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{{Infobox character
 
{{Infobox character
 
| Character_name = Vermithor
 
| Character_name = Vermithor
| image = <br><br>
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| image = [[File: Rogar Jaehaerys and Vermithor.JPG|300px]]
| image_caption =  
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| image_caption = [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen]] feeding Vermithor before Lord [[Rogar Baratheon]] as depicted by Douglas Wheatley in ''[[Fire & Blood]]''.
 
| Alias = The Bronze Fury
 
| Alias = The Bronze Fury
 
| Title =  
 
| Title =  
Line 9: Line 9:
 
| Spouse =  
 
| Spouse =  
 
| Place_of_Birth =
 
| Place_of_Birth =
| Date_of_Birth = ca. {{Date|34}}
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| Date_of_Birth = or between {{Date|30}} and {{Date|35}}<ref group="N">In {{Date|130}}, Vermithor was said to have been "almost a hundred" years old, indicating he was closer in age to a hundred than to ninety, placing his age between ninety-five and ninety-nine at the time. It is possible he would have turned a hundred later that year.</ref>
 
| Place_of_Death = [[Tumbleton]]
 
| Place_of_Death = [[Tumbleton]]
 
| Date_of_Death = {{Date|130}}
 
| Date_of_Death = {{Date|130}}
| Books = ''[[The World of Ice & Fire]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[The Sons of the Dragon]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[The Princess and the Queen]]'' (mentioned)
+
| Books = ''[[The World of Ice & Fire]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[Fire & Blood]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[The Sons of the Dragon]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[The Princess and the Queen]]'' (mentioned)
 
}}
 
}}
  
'''Vermithor''', called '''the Bronze Fury''', was a fully grown male [[dragon]]. He was once the mount of the [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen|Old King]].  
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'''Vermithor''', called '''the Bronze Fury''', was a male [[dragon]] once ridden by King [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen]].
  
==Description==
+
==Appearance==
Vermithor had bronze scales, and "great tan wings", perhaps indicating that he had tan as a secondary color along his wing membranes, horns, and spinal plates.{{ref|tpatq}}
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Vermithor was a bronze dragon with "great tan wings".{{Ref|tpatq}} Vermithor was already a large dragon in {{Date|48}};{{Ref|tsotd}} Only [[Balerion]] and [[Vhagar]] were larger.{{Ref|twoiaf| The Targaryen Kings: Jaehaerys I}} By the time of the [[Dance of the Dragons]], Vermithor was almost a hundred years old.{{Ref|tpatq}}
He was an old, powerful large male.  When Jaehaerys I first began to ride Vermithor in his youth, it was already the biggest dragon behind [[Balerion]] and [[Vhagar]].
 
  
He was almost a hundred years old at the time of the [[Dance of the Dragons]]. Due to his size he was not as nimble in the air as some of the smaller, younger dragons.  His flame in the fullness of his power melted steel and stone. Unlike his wild brethren, Vermithor was accustomed to men and tolerant of their presence.{{ref|tpatq}}
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Vermithor was a fearsome beast.{{Ref|tpatq}} Accustomed to men and having had a previous rider, by the reign of [[Aegon II Targaryen]] Vermithor was tolerant of the presence of people and more accepting of new riders.{{Ref|tpatq}}
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
Vermithor was ridden by King [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen]]. After the Old King’s death, he remained unridden and made his lair in one of the smoking caverns of the [[Dragonmont]] where he stayed for decades.{{ref|tpatq}}
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Vermithor had accepted Prince [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen|Jaehaerys Targaryen]] as his rider by {{Date|48}}, when Jaehaerys made his claim for the [[Iron Throne]].{{Ref|twoiaf| The Targaryen Kings: Jaehaerys I}}{{Ref|tsotd}} Nine days after the mysterious death of King [[Maegor I Targaryen]], Jaehaerys flew to [[King's Landing]] upon Vermithor to claim the throne.{{Ref|tsotd}} During his reign, Jaehaerys I and his sister-wife, Queen [[Alysanne Targaryen]], once visited [[Winterfell]] with six dragons.{{Ref|asos|41}} After Alysanne grew bored and flew her own dragon [[Silverwing]] north to the [[Wall]], Jaehaerys came after her on Vermithor.{{Ref|AFFC|5}}
  
Jaehaerys I's sister-wife was Queen [[Alysanne Targaryen]], rider of the she-dragon [[Silverwing]].  Jaehaerys and Alysanne once visited [[Winterfell]] in a great flight containing six dragons.  Alysanne grew bored while there and decided to fly Silverwing north to see [[the Wall]] and the [[Night's Watch]].  Jaehaerys came after her on his own dragon.{{Ref|AFFC|5}}
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Vermithor became riderless when Jaehaerys died in {{Date|103}}. Throughout the reign of Jaehaerys's successor, King [[Viserys I Targaryen]], Vermithor had no new rider.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Aegon II}} During this time, Vermithor remained on the island of [[Dragonstone (island)|Dragonstone]] and made his lair in one of the smoking caverns of the [[Dragonmont]].{{ref|tpatq}}
  
