HBO
Tonight on Game of Thrones, we witnessed an amazing moment between Drogon and Jon Snow. It looks like Jon Snow also has a special connection with dragons. But why?
Read on for details and theories. This article has spoilers for Season 7 Episode 5.
When Dany flew in with a very fierce Drogon, the encounter that Drogon had with Jon Snow has left fans talking.
HBOJon watching Drogon approach.
And fans are talking because Drogon treated Jon in a way that we have only seen with Dany before this. He let Jon Snow touch him. Not only that, but he let Jon Snow pet his face, as if he truly trusted Jon Snow and felt a connection with him.
HBOJon meets Drogon.
The best idea for why Drogon seems to like Jon Snow is because of Jon’s Targaryen blood. As we learned last season, Jon is not Ned Stark’s bastard child, but is actually the child of Prince Rhaegar (Dany’s older brother) and Lyanna Stark, Ned’s sister.
The Targaryen in Jon Snow’s blood is likely making Drogon more amiable to him. Daenerys thinks she’s the last Targaryen left, which makes Drogon’s reaction to Jon even more surprising.
Book readers know that not everyone of Targaryen blood is automatically friends with all dragons. But it’s unclear if that’s the case in the show.
If you don’t like the idea that Drogon likes Jon because he has Targaryen in his blood (although we know he does), there’s another theory option for you.
We’ve heard from George R. R. Martin that Beric Dondarrion’s memories are fading and he’s not “a living human anymore.” Beric’s heart isn’t beating and blood isn’t flowing through his veins anymore, Martin said. “He’s a wight, but a wight animated by fire instead of ice,” he told Time.
That means that Jon, who was also resurrected by the same faith that resurrected Beric, could be a fire wight too. So if you’re not buying the Targaryen reason for Drogon’s liking Jon Snow, then maybe it’s because Jon’s a wight animated by fire. (Have we even been told if Jon’s heart still beats?) Perhaps Jon is powered by the same type of fire magic that birthed Drogon, and Drogon recognizes this.
(Did you know that there’s also a theory that Dany either died in the fire or died giving birth, and was reanimated too?)
But let’s go back to the Targaryen theory for a minute. If the Targaryen blood theory is the reason Drogon likes Jon, then maybe that can give us a clue about why the other dragons liked Tyrion. Remember that scene from last season?
HBOTyrion meets the dragons.
In Season 6 Episode 2, Tyrion stepped into the dragons’ lair and got out without a single burn. He instinctually knew how to treat them and they let him touch them. That is HUGE. In that episode, Tyrion said that he used to dream about the dragons as a child. When Tyrion entered the dungeon where the two dragons were held, one of the dragons threatened him by beginning to blow out a flame, but then stopped. He recognized Tyrion as a friend. He let Tyrion touch him and remove his chains. The other dragon then simply presented his neck to Tyrion to have his chain removed.
Some fans think that for Tyrion to have such a strong connection to the dragons, he might have “dragon’s blood” running through him. The theory from book readers is that the Mad King Aerys was infatuated with Tyrion’s mom, Joanna Lannister. There was even a rumor that she had been Aerys’ mistress when she was younger. In the books, she traveled to King’s Landing around the time that Tyrion was conceived, to celebrate Aerys’ tenth year on the throne. If Tyrion is part Targaryen, this would also explain why Tywin hated Tyrion so much, saying “you are no son of mine” and complaining that he couldn’t prove Tyrion wasn’t his.
Some fans hope this could all result in Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister riding the other two dragons, and ultimately fulfilling the prophecy that “the Dragon will have three heads.”