House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 5 is out now, and the viewers want to know who rides Vermithor and Silverwing, two dragons whose names Rhaenyra mentions in this episode. Decades before the Dance of the Dragons, Vermithor and Silverwing were the dragons of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and his wife, Queen Alysanne Targaryen, respectively. Both these dragons have remained unclaimed since the deaths of their riders. With Meleys, the biggest dragon of the Black, dead following the Battle of Rook’s Rest, Jacaerys and Rhaenyra realize that they need new riders to claim the semi-wild dragons living on Dragonstone. This means that they need people who are distantly related to House Targaryen or perhaps have Valyrian blood.
In George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, these people are called dragonseeds, and the audience has already been introduced to a few of them.
Does Ulf White ride Silverwing in House of the Dragon Season 2?
Yes, Ulf (Tom Bennett), who is one of the dragonseeds in the book, is expected to ride Silverwing in House of the Dragon Season 2.
The series seems to have made some changes from what Ulf’s backstory is in the book. In Fire & Blood, he served as a man-at-arms on Dragonstone at the start of the Targaryen civil war. In contrast, he is regarded as a drunk who likes to tell tall tales in House of the Dragon. He is also from King’s Landing in the show. Introduced earlier in Season 2, Ulf claims that he is a natural-born son of Prince Baelon the Brave, the father of Viserys I and Daemon.
Silverwing is one of the few dragons that survive the war but doesn’t accept any other rider after Ulf’s death.
Does Hugh Hammer ride Vermithor in House of the Dragon Season 2?
Yes, Hugh, who is also a dragonseed according to the book, will probably ride Vermithor in House of the Dragon Season 2.
As with Ulf, the series has altered Hugh’s backstory from how it is in the book. He was the son of a blacksmith on Dragonstone, born out of wedlock, in Fire & Blood. But in the show, he lives in King’s Landing. Further, he doesn’t have a family in the book like he does in House of the Dragon.
In the book, both Ulf and Hugh betrayed the Blacks and joined the Greens, before making their desires to become king public. They were eventually killed. After Hugh’s death, Vermithor, now riderless, caused havoc and was killed in a three-way battle to the death with Seasmoke and Tessarion.