House of the Dragon: Why Do the Targaryens Have Dragons? (2024)

There is no Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon without dragons. Without them, both shows have little to no magic that ignites a spark of excitement. Furthermore, the Targaryen family wouldn't have reached their status of glory in the world without dragons.

The age of dragons was long and prosperous in both the Valyrian Freehold and Westeros, but that age would slowly disappear after the war known as the Dance of the Dragons. The mighty beasts were only a distant memory when Daenerys Targaryen was born. It took years for them to regenerate, thanks to Daenerys' sacrifice, but even by the end of Game of Thrones, only one dragon remained. Throughout all the centuries of dragonriding in Westeros, the Targaryens were the only family able to mount the creatures and soar into the sky.

Updated on August 1, 2024, by Katie Doll: Dragons and Targaryens go hand-in-hand in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire. The dragons' existence gave the Targaryens all of their power, and their extinction is believed to be why all the magic disappeared from the world. This article has been updated with new information about the different ways Targaryens claim dragons, and the dragonseeds that planted the end of the Targaryens' reign.

The Targaryens Weren't the Only Dragonriders in Early History

Before the Targaryens marked their territory in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, they were a family of dragonlords in the Valyrian Freehold. But unlike their royalty status in Westeros, the Targaryens were one of the less powerful houses in Valyria. They were only one of 40 dragonlord houses, meaning that dragonriding was not restricted to one family during this time.

Dragons were exceptional and awe-inspiring creatures during this time, but they were anything but rare. Accounts differ on the origins of dragons, but some say they were discovered in a ring of volcanoes known as the Fourteen Flames on the Valyrian peninsula. Others believe that the dragons originated from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai, while a tale from Qarth claims dragon eggs are pieces of a second moon that fell from the sky. In 114 BC, Daenys Targaryen had a vision of Valyria's destruction. While other dragonlord families believed it false, the Targaryens moved to Dragonstone in Westeros.

The Velaryons — a noble Valyrian family that isn't dragonriders — had already staked their claim on Driftmark. 12 years later, Valyria's land crumbled to a cataclysmic event known as the Doom of Valyria. Everything about Valyria, including its culture and history, was lost in the Doom, as were the people and dragons. The only surviving dragonriders were the Targaryens, accompanied by the dragons who'd already found safety on Dragonstone. For years, the Targaryens married each other to keep the bloodline pure, so they were the only family to ever ride dragons in Westeros.

The Targaryens and Dragons Are Bonded by Magic

The exact source of the Targaryen-dragon bond is unknown. The one characteristic of this bond consistent across all accounts is the use of magic. One theory is that Valyrian bloodmages used wyverns (non-fire-breathing reptiles) to create dragons. A more accepted theory is that Valyrians used spells and sorcerous dragon horns to tame and train dragons. The connection between Targaryens and dragons is so powerful that it seems like Targaryens have actual dragon blood.

Daenerys and Rhaenyra Targaryen both had stillborn babies, but they did not appear as normal infants. The newborns had dragon-like defects such as scales, tails, wings and twisted bodies. These cases make it seem like Targaryens are conceived as dragons, but transform into humans during pregnancy. The only possible explanation for the dragon-like stillborns is that they're cursed, due to their Valyrian ancestors using blood magic. But again, the mysteries behind the Targaryens and dragons' bond are largely unconfirmed because of Valyria's lost history after the Doom.

There are a couple of different ways Targaryens claim a dragon. One way is for a person to put a dragon egg in the cradle of a Targaryen baby, to allow the dragon and baby to grow up together. This is the more traditional method of forming a connection. Rhaenyra did this with Syrax, as did her children. A more unorthodox way of dragon bonding is claiming one that's fully grown and has either lost a rider or never been bonded. This method is far more dangerous as full-grown, wild dragons are more likely to reject a person by killing them. But, many Targaryens have succeeded. A few include Laena Velaryon and Aemond Targaryen with Vhagar, and Daemon Targaryen with Caraxes.

