Warning this piece incorporates spoilers for House of the Dragon and the Game of Thrones books.
After the surprising occasions of House of the Dragon Episode 4 “The Red Dragon and the Gold” — which our critic gave a ten/10 — conflict was inevitable. While Alicent (Oliva Cooke) and her Green faction seemingly gained the battle due to the loss of life of Rhaenys and Meleys, the reality is way much less clear. But one factor that’s sure is that the deaths have pushed Rhaenyra (Emma D’arcy) and her son and inheritor Jace (Harry Collett) into motion. Episode 5 sees them lastly placing collectively a plan, and its consequence might change the face of not simply the conflict, however the Seven Kingdoms and the Targaryen declare to pure dragon-blood endlessly.
By the tip of the episode, Jace involves a realization: they may find a few of the Targaryen bastards born out of wedlock, or discover Targaryen descendants who could have modified names and homes due to organized marriages, affairs, and the passage of time. Which units up three minor characters we have already met in Season 2 as main gamers going ahead and leads us to a giant query…
What is a Dragonseed?
Jace’s sensible gambit units up the significance of three so-called dragonseeds. You could have heard the phrase earlier this season when a drunk within the native tavern claimed he was one — extra on him later — however we’re right here to elucidate simply what a dragonseed is and why they matter.
The best reply is that they are riders who’ve Valyrian blood however aren’t formally acknowledged as part of the true Targaryen or Velaryon (like Corlys and his household) line. The identify comes from the truth that they’re “born of dragonseed” a gross manner of placing throughout that, whereas they might not be pureblood dragonriders, they have been nonetheless sired by those that do have dragon blood of their veins. Just like within the sequence, within the books the dragonseeds are referred to as upon to attempt to bond with the Targaryen dragons with a view to assist Rhaenyra and her trigger towards the High Towers.
Addam of Hull
The brother of Corlys’ bastard son Alyn (Abubakar Salim) —which whereas it hasn’t been confirmed means that he’s seemingly Corlys’ son too, — Addam (Clinton Liberty) has already been closely foreshadowed to have a connection to a sure dragon within the Salt & Sea camp. Remember him trying up longingly at Seasmoke the trusty dragon as soon as ridden by Laenor Velaryon (John MacMillan) earlier than he faked his personal loss of life? That was no coincidence, as within the books Addam goes on to bond with and journey Seasmoke after answering Jace’s name for these with Valyrian blood.
Thanks to the books which House of the Dragon is predicated on, there’s loads of details about the function that Addam has to play within the conflict to return. His connection to Corlys signifies that he is one of the vital loyal of the dragonseeds and has a cause to combat for Rhaenyra past glory or gold. His brother Alyn additionally has an vital half to play. We can anticipate him to develop nearer to his father after the passing of Rhaenys (Eve Best) and most significantly Baela (Bethany Antonia) rejecting Corlys’ supply to be inheritor on this episode.
Hugh the Hammer
If you’ve got been questioning why we have been spending a lot time following the adventures of the blacksmith often called Hugh the Hammer and his household, here is your reply: Hugh is among the dragonseeds. His white hair could have been a clue to followers, as was his prominence within the sequence up to now, seeing as he is seen as one of many so-called “Small Folk”. But when Jace and Rhaenyra make their name to motion, Hugh will tackle a a lot bigger function in addition to a dragon within the type of the huge creature often called Vermithor. Unfortunately for Rhaenyra, he is positively no Addam of Hull and can turn out to be a serious downside for the Queen if the present sticks wherever near his storyline within the books. Speaking of which…
Ulf the White
The solely one among our trio who truly publicly calls themself a dragonseed is Ulf the White (Tom Bennett) who we first met in Episode 2 earlier than he informed his ingesting buddies about his alleged heritage and household ties in Episode 3. According to Ulf, he is the bastard son of Balerion the Brave. This would make him the half-brother of each Viserys (Paddy Considine) and Daemon (Matt Smith) in addition to the uncle of pricey outdated Queen Rhaenyra. He’s not afraid to boast about this connection, so it appears like he’ll in all probability bounce on the likelihood to really show his mettle as a Targaryen. If you are questioning what dragon he’ll find yourself bonding with, it’s Silverwing. The dragon was talked about on this week’s episode as one of many dragons slumbering under the halls of Dragonstone. Ulf is one other questionable rent by Rhaenyra and Jace so preserve your eyes on him going ahead.
The Missing Dragonseed
It’s onerous to speak about dragonseeds with out citing presumably the preferred sudden dragon rider of all of them. First launched in Fire & Blood, Nettles is a younger homeless lady who fought her manner into being a dragon rider out of what appears to be nothing greater than sheer will. She’s additionally the one Black character who options in Fire & Blood. Her kindness and generosity in the direction of the dragon often called Sheepstealer allowed her to turn out to be his rider, making her one of many famed dragonseeds from the Targaryen conflict. But, whereas she appeared to don’t have any connection to Valeryian blood, rumors swirled of a deeper connection between the younger girl and Daemon. There’s two readings of their relationships: one that’s romantic and one the place she might in reality be his bastard daughter, although nothing is confirmed.
The incontrovertible fact that Nettles hasn’t but proven up is certainly value noting, as we have already met the opposite dragonseeds. With that mentioned, she’s such a fan fave that it is onerous to think about that we can’t see her in some unspecified time in the future within the upcoming season, particularly as we embark on this storyline. Her absence hasn’t gone unnoticed, with each fans and writers mentioning it, in addition to theorizing that her plotline could also be mixed with that of Daemon’s daughter Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell), who’s presently with the youthful Targaryen youngsters on the Eyrie.
We’ll have to attend till subsequent week to see simply how rapidly the royals get the gang collectively…
Rosie Knight is a contributing freelancer for IGN overlaying all the things from anime to comedian books to kaiju to children films to horror flicks. She has over half a decade of expertise in leisure journalism with bylines at Nerdist, Den of Geek, Polygon, and extra.
