Having already aired the first two episodes of House of the Dragon, it is important to meet one of the families that will have the most prominence and influence in this recent production. It’s about the Velaryon family. This clan is new for those who only saw the series Game of Thrones. Therefore, in this section we inform you of what is necessary so that you do not lose the thread of this new and successful history of hbo max.
Like the Targaryens, The Velaryons were a family that belonged to ancient Valyria, which was ruled by around 40 families that had the ability to ride dragons, among which, of course, were the Targaryens. But, within those 40 clans, the Targaryens were a minor house, and the Velaryons, although they were Valyrians, did not have the ability to ride dragons; although they were the closest allies of the Targaryen house.
The Valyrians extended their rule over most of the known world, thus reaching Westeros, building Dragonstone Castle around 200 years before the Curse of Valyria. In history, 126 years before the conquest, Daenys Targaryen had a prophetic dream in which he saw the destruction of Valyria, so his father Aenar Targaryen then made the decision to withdraw from Valyria, traveling with his dragons and vassals to the westernmost point of the empire, thus reaching Dragonstone. It was thus that the Targaryens settled in their new castle. Therefore, the Celtigar settled on Talon Island and the Velaryon on Driftmark Island, thus building their settlement which they would name the same as the island.
The Curse of Valyria occurred 12 years after Daenys dream and the Targaryens were thus the only family with dragons in the known world. So, for the century that followed, the Targaryens with their dragons controlled the sky, while the Celtigar and the Velaryon ruled the seas, the latter having absolute control of the narrow sea.
Although, in the heyday of Valyria, the dragonriding families were careful not to mix their blood with others, after said curse (where the Targaryens were the only ones with dragons), marriages between the Velaryon and Targaryen became common. . So, at the beginning of the campaign of conquest, Aegon I, “The Conqueror”, appointed Daemon Velaryon as master of ships and put him in charge of the royal fleet. Since then, the position of Lord Admiral and naval adviser remained among the members of that house. To the point that it was almost considered a hereditary position.
The most prominent member of the Velaryon family is Lord Corlys Velaryon, who made many voyages aboard his famous ship called the Sea Serpent. And he was one of those who carried out the longest and most important journeys in history, completing 9 of them in total, making his house the richest in all of Westeros.
Now for the times House of the Dragon, the Velaryons are linked to the Targaryens by marriage between Princess Rhaenys (the second daughter of Lord Aerion Targaryen and Lady Valaena Velaryon), whom the people call “The Queen That Never Was” and Lord Corlys Velaryon. And as a product of this marriage they had two children, Laena and Laenor Velaryon. So, Rhaenys being a Targaryen and a dragon rider, both sons turned out to be riders as well.
To end, the most controversial aspect House of the Dragon With respect to this family, it has been the change in skin color, since the Velaryons, belonging to the Valyrian lineage, are said to have the characteristics of the Valyrians, that is, platinum hair and violet eyes. But the writers of the series wanted to give diversity to the characters, making the Velaryon dark-skinned.
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