House of the Dragon season 2 has foreshadowed a devastating dragon moment in Targaryen history, linking to the show’s central story. Since House of the Dragon season 1’s ending, the feud between the Greens and the Blacks has threatened to explode into all-out war. House of the Dragon season 2 has explored the continued crawl toward the tipping point that will see Westeros engulfed in the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of Dragons.
As is known from the history of Westeros established in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books and Game of Thrones, the Dance of Dragons began the downfall of House Targaryen and the source of their power: the dragons. The many dragons featured in House of the Dragon become embroiled in their masters’ war, causing most of the ferociously loyal beasts to perish. One of the biggest factors in the deaths of many dragons, however, is not a military battle, but a devastating event that House of the Dragon season 2 has foreshadowed for future episodes.
House Of The Dragon Season 2’s King’s Landing Riot Sets Up The Storming Of The Dragonpit
The Discord In King’s Landing Foreshadows An Event Later In The Dance Of Dragons
In House of the Dragon season 2, the people of King’s Landing have been growing steadily discontent. Due to the Velaryon blockade of the Gullet, food and supplies have been unable to reach King’s Landing, causing the smallfolk of the city to go hungry and grow desperate. This desperation was only worsened by the closing of the city gates, which erupted into all-out rioting when Rhaenyra Targaryen sent supplies to the people via Blackwater Bay. These riots are not the first to occur during the Dance of Dragons, foreshadowing the Storming of the Dragonpit.
The dragons housed in the Dragonpit at that time were all killed, further weakening their numbers in Westeros after several died in previous conflicts of the Dance of Dragons…
In Fire and Blood, the people of King’s Landing grow continuously restless in the latter stages of the war. After Rhaenyra takes King’s Landing, she struggles to keep a hold of the citizens of the capital of Westeros. The discontent of the people turns into paranoia, who fear that the Greens will retaliate on their dragons and kill them all. A raving man called the Shepherd then stokes this paranoia, leading to the riots of King’s Landing and the Storming of the Dragonpit.
The Storming of the Dragonpit is the fifth-last major event in the Dance of Dragons. meaning it will likely not happen until near the end of House of the Dragon.
The Storming of the Dragonpit saw hundreds, if not thousands, of citizens from King’s Landing do exactly what the name suggests. The dragons housed in the Dragonpit at that time were all killed, further weakening their numbers in Westeros after several died in previous conflicts of the Dance of Dragons. This is one of the more devastating events of the war, if only due to the former reverence the smallfolk of Westeros held for the dragons that turns to resentment, resulting in the deaths of several of the reptilian creatures.
How Many Dragons Will Die In The Storming Of The Dragonpit
Five Dragons Are Killed During The Riots Of King’s Landing
When the people of King’s Landing decide to take fate into their own hands and kill the dragons in the city, five of the creatures are killed. Four of these were housed in the Dragonpit, while the fifth was loose over the city. The four that were killed in the Dragonpit were named Shrykos, Morghul, Tyraxes, and Dreamfyre. Of these four dragons, only Dreamfyre has been seen in House of the Dragon thus far during season 1. The fifth dragon to be killed is Rhaenyra’s own, Syrax, who is flying over the city during the riots.
| Dragons Killed in the Storming of the Dragonpit | Notable Riders |
|---|---|
| Shrykos | Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen |
| Morghul | Princess Jaehaera Targaryen |
| Tyraxes | Prince Joffrey Velaryon |
| Dreamfyre | Queen Helaena Targaryen |
| Syrax | Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen |
Did House Of The Dragon Season 2 Secretly Introduce The Shepherd?
The Crazed Fanatic May Have Been Teased In House Of The Dragon
As alluded to, one of the biggest factors in the Storming of the Dragonpit was a man named the Shepherd. This man was a fanatic of religion, who stoked the already paranoid citizens of King’s Landing into a frenzy. The Shepherd was written as someone who ranted about the dragons being demons, spawn of the godless Valyria, and would eventually be the doom of all men. In Fire and Blood, the Shepherd is described as an elderly man with only one hand. In House of the Dragon season 2, the Shepherd could have been teased.
In the riots of King’s Landing shown in House of the Dragon season 2 episode 6, a somewhat crazed, elderly man grabs the arm of Alicent Hightower. One of the members of the Kingsguard cuts off his arm, potentially setting up the Shepherd for the show’s future. Making this man the Shepherd would not only give him more reason to hate the crown and stoke the paranoia of the people of King’s Landing, but add another layer of foreshadowing for the tragic Storming of the Dragonpit in House of the Dragon‘s future.
