#how the fuck this fanon take is so widespread in the asoiaf fandom is beyond me

[dragonsfromthemoon]

The “Rhaegar wanted a Visenya” bullshit annoys me to no end. An example of fanon being spread as canon.

1. Rhaenys and Aegon (and their variations) are pretty common names in Targaryen history. No ties to prophecy whatsoever. It is just a way of honoring two of the most important Targaryen monarchs ever.

(We can also count on GRRM's laziness on coming up with new names lmao He would not have much care on naming two dead toddlers, c'mon guys)

2. We do know why Rhaegar chose to name Aegon as such.

Viserys, was her first thought the next time she paused, but a second glance told her otherwise. The man had her brother's hair, but he was taller, and his eyes were a dark indigo rather than lilac. "Aegon," he said to a woman nursing a newborn babe in a great wooden bed. "What better name for a king?" [ACOK, Daenerys IV]

You see, Aegon was Rhaegar's heir and would have been king after him. There were five Aegons before him, so that was a pretty good choice of a name for a heir and king-to-be.

3. The passage in which Rhaegar talks about the three heads of the dragon is rather tricky. We can't forget it was a vision; and Dany herself doesn't know whether he was speaking to her or to Elia.

"He has a song," the man replied. "He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire." He looked up when he said it and his eyes met Dany's, and it seemed as if he saw her standing there beyond the door. "There must be one more," he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say. "The dragon has three heads." [ACOK, Daenerys IV]

3.1 “There must be one more” and “The dragon has three heads” don't indicate whatsoever that Rhaegar wanted especifically a girl.

3.2 Again, it is a vision, and it seems as though Rhaegar is talking to Dany. She brought the dragons back to the world and became herself one of the heads of the dragon; she herself wonders and talks about the three heads of the dragon later on.

3.3 Rhaegar had no way of knowing for certain the gender of the child.