'Game of Thrones' prequel 'House of the Dragon': What was the Doom of Valyria? Did it kill all living dragons?
The world of ‘Game of Thrones’ is filled with extraordinary stories. I mean, having two big-budgeted shows, several novels and a wide range of fiction stories suggest how well-crafted this universe really is. The highly anticipated prequel series ‘House of the Dragon’ is the perfect opportunity to travel back in time and get to know more about one of the most formidable dynasties of all time: House Targaryen.
The opening episode laid a strong foundation for the things to come and if the makers play their cards well, then ‘HOTD’ has the potential of exceeding all the expectations to become a separate entity and not just remain in the shadow of ‘GOT’. As we know, the show is set 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen and sees House Targaryen as the strongest dynasty in the entire world. Apart from seeing the internal politics and a grand tourney, the first episode was also about naming an heir to the throne and people fighting for it.
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However, one event that is mentioned during the premiere intrigued the viewers to know more about the history of the Targaryens. Yes, we are talking about the Doom of Valyria, an event that changed the Targaryens completely.
So, what is the Doom of Valyria, and why it is such an important event in Targaryen history? Let’s find out.
What is the Doom of Valyria?
After the tragic death of his wife in 'House of the Dragon', King Viserys was in distress and was thinking about who should be named the heir to the throne. Technically, his brother Prince Daemon Targaryen was in line to become the new ruler because Viserys didn’t have a son and at that time, they didn’t let women rule kingdoms. However, after a meeting with the council, Viserys feels how wrong he has been in keeping his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, away from the throne. In the concluding moments of the episode, he announces Princess Rhaenyra the new heir to the throne and discusses some really important things in the dungeons below the Red Keep.
During the discussion, he talks about Balerion the Dread and explains how the dragon was the living creature to witness the Doom of Valyria, which is also considered to be the ancestral homeland of the Targaryens and their dragons. But what is the Doom of Velyria?
According to the books, the ‘Doom of Valyria’ was a volcanic cataclysm event that took place approximately 400 years before the War of the Five Kings. Valyria was actually a city that got really popular at the time for taming and controlling Dragons they had found in the nearby volcanoes. They used those dragons in the war and managed to establish an empire of their own.
However, everything changed on the day of the doom. History indicates that every hill for five hundred miles exploded, filling the air with fire, smoke, and ash. But they didn’t know that this was just the beginning and something even more devastating was just around the corner. A few moments after the explosions, earthquakes of high magnitudes shook the entire peninsula and saw the land getting cracked. Every city was destroyed, including Valyria. All the mainland cities of Valyria, Tyria, and Oros were destroyed in the doom, along with hundreds of smaller settlements. The only city to experience minimal damage was Volantis.
What caused the Doom of Valyria?
Although historians believe that it happened due to natural causes, King Viserys told Rhaenyra that the cataclysmic event took place because of Valyrian sorcery. According to the king, the dragons also influenced the devastation of the region and that’s why every Dragon died except the ones that were taken away by the Targaryens.
What happened to the Dragons?
Unfortunately, almost all the Dragons died during the doom. The only survivors were Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes. They all belonged to House Targaryen and were living on the island of Dragonstone.
Aftermath
After the doom, a lot of Valyrian secrets, including magic and the methods for creating Valyrian steel, were lost. On the other hand, a lot of rulers and kingdoms tried claiming the Valyrian land as their own and failed miserably. Notable people like Dragonlord Aurion, and Tommen II Lannister vanished as soon as they reached that region.
However, King Jaehaerys forbade anyone from traveling to Valyria after a tragic event. It is believed that the king’s daughter Aerea, along with her dragon Balerion, went to Valyria and disappeared for two years. People started believing that they traveled to Valyria after Balerion returned with some mysterious wounds and a dying Aerea.
In ‘Game of Thrones’, we do visit the place and get to know that it is now being used to exile people suffering from Greyscale. They were called Stone Men. In Season 5, Tyrion Lannister and Jorah Mormont were ambushed by Stone Men and Jorah even came in contact with one of them and was infected with greyscale.
So, this is the history that changed a lot of things in the ‘Game of Thrones’ universe and if Targaryens wouldn’t move away from Valyria, their house would have never been so formidable.
