WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 7 and George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book, on which the show is based!
Summary
Vermithor takes Hugh Hammer as his new rider inHouse of the Dragonseason 2, episode 7, and it isn’t just because he has the blood of the dragon in him. After losing Rhaenys and Meleys, Rhaenyra is desperate to find new riders for the unclaimed dragons on Dragonstone. WithSeasmoke claiming Addam as his new rider(not the other way around) inHouse of the Dragonseason 2, episode 6, theQueen calls for Targaryen bastards to come to Dragonstoneand attempt to rideVermithor and Silverwing. Only two are successful, Hugh Hammer and Ulf White.
When the first illegitimate Targaryen works up the courage to touch Vermithor, chaos ensues as the dragon blows fire upon numerous “dragonseeds.” The dragonseeds scatter and are either burned, crushed, or eaten by the “Bronze Fury,” with Hugh Hammer eventually finding the bravery to distract Vermithor from burning a woman by standing in front of him instead. While Hugh stands his ground and prepares for Vermithor to fatally burn him, the bastard grandson of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen is surprised when the dragon bends to him. As the episode ends,Hugh Hammer is seen on Vermithor’s back as a new member of Rhaenyra’s army.
Hugh’s Bravery & Ferocity May Have Led Vermithor To Choosing Him
Hugh Embraces The Fury Of A Dragonrider In Front Of Vermithor
The moment he bravely stands in front of the dragon amid the fiery chaos appears to be when Vermithor chose him. Hugh even tempts Vermithor to burn him as he screams “Come on!,” taking the death of a true dragonrider in stride. Similar to Laena Velaryon wishing to die by Vhagar’s fire orRhaenys accepting her death on Meleys,Hugh Hammer embracing a dragonrider’s death made him more worthy of riding Vermithor. His lack of outward fear and calmness as he stood before Vermithor, telling the dragon he was “ready” to die from the dragonflames, could only come from someone with enough fire in their blood to warrant riding a dragon.
Dragons have their own personalities that often take to their riders, and Vermithor needed a human “Bronze Fury” to bond with.
Of course, being brave and having Targaryen blood aren’t the only reasons for a dragon to take someone as a rider. In the moment that Hugh saved the woman and fiercely showed power over the dragon,Hugh Hammer demonstrated himself as a “Bronze Fury,” making him fit to ride this specific dragon. Dragons have their own personalities that often take to their riders, and Vermithor needed a human “Bronze Fury” to bond with. Similar to the bravery and ferocity that Aemond Targaryen exhibited when claiming Vhagar as a child, thesecond-biggest dragon of House Targaryenaccepted these qualities in Hugh Hammer.
Hugh May Be Directly Connected To Vermithor’s Previous Rider
Vermithor Was Previously Bonded With King Jaehaerys I Targaryen
Another reason why Vermithor allowed Hugh Hammer to claim him may be tied to his true parentage. If Hugh Hammer’s claim about his Targaryen ancestry is right, thenhe’s directly related to Vermithor’s last rider, King Jaehaerys I Targaryen. InHouse of the Dragonseason 2, episode 7, Hugh explains to his wife the truth about his mother being a silver-haired woman and the sibling of Baelon Targaryen, making Hugh the grandson of King Jaehaerys. While Hugh doesn’t explicitly state who his mother is, there are some clues that she could be an extremely important member of this generation inHouse Targaryen’s family tree.
Ulf In House Of the Dragon: Targaryen Parentage, Dragon & Future Explained
House of the Dragon season 2, episode 3 introduces the character of Ulf, who claims to be of Targaryen descent linked to King Jaehaerys I.
Hugh tells his wife that his mother worked in a “pleasure house” and was granted more freedom than others due to “what she was” and because rich men would pay more to sleep with a woman with silver hair. TheKing’s Landing blacksmith Hughelaborates that his mother used to tell him that he was “no different to her brother’s boys, Viserys and Daemon.” This means thatHugh’s mother is either the sister or half-sister of Viserys and Daemon’s father Baelon Targaryen, which also makes her either the trueborn or bastard daughter of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen.
Similar to Seasmoke choosing Addam of Hull, Laenor Velaryon’s half-brother, for his next bond, the dragons appear to favor more direct blood connections in their riders.
King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne had 13 children, with one of their daughters, Saera, being notorious for her promiscuous exploits in King’s Landing.Fire & Bloodreveals that Saera flees King’s Landing for Lys, works at a pleasure house, and has a few bastard children. It’s more likely that Hugh’s mother is King Jaehaerys’ bastard daughter, butsome details suggest that he could actually be a bastard son of Princess Saera Targaryen. If so, Hugh would have thick Valyrian blood running through his veins. Not only this, but Jaehaerys often thought of Saera at the end of his life, so Vermithor may sense both of their blood in Hugh.
Daemon Targaryen’s Vision Of His Mother Explained: Who She Was & Why He Does THAT
Daemon has a shocking vision about his dead mother in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 5, revealing more about his state of mind at Harrenhal.
What Happens Next To Hugh & Vermithor In The Dance Of The Dragons
Hugh & Vermithor Don’t Make It To The End Of The Dance Of The Dragons
Hugh and Vermithor quickly become huge assets for Rhaenyra in the Dance of the Dragons. With the strength of the second-largest living dragon Vermithor, Seasmoke, Silverwing, Syrax, and Caraxes,Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen takes King’s Landingfrom the Greens inFire & Blood. Unless theBattle of the Gulletcomes first, theFall of King’s Landing appears to be the next big event set up for Team Black’s dragonriders. However, not long after this victory for Queen Rhaenyra, Hugh Hammer and Vermithor change their allegiances.
Defecting to the Greens, Hugh begins calling himself “Lord Hammer” and expresses a desire to be king, with his ambitions being supported by a prophecy about a new king rising when a hammer falls on a dragon.
In the First Battle of Tumbleton, Ulf White, Silverwing,Hugh Hammer, and Vermithor betray Rhaenyraby turning on Team Black’s own forces in battle. Defecting to the Greens, Hugh begins calling himself “Lord Hammer” and expresses a desire to be king, with his ambitions being supported by a prophecy about a new king rising when a hammer falls on a dragon.Team Green soon kills Hugh Hammer for his treachery against both Targaryen factionsduring the Second Battle of Tumbleton, with Vermithor also dying in thisHouse of the Dragonbattle when fighting the riderless Seasmoke and Tessarion in the skies.
House of the Dragon
Cast
House of the Dragon is a 2022 fantasy drama set in the world of Westeros, chronicling the Targaryen dynasty at its height. The story revolves around King Viserys’s controversial decision to name his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, sparking tensions and divisions within the realm.
