What Happened to House Velaryon in Game of Thrones?

 

While House Velaryon was left out of Game of Thrones, the family has a rich history in Westeros, particularly during House of the Dragon’s story. Their prominence in the prequel has also led many viewers to wonder where House Velaryon is in Game of Thrones — with some even questioning if House Velaryon died out. House of the Dragon is set 200 years before Game of Thrones, which offers the opportunity to explore formerly great families of Westeros who contributed to one of the momentous events in franchise history. As House of the Dragon details the height of the Targaryen family dynasty, the prequel series also depicts the untold stories of legendary houses like the Velaryons.

House Velaryon’s role in House of the Dragon largely surrounds their marriages to the Targaryens, dragon-riding capability, and massive wealth and influence. Corlys Velaryon’s (Steve Toussaint) family is part of the Targaryens’ “black” party in House of the Dragon, with his wife, children, and grandchildren supporting the claim to the Iron Throne of Rhaenyra Targaryen. However, the majority of the significant Velaryons will die out by the end of the Targaryen civil war, with Corlys outliving nearly all of his direct descendants of the time. However, once Targaryens influence died in the Game of Thrones timeline, so too did that of House Velaryon.

House Velaryon’s Origins & Connection To The Targaryens Explained

Valyrian Blood Links The Two Powerful Westeros Families

Considering how important they are to the events of House of the Dragon, it’s natural that many wonder where are House Velaryon in Game of Thrones. House Velaryon hails from Old Valyria alongside the Targaryens, with the two families having been allies since the time they both came to Westeros. While the families remained close allies, House Velaryon wasn’t a dragonlord family like the Targaryens, as they excelled at sea.

House Velaryon is fabled to have come to Westeros and settled at Driftmark before the Targaryens, though the latter family would soon settle nearby at Dragonstone. As two families with Valyrian blood, the Velaryons and Targaryens would often intermarry, giving them an important shared history. House Velaryon was also a significant asset in helping carry Aegon the Conqueror’s soldiers over Blackwater Bay to take over Westeros, with the seafaring family thereafter almost exclusively serving as master of ships throughout the Targaryen dynasty.

Why House Velaryon Was So Powerful In House Of The Dragon

While there are no House Velaryon Game of Thrones characters, they’re still a powerful family in the GoT universe. When House Velaryon is introduced in House of the Dragon, the Velaryon family is one of the wealthiest in the entire realm due to the voyages of Corlys Velaryon. This is why many viewers find it strange that there are no characters from House Velaryon in Game of Thrones. House of the Dragon‘s Corlys Velaryon, A.K.A the Sea Snake, made nine famous voyages to Essos, bringing back foreign treasures and gold that gave his family immense wealth and thus incredible influence in Westeros.

This power led to further marriages with House Targaryen’s heirs to the Iron Throne, including Corlys marrying Rhaenys Targaryen as well as their son Laenor marrying King Viserys I Targaryen’s daughter Rhaenyra and daughter Laena marrying Viserys’ brother Daemon Targaryen. With such close proximity to the Iron Throne, the Velaryons were somewhat considered the “second family” in Westeros during House of the Dragon’s timeline. However, what happened to House Velaryon before Game of Thrones.

What Happened To House Velaryon After The Dance Of The Dragons

The Velaryon Fortunes Don’t Last Long After The Targaryen Civil War

When the Dance of the Dragon ends, Rhaenyra’s son Aegon III Targaryen becomes the “Broken King,” with Corlys Velaryon serving as one of his regents. By this time, Corlys’ wife Rhaenys, children Laenor and Laena, “grandchildren” by Laenor and Rhaenyra will all have died, leaving only Corlys, his bastard-turned-legitimate descendants Addam and Alyn Velaryon, and Laena’s daughters Baela and Rhaena Targaryen. However, since Baela and Rhaena were technically Targaryens, it was only Corlys and his “grandsons” (who were rumored to actually be his children) who remained of his direct line.

