What Was Behind That Dragonkeeper’s Strange Death on ‘House of The Dragon’?

House of The Dragon is so full of tidbits taken from ASOIAF lore that you might as well call it House of Details! One such interesting detail about dragonkeepers was embedded into a scene from the latest episode of season 2, episode 6 “Smallfolk,” featuring the dragon Seasmoke.

Mild spoilers ahead for season 2!

We’ve seen them in House of The Dragon every time a dragon appears. They’ve been quietly doing their jobs and not getting much footage for it, even though their’s is a fatal gig. Who are they? They are the dragonkeepers, those guys with soot-covered faces and robes, holding long spears and talking in High Valyrian commands to the dragons.

According to Fire & Blood, the dragonkeepers were an order of knights that protected the Targaryen dragons both on Dragonstone, and at the Dragonpit in King’s Landing. There were a total of seventy-seven men, clad in black armour, and helms “crested with a row of dragon scales” that went all the way down their backs in a tapering fashion. And, they carried swords. Which honestly makes much more sense in terms of their efficiency when facing dragons.

However, HOTD’s interpretation of the dragonkeepers is different in appearance. They look almost like monks, with shaved heads, simple cloth robes, and long staffs. There are female dragonkeepers too. Sure armoured knights would’ve been cooler, but this change has George R.R. Martin’s approval, according to showrunner Ryan Condal.

So far, the dragonkeepers haven’t had much to do except herd the dragons in and out of the dragon pits. But HOTD season 2 episode 6, one of the dragonkeerps on Dragonstone did something rather unexpected. When Ser Steffon Darklyn was unable to claim the dragon Seasmoke, the dragon breathed fire and burnt him along with one of the dragonkeepers. RIP!

But even when burning to death, the dragonkeeper took out a dagger and slit his throat. Curious, right?

Why did the dragonkeeper slit his throat?

It has been reiterated in House of The Dragon that the dragons were seen as Gods and they, in fact, made the Targaryens also appear like Gods. Hence the saying, “Targaryens were closer to Gods than humans.” When Ser Criston Cole parades the dragon Meleys’ head in King’s Landing, the smallfolk are shocked that they would treat their Gods like this. Ser Steffon also calls the dragons Gods when Rhaenyra asks him if he would want to attempt to claim one.

By that logic, the dragonkeepers as monks would certainly consider the dragons they tend to as Gods and their duty as the worshipping of said God. And what is their God’s calling card? Dragons are fire made flesh and blood. We know from the marriage between Rhaenyra and Daemon that Targaryen rituals involve some spilling of blood. We know from Daenerys’ own fiery hatching of her dragons on the pyre of her husband and the witch Mirri Maz Dur that only a life can pay for a life. 

So could these monks have believed in a blood sacrifice to their Gods? Was this a way of attaining a sort of dragon-Valhalla or to be reborn as a dragon?

Another important detail to note is the dagger with which the dragonkeeper slits his throat. In his podcast called The Stuff Dreams Are Made Off, showrunner Ryan Condal revealed that the changes in the appearance of the dragonkeepers were a budget constraint more than a creative call. And instead of swords, the dragonkeepers carried daggers made of dragonglass or obsidian. With dragon glass playing an important role in dragon lore, this further cements the possibility of this being a sacrifice ritual.

Condal has also revealed that these daggers serve a specific purpose which is soon going to be revealed on the show.

I love that House of The Dragon is inlaying some great lore into its episodes with the smallest of details, and giving us a whole new way of looking at these fascinating creatures!