Drogon and dragons

Published May 25, 2019 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hey guys!

I hope this email finds you well. I love the show and have been listening since the beginning of Season 7 of GOT.

I just got done listening to the first small council episode of the finale, and I’m surprised no one called in about your wondering thoughts on Drogon, dragons, and the level of intelligence they could possess. I am also surprised you haven’t made connections to Tolkien and his interpretation of dragons. I think I can provide some insight into these mythical creatures.

To start, I have read before that George RR Martin is a huge admirer of JRR Tolkien, and I believe Tolkien inspired Martin in ASOIAF.

In The Hobbit, Smaug (one of the dragons in middle earth) is incredibly greedy, but very intelligent, and loves riddles, conversation, and thought-provoking stories. This is really the only background knowledge I have on dragons, but it seems like the dragons in GOT align with Tolkien’s presentation of dragons too. Though Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal have not shown to be greedy per se, they have shown a deeper level of intelligence and have shown a potential love of conversation in different points throughout the series.

– The fact that they have a deep connection to Daenerys, can sense when she is in danger (at least Drogon), and understand her commands show a higher level of intelligence than other creatures.

– Various points of Daenerys with the dragons in deep thought and potential conversation (beginning of season 3, and season 4, after Drogon rescues her in the end of Season 5)

– In season 6 when Tyrion unchains Viserion and Rhaegal in the dungeon in Meereen while Daenerys was held hostage by the Dothraki, Tyrion distracts them from basically killing him and gets the dragons to trust him by starting up conversation and story. This reminded me so much of Bilbo’s encounters with Smaug in The Hobbit.

– The dragons being able to control the fire they spew. For instance, when Dany has had people executed, the level of intensity from Drogon is not nearly as great as when he’s burning down wights, ships, and buildings. Thus, he is showing he understands the different purposes of the “Dracarys” command, which requires higher levels of intelligence too.

So it didn’t come as a big surprise to me when Drogon destroyed the Iron Throne in the finale, because of his deep connection to Dany and the higher level of intelligence he seems to possess, I believe he knew the throne was Dany’s demise because it was her obsessive desire to sit on it that ended up ruining her. My husband thinks Drogon destroyed it with the thought of, “if my mother can’t sit on the throne, then no one can,” and I can see this perspective too because Drogon still understands what the throne represents and that it was his mother’s goal.

All in all, dragons have not been presented as mindless, dumb creatures before, and the 3 dragons in GOT definitely have not been presented that way either. I think the proof of their higher intelligence is seen in small bits throughout the series, and when Drogon destroys the throne I think it shows he’s known all along what his mother has always wanted (which aligns with his deep connection to her), and that ultimately that was what killed her (thus also understanding that Jon had no choice but to kill her). I do think the dragons are ruthless and by far the most loyal beasts of the show. The only human they ever loved was Dany, so I don’t think Drogon feels badly about the people he’s killed because he did it for his mother, and I think he would have done it all again for her had she lived and continued “liberating”. I think the 2 biggest reasons why Jon didn’t get killed by Drogon is because of his Targaryen lineage (which the dragons have also seemed to sense and catch onto without anyone telling them), and the fact that Dany loved Jon (which I think the dragons could sense, since they also seemed to know who to always kill based on who was against their mother. Think about it, Dany never told them where to go, or who to kill, they just knew).

I hope that all made sense to you guys and you can see the connections I’m trying to make. I love your conversations and listening to your perspectives. Thanks for hosting such an awesome podcast! looking forward to The Watchmen!

Sincerely,
Erin (Falls Church, VA)

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