Corlys died only one year after the Dance of the Dragons concluded, which left Alyn “Oakenfist” Velaryon as the Master of Driftmark. It’s unclear exactly who succeeded Alyn as Lord of the Tides, but the family was largely ruined toward the end of his power, as the Velaryons had lost much of their wealth to the Rogare Bank. House Velaryon would continue to hold the position as master of ships on the small council of various House Targaryen kings, but would never again achieve the same wealth and notoriety they held during House of the Dragon’s timeline.

During Robert’s Rebellion, which closely preceded Game of Thrones, House Velaryon still served as master of ships on Aerys “The Mad King” Targaryen’s council, though often spoke ill of the king’s son, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. When King Robert I Baratheon ascended the Iron Throne, Dragonstone was given to his own house, so House Velaryon would swear fealty to the Baratheons of Dragonstone from then on. Despite the glaring lack of characters from House Velaryon in Game of Thrones, they persisted as a minor house at the time.

Is House Velaryon Still Around In Game Of Thrones?

There Are Velaryon’s Alive During The Events Of GoT (They’re Just Not That Important)

While there are no House Velaryon Game of Thrones characters, House Velaryon is certainly still alive during GoT‘s timeline, unlike many other historic families who went extinct by the start and/or end of the series. While House Velaryon was cut from Game of Thrones, the books occasionally reference members of the family, whether they be the Lord of the Tides or their many accomplished seafaring bastards. It’s unclear when King Aerys II’s master of ships Lucerys Velaryon died, but his descendants are ruling Driftmark by the time Game of Thrones begins.

During the timeline of Game of Thrones, the Master of Driftmark is Monford Velaryon, who supports Stannis Baratheon’s claim to the Iron Throne. When Monford died at the Battle of Blackwater Bay, he was succeeded by his 6-year-old son Monterys Velaryon. The most noteworthy member of House Velaryon after House of the Dragon’s era is Monford’s brother Aurane Waters, “the Bastard of Driftmark,” who is named the master of ships by the villainous Cersei Lannister before fleeing King’s Landing. Although there was zero screentime for House Velaryon in Game of Thrones, the books do account for the once high and mighty Valyrian family.

Any Post-GoT Spinoff Needs To Include House Velaryon

Stories Set After Game Of Thrones Should Bring Back House Of The Dragon’s Second Most Powerful Family

Since the Velaryons are still around, there’s no reason that there shouldn’t be any House Velaryon Game of Thrones characters in the upcoming spinoffs. Game of Thrones currently has several active spinoffs in pre-production, even an adult animated series. Bringing the ancient family to light in House of the Dragon has made many question why audiences weren’t made aware of their presence sooner. Obviously, the upcoming Sea Snake spinoff will be all about House Velaryon, but there’s also the Jon Snow spinoff, which should include the Velaryons.

It would be supremely odd to introduce such an ancient and noble house into the GoT universe only to never see them again. Showrunners have a responsibility to feature more of the house in future productions, as they’ve quickly become a huge subject of interest. Since House of the Dragon introduced this intriguing, influential, and powerful family, the rest of the Game of Thrones spinoffs would do well to carry on their legacy.

House Velaryon Have A Bigger Part In The GoT Novels (But Not Much)

The Game Of Thrones Books Mention House Velaryon More Than The Show

Apart from any potential appearances by House Velaryon in Game of Thrones spinoffs, the once-close allies of the Targaryens have small but notable roles in the books. Their allegiance to Stannis, Monford Velaryon’s death, and Aurane Waters’ imprisonment in King’s Landing are tackled in A Clash of Kings. Meanwhile, in A Storm of Swords, Jon Snow spots House Velaryon’s banners when Stannis attacks a wildling camp.

Most notably, Aurane Waters tricks Cersei into providing him with a fleet and army of thieves before escaping to the Stepstones in A Feast for Crows, with his fate left uncertain. This somewhat echoes how Laenor Velaryon tricked everyone into thinking he was dead, and then headed east to leave everything behind in House of the Dragon. Though they aren’t major players in the Game of Thrones novels, House Velaryon nonetheless offers a different view of nobility in the cutthroat seas of Westeros.