SPOILERS from the depths of the Fourteen Flames! Catch up on Game of Thrones and consult your maester before continuing.
Pull up a sheep, it’s time for some Game of Thrones dragons theories. You know, the ones about the dragon underneath Winterfell or Hodor being able to control them by saying, “Hodor.” What about the horn that Euron Greyjoy has? Is that a dragon whistle? It’s a tricky thing to get a dragon’s cooperation and many have died trying.
There are a lot of dragon fan theories out there and many of them focus on whether you need Targaryen or Valyrian blood to train, ride, and hang out with them. Why was low-born Nettles, who may or may not have had dragon’s blood, able to tame the wild dragon Sheepstealer during the Dance of Dragons? And if Tyrion isn’t a Targ, then why didn’t Viserion and Rhaegal have themselves a Lannister lunchable when he set them free?
Maybe it’s a multitude of things, because just being a Targaryen is not a ticket to ride. Many Targaryens have tried to hatch clutches of dragon eggs or replicate their firepower with disastrous results. Remember that time Aegon IV burned down the Kingswood?
How about these dragons theories? Maybe, just maybe, dragons choose their rider. Either through sacrifice or intent, the dragon knows who’s worthy and who’s not. Or maybe dragons are just as varied as their many riders, possessing common traits but having their own personalities and will.
Let’s fly over some Game of Thrones dragon fan theories and see what catches our fiery eye.
Photo: HBO
Where Did Dany’s Eggs Come From?
Photo: HBO
In the books, Magister Illyrio tells Daenerys where her wedding gift of the three dragon eggs came from. “From the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai. The eons have turned them to stone, yet still they burn bright with beauty.” But where specifically did they come from? GRRM mentions them in his Dunk & Egg novellas. Perhaps the three eggs are the result of King Aegon’s attempt to raise dragons as their numbers dwindled throughout the world.
Sunfyre had beautiful scales that gleamed like gold. His wings were pinkish. He was considered young at 120 AC and one of the most beautiful dragons in this world. He would become wounded and ragged through battle. He lost an eye, a wing healed incorrectly, and a battle with a dragon called Moondancer made him unable to fly. He suffered a fall at Dragonstone and never recovered. Aegon II Targaryen rode Sunfyre in battle during the Dance of Dragons and fed his sister to Sunfyre at the end of a brutal war.
According to lore, dragons came from the east, the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai and the islands of the Jade Sea. LordToo-Fat-to-Sit-a-Horse suggests that the Asshai dragons were the originals and were here before the Valyrian dragons. Dragon bones have been found to the far north in Ib and as far to the south as the jungles of Sothoryos. Valyrians get credit for the origins of dragons because they found dragons within a ring of volcanoes on the Valyrian peninsula 5,000 years ago. Mithras lays out a long and fascinating origin story of the dragons involving Septon Barth, crossbreeding firewyrms and wyverns, and blood magic. Everyone could be correct.
Rhaenyra Targaryen, the Half-Year Queen, Was Fed to a Dragon
Rhaenyra was the daughter of Viserys I. As the firstborn, she challenged younger half-brother Aegon II as heir to the Iron Throne. When he refused to cede the crown, a civil war, the Dance of Dragons, began. Rhaenyra finally took the Iron Throne but quickly became unpopular as more and more heads appeared on pikes at the gates of the city.
Her increasing paranoia drove her to call for the killing of Ser Addam Velaryon and a girl named Nettles (both dragonseeds). The decision caused those previously loyal to Rhaenyra to switch allegiance to her brother Aegon II. After an attack at the Dragonpit, she fled King’s Landing, taking refuge at Dragonstone. Her half-brother Aegon II fed her to his dragon Sunfyre.
While watching Tyrion unshackle Viserion and Rhaegal, fans noticed that they walked on their wings, which is a very wyvern thing to do, apparently. Wyverns are “serpent-like,” have wings, and spiked tails. The word “wyvern” comes from the French wyvere, meaning “viper” and “life.” European dragons have four legs and wings and sometimes talk like Sean Connery.
George R.R. Martin knew he was describing wyverns when he created them. But he makes this point: “According to the rules of heraldry, dragons have four legs and wyverns two, yes,” he wrote on his blog. “But have you ever seen a heraldic ‘seahorse’? Heralds didn’t know crap about biology. Now, there are no actual dragons, to be sure. But there are bats, and there are birds, and once upon a time there were pterodactyls. Those are the models to use when designing a dragon. No beast in nature has four legs and wings.”
So Dany’s dragons are more wyvern than dragon, but they can still fly and flash-fry a goat or anyone who messes with their mom… or Tyrion.
How to Train a GoT Dragon
Photo: HBO
What’s the best way to train or control flying reptiles who can burn you to a crisp? Here are a few ideas and theories:
- The Valyrian horn Euron Greyjoy found - Warging into them - Being a Targaryen or Valyrian - but you don’t have to be a pureblood - Dragonseeds - bastard Targaryen and Valyrian blood - Hodor them - possible a word that controls them - Show no fear, show respect - Tyrion tells them a story and unshackles them - The dragons choose their riders and handlers
