This article contains spoilers from House of the Dragon season 2, episode 7, “The Red Sowing.”
Summary
House of the Dragonstar Tom Bennett addresses his character,Ulf, and other bastards of Valyrian descent becoming dragonridersin the HBO series.Season 2 episode 7, “The Red Sowing,“saw Ulf being chosen by the dragon Silverwing, while the dragon Vermithor chose the Targaryen bastard Hugh Hammer. The dragon Seasmoke choosing Addam of Hull in episode 6, “Smallfolk,” made Rhaenyra Targaryen realize that this is possible, which significantly bolsters her forces in the ongoing war against the Greens.
In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Bennett discusseswhat this development means for Ulf and others like him moving forward, and how it contrasts to his humble beginnings in King’s Landing’s Flea Bottom shown throughout season 2. Bennett’s analysis goes beyond the context of the series as he compares it to real-life social dynamics. He focuses specifically on Ulf, although much of the context applies to Hugh as well. Check out Bennett’s comments below:
It’s huge. Ulf is the bottom of the barrel; he’s Flea Bottom through and through. He’s poor folk and the oppressed. He’s the working class man under the thumb of the ruling classes and lived with that his entire life. Suddenly, he’s sitting on a nuclear warhead. The power shift is huge. Let’s see what he does with that.
House Of The Dragon Puts Its Own Spin On A Familiar Trope
It’s Not A Traditional Rags-To-Riches Story
Ulf, Hugh, and Addambecoming dragonriders for the Blacksseemingly follows a rags-to-riches trope, asthe King’s Landing commoners and a shipwright are now elevatedin a way they never could have imagined. While they did not become dragonriders, a similar trajectory of lowly beginnings and an unlikely rise to power or prominence also occurred inGame of Thrones, with characters including Petyr Baelish, Varys, Davos Seaworth, and Bronn. Many of these characters are already in elevated positions when they are introduced.
House of the Dragon’s use of the rags-to-riches trope builds toward a dark and destructive ending for the dragons, their riders, and all of Westeros.
House of the Dragon, on the other hand, spent much of season 2 showing Ulf, Hugh, and Addam in their everyday lives, wrestling with common struggles and questions of identity that they faced, making their eventual ascension all the more rewarding. As satisfying as becoming dragonriders is for these characters,it does not equate to a simple, triumphant and happy ending. As Bennett points out, Ulf is now"sitting on a nuclear warhead,“but it is not necessarily a power that he or the other new dragonriders will use wisely.
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.
Game of Thronesestablishes that the dragons have been extinct for over a century before Robert’s Rebellion, withthe Dance of the Dragonsculminating in most of the dragons being killed. It remains to be seen whether this will include Ulf’s dragon, Silverwing, or the dragons claimed by the other bastards of Valyrian descent.House of the Dragon’s use of the rags-to-riches trope builds toward a dark and destructive endingfor the dragons, their riders, and all of Westeros.
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.
