- House of the Dragon's latest episode shows Rhaena witnessing countless burnt sheep.
- Stolen sheep suggests that there's a wild dragon in the Vale of Arryn.
- This Dragon is called "Sheepstealer" by the locals, and he later fights for the Blacks in Fire and Blood.
HOTD Season 2 Episode 5 sees Rhaenyra showing concern about how the Blacks will fight Greens as they have the largest dragon, Vhagar, while her team is left with no potential dragon after Meleys. However, Jacaerys gives her hope by revealing that three powerful beasts reside in the Dragonstone, and all they have to do is find them worthy riders. Well, in the sixth episode, we discover that apart from Seasmoke, Silverwing, and Vermithor, there is one more riderless dragon that can help them get the upper hand in the war in House of the Dragon, the Sheepstealer.
Sheepstealer Is the Dragon Mentioned as Wild Dragon
While Rhaena and Rhaenyra’s youngest sons were roaming on the grounds of Vale of Arryn, they came across a burnt sheep and a scorched land. Rhaena didn’t take much time to understand that there was a large wild dragon in the Vale. While the TV Show didn’t reveal anything about the dragon, the book states it is Sheepstealer. The dragon is one of the largest dragons that no one has claimed in his youth.
Sheepstealer has been around since King Jahaerys I’s reign, but as no one used him, he remained unfamiliar with the presence of humans over the years.
Who Claims Sheepstealer in House of the Dragon
Sheepstealer never had a rider until Dance of the Dragon. Lacking the dragons in his army, when Jacaerys called the dragonseeds to tame the strongest beasts, Silverwing, Vermithor, Seasmoke, and Sheepstealer. While the other dragons also burn a few candidates trying to claim them, Sheepstealer emerges as the winner as he burns the most men who tried to control him. The latest victim of the dragon fire in the attempt to tame the beasts is Ser Steffon Darklyn who was burnt to crips while taming Seasmoke.
No one could tame Sheepstealer except a bastard woman named Nettles. However, she also couldn’t control him easily, so she chose the path of trickery. Nettles was aware that the dragon was fond of mutton, so she fed him with a sheep daily to get him accustomed to her. Well, she succeeded and earned Sheepstealer as her ride. Nettles and Sheepstealer accompanied Daemon and Caraxes to hunt Aemond.
If the TV show follows the books, we might see Nettles making an entry and claiming the Sheepstealer in House of the Dragon. However, the TV show creators can also create an original path for the wild dragon by giving him another rider. Interestingly, the show has been teasing Rhaena for the Sheepstealer. She doesn’t have a dragon as of now, but she would be a perfect rider for this wild dragon in the Vale.
Sheepstealer Dragon’s Fate Explained
Not every character or dragon receives a satisfactory ending in Fire & Blood. Nettles and Sheepstealer survive the Dance of the Dragons, but no one knows what happens to them next. After getting betrayed by Hugh Hammer and Ulf White, Rhaenyra doesn’t trust any dragonseed, so Daemon helps Nettles to flee with her dragon and never grab the attention of the Targaryen Queen.
Following Rhaenyra’s death, Aegon II took over the throne; several reports claimed that Sheepstealer had been seen flying on the Mountains of the Moon and Craklaw Point. As per other reports, a Fire-Witch resided in the Vale, and it might be Nettles. Nothing was ever confirmed in Fire & Blood, but as HOTD features some modifications in the original story, we may get to witness a fitting conclusion to Sheepstealer’s story as well.
Aparna Ukil
