There’s a saying within the world of George R. R. Martin’s *A Song of Ice and Fire* novels about the Targaryen family and their inclination towards madness. Apparently coined by the house’s King Jaehaerys, it goes:
**“Every time a new Targaryen is born, the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land.”**
In the television adaptation *Game of Thrones*, which aired on HBO from 2011 to 2019, Conleth Hill’s character Varys expresses a similar sentiment, saying:
**“Every time a Targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin.”**
This is essentially a condensed version of the earlier saying.
This all points to the powerful, ancient, and royal Targaryen family—who ruled Westeros for centuries with dragons and iron fists—being prone to bouts of madness. So where does King Aerys II Targaryen, known as the “Mad King,” fit into this story?
### A Brief Context on the Targaryens and Incestuous Traditions
To understand Aerys’ descent into madness, we need s
https://www.looper.com/2016278/game-of-thrones-mad-king-aerys-ii-targaryen-explained/