House of the Dragon kicked off its third season with an explosive episode. "Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood" depicts the infamous Battle of the Gullet, a key naval clash during the Dance of Dragons. Most notably, the battle features the death of Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett), son of and heir to Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy).
However, Jace isn't the only important character to die during the battle. It also marks the final appearance of Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorn). While the character feels new and fresh to House of the Dragon fans, elements of her storyline and death echo a heartbreaking loss from Game of Thrones that audiences still aren't over 12 years later.
The life and death of Sharako Lohar
Unlike Jace, Sharako Lohar was a relatively new character to House of the Dragon before her demise. She first appears in the season 2 finale, "The Queen Who Ever Was," when Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) travels to Tyrosh to treat with the Triarchy. Tyland asks for naval aid to help the Greens break the Velaryon blockade. When the Triarchy agrees, they say that their men will only follow Lohar into battle.
Lohar's rugged and uncouth attitude clashes with Tyland's posh Lannister sensibilities. He is further caught off guard when she challenges him to a mud wrestling match to prove his mettle before she'll sail with him, and openly asks him for sex. As one of few notable characters from Essos to appear in House of the Dragon, her Lyseni mannerisms allow her to stand out among this cast.
In season 3, Lohar leads the assault on Corlys Velaryon's (Steve Toussiant) fleet, severely damaging his ship, The Queen Who Never Was, in the process. However, she reveals her ulterior motives for joining the fight. Throughout her seafaring voyages, Corlys, the legendary "Sea Snake," has killed far too many of her men, so she seeks to avenge her losses. As such, she will stop at nothing to kill Corlys, and ends up dueling him right up until he's thrown overboard while he wears heavy armor.
However, Corlys' bastard son, Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim), thinks Lohar has just killed his father. He then jumps into the water after her, and the two engage in close quarters combat. Alyn stabs Lohar in the neck with a knife, allowing her corpse to drift below the sea.
Although Lohar's time on House of the Dragon proved to be short, actress Abigail Throne made the most of her limited screentime. She transformed Sharako Lohar into an unforgettable character and a pitch perfect addition to the show's sprawling cast.
Why does Lohar's story sound so familiar?
Sharako Lohar's time on House of the Dragon bears some striking similarities to Oberyn Martell's (Pedro Pascal) Game of Thrones storyline. Much like Lohar, Oberyn acts as audiences' first glimpse into a new culture from George R. R. Martin's world, since he is the first major character from Dorne to be introduced. Both characters catch audiences, as well as the rest of the cast, off guard with their clashing mannerisms due to their cultural differences.
Additionally, Lohar and Oberyn both champion an existing character's cause for their revenged-based motivations. In Oberyn's case, he decides to fight as Tyrion Lannister's (Peter Dinklage) champion in his trial by combat, much like how Lohar agrees to join a different Lannister's side.
However, Oberyn's reasoning for fighting for Tyrion isn't simply to help save the dwarf's life. Knowing that Tyrion's sister Cersei (Lena Headey) will select Ser Gregor Clegane, a.k.a. "The Mountain the Rides," (Hafþór JúlÃus Björnsson), Oberyn uses Tyrion's trial as an excuse to fight and kill his longtime enemy. Many years ago, the Mountain raped and murdered Oberyn's sister, Queen Elia Martell, and slaughtered her children, so Oberyn sees this duel as a chance to exact vengeance.
Like Lohar, Oberyn's desire for revenge causes him to fight recklessly. Although he has the upper hand for most of his fight against the Mountain, he refuses to let him die until he's confessed to Elia's murder. His taunts eventually allow Ser Gregor to turn the tables, brutally killing Oberyn by squeezing his head.
While Oberyn Martell's arc on Game of Thrones lasts far longer than Sharako Lohar's time on House of the Dragon, and his enemy is a purely detestable character while Corlys is a far more layered and complex figure, the two still have strikingly similar journeys on their respective series. It's fascinating for longtime fans of the franchise to watch characters make the same mistakes that plague the Game of Thrones cast nearly 200 years later.
Make sure to tune into House of the Dragon season 3, airing Sundays on HBO Max.
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