Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 Episode 6 of House of the Dragon.
Seeing someone burn in dragon fire is never nice, but, unfortunately, that’s what happens to Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan) in the latestHouse of the Dragonepisode, “Smallfolk.” As part of Rhaenyra Targaryen’s (Emma D’Arcy) plan to get more dragon riders for the Blacks, the dragonkeepers summon the dragon Seasmoke, who doesn’t like the idea of being ridden by Ser Steffon,burning him and one of the dragonkeepers. The scene is very shocking, with the burning dragonkeeper even killing himself before dying in the fire, and puts in question whether Rhaenyra’s plan may work. Could the dragonkeepers perhaps have done something differently? Or couldn’t one of them have attempted to ride Seasmoke?
House of the Dragon
The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO seriesGame of Thrones.Based on George R.R. Martin’sFire & Blood,House of the Dragonis set nearly 200 years beforeGame of Thrones, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.
The Dragonkeepers Are Responsible for Protecting the Dragons of House Targaryen
The scene in “Smallfolk” is very reminiscent of a scene in Season 1, when Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) sings tothe dragon Vermithorin the season finale, “The Black Queen.” In that scene, he singsan ancient songin High Valyrian to summon the dragon called “Hāros Bartossi” (which translates to “With Three Heads”). The lyrics area plea made by two heads of House Targaryen’s three-headed sigil to the third oneto join them in battle, so that, together and fighting as one, they may achieve victory and greatness. In this context, the dragon summoned by the song is the third head.
In “Smallfolk,” the dragonkeepers sing the same song to summon Seasmoke. They are the people responsible for protecting and educating the dragons of House Targaryen in the Dragonpit in King’s Landing and in the Dragonmont in Dragonstone.They train dragons only in High Valyrian in order to keep with the ancient traditions of House Targaryen, hence why those who carry the blood of the dragon have to learn how to speak the language. In the episode “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” for example, Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) addresses Sunfyre in the Common Tongue (regular English), showing he didn’t bother connecting with this part of his heritage, while his brother, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and his other dragonriding relatives, only address their dragons in High Valyrian.
InHouse of the Dragon, dragonkeepers wear simple robes and wield long wooden sticks to direct the dragons, almost like flight operators in airport lanes. Male dragonkeepers have shaved heads, and their female peers have to wear their hair tucked in a bun, probably to reduce the risk of it catching fire.In the books, however, dragonkeepers are quite different. They are an actual order of loyal servants ofHouse Targaryen, and there are only seventy-seven of them, all male. Instead of wooden sticks, they wield swords, and, instead of robes, they wear black armor adorned with black scales.
The Dragonkeepers Are Another Creation of King Jaehaerys I, the Conciliator
King Jaehaerys I (Michael Carter) wasa good monarchby the measure of most people. He established many of the policies and traditions of House Targaryen asthe ruling house of Westeros, and the dragonkeepers are one of them. Before that, dragons were kept in the Dragonpit and the Dragonmont and had to be raised and educated mostly by their riders.It was also dangerous since it was relatively easy to sneak into the Dragonpit, and this posed a huge danger for smallfolk and royals alike.
It’s exactly after a Targaryen royal “kidnaps” a dragon that Jaehaerys decides to establish the order of the dragonkeepers. According toFire & Blood, in the year 54 AC (After the Conquest), Princess Aerea Targaryen one day claimed Balerion, the Black Dread, as her mount, and,together, they simply disappeared. Jaehaerys and the rest of House Targaryen were desperate for news about Aerea and Balerion, but, eventually, everyone believed she was dead. More than a year later, Aerea suddenly reappears in King’s Landing with Balerion. She dies soon after as a consequence of themysterious burns and bruisesshe carries. Balerion, too, is severely bruised, with open wounds still bleeding. After that, Jaehaerys creates the order of the dragonkeepers, and Balerion becomesthe first residentof the Dragonmont in Dragonstone.
It’s the dragonkeepers' job to protect the dragons from people further attempting to claim them without supervision.Theyknow the dragonsbetter than anybody, and understand each dragon’s individual nature and temper. For example, when princess Alyssa Targaryen decides to try and claim Balerion as her mount, it’s the dragonkeepers who convince her otherwise, directing the young royal toclaim Meleys instead. They also gave some dragons their nicknames. Caraxes, for example, was named “the Blood Wyrm” by the dragonkeepers in King’s Landing. Finally, the dragonkeepers also prevented many attempts by royals to sneak into the Dragonpit, like princesses Saera and Viserra Targaryen, as well as curious people.
Paddy Considine Shares an Amusing Reunion with Matt Smith in New ‘House of the Dragon’ BTS Images
King Viserys returns one last time in the latest episode.
‘House of the Dragon’ Has a Unique Portrayal of the Dragonkeepers
One of the first questions that may arise when talking about the dragonkeepers is pretty obvious: why don’t they try to claim the dragons themselves? It’s a valid question to which the answer has to do with howHouse of the Dragonhas been treating the dragons themselves. Dragons are perceived as gods, and something thatonly people withthe blood of the dragoncan fully tame. That’s why only Targaryens and some Velaryons have dragons - so far, at least. So, as close as the dragonkeepers may be to the dragons themselves, they will never be able to form the powerful bond that Targaryens can.
In a 2023 episode of his podcastThe Stuff Dreams Are Made Of,House of the DragonshowrunnerRyan Condalofferedmore insightinto why dragonkeepers are the way they are in the series when compared to the books. Initially, it was decided that they would dress in simpler attire because of budgetary constraints, to whichGeorge R.R. Martinagreed completely. From then on, the very concept of dragonkeepers as an institution evolved into that of a monastic order. For example, they work in pairs, with an elder dragonkeeper being the mentor to a younger one. Eventually, they completely forgo the common tongue and take on High Valyrian as their sole language, too, as part of their training.
Another thing that Condal mentioned is the fact thatdragonkeepers also have daggers made of dragonglass, which they would craft as part of their training. Dragonglass is a rare ore which, as it’s revealed inGame of Thrones, can be found in Dragonstone, and not onlycan it kill White Walkers, but it’s also resistant to dragon fire. Condal didn’t disclose why they would carry this weapon, but it may be connected to the dragonkeeper that kills himself when Seasmoke sets him on fire. Dragons are gods, so a dragonkeeper killing themselves if set on fire essentially means that they can’t allow the gods to be responsible for their deaths. It’s pretty much confessing their failures, too, a way of not holding the dragon responsible. Hopefully, we won’t see any more dragonkeepers doing this until the end of the series.
New episodes ofHouse of the Dragonair weekly on Sundays on Max.
