House of the Dragon: why do the Targaryens have dragons?

If they were made to wait in Game Of Thrones, dragons are ubiquitous in House of the Dragonfrom the first episode of season 1. In the original series, who knew how to find a place in the pantheon of the most popular programs of the last twenty years, these mystical and fantastic creatures are essential to the evolution of Daenerys Targaryenperformed by Emilia Clarke. Like her eggs, which initially seem frozen in stone to eventually hatch and give way to three magnificent dragons, Khaleesi asserts herself and becomes the mighty queen we know today. Under the reign of Robert Baratheon, the dragons are believed to have been extinct for several centuries. House of the Dragonfor its part, takes place 200 years before Game Of Thrones, while the Targaryens still reign supreme over Westeros, alongside their faithful dragons. If the two shows repeatedly showed the unbreakable bonds that unite the royal house and their animalsthe reasons behind such confidence still remain unclear.

Where did the Targaryen family come from? Game Of Thrones and House of the Dragon ?

If you thought only members of the Targaryen clan were capable of riding dragons, think again! Originally these creatures were Discoveries in the Fourteen Flames, a chain of volcanoes in the Valyrian Empire. Several families present on the continent of Essos (east of Westeros) have thus learned to tame them and conquered the entire territory in fire and blood. But at this time, House Targaryen is not among the most powerful in the empire. Everything changes a century before the conquest of Westeros, when Daenys the Dreamer, daughter of Chief Targaryen, has a premonition. She describes the Valerian possessions plagued by flames, earthquakes, explosions and sees the water of the lakes turn into acid. A grim sight that pushes the silver-haired family to flee the continent. On the back of dragons, the Targaryens then fly to Westerosleaving behind thousands of Valyrians to their doom.

How did the Targaryens tame their dragons?

In reality, several legends hide behind the origin of this connection between dragons and Targaryen. Being the first to have discovered these creatures, the Valyrians and their descendants would be the only ones who could ride these fire-eaters. This partly explains the tendency of the Targaryens to perpetuate incestuous unions, a way to keep a pure blood, as close as possible to the original dragon lords. According to the website A Wiki of Ice and Firefamilies able to ride would have uses witchcraft and human sacrifices to submit these creatures to their will. According to the specialized site Game of Thrones Fandom, dragons cannot be truly tamed but trained. “Dragonlords of ancient Valyria controlled their mounts with whips, subjugation spells, and bewitched horns“, can we read. In the last season of Game Of ThronesEuron Greyjoy also claimed to hold one of these horns called “tame-dragon”.

House of the Dragonthe series where the dragon is king

Another theory establishes that the dragons would have been brought to the fourteen flames from the mysterious lands of shadow. “Old tales of Asshai claim that an unnamed people first tamed dragons, brought them to Valyria, and taught the Valyrians their craft before retreating.“reports the site A Wiki of Ice and Fire. If the mystery around the link between the Targaryens and their creatures is gradually clearing up, many gray areas persist. With House of the Dragon, in which these fantastic animals are central characters, we can hope for more concrete answers. In six seasons, Game Of Thrones offered its viewers three magnificent dragons. House of the Dragon should introduce 17, in just ten episodes. Enough to quench our thirst… or stir it up!

Article written in collaboration with 6Médias.