House of the Dragon: What Are 3 Wild Dragons and Will Dragonseeds Ride Them?

More than a dozen dragons were introduced to viewers in the first and second seasons of House of the Dragon. There are many different kinds of them, with different sizes and personalities, as we have seen in both GoT and HoTD. However, viewers have yet to see another type — the wild ones.

How Did Wild Dragons Appear in Westeros?

A wild dragon has never had a rider. They are not willing to meet humans and live their lives in the wild. Since most Targaryen children are given dragon eggs as infants, wild dragons are uncommon in Westeros.

There is no one right explanation for why certain dragons turn wild. However, their very existence suggests that not all dragons are meant to be ridden.

The wild dragons were first mentioned in the fifth episode's finale, where Jacaerys advised Rhaenyra to attempt taming them with the aid of Dragonseeds — illegitimate Targaryens.

Which Dragons Will Dragonseeds Mount?

When Rhaenyra and her followers set out to use as many dragons as possible, they allowed numerous Targaryen bastards to try to tame the dragons that had no riders. Vermithor, for example, became Hugh the Hammer's dragon, but that was not the end of it.

A drunken warrior from Dragonstone, Ulf the White, so called because of his white hair, also got his own beast. He managed to mount Silverwing, a dragoness who once belonged to Queen Alysanne Targaryen, the sister and wife of King Jaehaerys I. Silverwing has silver scales and is said to have blue flames.

And nettles will become the rider of Sheepstealer — read more about this in the text below.

Who Are the Three Wild Dragons and Will They Have Riders?

There are only three wild dragons in Westeros, and only one of them will have its Dragonseed rider.

1. Cannibal

Though all dragons are terrifying, few animals arouse more horror than Cannibal. In the books, Prince Jacaerys demanded that wild dragons be tamed in order to aid the forces in defeating the Greens.

Some of the Dragonseeds responded by offering to tame Sheepstealer and Grey Ghost, but none of them had the courage to venture into Cannibal's lair.

Cannibal was impossible to ride — those who attempted to do so were eaten. He consumed the eggs of unhatched dragons and the corpses of other fallen dragons. Because he did not take part in the civil war, Cannibal was one of the few dragons who survived it.

2. Sheepstealer

A peasant woman named Nettles became the rider of the dragon Sheepstealer, who was known for his vicious nature. Sheepstealer had dirty brown scales and orange flames. He was born decades before the Dance of the Dragons.

Sheepstealer will be one of the few dragons to survive the war.

Silver Denys, who claimed to be the bastard son of King Maegor the Cruel, tried to tame the dragon. Sheepstealer tore off its arm and tried to devour it, but was driven from his prey by Cannibal.

A short time later, Alyn of Hull made an unsuccessful attempt to ride the dragon, leaving Sheepstealer's lair with his cloak in flames. He was saved by his brother Addam, who drove the wild dragon away on Seasmoke. Many other men tried to mount Sheepstealer, but ended their lives in his belly.

Eventually, he succumbed to the cunning and persistence of Nettles, who brought him a freshly slaughtered sheep every morning until the dragon learned to recognize and even wait for her.

3. Grey Ghost

Though Rhaenyra tried to find owners for all the dragons, not all attempts were successful. In addition to Cannibal, another wild dragon, Grey Ghost, did not receive a rider. This dragon with pale gray scales, preferred to avoid humans.

The bastards who searched for the dragons simply did not find him. But caution did not save him from death. One day he met Sunfyre, Aegon's dragon, and died at the claws of his enemy. The battle was witnessed by the crew of the ship called Nessaria, who were passing by. Thanks to the sailors, word of Sheepstealer's death spread throughout the land.

The next morning, local fishermen sailed past Dragonstone and returned with reports of the charred and battered remains of a dragon at its base. The dragon had been torn in half and partially eaten.