House of the Dragon: Who Are Addam and Alyn of Hull?

The following contains major spoilers from House of the Dragon season 2 and beyond.

Surprise, House of the Dragon fans! If you thought Rhaenys’s (Eve Best) death was a shock, wait until you see what her husband had up his sleeves. Yes, it seems that Corlys “The Sea Snake” Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) wasn’t entirely faithful to his wife. The couple stuck it out until the end, sure. That said, Coryls’s past rustled a couple of feathers when two new figures arrived in Westeros. Namely, Addam and Alyn of Hull.

Revealed at last in the latest episode, Addam (Clinton Liberty) and Alyn (Abubakar Salim) were officially announced as Corlys’s bastard children. “The Sea Snake would rather have High Tide claimed by the sea than call us his sons,” Alyn exclaims in episode 6. There it is! Corlys was harboring not just one, but two secret sons out at sea. But what roles will Corlys’ bastard children play in the story to come? For more on Addam and Alyn, continue reading below.

HBOBrothers Addam (left) and Alyn (right) of Hull are secretly Corlys Velaryon’s bastard sons.

Addam, the DragonseedCoincidentally, in House of the Dragon season 2, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) is seeking bastard children to ride the unclaimed dragons around Westeros. That means Leanor’s dragon, Seasmoke, needs a new rider. Steffon Darklyn tries and fails to ride Seasmoke in the latest episode, before he’s burnt to death. But in the end, Seasmoke chases down Addam. Is Addam Seasmoke’s new rider?

In George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, Addam eventually claims Seasmoke. He and Alyn are named true Velaryons by Rhaenyra, and he fights for the Blacks in the Riverlands. When some of the other dragonseeds switch sides in the war, Addam is forced to prove that not all bastard sons are turncloaks. He flies to the Isle of Faces and makes a pact with the Green Men—who are guardians of the Isle with green skin and antlers. (Sounds very cool!) Marching into Tumbleton to defeat the turncloaks, he saves Rhaenyra from the advancing forces. Sadly, it’s at the cost of his own life.

HBOAlyn saved Corlys from pirates. Coincidence?

Alyn, the Lord of the TidesMeanwhile, Alyn rises from Corlys’ first mate at sea to his heir as Lord of Driftmark. As Baela (Bethany Antonia) remarks in episode 5, “Driftmark must pass to salt and sea.” Alyn attempts to tame a dragon himself, failing both times to claim either Sheapstealer or Grey Ghost. After Rhaenyra names him and his brother true Velaryons, he travels back to Driftmark to continue to service the Queen’s blockade.

When the war is over, Alyn is surprisingly one of the few characters to survive the Dance of the Dragons. After succeeding Corlys as Lord of the Tides and marrying Baela, he’s eventually appointed Lord Admiral by the crown—just like his father. But unlike his family before him, Alyn quells the pirates in the Stepstones. Still, the Velaryon way is apparently to live and die by the sea. Later in his life, Alyn goes out to sail and never returns. I wish there was a happier ending for Alyn. But at least he survives well beyond the war! Plus, that just means Addam and Alyn are here to stick around for a while.

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