Warning: Contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 7, “The Red Sowing.”
Summary
Hugh is revealed to be a Targaryen bastard inHouse of the Dragonseason 2, episode 7, and there’s one strong candidate for who his mother was. Known asHugh the Hammerin George R.R. Martin’sFire & Blood, the blacksmith has become an increasingly important figure as season 2 of theGame of Thronesprequel has progressed, and that really pays off with the dragonseeds story.
Hugh is able to claim the dragon Vermithorin “The Red Sowing,” becoming one of Team Black’s new dragonriders. Before that, more is revealed about Hugh’s life and backstory, including the sad fact that his daughter died off-screen. Intriguingly, he also reveals that he knew his mother - and that not only is he a bastard, but that she was a Targaryen. It doesn’t explicitly state who, butFire & Bloodthrows up an option.
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Hugh’s Mother Was Likely Saera Targaryen
She Was The Aunt Of Viserys & Daemon Targaryen
Hugh’s mother inHouse of the Dragonis very likely to have been a woman namedSaera Targaryen, one of the daughters of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Queen Alysanne. When speaking to his wife, Hugh references that his mother compared him to her"brother’s boys, Viserys and Daemon.“That would mean her brother was Baelon Targaryen, the fourth born son of Jaehaerys (who himself was very unlikely to have any bastards of his own, making Saera a better fit).
Saera was sent to Oldtown, with the hope that the Faith would be able to suitably punish and correct her behavior, but she escaped and found passage to Lys, where she started work in a pleasure house.
Jaehaerys and Alysanne had thirteen children in total, though some died very young, butSaera is the clear choice because Hugh says his mother worked in a pleasure house, and that’s exactly what Saera did. She was a wild and rebellious child, and that continued even as she grew older. Eventually, Saera was involved in a court scandal that involved pulling a prank on the court fool at a brothel, and eventually revealing that she had lost her virginity despite not being married, and been with multiple men.
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Saera was sent to Oldtown, with the hope that the Faith would be able to suitably punish and correct her behavior, butshe escaped and found passage to Lys, where she started work in a pleasure house. Saera never returned to King’s Landing, but when the Great Council of 101 AC was convened to decide Jaehaerys' heir, three of her bastard sons turned up pressing their claims. Hugh was not one of those, as far as we know, but it does show clear evidence that she had bastard kids, so making Hugh one isn’t a stretch at all.
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Hugh’s Parentage Makes Him Claiming Vermithor More Fitting
He Would Be Jaehaerys' Grandson
Hugh becoming Vermithor’s dragonrider is quite fitting, not only with him being a Targaryen bastard, but specifically, the son of Saera. It means that he has bonded with his grandfather’s dragon, asJaehaerys was Vermithor’s first and, until now, only dragonrider. But there’s also a real sense of irony in it being Saera’s child who claims that dragon. After discovering that she had taken up sex work, Jaehaerys essentially disowned her and declared that she had always been a"wh*re.”
Her son claiming Jaehaerys dragon decades later is a bit of a"f**k you"to the king, but also, perhaps, a nod towards the reconciliation he may have wished for. Jaehaerys grew confused in his old age, and by the end of his life, would often mix up Alicent Hightower - who cared for him - with Saera. That could be because he missed his daughter and wanted to make amends and, if so, Hugh claiming Vermithor inHouse of the Dragontakes an extra layer of meaning, as it could be Vermithor recognizing who his mother was.
TheHouse of the Dragonseason 2 finale releases Sunday, August 4, at 9pm ET on HBO and Max.
House of the Dragon
Cast
House of the Dragon is a 2022 fantasy drama set in the world of Westeros, chronicling the Targaryen dynasty at its height. The story revolves around King Viserys’s controversial decision to name his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, sparking tensions and divisions within the realm.
