Warning: Contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon, and George R.R. Martin's book, Fire & Blood.
Summary
- Vermithor, an old and powerful dragon, is crucial due to his size and ferocity in the Targaryen civil war.
- Vermithor was the dragon of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, and is among the biggest living dragons in Westeros.
- Hugh the Hammer, a dragonseed, bonds with Vermithor and plays a key role in major battles of the Dance of the Dragons.
Daemon Targaryen sang in High Valyrian to the dragon Vermithor in House of the Dragon’s season 1 finale and, after further references in season 2, the creature will be very important in the future. The Targaryen civil war, aka the Dance of the Dragons, is underway, and the Blacks have one big advantage over the Greens: more dragons. The only problem is a lack of riders.
There are several unclaimed dragons in House of the Dragon, even after Seasmoke chose a new dragonrider in season 2. Some of these are wild dragons who've yet to be seen, but there are others on Dragonstone primed to form new bonds. These include Silverwing and Vermithor, and it's the latter who appeared on-screen even as far back as season 1, episode 10. Daemon singing to him hasn't yet paid off, but it's only a matter of time.
Why Vermithor Is So Important In House Of The Dragon
The Bronze Fury Is An Old, Powerful Dragon
Vermithor’s only rider was King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, but the dragon is around 100 years old by this point in House of the Dragon’s timeline, and among the biggest dragons in Westeros. Vermithor is one of the few dragons who comes remotely close to matching Vhagar in size and power, and as the Battle at Rook's Rest proved, that kind of raw power can completely turn the tide of any situation, which Daemon hopes Vermithor will do for the blacks.
Vermithor hasn't seen huge amounts of action... but his sheer size, along with his noted ferocious nature, makes him a force to be reckoned with.
Vermithor is even more important after the deaths of Rhaenys Targaryen and Meleys, which lost Team Black one of its most battle-ready dragons. Vermithor hasn't seen huge amounts of action - though he did fight with Jaehaerys in the Fourth Dornish War - but his sheer size, along with his noted ferocious nature, makes him a force to be reckoned with. If the Blacks can find him a rider, then he'll immediately become one of the biggest threats at their disposal.
Related
Between Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and the lore from George R.R. Martin's books, these dragons stand out as the biggest to roam Westeros.
Full Translation & Lyrics Of Daemon's High Valyrian Song To Vermithor
The High Valyrian & English Lyrics Were Both Confirmed
The translation of Daemon's song to Vermithor was confirmed by the creator of the language for Game of Thrones, David J. Peterson (via Archive Of Our Own). The song Daemon sang is called "Hāros Bartossi" which translates to "With Three Heads" in English. The full lyrics of Daemon's song, in both High Valyrian and English (written by Ti Mikkel) are below:
Drakari pykiros / Tīkummo jemiros / Yn lantyz bartossa / Saelot vāedis
Hen ñuhā elēnī: / Perzyssy vestretis / Se gēlȳn irūdaks / Ānogrose
Perzyro udrȳssi / Ezīmptos laehossi / Hārossa letagon / Aōt vāedan
Hae mērot gierūli: / Se hāros bartossi / Prūmȳsa sōvīli / Gevī dāerī
Fire breather / Winged leader / But two heads / To a third sing
From my voice / The fires have spoken / And the price has been paid / With blood magic
With words of flame / With clear eyes / To bind the three / To you I sing
As one we gather / And with three heads / We shall fly as we were destined / Beautifully, freely
Why Daemon Sang To Vermithor In House Of The Dragon
What Daemon's Song To The Dragon Really Meant
Daemon singing to a dragon has a few possible motives and meanings, all of which factor into House of the Dragon’s future. In pure character terms, it helped to further establish Daemon’s more volatile nature: from his bond with Caraxes to being the one to get Syrax’s dragon eggs, and then singing to Vermithor, Daemon is essentially shown as one with the dragons, more of a kindred spirit with them than anyone else.
Many of the lyrics pertain to House Targaryen history, seemingly referencing the Doom of Valyria ("blood magic") and Aegon's Conquest ("winged leader").
The idea of a Targaryen person being a “dragon” has been used before (with Game of Thrones’ Viserys and Daenerys, to varying degrees), but never to this extent. Many of the lyrics pertain to House Targaryen history, seemingly referencing the Doom of Valyria ("blood magic") and Aegon's Conquest ("winged leader"). Daemon’s High Valyrian dragon song also likely served a dual purpose for Vermithor.
One is for Vermithor to become more socialized again, having not had a rider since King Jaehaerys I Targaryen (who has been dead for around 30 years). Similarly, Daemon is seemingly promising Vermithor he will get a new rider soon and bringing him into the fold properly, bonding with him ("as one we gather") and setting up events to come later in House of the Dragon. But also, given Daemon’s belief in dragons winning the civil war, it would make sense for him to be looking to find riders for House of the Dragon's other dragons ("fly as we were destined.").
Related
Every Non-Targaryen Who Rides A Dragon In House Of The Dragon
House of the Dragon season 2 has teased the future involving dragon riders that are not Targaryen, with the show already having set some up.
As for where Daemon acquired the knowledge about the song, it’s plausible that it’s something he heard his grandfather, Jaehaerys, doing with Vermithor. Otherwise, he did spend a lot of time reading in Pentos, and could have gained the knowledge there.
Who Rides Vermithor In The Dance Of The Dragons
Vermithor's Rider Is Hugh, The Blacksmith From King's Landing
Vermithor will be ridden by Hugh the Hammer, the blacksmith who has been seen in King's Landing and played a part in starting the food riots there. Despite Seasmoke killing Ser Steffon Darklyn, Rhaenyra and Jacaerys continue searching for people who have some trace of Targaryen blood and may be able to ride a dragon, called dragonseeds. Hugh is one such dragonseed, and is able to successfully bond with and ride Vermithor, while Ulf the White (who also formed part of the King's Landing story) claims Silverwing.
Hugh and Vermithor will play a key role in some of the Dance of the Dragon’s biggest battles.
Hugh and Vermithor will play a key role in some of the Dance of the Dragon’s biggest battles. They will fight in and help win the Battle of the Gullet, a bloody sea battle that sees the Blacks defeat the Triarchy (who are allied with the Greens), which should happen early in House of the Dragon season 3. Later, however, at the First Battle of Tumbleton, Hugh and Ulf will both betray Rhaenyra, turning to fight for Team Green instead.
Vermithor has a storied history already and an important future in House of the Dragon. The show has done a good job of portraying its dragons, which is great for the Bronze Fury being brought to life and done justice as he deserves as the show continues.
House of the Dragon
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Taking place about 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alco*ck and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.
- Cast
- Jefferson Hall , Paddy Considine , Fabien Frankel , Ryan Corr , Eve Best , Gavin Spokes , Graham McTavish , Steve Toussaint , Olivia Cooke , Sonoya Mizuno , Bill Paterson , Matthew Needham , Emma D'Arcy , Matt Smith , Rhys Ifans , David Horovitch
- Release Date
- August 21, 2022
- Seasons
- 2
- Network
- HBO Max
- Streaming Service(s)
- HBO Max
- Franchise(s)
- Game of Thrones
- Directors
- Miguel Sapochnik , Clare Kilner , Alan Taylor , Greg Yaitanes , Geeta Vasant Patel , Andrij Parekh
- Showrunner
- Ryan Condal
