What Game of Thrones says about House of the Dragon’s dragon riding rules

[Ed note: This story contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 7.]

House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 7 confirms what Episode 6 already made clear: Addam of Hull is Westeros’ newest dragon rider. One minute Addam is a shipbuilder and occasional crab fisherman, the next he’s cruising through the clouds on Seasmoke. Ulf White (and presumably Hugh Hammer, given the last sting) also learn to ride dragons pretty quickly – maybe even to fast?

After all, dragon riding and bonding seems like the kind of joint exercise that you don’t learn in an afternoon. These aren’t the cuddly creatures from the How to Train Your Dragon series; they’re ill-tempered, living fighter jets. The logical conclusion is that we should see a lot more unsuccessful wannabe riders like Ser Steffon Darklyn (RIP) from Episode 6. But all in all, the win rate this season is high and the amount of on-screen coaching is low. It’s a bit puzzling.

So how does dragon bonding and dragon training work in George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books compared to game of Thrones And House of the Dragon– And is it really as easy as it looks?

How does dragon bonding work in George RR Martin’s books?

Image: HBO

True to his nature, George RR Martin offers few definitive answers regarding the dragon bond, neither in his books A Song of Ice and Fire nor House of the DragonSource code from, Fire & BloodFor example, the Valyrian heritage probably a prerequisite for a successful bond – which at least partially explains all the Targaryen incest – but no one in Westeros knows for sure. And even Targaryens and confirmed dragonseed bastards don’t automatically form bonds with masterless dragons; Addams’ brother Alyn nearly dies in the books in a rash encounter with a dragon named Sheepstealer.

It’s all a bit vague, although A Dance with dragons mentions that the dragonriders of Valyria used spells and magical horns to tame their scaly mounts. However, Martin never describes this firsthand. Anyone who bonds with a dragon in Fire & Blood and the novels of A Song of Ice and Fire – from Aemond Targaryen to Daenerys Targaryen – do this by approaching a riderless dragon and finding out if they are compatible. On the positive side, Martin has promised that he will clear up the ambiguities surrounding dragon bonds in the last two parts of A Song of Ice and Fire (Prayers Up) in a recent blog post:

[Dragons] Bonding with men… some men… and the why and how of it and how it came about is finally revealed in more detail in The Winds of Winter And A dream of spring and some in Blood and fire [Volume 2]. (Septon Barth was right on many points.) Like wolves, bears, and lions, dragons can be trained, but never fully tamed. They will always be dangerous. Some are wilder and more willful than others. They are individuals, they have personalities… and thanks to the bond they share, they often reflect the personalities of their riders.

However, Martin has already shared some concrete information about dragon bonds in the books he has published so far. In particular, A Song of Ice and Fire consistently presents a system with one rider per dragon (passengers excluded). Even Daenerys Targaryen, who has “raised” three dragons, has a real bond with only one of them, Drogon. The other two, Rhaegal and Viserion, essentially follow their brother’s example and support their “mother” when necessary. Is this normal? Not really – but Dany is also familiar with unique circumstances. Martin’s lore also emphasizes that age plays no role in the bonding process. As in the series, for example, Fire & Blood shows 10-year-old Aemond claiming Vhagar, the largest and most evil living dragon in Westeros.

Do dragon training and riding lessons work differently in the Game of Thrones books?

Image: Warner Media

Dragon training is a big deal in Martin’s books. That’s why there is such a thing as wild dragons – left to their own devices, dragons can and will screw things up. Fire & Blood contains references to Targaryen dragon riders using whips and verbal commands to control their fire-breathers. The core A Song of Ice and Fire books also show Dany teaching Drogon to breathe flame by saying the High Valyrian word “dracarys,” which roughly translates to “torch those fools” (or “dragon flame,” who knows).

The books also show what happens when dragons are not trained properly. Daenerys has to chain up her dragons when they start to go wild A dance with dragons. Later in the same book, she also uses tough love in the form of a whip to bring Drogon to heel. If this all sounds a bit haphazard, that’s because it is: Dany is the first person in over a century to train a dragon in the A Song of Ice and Fire universe. She figures it out as she goes along.

And what about the fun part, kite riding? Martin doesn’t really devote many pages to the flying lessons, Fire & Blood suggests that (unsurprisingly) experienced dragon riders are more effective flyers (and fighters) overall. At the same time, Daenerys climbs into A dance with dragons (although the angry mob surrounding her probably helped!). However, Dany still has several air missions to make before Drogon obeys her orders, so at least there is some learning curve.

Still, it seems that the bonding and basic training are the hardest part; once that is accomplished, there are literally no limits to what a dragon rider can achieve.

How does dragon bonding and dragon training work in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon?

Image: Warner Media

It’s all pretty much the same as in Martin’s books. game of Thrones faithfully recapitulates the highs and lows of Daenerys’ half-hearted training program (although Dany foregoes the whip in the live-action) and also lets her get airborne without much difficulty. Meanwhile House of the Dragon contains scenes from Season 1 (particularly Episode 6) in which the male junior Targaryens attend a dragon school, and both Seasons 1 and 2 accurately reflect the dangers and vagaries of bonding (again, cheers to Ser Darklyn and all the other charred dragonseed candidates in Episode 7).

However, there are some exceptions to the above points. First of all, Jon Snow associates Rhaegal in game of Thrones Season 8, no time. Yes, he has Targaryen blood and yes, he had Dany’s permission (for all that matters), but he saddles up with less effort than anyone else – even Addam. Is he a good dragon rider? No. But he still manages a full run. The bond between Jon and Rhaegal also seems to be temporary, something that has no basis in Martin’s books (at least so far). Then there’s also technically the Night King, who has no problem bonding with and commanding Viserion – although the poor beast was essentially a snow zombie at this point, so I guess that doesn’t count.

So how difficult is it to bond with, train, and ride a dragon in Westeros? Well, it’s not a piece of cake in either version of the Seven Kingdoms, but overall it’s still a lot easier than it should be.