‘House of the Dragon’: The Velaryons Are Black for Very Specific Reasons
Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, which centers on the rise and fall of the Targaryen dynasty, House of the Dragon is the prequel to Game of Thrones. The series chronicles the Targaryens’ rule over Westeros some 100 years into their 300-year rule.
While the Targaryens stand at the center of this story, another family, the Velaryons, helmed by the Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and his wife, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), are also central to this story. More than a ploy for diversity and inclusion, the House of Velaryon is a Black family for several specific reasons.
George R. R. Martin has always considered making the Velaryons Black
For those who know Martin’s work that chronicles the history of Westeros, the Velaryons are very present in his writings. However, Martin left out many details about the family except for the fact that they are dragon riders with silver hair.
“Why we went to the Velaryons, in particular, was because that felt like the most fantastical race in the show, and it felt like these were people from a lost continent that we don’t really know that much about,” House of the Dragon showrunner, Ryan Condal told The Wrap.
Moreover, when Martin set out to write the book about the Velaryon legacy, he said he considered making them a Black family. For Condal, the image of these Black people with silver hair always stuck out when it came time to bring House of the Dragon to the screen.
The families in the ‘House of the Dragons’ needed to be distinct
The Game of Thrones prequel has many things going for it. However, there are some things that could cause quite a bit of confusion. Many of the people in this series, like Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, have similar names. Moreover, all of the Targaryens have white blonde hair.
Making the Velaryons a Black family would help distinguish them from everyone else — namely the Targaryens.
“There are so many Valerians in the show, having the Velaryon family, having the Sea Snake’s family, look different than the Targaryens is actually really helpful in the casting and in differentiating people on screen and remembering who’s from what house and maybe making it even clearer that Rhaenyra has children of questionable parentage,” Condal told The Wrap.
Steve Toussaint has dealt with racist backlash from ‘House of the Dragon’ fans
Still, despite their ingenious talent, many of the Black actors on House of the Dragon, including Steve Toussaint, who portrays Corlys Velaryon — the Sea Snake, have faced racist, anti-Black backlash.
“They are happy with a dragon flying,” he said of the racist comments to Men’s Health. “They’re happy with white hair and violet-colored eyes, but a rich Black guy? That’s beyond the pale.” Luckily, Toussaint has remained unfazed, and Sapochnik and Condal have both condemned racism.
“It was very important for Miguel and I to create a show that was not another bunch of white people on the screen,” Condal explained to Entertainment Weekly. “We wanted to find a way to put diversity in the show, but we didn’t want to do it in a way that felt like it was an afterthought or, worse, tokenism.”
