House of the Dragon: What Is a Dragonseed?

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 3, “The Burning Mill.”

House of the Dragon Season 2’s latest installment, “The Burning Mill,” expands the Game of Thrones franchise’s lexicon with a new term: dragonseed. So what is a dragonseed, and are there any in House of the Dragon?

Related: Are Daenerys’ Dragon Eggs in House of the Dragon Season 2?

House of the Dragon’s Dragonseeds, Explained

The term “dragonseed” refers to illegitimate children born to fathers with Valyrian blood. So, basically, it’s the name for the bastard kids of Houses Targaryen and Velaryon. According to House of the Dragon‘s source text, Fire & Blood, the Dragonstone smallfolk’s willingness to take part in the “first night” tradition (which entailed brides sleeping with their king or lord on their wedding night) was responsible for a decent chunk of Westeros’ dragonseed population. If that seems strange, bear in mind that the locals practically worshipped their Targaryen overlords. Plus, the mother of a dragonseed typically received land and other gifts for her troubles.

Related: House of the Dragon: Who Is The Prince That Was Promised?

Of course, the obvious question is “Can dragonseeds become dragon riders?” The answer to that is “sometimes.” In Fire & Blood, plenty of confirmed and self-proclaimed dragonseeds bond with dragons, however, just as many aren’t so lucky. This tracks with the wider A Song of Ice and Fire canon, in which not even House Targaryen – Westeros’ only dragonlord clan – has a 100% success rate. Still, a dragonseed’s chances of saddling up on a winged beastie are definitely higher than those of the average commoner without a drop of Valyrian blood in their veins!

Are There Any Dragonseeds in House of the Dragon?

Yes, House of the Dragon introduced its first dragonseed – one of Aegon II Targaryen’s unfortunate out-of-wedlock brood – in Season 1, Episode 9, “The Green Council.” The poor tyke’s not named as such on-screen, but then he isn’t named, period! House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 3 also gives us Ulf: a self-professed dragonseed, and alleged half-brother of King Viserys I and Prince Daemon Targaryen! In the book, that first bit turns out to be true. Ulf’s dragonseed status in a House of the Dragon continuity remains unclear for now, however.

Related: Who Did Viserys Want to Succeed Him in House of the Dragon?

Season 2 features a further two potential dragonseeds, however, revealing their names would spoil things (Fire & Blood readers know who we mean). They won’t be the last dragonseeds we meet, either. Assuming House of the Dragon‘s remaining seasons stay true to their source material, more “seeds” will fill out the ranks of the Black Targaryen camp as the Dance of the Dragons rages on!

House of the Dragon Season 2 is currently airing on HBO and Max, with new episodes dropping Sundays.