Who Claims Vermithor in ‘House Of The Dragon’?

Vermithor is a big boy. One of the biggest in House of the Dragon. Someone’s taking their life into their own hands trying to claim all that. Didn’t you hear about the last guy who tried to make Vermy his? Toasted. Literally.

Who is Vermithor?

Vermithor is one of the most badass dragons to ever flap around Westeros. He was called “The Bronze Fury” due to his magnificent tan wings. Among dragons, he was one of the largest ever to live. He was dwarfed only by Vhagar (the monstrosity Prince Aemond currently rides) and Balerion (the goated mount of Aegon the Conqueror himself).

Like most dragons, Vermithor is a fearsome beastie. While he tolerated the presence of humans, he wasn’t afraid to burn anyone that crossed his draconian boundaries. He did have a soft side though, and liked to cuddle up next to the dragon Silverwing.

Who claims Vermithor?

Vermithor was first claimed by arguably the greatest ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, Jaehaerys I Targaryen. King J and Vermy had been close since birth, as the egg containing the baby Vermithor was placed in a cradle with the infant Jaehaerys and his sister Rhaena in 34 AC (34 years after Aegon’s Conquest).

Just before making his claim to the Iron Throne in 48 AC, the young prince Jaehaerys claimed Vermithor as his rider. After the death of Maegor I, he flew to the big sword chair on Vermy’s back and plopped down in it. An era of peace and prosperity followed until King Jaehaerys died in 103 AC. Vermithor and the king remained inseparable for the latter’s entire life.

After Jaehaerys’ death, Vermithor was riderless. His successor Viserys I (Rhaenyra’s dad) rode Balerion until the elder dragon’s death. I guess Poor Vermy couldn’t compete with The Black Dread, so he retreated to Dragonstone to live riderless with the other dragons there.

Until The Dance began…

During The Dance of the Dragon, Rhaenyra’s son Jacaerys Velaryon decided that his mother’s forces needed more dragon riders in order to match the might of her rival Aegon II. Jacaerys put out a call across the Realm to all Targaryen bastards (called “dragonseeds”) to join forces with Rhaenyra and claim a dragon as their own. Naturally, people showed up. Who wouldn’t want to ride a dragon. Sadly, not everyone got to go for a ride on the dragons. See, dragons are picky. If you don’t pass the blood of the dragon vibe check, they will kill you. This is exactly what happened to poor Lord Gormon Massey, who was burned alive when trying to claim Vermithor for his own.

Vermithor was eventually claimed by a blacksmith’s bastard known as Hugh Hammer, who said that he was a dragonseed. We don’t know exactly who Hugh’s parents were, but it’s extremely likely that one of them was a Targaryen. It is however possible that Hugh made his Targaryen heritage up, and that he got really, really lucky. While the Targaryen “blood of the dragon” may indeed be a real, magical aspect of their bloodline, it’s also possible that Targaryens don’t have any sort of special sauce in their blood and that their historical proximity to dragons is what allowed them to claim the beasts. If the first person you see when you hatch from your egg is someone with blonde hair and purple eyes, you might just think that they’re your dragon sibling. Who knows? True Targaryen or no, Hugh and Vermithor became bonded for life.

And from then on, life was short.

Hugh and Vermithor’s relationship didn’t last long. The pair were successful during their first two battles together, Battle of the Gullet and the First Battle of Tumbleton, but their third military engagement proved to be their undoing. At the Second Battle of Tumbledon, Hugh and Vermithor were surprised by a night attack from the forces of Aegon II. Hugh was killed in battle before he could mount Vermithor, and Vermithor was attacked in his sleep by dozens of knights. It didn’t end well for the knights. Though Vermithor made short work of his foes, the wounded dragon was set upon the green’s dragons by Seasmoke and Tessarion. Vermithor killed Seasmoke and tried to fly away with the dragon’s head in his jaws, but The Bronze Fury’s wings were too burned to fly. He collapsed under the weight of himself and his kill, and there he died, never to be ridden again.