House of the Dragon BTS Featurette Puts the Dragons in the Spotlight

HBO’s House of the Dragon is really starting to live up to its name. Dragons have been present on the series from the very first episode, but their importance was taken to another level with the latest episode. “Driftmark” saw Aemond Targaryen bond with Vhagar, the dragon of late Laena Velaryon and one of the three original dragons that helped conquer the Seven Kingdoms. Aemond and Vhagar’s connection has massive implications for the entire House of the Dragon story, so this week was a good time for the show’s creative team to offer some more information about the dragons we’re watching on-screen.

After the latest episode, HBO released a new featurette called “The Age of Dragons,” and it takes a deep dive into the massive creatures featured on House of the Dragon. You can check out the full feature in the video below.

The creative team talks about a few of the prominent dragons during the video, including Syrax, the dragon bonded with Princess Rhaenyra. Unlike the bond between Aemond and Vhagar, Rhaenyra and Syrax have been together for years, with the latter having hatched when the former was very young. This has made their bond much deeper than that of a rider with a dragon that has gone through multiple bonds.

“Syrax was hatched to Rhaenyra when she was a child. I think the dragons that are born to their riders have a shared, deeper bond than any of the other dragons,” Condal explained. He went on to say that Syrax was designed like a bird of prey, comparing her to an eagle that is “build for speed.”

George R.R. Martin, who wrote A Song of Ice and Fire and created the entire franchise, spent some time talking about Vhagar, the dragon of the hour. He explains that Aemond bonding with Vhagar is an act that “actually enflames the dislike between the two branches of the family even more.” 

As for Vhagar herself, Martin puts some focus into how massive the dragon actually is. “Vhagar is so large that she doesn’t really fit anywhere anymore,” he says in the video. “Not even in the Dragonpit. And that’s created a bit of a longer personality in her. And she’s very grumpy.”

With three more episodes left in the first season of House of the Dragon, there’s a good chance these giant beasts will take on an even bigger role down the homestretch.