a chance that he is the illegitimate child of Aerys Targaryen and Joanna Lannister.

It is well known that the Mad King lusted after Tywin’s wife, so it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if he had used his power and influence as king to try and get as close to Joanna as possible, which in turn resulted in the consummation of Tyrion.

Tywin had not only rejected Tyrion as his heir, even after it was made impossible for Jaime to father children or take land, but upon his death right before he was murdered by Tyrion, he told him, “You are no son of mine.”

He Looks More Targaryen than Lannister

In the books, Tyrion is described to have a mix of black hair and hair “so blonde it seemed white”. While his Lannister siblings are also said to have blonde hair, theirs was described as a golden yellow, so the white of his own sounds a lot closer to the silvery locks of the Targaryen’s.

And then there are his eyes. Tyrion has one green and one black eye. While green is a trait of House Lannister, there is another character in A Song of Ice and Fire that had two different coloured eyes and they were the bastard child of a Targaryen king. This could easily be another clue towards Tyrion’s true parentage.

If Tyrion Lannister is a Targaryen it is something that has never been hinted at outright, unlike Jon Snow, whose lineage was a major plot point in Game of Thrones. If theories are to be believed there is a very high chance that Tyrion had as much claim to the Iron Throne as Daenerys or Jon.