House of the Dragon: How can Addam ride a dragon without Targaryen blood?

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON

July 31, 2024 at 11:17 am

Actually, only Targaryens can ride dragons, right? In “House of the Dragon,” Addam von Holk refutes this theory. But how is his dragon ride possible?

Caution, spoilers for “House of the Dragon” Season 2, Episode 7 “The Red Seed” follow!

• The Targaryens are called “Blood of the Dragon.” But they don’t seem to be the only ones who can ride a dragon.
• In “House of the Dragon” Season 2, Addam of Holk manages to ride the dragon Seasmoke without any Targaryen blood.
• As the bastard of Corlys Velaryon, Addam also has the blood of Old Valyria in him, which is the main prerequisite for a dragon ride.

Here you can see the trailer for the season finale of “House of the Dragon” season 2!

House Targaryen is known as the “Blood of the Dragon.” In Westeros, they have claimed the throne because their dragons make them more powerful than all other royal houses. But in “House of the Dragon,” it seems to have been disproved that only Targaryens can ride dragons.

In episode 6, Addam of Holk (Clinton Liberty) mounts the dragon Seasmoke and proves as the first non-Targaryen that it is possible to ride a dragon. But that should not give the other Westeros residents any hope, because even though Addam is not a Targaryen, he still carries the blood of Old Valyria in him.

Has there ever been a non-Targaryen dragon rider?

In “Game of Thrones” and “House of the Dragon” there were no dragon riders until the most recent episodes who were not from the House of Targaryen. In episode 6 of “House of the Dragon” season 2, Addam von Holk (Clinton Liberty) becomes a dragon rider. He is a bastard of Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and thus the first non-Targaryen.

In the books, it’s a little more complicated, because in “Fire and Blood” it’s not entirely clear whether Addam is Corlys’ son. Officially, it’s said that he’s the son of Laenor Velaryon (John MacMillan), Corlys’ firstborn.

Since Laenor is the son of Corlys und Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) If that is the case, Addam would actually be a Targaryen. In that case, the theory would still stand that only Targaryens can ride dragons.

Why Velaryons can also ride dragons

The fact that the series is now taking the path of allowing Velaryons to ride dragons means that it is not necessarily Targaryen blood that is needed to ride a dragon, but the blood of Old Valyria.

Both families, Targaryen and Velaryon, originate from the distant kingdom that has fallen and are the last remaining families of Old Valyria. What unites and characterizes both houses is their silver-blonde hair.

In fact, the books also reveal that Targaryens are not the only dragon riders. In Old Valyria, they were not even the most powerful dragon rider family. The Targaryens and Velaryons were simply the only ones to survive the fall of Valyria.

The Dragon Seeds

In episode 7 of “House of the Dragon” season 2, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) invites numerous Targaryen bastards to try to claim a dragon. These carry Targaryen blood in them. They are called “dragonseed” because they carry the blood of the dragon riders.

For centuries, the Targaryens have only married within their own family to avoid mixing the blood of the dragons and making it impure. Rhaenyra’s plan to let Targaryen bastards ride dragons is met with criticism, including from her son.

For Jace (Harry Collett), who is himself a bastard, which is officially denied, it was always a kind of legitimization of his claim to inheritance that he could claim a dragon. He sees himself and his claim to the throne as being threatened by Rhaenyra’s plan.

There are new “House of the Dragon” episodes every week. You can find them every Monday in Germany on Sky and Wow in the new releases program. It has already been confirmed that “House of the Dragon” season 3 will be coming.