The Dance of the Dragons Introduced New Riders

When a Targaryen civil war between Rhaenyra and Aegon II Targaryen broke out, Rhaenyra's son Jacaerys proposed finding new riders to fight. Thus came dragonseeds — illegitimate children of Valyrian descent — who claimed and rode dragons. The introduction of dragonseeds raised many questions about their legitimacy and the qualifications of dragonriders. Since the Targaryens were the only remaining dragonriders descended from Valyria, people assumed that the dragonseeds had to have been fathered by Targaryens. Two of them were, at least. Hugh Hammer was the bastard son of Saera Targaryen, Jaehaerys I Targaryen's daughter and Baelon Targaryen's sister. Ulf White claimed to be Baelon's bastard, making him Daemon and Viserys' brother. There's no way to know if their claims hold legitimacy, but their bond to their dragons confirms that Valyrian blood was in their veins.

But there was the case of House of the Dragon's Addam of Hull (later legitimized as Addam Velaryon), who was rumored to be the son of either Laenor or Corlys Velaryon. If he was Laenor's son, he had more chances to be a dragonrider because his grandmother is Rhaenys Targaryen. But Laenor was strongly implied to be gay and had failed to conceive a child with a woman. That leaves him to be Corlys' son and may have gained Targaryen blood from him through years of Targaryens and Velaryons intermixing. The uptick of new dragonriders didn't produce more dragons, however. Most of the dragons were killed during the Dance of the Dragons. What followed was a disastrous period for the Targaryens that slowly made the dragons an extinct species.

Daenerys Targaryen's Dragon Hatch Is a Rare Case

The death of the dragons was an age that nearly killed the Targaryens. They still kept their role as the ruling house of Westeros for many years, but when it was time for war, they lost their strength. Without the dragons, they were reduced to the likes of other noble houses in Westeros that lacked magic. Dragons wouldn't be reborn until Daenerys Targaryen — believed to be the last Targaryen for a time during Game of Thrones — became a teenager. With the help of blood magic, Daenerys steps into a funeral pyre and comes out with three dragons born from petrified eggs.

For Daenerys' three powerful dragons to be born, she had to give three lives: her husband Khal Drogo, her baby Rhaego and the sorcerer Mirri Maz Duur. The blood magic ritual miraculously made Daenerys immune to fire, but only for this one instance, at least according to A Song of Ice and Fire. The uniqueness of the Targaryen line is insurmountable — the Targaryens have intrusive dragon dreams, occasionally birthed dragon-like babies and have bonded with dragons since birth. Dragons define their identity, a feature that isn't shared by any other house in Westeros.

Game of Thrones Seasons 1-8 and House of the Dragon Seasons 1-2 are available to stream on Max.

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  House of the Dragon

  TV-MA

  Drama

  Action

  Adventure

  Fantasy

  Two centuries before the events ofA Game of Thrones,House Targaryen—the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria—took up residence on Dragonstone.

  Release Date

  August 21, 2022

  Cast

  Jefferson Hall , Eve Best , David Horovitch , Paddy Considine , Ryan Corr , Bill Paterson , Fabien Frankel , Graham McTavish , Olivia Cooke , Gavin Spokes , Sonoya Mizuno , Steve Toussaint , Matt Smith , Matthew Needham , Rhys Ifans , Emma D'Arcy , Milly Alco*ck

  Main Genre

  Drama

  Creator

  George R. R. Martin, Ryan J. Condal

  Production Company

  Bastard Sword, Cross Plains Productions, Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO

  Number of Episodes

  10

  Network

  HBO Max

  Streaming Service(s)

  Max

• 

  Game Of Thrones

  TV-MA

  Fantasy

  Drama

  Action

  Adventure

  Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for a millennia.

  Release Date

  April 17, 2011

  Cast

  Peter Dinklage , Emilia Clarke , Nikolaj Coster-Waldau , Sophie Turner , Maisie Williams , Kit Harington , Lena Headey , Sean Bean

  Main Genre

  Drama

  Creator

  David Benioff, D.B. Weiss

  Production Company

  Home Box Office (HBO), Television 360Grok! Studio

  Number of Episodes

  73

  Network

  HBO Max

  Streaming Service(s)

  HBO Max