Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 and contains minor spoilers for the book Fire & Blood.
The big picture
- Hugh the Hammer may seem like just a blacksmith, but he plays a crucial role in the civil war.
- Hugh's lineage as a dragon seed grants him the ability to ride a dragon during conflict.
- Despite his scion status, Hugh's bravery and ambition make him a major player in the battle.
with House of the Dragon Premiere of the second season, the game of thrones prequel created by George RR Martin i Ryan Condal returns to the Seven Kingdoms with a bloody outburst that treats the public with many novelties for next season. From Rhaenyra's exploration (Emma D'Arcy) mourning the death of Lucerys in Daemon (Matt Smith) gruesome attempted murder, the episode features plenty of creepy scenes and unfamiliar faces, one of which is particularly easy to overlook. Overshadowed by the introduction of the long-awaited Lord of the North, Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor), House of the Dragon premiere too includes a brief appearance by another character crucial to the source material, Hugh the Hammer, which is much more important than it seems.
Played by the actor Kieran Bew, Hugh appears briefly in the episode as a petitioner in the court of King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), where he calls for advance payments to King's Landing smiths so that they are financially secure while they make the Crown's weapons for their impending war. His appearance underscores the tension between Aegon and the Hand of the King, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), who tries to steer the young king in a more practical direction when Aegon starts trying to give each petitioner exactly what they need, but Hugh disappears just as quickly. This fleeting glimpse of the character makes it easy to believe that Hugh is just another supporting character with a short name, when in reality, the blacksmith's personal history and lineage are directly related to the Dragon House's civil war.
Hugh the Hammer is a commoner with uncommon blood in “House of the Dragon”
Both House of the Dragon and Martin's prequel novel, Fire and Blood, Hugh the Hammer appears as a native bass smith of unusual stature. Known for his height and almost inhuman strength, the novel reveals that Hugh's hands are said to be so strong that he can bend steel bars. The illegitimate bastard of a blacksmith himself, Hugh takes his nickname from his weapon of choice, similar to King Robert Baratheon of game of thrones' for his preferred method of killing enemies with a war hammer. Also called Hard Hugh, one of House of the Dragon The newer characters possess high aspirations and humble birth, but their personal honor is often overshadowed by their love of status and gold, as the series has already shown.
However, House of the Dragon he also takes some liberties with his portrayal of Hugh the Hammer. In Martin's book, Hugh lives in the ancient Targaryen seat of Dragonstone rather than operating in King's Landing, a distinction that accounts for his unique heritage. Although the Targaryens have ruled the island since Aenar the Exiled fled the ruins of Old Valyria and established the family stronghold in Westeros, there are many branches to the Targaryen family tree, and some also took advantage of their status on the island to produce a host of illegitimate lines with the locals. these matings outside the Targaryen tradition of marriages within the family produced bastards known as dragonseedsor commoners with dragon blood pulsing through their veins, and Hard Hugh is one of them.
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Hugh has a big part to play in the upcoming Targaryen Civil War
Largely because of his relationship with the dysfunctional royal family, Hugh the Hammer becomes an important piece of the Dance of Dragons when war breaks out in Westeros. In the novel, his heritage is tested when Rhaenyra's side is in dire need of more dragon knights for the unclaimed dragons found in Dragonstone's Dragonmont., and the Blacks become ready to knight anyone able to ride a dragon and support Rhaenyra's claim against the Greens. This bloody process of throwing anyone with Targaryen blood to the unclaimed dragons is known as the Red Sowing due to its high body count, but Hugh proves bold enough to claim Vermithor, the dragon Daemon approaches during House of the Dragon Season 1 finale and the dragon of Viserys' grandfather, King Jaehaerys.
The ability to claim a dragon would be impressive for anyone, but Hugh's achievement is especially unique due to his descendant status. As a commoner's bastard with nothing but his hammer to his name, Hugh's assemblage of an old king's dragon demonstrates the fire of his character and the power of his presence. Hugh's success earns him a prominent place among the black ranks as they begin to wage war and send their dragons into battle, although fans of the show will have to wait and see how love Hugh's devotion to fire rivals his devotion to his blood. Given the changes House of the Dragon has already done Hugh's story, it's unclear how the series will handle his backstory, but regardless of where Hugh the Martell currently resides, House of the Dragon just introduced another key player in the never-ending struggle for the Iron Throne.
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