Are the Hightowers Actually in ‘Game of Thrones’? Heres What Fans Missed
House Hightower might be the biggest name in Westeros that most ‘Game of Thrones‘ viewers never noticed. Between the flames of ‘House of the Dragon‘ and the original series, this ancient family from Oldtown has quietly shaped the fate of the Seven Kingdoms without ever getting the spotlight treatment fans think it deserves.
So the answer to whether the Hightowers technically appear in ‘Game of Thrones’ is yes, but blink and you might miss them entirely. Their presence is so understated that a brief list of every mentioned member of House Hightower in Game of Thrones fits into just a handful of names, which is a stunning contrast to how central they become in the prequel series.
House Hightower Origins in Oldtown
House Hightower of Oldtown is a noble house from the Reach that holds fealty to House Tyrell of Highgarden, with their seat located in the great city of Oldtown, the oldest, greatest, and second most populated city of Westeros. Their words are famously “We Light the Way,” a fitting motto for a family whose literal castle is a massive lighthouse.
Some scholars believe the Hightowers descend from the First Men, while others theorize they trace back to seafarers who settled the region even before the First Men arrived. Their fortress predates most of Westeros as we know it, with legend crediting the construction of the current stone tower to a legendary Westerosi builder.
Oldtown itself remains the seat of the High Septon and the center of the Faith of the Seven, and it is also home to the Citadel and the Order of Maesters. That dual religious and academic authority gave the Hightowers influence that outlasted kings and dynasties alike.
Where House Hightower Fits Into Game Of Thrones Canon
Despite their ancient pedigree, House Hightower barely registers on screen during the original ‘Game of Thrones’ run. The family is largely absent from the main series, and fans who only watched the show would likely only learn the Hightower name once ‘House of the Dragon’ arrived.
Still, a few threads connect the two. Lord Leyton Hightower serves as the head of House Hightower during the events of the original series, but he never physically appears, having remained holed up in the Hightower for over a decade. His absence is treated almost like a running joke among devoted fans of the books.
The most visually striking Hightower connection comes through the Tower of Joy flashback. In the Season 6 episode “Oathbreaker,” a younger Ned Stark arrives to rescue his sister Lyanna, and during a brief duel he kills Ser Gerold Hightower, who had remained loyal to the Mad King throughout Robert’s Rebellion. That single sword fight is essentially the family’s biggest moment in the entire original series.
Family ties also run through the Tyrells. Lady Alerie Hightower married Mace Tyrell and became mother to Margaery and Loras Tyrell, while her younger sister Lynesse Hightower married Ser Jorah Mormont, whose exile stemmed from her expensive tastes. Those bloodlines quietly tie the Hightowers into some of the most memorable arcs of the entire show.
Otto And Alicent Hightower Take Center Stage In House Of The Dragon
Everything changes once ‘House of the Dragon’ begins. Otto Hightower serves as Hand of the King to Viserys Targaryen, and it is his suggestion that Viserys marry his daughter Alicent following the death of his first wife that sets the entire prequel’s central conflict in motion.
Alicent and Rhaenyra Targaryen had a close relationship growing up together in King’s Landing, but their bond fractured as their children grew older and questions swirled around the true parentage of Rhaenyra’s sons. That fracture eventually splits the realm into two opposing factions.
It was the scheming of House Hightower that truly ignited the Dance of the Dragons, as the small council chose to crown Alicent’s son Aegon on the Iron Throne despite Rhaenyra being the named heir. From that moment forward, the Hightowers are no longer a background house, they are the architects of civil war.
Margaery Tyrell, the daughter of Mace Tyrell and Alerie Hightower, is a direct descendant of the Hightower line through her mother’s side, proving just how far this family’s bloodline reaches into the original series without most viewers ever clocking the connection.
House Hightower’s Fate After The Dance Of The Dragons
The war leaves deep scars on the family, especially its most prominent daughter. Alicent Hightower survived the Dance of the Dragons after watching her father, four children, and nearly all of her grandchildren die, though she opposed her granddaughter Jaehaera’s marriage to Aegon the Younger and later suggested cutting the boy’s throat before her own death from Winter Fever in 133 AC.
Despite the devastation, the family line does not die out. Lord Ormund Hightower led the greens’ forces during the war and fell in the First Battle of Tumbleton, after which his 15-year-old son Lyonel took over and controversially married his own widowed stepmother, Lady Samantha Tarly.
That marriage ended up reshaping the family’s fortunes entirely. Lady Samantha later founded the Bank of Oldtown, which helped House Hightower accrue significant wealth in the aftermath of the Dance of the Dragons. It is a quietly fitting twist that the family famous for lighting the way toward Oldtown ended up bankrolling half of Westeros afterward.
Given how much the Hightowers shaped the Dance of the Dragons and still barely got a mention in the original ‘Game of Thrones,’ do you think the show missed a chance to give this family its due, or does their mysterious, background presence make Oldtown feel even more intriguing?
