Dragonlord

Dragonlords^[1] were the rulers of theValyrian Freehold who rode and controlleddragons. They played a large role in the Valyrians'defeat of theGhiscari Empire to the east^[2] and theRhoynar people to the north, vastly expanding the size and power of the Freehold.

In the books[]

In theA Song of Ice and Fire novels, "dragonlord" was a title reserved for members of the forty noble families that vied to actually rule theValyrian Freehold. They were called dragonlords because they could ride and controldragons using whips, horns andsorcery. It had long been the custom of the dragonlords of Valyria towed brother to sister to keep their bloodlines pure, and they were said to be strikingly (some say inhumanly) beautiful. Polygamy was known among the dragonlords, but it was less common than incest and was considered somewhat odd. The books and expanded materials do not make explicit whether all dragon riders are also dragonlords; the difference may be in land ownership or familial prestige.

Although organized by families, the dragonlords were notnoble houses as seen in Westeros – they did not have heraldry or mottos, and were not institutionalized in quite the same way, as multiple freeholders from the same family could participate in government relatively equally.

Throughout the history of the Freehold, the number of dragonlords no doubt fluctuated depending on circumstances. During Valyria'swars against the Rhoynar over a thousand years ago, there were at least three hundred dragon riders, the number sent against the army of Prince Garin (who was soundly defeated). It is not clarified if every dragon rider in the Freehold was also a dragonlord.

TheTargaryens were a minor dragonlord family, far from the most powerful, but are the only family that survived theDoom of Valyria with dragons. Thus members ofHouse Targaryen are known as dragonlords inWesteros, even after the death of all the dragons.

Known dragonlords[]

• Aurion
• House Belaerys
• House Targaryen

References[]

External links[]

• Dragonlord onA Wiki of Ice and Fire