dracarys has never sounded so creepy. house of the dragon Episode 6 ends on a particularly dark note, even for the bleak world of Westeros. But if he has never read the books, he may be confused about exactly why certain decisions were made. Don’t worry, we are here to explain it to you.
Important house of the dragon spoilers ahead.
house of the dragon Episode 6 explained
Let’s start from the beginning. house of the dragon jump 10 years into the future in Episode 6. In King’s Landing, both Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower are now grown women with children, but the biggest surprise comes further east, where we learn Daemon Targaryen is married to Laena Velaryon. and has children of her own. .
When we pick up the story, Laena is pregnant with another child, but it doesn’t end well. Laena goes into labor but fails to deliver the baby. The “doctor” tells Daemon that they have no options. The only option left is a medical cesarean delivery, but before a decision can be made, Laena gets up and leaves the room.
She leaves the castle and reaches the beach where her dragon Vhagar awaits her. Laena stands in front of the dragon and says one word: “Dracarys”. Vhagar seems to hesitate, but finally, the beast relents, engulfing his master in deadly fire and burning her until she burns.
Why did Laena commit suicide in House of the Dragon?
It’s not fully explained, but the implication is clear: Laena is dying in childbirth. The mention of a C-section just drives home this point by referencing the haunting scene from house of the dragon Episode 1. So, like a true Targaryen, he takes matters into his own hands and commits suicide by fire.
If you’re still confused, it might be helpful to take a look at how Laeana’s death plays out in the books, where it’s slightly different and much more explicit.
Laena’s death in the books.
Instead of going completely against canon, the house of the dragon writers room, including “A Song of Ice and Fire” author George RR Martin decided to honor the way Laena’s death plays out in the books, but with a twist on screen.
Like the HBO adaptation, Laena dies young, tragically and in part due to childbirth in the books. By then, she has a set of twins with her husband, Daemon.
Unlike dragon House, however, Laena’s death in the books does not directly involve her dragon, Vhagar. Instead, Laena goes into extraordinarily difficult labor and gives birth to a “malformed” son who dies within the hour of birth. Shortly after, the pain and illness began. The books state that neither a Driftmark master nor Dragonstone could save Laena. After three days, she finally passes. Legends claim that Laena tried to reach Vhagar for one last ride, but she was unable to reach her beloved dragon.
In the show, we see that this caption was altered for dramatic effect. Rather than attempt to ride Vhagar on one more flight before she dies, Laena asks Vhagar to give her a “merciful” death, possibly knowing that neither she nor her unborn child could be saved from her. His suicide was more like assisted euthanasia. Vhagar is hesitant to follow his master’s orders, but perhaps sensing that his master was suffering, he goes ahead and responds to “Dracarys!”
house of the dragon airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO and HBO Max.
