- Hugh Hammer claims kinship with members of the famous Targaryen family in the latest episode of “House of the Dragon.”
- In Fire and Blood, he is also an illegitimate child, but his parents are never revealed.
- Here's how this could change the storyline of the upcoming season of House of the Dragon:
Warning: Contains spoilers for “House of the Dragon” Season 2, Episode 7, and the novel “Fire and Blood.”
Hugh Hammer casually dropped a major bombshell in the latest episode of House of the Dragon, which may have made the Targaryen family tree even more complicated.
In the latest episode, Rhaenyra (Emma Darcy) attempts to recruit the bastard sons of House Targaryen and House Velaryon as dragon riders in her army, because only those of Valyrian blood can bond with dragons.
After losing his daughter, Hugh (Kieran Bew) tells his wife that he wants to go to Dragonstone and obtain a dragon to gain more power to protect his family.
Hugh explains that his mother was a successful prostitute because of her Targaryen-like silver hair color.
“My mother told me I was no different from my brother's sons, Viserys and Daemon,” Hugh said, apparently referring to the former King Viserys I and his brother Daemon Targaryen.
Hugh never reveals his mother's name, implying that she was simply the bastard daughter of Balon the Brave, Viserys, and Daemon.
This assertion is strengthened later in the episode when Hugh becomes the only person able to bond with Vermithor, the second largest dragon in the land.
If what Hugh says is true, it would be a major departure from the Fire and Blood novels that House of the Dragon is based on, as Hugh is a direct relative of the Targaryen royal family.
Hugh is not directly related to House Targaryen in Fire and Blood
In “Fire and Blood”, Hugh is the bastard son of an unnamed blacksmith from Dragonstone. He is later revealed to be of Valyrian descent when he claims the dragon Vermithor, but he never has a direct connection to House Targaryen.
In an interview before the release of the seventh episode, Beau told Decider that Hugh is related to Saera, one of Balon Targaryen's seven sisters.
In the books, Saela is the mischievous member of the family who takes part in multiple sex parties, and when this is discovered, she proposes marriage to three of the men she has had affairs with and compares herself to her ancestor, Aegon the Conqueror.
This enraged her father, King Jaehaerys I, who had her imprisoned and sent to a cult.
Saera eventually runs away and leaves Westeros to become a prostitute. She fathers three illegitimate children before her death, although in “Fire and Blood” Hugh is not one of them.
This isn't the first time House of the Dragon has made changes to the original storyline, and while fans have praised some of these changes, others have left holes in the story and made it even more confusing.
Hugh's addition to House Targaryen complicates an already mysterious family tree, and the show also seems to hint that “Fire and Blood” will feature another key moment in the civil war.
In “Fire and Blood,” Hugh betrays Rhaenyra and ultimately attempts to seize the Iron Throne and rule as king.
While Hugh doesn't have a claim to the throne of Westeros in the TV series, the fact that he's related to royalty and owns one of the biggest dragons around could give him a legitimate claim to the throne – it's not like the Targaryens haven't held the throne for generations before.
Next week's season two finale is likely to reveal Hugh's ambitions for the dragon.
“House of the Dragon” Season 2 airs Sundays at 9pm ET on HBO and is available to stream. Max.
Correction: July 29, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misspelled Baelon and incorrectly stated the number of his sisters.
