With the first season of Game of Thrones’ popular off-shoot prequel series now almost concluded, there have been a myriad of twists and turns to help keep viewers on the edge of their seats. That said, if you’ve arrived here, there’s a good chance you’re curious as to why Daemon laughed during Laena’s funeral in House of the Dragon. Worry not, as we’re going to answer that specific query down below.
Before we jump into it, we just want to give you all a quick spoiler warning in case you haven’t had a chance to catch up with episode 7 yet. Still around? Okay, let’s get into it!
Why Daemon Laughed During Laena’s Funeral
During the opening of episode 7, we bear witness to Laena’s funeral following her brutal death in the preceding chapter where she was burned alive by her dragon, Vhagar. While everyone who is in attendance are rightfully pensive and respectful, Daemon lets out a loud chuckle that obviously doesn’t go down too well with the rest of the attendees.
Frankly, his behaviour – as has been the case for much of the entire first season – is often chaotic and borderline anarchic. As to why he laughs, well… that’s largely a mystery, but we can try and infer why he did.
The priest says the words: “Salt courses through Valerian blood. Ours runs thick. Ours runs true. And ours must never thin.” It’s telling that Daemon laughs during this speech, which alludes to the notion that the Valerian bloodline is pure and true.
Of course, while Daemon and Laena were both partners and married to each other, it’s fair to say that their bond together was largely built upon political gain rather than true love. As a result, Daemon may be laughing at the idea that their love was purportedly “true”, which it sadly was not.
Furthermore, and building off that last point, another possible reason for Daemon’s laughter may be due to the ironic absence of true love through marriage, especially amongst the royal families that surround him at Laena’s funeral. For instance, Rhaenyra and Laenor are married but are actually secretly in love with other people, and Queen Alicent and King Viserys are arguably only married for their own personal duties.
Finally, another motivation as to why Daemon likely laughed at Laena’s funeral is that he may’ve realised during the priest’s speech that he is in fact one step closer to marrying his true love (his niece, Rhaenyra). Obviously, Daemon may’ve found the irony of this realisation to be rather amusing, hence the laughter.
Hopefully, that’s helped to clue you in on why Daemon laughed during Laena’s funeral in House of the Dragon. For more on the popular fantasy series, here’s how Laenor faked his death and who the “greens” are in the show. As always, feel free to peruse the relevant links below.
