WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILERS WITHIN
The Game of Thrones season 7 trailer has finally arrived, and it’s left us with plenty of questions. We thought we’d focus in on one: what was the deal with that flaming ship?
The fact that it’s on a ship indicates that it involves the Ironborn — they do love their ships. Also, it seems to match up with this shot of Theon looking terrified as something burns around him:
And let’s not forget that Euron Greyjoy’s ship, the Silence, will be in play this season. Here it is from the trailer:
Note the Greyjoy kraken on the sail.
But what about the fire? It’s not a weapon you see a lot of at sea. We have a theory: it’s possible that Euron Greyjoy, last seen promising to build a thousand ships after being elected the ruler of the Iron Islands, took control of one of Dany’s dragons and is ordering it to light up Theon and Yara’s fleet?
Let me explain. In George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire books, Euron is in possession of a horn called Dragonbinder, an artifact he picked up while exploring the ruins of Valyria during his years of exile. The horn is massive — as big as a man — and covered in Valyrian glyphs. The horn is rumored to have the power to control dragons, although the exact manner in which it does this has yet to be revealed.
During the Kingsmoot in A Feast for Crows, one of Euron’s men blows the horn to silence the gathered crowd of Ironborn. (That man later dies, his insides charred and burned.) Dragonbinder is the crux of Euron’s argument for why he should rule the Iron Islands, since it would theoretically give him control of Daenerys’ dragons, whether or not Dany chose to cooperate. On the show’s version of the scene, Euron is banking on his enormous fleet winning Dany over…that and his “big cock.”
We haven’t seen Dragonbinder on the show yet, but that doesn’t mean Euron doesn’t have it. The show has added in elements later than expected before. For example, Ned Stark has fever dreams about the fight at the Tower of Joy in A Game of Thrones, the first book in the series. But the show didn’t adapt those passages until season 6. Dragonbinder could also show up late to the party.
Let’s imagine for a moment that Euron has Dragonbinder in his back pocket. Suppose that Daenerys sends Theon and Yara, her lieutenants, to take back the Iron Islands, and lends them one of her dragons — say Rhaegal — to deter any would-be opponents. But if Euron has a horn that can control dragons, he’d be able to turn the tide and gain a new superweapon in the process. That could be where all those flames are coming from.
Or not. The ship in the trailer could have been set on fire in any number of ways that do not include dragons, but this is the more fun explanation.
As things stand now, Dany’s forces seem more than a match for the Lannisters. Having Euron take control of one of her dragons could be one way to level the playing field and add some tension to the story. It would also establish Euron, a late arrival to the show, as a major player.
What say you? Will Dragonbinder be making an appearance during season 7? What kind of obstacles will Daenerys face?