With the release of House of the Dragon, HBO has brought us back to the world of Game of Thrones, and it’s filled with more dragons, deceit, and incest than ever before. Set 172 years before Daenerys Targaryen, the series is a prequel to Game of Thrones and is based on certain sections of the 2018 book Fire & Blood by George R. Martin, who is also the co-creator of House of the ‘ is kite’. The main characters of the new series are different, but the great game remains the same.

House Velaryon does not play a leading role in the TV series Game of Thrones. In the second season of the original series, the Velaryons support Stannis Baratheon’s claim to the Iron Throne.

That is not the case in House of the Dragon, for, like their Targaryen overlords, the Velaryons are at the height of their power during the reign of Viserys I, due in large part to the achievements of Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) is due., the richest and one of the most powerful men in Westeros. Incest was a custom of the Targaryens long before they conquered Westeros. If you’re wondering if House Velaryons, another House with roots in Valyria, practices incest, we’re here for you.

Will Velaryons Marry Each Other?

Image Credit: HBO Max

To answer this question, we must first understand what incest is in the context of Westeros. In the books, the continent has two main religions: The Old Gods and the Faith of the Seven. Both religious practices allow for incestuous unions. between parents and children and brothers as sins, and children born of such relationships as abominations. However, first-cousin marriages are very much permitted, especially for the nobility, just as they were in the real world in medieval. Viserys I Targaryen and Aemma Arryn are first cousins, as are Tywin and Joanna Lannister.

Throughout its history, the Faith of the Seven encounters certain situations where its rules involving incestuous relationships need to be invoked, rewritten, or abolished altogether. House Targaryen follows the Valyrian tradition of dragonlords, allowing them to arrange marriages between siblings.

The faith is silent during the reign of Aegon the Conqueror and his two sister wives but grows louder during the time of his successors, even sparking an open rebellion against the crown (the rise of the militant faith). Finally, King Jaehaerys I Targaryen – with the help of Septon Oswyck and Septon Barth – develops the Doctrine of Exceptionalism, which essentially distinguishes the Targaryens from the adherents of the Andal religion because of their Valyrian origin and their identity as Dragon Riders.

There is a gap in the faith to tolerate incestuous connections in the royal family. However, this does not appear to have spread to other noble families of Valyrian origin such as the Velaryons and the Celtigars. Therefore, they are unlikely to practice incest in the sense of the beliefs of the Seven. The Velaryons are an old house.

According to their family history, they even came to Westeros before the Targaryens. Historically, the family is not a dragonlord. Instead, they are the lords of the sea. That doesn’t mean Dragon Riders weren’t born into the Velaryon family.

Image Credit: HBO Max

In fact, almost all of Velaryon’s Dragon Riders seem to have been born around the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen Civil War that House of the Dragon will depict. However, this is likely due to intermarriages between the two families.

In an August 2022 interview, Martin stated, with the caveat that he reserved the right to change his mind later, that there was no reason for non-dragon-riding Valyrian families to practice incest. So, until Martin says otherwise, it’s a safe bet in that the Velaryons did not practice incest when they were in Valyria.

From the books, we get a general idea of ​​how House Velaryon has fared over the years. Aside from those shadowy years surrounding the dance, the rulers of Driftmark do not practice what the Faith of the Seven defines as incest.

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