Spoilers for Episode 7 of House of the Dragon
While not much is known about how Targaryens are able to interact with dragons, it’s widely believed that braveness is one major key to taming the beasts. Although similar was the case with Kieran Bew’s Hugh Hammer, who successfully claims Vermithor, the second largest dragon in The Realm, it’s the next case that left many fans befuddled.
The penultimate episode further sees Ulf becoming the new rider of Silverwing, and even showrunner Ryan Condal didn’t have a firm explanation behind Silvering’s reasoning for choosing Ulf.
Ryan Condal Doesn’t Have a Definite Answer Behind Why Silverwing Choose Ulf
Unlike Hugh, Ulf wasn’t exactly the bravest of the Dragonseeds, who competed to tame wild dragons in order to strengthen Rhaenyra’s army. While Hugh successfully stands his ground and tames Vermithor, the episode sees Ulf falling off the platform cavern and into the cavern, where he eventually stumbles upon Silverwing. While Tom Bennet’s Ulf waits for death to come after he closes his eyes, surprisingly, it never arrives, as the beautiful beast takes a liking to him.
Considering fans were only aware of one way of taming dragons, this completely flipped their perspective about them. Moreover, showrunner Ryan Condal also doesn’t have a definite answer. Condal stressed:
We didn’t want to get too much into the whys and hows. We don’t really understand why a dragon chooses its rider.
But there might be one explanation that might further elucidate the she-dragon’s decision. Keeping in mind that the she-dragon was previously bonded to Alyssane Targaryen, the late queen, who was notable for her goodness throughout her rule, Silverwing also seems to reflect Alyssane in many ways.
While dragons are not known for being kind to humans, this isn’t the case for Silverwing, who, like Alyssane, has a docile and friendly nature. Following her nature, there’s a good chance Ulf’s deference at the beginning might’ve won Silverwing over.
Ryan Condal Touched the Biggest Challenge With House of the Dragon Season 3
Speaking of the next installment in the Game of Thrones spin-off, which was greenlit earlier this year, Ryan Condal detailed the big challenge with season 3. Considering the franchise is notable for starting out with a bang, Condal explained maintaining the “narrative explosion” with fresh storylines is their biggest challenge heading into the next chapter.
There’s a rhythm to all this, these kinds of stories as you tell them. And we’re trying to find satisfying arcs within the season structure. So, hopefully you start with a bang, and then you build to another bang through the series, but you’re really trying to arc out the characters, so that each season is a different experience for all of them.
With one more episode to go, the excitement surrounding how House of the Dragon season 2 concludes cannot be higher.
House of the Dragon is available to stream on Max.
