Lord Corlys claimed the Velaryons controlled half of the realm's dragons. We look at House of the Dragon's dragon population and if Corlys is right.
Warning: SPOILERS for House of the Dragon Episode 4 - "We Light The Way"
Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) boasted that House Velaryon controls "half the realm's dragons" in House of the Dragon episode 5, but is this true? The Sea Snake and his wife, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), wed their son, Laenor (Theo Nate) to the heir to the Iron Throne, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock). King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) intended for this wedding to unite the House of the Dragon, and the King got his wish to bring the errant House Velaryon back to the Iron Throne's good graces after years of estrangement.
Dragons remain the key to the Targaryens' power in Westers. The winged, fire-breathing beasts are the nuclear weapons of House of the Dragon, and only those with the blood of the dragon descended from Old Valyria can bond with and ride a dragon. Unlike the Targaryens, however, House Velaryon gained its power and influence by sea trade and shipping. Lord Corlys controls the most powerful navy in Westeros, and his voyages also made House Velaryon the richest in the Seven Kingdoms. Viserys damaged his relations with the Sea Snake when he married Lady Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey) instead of Corlys' daughter, Laena (Nova Foueillis-Mose), causing a rift that lasted years as the Velaryons and Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) went to war with the Triarchy over the Stepstones. No doubt, Rhaenyra's political marriage to Laenor is also partly so that House Targaryen can have some control over the dragons of House Velaryon.
How Many Dragons Does House Velaryon Have?
Laenor Velaryon riding Seasmoke in House of the Dragon episode 3.
Warning: SPOILERS for the Fire and Blood novel and future House of the Dragon Season 1 episodes
House Velaryon's known dragons are Seasmoke and Meleys, belonging to Laenor and Rhaenys, respectively. Laenor rode Seasmoke in battle when Daemon killed the Crabfeeder (Daniel Scott-Smith) in House of the Dragon episode 3. When she was briefly courted by King Viserys, the young Laena also spoke about how Vhagar, the largest living dragon in Westeros, was sighted nesting in Driftmark. Laena is meant to bond with Vhagar and become her dragonrider. Although this hasn't been depicted yet in House of the Dragon, this potentially gives House Velaryon three dragons. But is this really "half the realm's" dragon population as Lord Corlys claims?
How Many Dragons Currently Exist In House of the Dragon?
HOTD-rhaenyra-and-dragon
House of the Dragon season 1 confirmed that the show will feature 17 dragons in various ways. Along with the Velaryon dragons, including Vhagar, who hasn't been seen on the show yet, House of the Dragon has also confirmed Rhaenyra's dragon, Syrax, Daemon's dragon, Caraxes, and Dreamfyre, who also hasn't been seen but had one of her dragon eggs stolen by Daemon in House of the Dragon episode 2. In addition, the skull of Balerion the Black Dread has been seen twice in the bowels of the Red Keep.
There are said to be five dragons in the Dragonpit of King's Landing, which means three haven't been named yet besides Syrax and Dreamfyre. So even if those are the only dragons in Westeros, Lord Corlys' claim that the Velaryons' three dragons are half of the realm's population isn't correct. There are also more dragons to be introduced in House of the Dragon. While some dragons that will play a role in the upcoming Targaryen Civil War will likely be born during the 10-year time jump between House of the Dragon episodes 5 and 6, other dragons like Vermithor, Silverwing, and Sheepstealer should also be alive and living on Dragonstone.
Why The Velaryons Can Ride Dragons
Theo Nate as Laenor Velaryon and Milly Alcock as Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon Episode 5
Even though their surname is not Targaryen, the Velaryons can ride dragons because their blood descends from Old Valyria just like Viserys and Rhaenyra's family. The Targaryens and the Velaryons are the last surviving families who came to Westeros from the East before the Doom claimed Old Valyria. House Velaryon made their fortune though ships, but they still have the genetic disposition to bond with and ride dragons. As such, through Laenor's marriage to Rhaenyra and Daemon's own upcoming wedding to Laenor, the Velaryons will play an even bigger role as dragon riders in House of the Dragon.
House of the Dragon airs Sundays @ 9pm ET on HBO and streams on HBO Max.
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