The Dragonseeds of House of the Dragon: Who Rides Seasmoke?
House of the Dragon season 2 now has all of the players in place to enact a major plotline from Game of Thrones history.
This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2 episode 6 and details from Fire & Blood that will spoil future moments of the show.
The Blacks are facing a big problem on House of the Dragon. Their ancestral seat of Dragonstone is teeming with dragons and yet they’re running low on Targaryens to actually ride them to war.
Thankfully, in season 2 episode 5 “Regent,” Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Prince Jacaerys (Harry Collett) dream up an ingenious solution: dragonseeds. Due to the Targaryen family’s prolific sexual appetites, there are plenty folks in the Seven Kingdoms who have a little bit of the “blood of the dragon” in them even if they don’t have a Targaryen surname. Perhaps Rhaenyra’s supporters can track down some of these folks and see how they take to the skies.
It’s a solid plan, but will it work? Who are these dragonrider candidates and what is a dragonseed anyway? Allow us to explain.
What Is a Dragonseed?
A dragonseed is someone who was fathered or mothered by a member of a Valyrian dragon riding family like House Targaryen, and therefore has the “blood of the dragon” within them.
Being a dragonseed is politically dangerous. As we’ve seen time and time again in Game of Thrones, the nobility of the Seven Kingdoms doesn’t have much patience for royal bastards born outside the bonds of wedlock. At best, bastards are an annoying reminder of infidelity and at worst, they are a threat to a House’s stability.
Being a dragonseed, however, does come with a major benefit: the potential ability to ride a dragon. The truth of the matter is that no one really knows what makes a dragonrider, but they do know that having a Valyrian bloodline can help. While not all Targaryens are automatically compatible with a dragon (Rhaena, for instance, has not yet claimed a dragon of her own), someone who has Valyrian ancestry will have a better chance of bonding with a dragon than someone who does not.
Who Are the Dragonseeds in House of the Dragon?
In their initial conversation about dragonseeds, Rhaenyra and Jacaerys bring up members of some other noble families as candidates.
“Are you suggesting we put a Mallister on a dragon? A Tarly?” Rhaenyra asks.
“It’s better than death and defeat,” Jace responds.
Based on the events of season 2 episode 6, Rhaenyra and Jacaerys may have been aiming a little too high. Their first attempt to find a dragonrider goes terribly as poor Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan) is burned to a crisp by Seasmoke. Perhaps his Targaryen blood was too thin. Thankfully there are plenty of Targaryen bastards out there who are only a generation or two removed from Valyrian parentage.
As depicted by George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, The majority of the dragonseeds introduced in this story will come from some rather unexpected places. And we’ve met at least four of these potential dragonriders already: Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim), Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty), Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew), and Ulf White (Tom Bennett).
Hugh was introduced in House of the Dragon season 2 episode 1 as a lowly blacksmith who petitions the crown for payment for making weapons. He has since recurred throughout the season, revealing that he will eventually have a bigger role to play going forward. Ulf turned up in episode 3 as a blowhard at a bar who claimed to have been the bastard son of Baelon the Brave, making him King Jaehaerys I’s grandson and Prince Daemon’s half-brother. It’s impossible to say whether he really is but it will soon become clear he must have some dragon blood in him.
Alyn and Addam, of course, were just revealed to be the bastard offspring of Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint). While the Velaryons hail from Old Valyria, they weren’t historically considered to be dragonriders. Still, having a drop or two of Valyrian blood can’t hurt when it comes time to claim a dragon.
Who Will Claim Vermithor, Silverwing, and Seasmoke?
When talking about their riderless dragons, Jace is sure to shout out both Vermithor and Silverwing as two of the largest dragons in the known world (behind Vhagar, of course). They are joined by other lonely dragons on Dragonstone like Seasmoke (formerly Laenor Velaryon’s mount), Grey Ghost, and Cannibal.
Vermithor and Silverwing were the mounts of royal married couple, King Jaehaerys I and Queen Alysanne. Both beasts have remained unclaimed since their favorite humans died. Surely, it would take great and powerful Targaryens to win them, right? In reality, it’s the two assholes from King’s Landing – Hugh Hammer and Ulf White – who claim Vermithor and Silverwing, respectively.
Meanwhile, Alyn and Addam make attempts at claiming dragons as well. None of the dragons end up liking Alyn that much and he goes riderless (but still finds a way to historical greatness anyway). Addam, on the other hand, forms a bond with Seasmoke. The dragons preferring one brother while rejecting another proves just how finicky the science of this is in the first place. We see this begin to play out already in season 2 episode 6 “Smallfolk.”
Hugh on Vermithor, Ulf on Silverwing, and Addam on Seasmoke play enormous roles in the battles to come. But will it all be to Team Black’s benefit? Let’s just hope Queen Rhaenyra’s people run rigorous background checks on the people they’re handing nuclear bombs to.
New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
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TV Editor at Den of Geek and Television Critics Association member. Based in Cleveland, Ohio. Very upset about various sporting events.