House of the Dragon season 3 arguably features the strongest dragon battles to date across the entire franchise. From the season opening Battle of the Gullet, climactic Battle of Tumbleton in the season finale, and the grounded clash of claws among Syrax, Caraxes, and Sheepstealer, House of the Dragon's most recent outing reminds audiences why House Targaryen uses the dragon as its sigil.
Additionally, House of the Dragon season 3 introduces a handful of new dragonriders. Not everyone can tame a dragon, and usually, the ferocious beasts only bond with Targaryen blood, so not many characters are able to take to the skies. Still, after season 2's quest to find the dragonseeds, Targaryen and Velaryon bastards who prove capable of bonding with wild dragons, season 3 transforms a surprising existing character into a dragonrider: Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell). After a lifetime of longing for a dragon of her own, Rhaena eventually befriends the wild and uncontrollable beast known as Sheepstealer, taking the place of Nettles from the source material, George R. R. Martin's Fire & Blood.
Although Rhaena is not the strongest dragon rider, with her inability to reign Sheepstealer in resulting in the death of her cousin, Jacaerys "Jace" Velaryon (Harry Collett), she surprisingly utilizes the same dragonriding technique as the most iconic character in the franchise, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) from House of the Dragon's predecessor, Game of Thrones. While Rhaena and Daenerys have little else in common, their single similarity as dragonriders could help explain some important dragon lore from the series.
Daenerys Targaryen's journey as a dragon rider
By the time of Game of Thrones' pilot, dragons have long since gone extinct, and without them, House Targaryen has lost its power. The last two surviving Targaryens (or so they think), Viserys (Harry Lloyd) and Daenerys, live in exile in Essos, with Viserys desperately trying to take back his family's throne. In an attempt to secure the loyalty of a Dothraki army, Viserys weds his sister to Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), and, at the wedding, the wealthy cheese merchant Illyrio Mopatis (Roger Allam) gifts Daenerys with three dragon eggs, long since petrified but still valuable.
After Viserys' death, Daenerys becomes the last (known) Targaryen. When Drogo dies because of the witch Mirri Maz Duur (Mia Soteriou), Daenerys kills her, burning her alive in her husband's funeral pyre. Daenerys places the eggs in the center of the pyre before walking into the flaming ritual herself. Miraculously, Daenerys survives, emerging unharmed with three baby dragons, Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion.
As the dragons begin to grow, Daenerys uses them to help conquer the free cities and liberate their slaves. She becomes known as the "Mother of Dragons," and during the Battle of the Great Pit of Daznak, Daenerys becomes the first Targaryen in generations to ride a dragon, officially taking Drogon to the skies. Daenerys rides Drogon into battle throughout the rest of the series, fighting against the Sons of the Harpy, the Undead, and the Lannister armies on dragon back. Sadly, she takes things too far in the show's penultimate episode, "The Bells," turning Drogon against the innocent civilians of King's Landing, causing her lover, Jon Snow (Kit Harrington), to execute her.
Daenerys and Rhaena's similar dragon riding technique
Throughout the entire A Song of Ice and Fire franchise on HBO, Daenerys and Rhaena are the only two dragonriders not to utilize a saddle. Instead, the simply ride their dragons bareback, taking to the skies with nothing to keep them in place except a tight grip.
This subtle distinction demonstrates how neither Daenerys or Rhaena had the support of any previous dragonriders to help them learn to train their own dragons. In Daenreys' case, all other dragonriders had long since died out with their dragons by the time she flies atop Drogon, meaning she has no one to show her the ropes, much less make a traditional dragon saddle.
Rhaena also has to work alone to become a dragonrider, lacking the support of her family. After initially bonding with her dragon in the wilderness, she has to keep her identity a secret, knowing that Rhaenyra (Emma D'arcy) wants Sheepstealer's rider dead for their hand in Jace's death. As such, Rhaena has to learn how to control her dragon without the same tools that most other riders have used, including a basic saddle.
Perhaps Rhaena's lack of a saddle explains why she has so much trouble keeping Sheepstealer in check. Sheepstealer is notoriously difficult to control, so without the most basic dragonriding tool, Rhaena could be facing an uphill battle to tame her dragon. If this is the case, it emphasizes the strength of Daenerys' bond with Drogon, as she also lacked basic dragonriding equipment, yet after her first flight, she rarely had any problems keeping him in check.
For more from the world of Westeros, make sure to stream House of the Dragon season 3, now fully available on HBO Max.
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