Warning: The following article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 8, “The Queen Who Ever Was.”
After weeks of teasing, House of the Dragon Season 2 finally debuted its new wild dragon, Sheepstealer. So, who rides Sheepstealer in House of the Dragon, now that he’s officially arrived?
Related: House of the Dragon: Who Rides Silverwing?
Sheepstealer’s Dragon Rider in House of the Dragon Season 2, Explained
House of the Dragon Season 2 isn’t the first time the show has referenced Sheepstealer. The feral beastie gets an indirect shoutout in Season 1’s finale; he’s one of three wild dragons Prince Daemon Targaryen reveals have a nest on Dragonstone. But the second season’s sixth installment represents House of the Dragon‘s first real Sheepstealer set-up. Admittedly, he goes unnamed, however, the big pile of scorched sheep skeletons Lady Rhaena Targaryen stumbles across leaves little doubt who we’re dealing with here. Dialogue between Rhaena and Lady Jeyne Arryn also confirms that Sheepstealer is still untamed – but Season 2, Episode 8 suggests that’s about to change.
Related: House of the Dragon: Is Aemond Targaryen King Now?
Indeed, all of Rhaena’s screentime in “The Queen Who Ever Was” is devoted to her pursuit of Sheepstealer. And when Rhaena eventually catches up with firebreather, it’s strongly implied they form a bond. True, we don’t actually see Rhaena ride Sheepstealer. Heck, we don’t see them make contact of any kind! However, House of the Dragon Season 2’s other new dragon/rider pairings start in similar fashion, so it’s safe to say the same applies here. Interestingly, Rhaena isn’t Sheepstealer’s rider in House of the Dragon‘s source text, Fire & Blood. In the book, that honor belongs to Nettles: a dragonseed character not yet featured in the show. As such, many fans speculate that Rhaena has taken Nettles’ place in House of the Dragon Season 2.
Is Nettles in House of the Dragon Season 2?
So, is there any truth to this theory? Have House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal and his team axed Nettles from Season 2? Yep – and that’s probably why Condal ducked the subject in a recent Variety interview. “With [Nettles], I’m not ready to comment yet on anything that hasn’t been established in the show just yet,” he said. This gave considerable weight to the Nettles/Rhaena theory, as did Rhaena’s arc throughout Season 2.
Related: House of the Dragon: Queen Rhaenyra and Lady Jeyne Arryn’s Relationship, Explained
Early installments make a point of Rhaena’s frustration at her dragon-less status. Then (as noted above) she chases Sheepstealer for hours (if not days) in an effort to claim him in Episode 8. When Rhaena eventually succeeds, it all but confirms she’s taken over Nettles’ role in the story. It’s a big change that’ll have major knock-on effects for House of the Dragon‘s future direction. After all, in the book, Nettles strikes up a romance with Rhaena’s father, Daemon, something that won’t apply to Rhaena in the show (probably..?).
House of the Dragon Season 2 is currently streaming on HBO and Max.
The above article was updated on 8/8/2024 by the original author to add information from House of the Dragon’s Season 2 finale.
Published: Aug 8, 2024 11:49 am