‘House of the Dragon’: Who is Alyn of Hull?
‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 recently released its 4th episode and the season is officially halfway done. Episode 4 was full of excitement and we’re finally starting to see what kind of effect Dance of Dragons will have on the dragon population of Westeros.
Rhaenys and Meleys are dead, while Sunfyre and her rider Aegon II will spend the rest of their days heavily crippled.
This is the moment in which the show conveniently decided to introduce Dragonseeds, bastards of Targaryen and Velaryon origin, who can tame and ride the wild dragons around Dragonstone who will soon be in high demand as the war progresses and dragons are brutally being eliminated.
One of the Dragonseeds that was introduced prior to episode 4 was Alyn of Hull. Alyn of Hull was the bastard son of Corlys Velaryon and Marilda of Hull, according to the book, although some historians argued that he was a bastard son of Laenor Velaryon, which you know is highly unlikely considering that Laenor was a gay man.
In the show, Alyn saves Coryls from sure death, and when Rhaenys goes to meet him, she compliments his “fair features” recognizing her husband and implying to Coryls that she knows that Alyn is his bastard and that he should be rewarded for pulling him out of the sea.
We don’t know how Alyn will be treated in the show, but in the book, he will eventually inherit the title of the Lord of the Tides. In the book, Alyn and his brother Addam of Hull attempted to tame wild dragons for themselves. Addam managed to tame Seasmoke, Laenor’s dragon, and Alyn attempted to tame Sheepstealer for himself. The attempt however unfortunately almost ended in tragedy with Addam barely managing to save his brother’s life:
One who hoped to tame him (after his quest for Grey Ghost
Fire & Blood
proved fruitless) was Alyn of Hull. Sheepstealer would have none of
him. When he stumbled from the dragon’s lair with his cloak aflame,
only his brother’s swift action saved his life. Seasmoke drove the wild
dragon off as Addam used his own cloak to beat out the flames. Alyn
Velaryon would carry the scars of the encounter on his back and legs
for the rest of his long life. Yet he counted himself fortunate, for he
lived. Many of the other seeds and seekers who aspired to ride upon
Sheepstealer’s back ended in Sheepstealer’s belly instead.
Alyn was eventually legitimized and following Corlys’ death, with no male heirs, the Velaryon mantle passed onto him, and he would rise in political ranks following Dance of the Dragons and provide many heirs for House Velaryon by marrying Lady Baela Targaryen.
Alyn, married to Lady Baela Targaryen, had an unspecified number of children with her. Despite his marriage, he had an affair with Princess Elaena Targaryen, resulting in two illegitimate children, the twins Jon and Jeyne Waters. Alyn vanished at sea around 175 AC.
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