Alyn of Hull. If you didn’t know that name previously, you certainly do now. House of the Dragon’s second season has given Alyn and his brother, Addam, more time in the spotlight. With Seasmoke claiming Addam, the duo’s inclusion in the ongoing battle between the Blacks and Greens will only grow.
Who plays Alyn of Hull in House of the Dragon?
Abubakar Salim plays Alyn of Hull, the bastard child of Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint). Like most of House of the Dragon’s cast, Salim is British. His first major TV appearance was in the Sky One historical drama Jamestown. And while he’s also recognized for his role as Father in HBO’s Raised by Wolves, Salmi might be best known by video game fans.
Assassin’s Creed Origins earns a spot in the upper echelon of the Ubisoft series, and Salmi voiced Bayek of Siwa, the main character and a franchise fan favorite. The performance even earned him a nomination for a British Academy Games Award. However, Salim’s connection to games doesn’t just stop there. In addition to being an actor, he also started his own video game development studio called Silver Rain Games (now Surgent Studios).
The studio’s debut project, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, was released in April 2024 and has already topped many “best of” lists. The title was a deeply personal one for Salmi, who used Tales of Kenzera: Zau as an outlet for exploring grief after his father’s passing. While Surgent Studio only has one game under its belt at the time of writing, the studio also dabbles in film.
Alyn of Hull’s importance in HotD
Alyn might have started out House of the Dragon’s second season as a background character, but his role has only grown.
Spoilers ahead for HotD 2 x 4 onwards and some minor spoilers for Fire & Blood.
The real change came in season 2, episode 4, “The Red Dragon and The Gold.” Princess Rhaenys’ (Eve Best) strange interaction with the nobody sailor hinted there was more to Alyn than meets the eye. He wasn’t just the man who saved her husband’s life; he was also Lord Corlys Velaryon’s bastard son—and she knew it.
More recent episodes have highlighted the importance of people like Alyn. Known as dragonseed, these bastard children of Houses Targaryen and Velaryon harbor the ability to bond with dragons—and Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) needs more dragonriders if she’s going to stand a chance at winning the war.
Unlike his brother, Alyn remains entirely disinterested in his noble lineage. After all, life has only been hard knocks thus far, so why get his hopes up? However, that looks to be changing. With Addam bonding with Seasmoke, Alyn is sure to become more entangled with his father, even if he’d rather just stay a sailor.
Those familiar with George R. R. Martin’s source material know Alyn might not be the dragonrider some hope he is, but he plays an important role in the story nonetheless. And, as House of the Dragon has already hinted, the fractured bond between estranged father and untrusting son will likely be restored.
Published: Jul 30, 2024 01:49 pm