Queen Rhaenyra has her dragonriders, but many Targaryen bastards who tried to claim the world’s greatest power died on Dragonstone. That infamous event from Fire & Blood known as “The Red Sowing” gave the House of the Dragon episode its title. The show did make some big changes to George R.R. Martin’s book, but ultimately the result of both versions is still the same: the Blacks have never been stronger. And, we have some interesting new dragonriders in House of the Dragon that fans will want to keep their eyes on.
What Did House of the Dragon Change about “The Sowing of the Seeds” From the Book?
House of the Dragon made some major changes to the “Sowing of the Seeds” even before season two’s penultimate episode.
The prequel series began looking for new dragonriders by having Ser Steffon Darklyn be the first and only person to try and claim a dragon. That was entirely a House of the Dragon creation that changed the origins of the Sowing entirely. Rhaenyra specifically asked her Lord Commander to try after searching through old family scrolls following an idea by her son Jace. She learned Steffon’s grandmother’s grandmother had been a Targaryen. In both versions of the Sowing Ser Steffon died bathed in dragonflame.
On House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra only got the idea to turn to Targaryen bastards (known as dragonseeds) after another big change from Fire & Blood. On the show, Seasmoke went and made/forced Addam of Hull to become his rider.
In Martin’s in-world history, her son Jace wasn’t worried about bastards claiming dragons. He came up with the plan to let anyone and everyone try and become a dragonlord. He offered knighthoods, lands, and riches to any man (not women) who successfully mounted a dragon.
What followed was a single day event that came to be known as “the Red Sowing.” In Fire & Blood, that’s when both Steffon and Addam made their attempts along with dragonseeds and anyone else willing to risk death. However, unlike on House of the Dragon, those Targaryen bastards did not come from King’s Landing. They were dragonseeds of Dragonstone. Mysaria’s (not so) covert recruitment plan in the capital was another change from the show..
In Fire & Blood, sixteen men died during the sowing. Dragons burned or maimed three times as many, with some suffering grievous wounds, including have limbs bitten off. (Hence the “red” moniker.) One man who suffered burns during a failed attempt was Alyn of Hull. On House of the Dragon, Alyn didn’t even try to claim a dragon despite his brother’s success.
One other major change in the HBO series was that Rhaenyra only had people try and claim Vermithor and Silverwing. In the book’s version, would-be dragonriders also made attempts to mount three wild dragons. Those untamed beasts attacked many people, with one especially vicious wild dragon responsible for some of the most gruesome scenes of death and mayhem. (Only Vermithor caused either on House of the Dragon, which was just as deadly.)
In Fire & Blood, someone the show seems to be eliminating from its story did claim one of Dragonstone’s wild dragons during the Sowing. (If you don’t care about spoilers you can read more about that here. If you paid attention to this episode, though, you probably already know what might happen.)
House of the Dragon Turned “The Red Sowing” Into a Horror Film
Instead of a long day of agony where people approached a dragon one at a time, House of the Dragon‘s “Red Sowing” was a quick, chaotic event of mostly failure.
Rhaenyra took all the dragonseeds, a group made up of both men and women, down into the caverns below Dragonstone. There she summoned Vermithor, a massive dragon nearly as big as Vhagar but even more fierce. (She had to call on Vermithor herself because the dragonkeepers quit when they learned she wanted to let commoners try and claim the sacred beasts. That’s also a new addition to this event.)
A single dragonseed came forth when Vermithor answered the call, but the former dragon of King Jaehaerys attacked the entire group. Some ran away while others either fled down stairs or got knocked down to the ground below the platform. There Vermithor hunted the remaining dragonseeds down, burning and eating them alive. The “Bronze Fury” only stopped when Hugh the blacksmith came forward to sacrifice himself to save a woman.
Hugh’s bravery gained him a dragon, as Vermithor bowed his head and accepted the bastard son of an infamous Targaryen Princess as his rider.
Silverwing’s new dragonrider claimed his mount in a very different way. Rather than bravery or nobility, Ulf the White stumbled in the darkness until he came upon Silverwing. Without doing anything notable, including not even approaching her, she accepted him as her rider. It was closer to how Seasmoke claimed Addam than how Hugh claimed Vermithor.
Despite their differences, the “Red Sowing” of both House of the Dragon and Fire & Blood ended the same way.
Who Are the New Dragonriders in House of the Dragon?
Hugh the Blacksmith Claimed the Dragon Vermithor
Hugh the blacksmith, also known as Hugh the Hammer in Fire & Blood, claimed Vermithor.
House of the Dragon revealed his mother was Saera Targaryen, the notorious, exiled daughter of King Jaehaerys. His first-cousin is Daemon Targaryen, which makes Rhaenyra is second cousin. Hugh showed bravery standing up to Vermithor, which may have been why the fearsome dragon accepted him.
Ulf the White Claimed the Dragon Silverwing
Unlike in Fire & Blood, Ulf the White did not try to claim Silverwing directly by approaching the she-dragon. Instead they met by accident with Silverwing seemingly choosing Ulf. The new dragonrider didn’t waste anytime taking to the skies. He went on an ill-advised dragon joy ride over his home in King’s Landing, where he has long claimed to be the son of the late Baelon the Brave, Saera’s older brother.
Before going to Dragonstone, Ulf doubted his own tale of royal heritage and whether he’s really the bastard brother of Viserys and Daemon when Rhaenyra called for dragonseeds. His success claiming Silverwing indicates he is at least the bastard child of some Targaryen, even if it’s not Baelon.
Addam of Hull Claimed the Dragon Seasmoke
He didn’t have to do it at the Sowing, but just as in Fire & Blood Addam of Hull is now Seasmoke’s dragonrider. The HBO show did raise the possibility his mother was a Targaryen bastard herself, but it’s still possible Seasmoke allowed Addam to mount him because he has the blood of Old Valyria via his father Corlys Velaryon. Corlys isn’t sure, though, because House Velaryon were never dragonriders but that’s obviously going to change in House of the Dragon.
Queen Rhaenyra doesn’t care how Addam claimed Seasmoke, only that he supports her. Neither does she care about Hugh and Ulf’s lowborn status. Just like in Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon gave her and “army of bastards” she hopes will give her the Iron Throne.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist and dragon historian. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.