Like their riders, Vermithor and Silverwing became a mated pair. Even years after Jaehaerys I and Alysanne died, Vermithor and Silverwing "oft coiled about one another" in the fields.{{ref|tpatq}}
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At some point, Vermithor and Silverwing became a mated pair. During the [[Dance of the Dragons]], Vermithor and Silverwing were said to often coil about one another in the fields.{{ref|tpatq}}
  
Vermithor had no new rider after Jaehaerys died, throughout the reign of his successor Viserys I.{{ref|TWOIAF| Aegon II}}
+
In {{Date|129}}, after the start of the Dance of the Dragons, Prince [[Jacaerys Velaryon]] decided that [[blacks|his mother's faction]] needed more dragonriders. Many men attempted to claim a dragon of their own; Lord [[Gormon Massey]] attempted to approach Vermithor, who burned him to death. Eventually, Vermithor bent his neck to a blacksmith’s [[bastard]] called [[Hugh Hammer]].{{Ref|tpatq}}{{Ref|twoiaf| The Targaryen Kings: Aegon II}} Hugh rode Vermithor to battle in the [[Battle in the Gullet]]. Along with Silverwing, [[Sheepstealer]], [[Vermax]] and [[Seasmoke]], Vermithor descended upon the ninety warships sailing under the banners of the [[Three Daughters]].{{ref|tpatq}}
  
During the [[Dance of the Dragons]], when it was decided by [[Jacaerys Velaryon]] that [[the Blacks]] needed more dragonriders, many men came forward to answer the Prince’s call. This proved to be very dangerous, Lord [[Gormon Massey]] was burned to death while approaching Vermithor. The dragon bent his neck to a blacksmith’s [[bastard]] called [[Hugh Hammer]] and was ridden by him during the civil war. Silverwing was claimed by [[Ulf the White]].{{ref|tpatq}}  
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When King's Landing [[Fall of King's Landing|fell]] to [[Rhaenyra Targaryen]]'s supporters, Hugh landed Vermithor upon the [[Hill of Rhaenys]], outside of the [[Dragonpit]]. In the Dragonpit, Vermithor made a lair before flying off to battle. Hugh rode Vermithor into battle during the [[First Battle of Tumbleton|first battle]] at [[Tumbleton]]. Hugh and fellow dragonseed [[Ulf the White]], who had claimed [[Silverwing]], changed their allegiance, betraying Rhaenyra in favor of [[Aegon II Targaryen]]. Vermithor, Silverwing and [[Tessarion]], the dragon of Aegon II's brother Prince [[Daeron Targaryen (son of Viserys I)|Daeron]], let loose their flames upon Tumbleton, which was savagely sacked.{{ref|tpatq}}
  
Vermithor took part in and survived the [[Battle in the Gullet]]. Along with Silverwing, [[Sheepstealer]], [[Vermax]] and [[Seasmoke]], Vermithor descended upon the ninety warships sailing under the banners of the [[Three Daughters]].
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[[File:Second Battle of Tumbleton.jpg|300px|thumb|Vermithor after killing [[Seasmoke]] during the [[Second Battle of Tumbleton]] as depicted by Douglas Wheatley in ''[[Fire & Blood]]''.]]
  
Along with [[Caraxes]], Silverwing and [[Sheepstealer]], Vermithor made a lair in the [[Dragonpit]] before flying off to deal with the large army of [[House Hightower]] which had been making its way up the [[Roseroad]], and was advancing on [[Tumbleton]].  During the [[First Battle of Tumbleton]], however, Hugh and Ulf switched sides, burning Rhaenyra's army there and scourging the town with whips of flame from one end to the other.  The [[Two Betrayers]] had initially sought reward from the greens, wanting rule of [[Casterly Rock]] and [[Highgarden]], but the Hightower commander had died in the battle, so their host remained camped at Tumbleton debating their next move.
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As the [[House Hightower|Hightower]] host remained at Tumbleton, so did Hugh with Vermithor. With Aegon II missing and Prince [[Aemond Targaryen]] [[Battle Above the Gods Eye|dead]], Hugh Hammer decided to fulfill his wish for the crown and declared himself king, as he was the rider of the oldest and largest living dragon.{{Ref|tpatq}} During the [[Second Battle of Tumbleton]], an army of four thousand men strong, led by [[Addam Velaryon]] upon the dragon [[Seasmoke]], surprised the Hightower host at Tumbleton with their night-time attack. Hugh rushed to mount Vermithor but was stopped by [[Jon Roxton]], one of the [[Caltrops]], who killed Hugh with his [[Valyrian steel]] sword [[Orphan-Maker]]. Vermithor, now riderless, was still half-asleep and on the ground when two score knights attempted to slay him. They died in their attempt. Wounded and enraged, Vermithor took flight, attacking all those around him. He snatched up a knight who tried to flee before him in his jaws, and burned Lords [[House Piper|Piper]] and [[House Deddings|Deddings]], with their squires, servants, and sworn shields.{{Ref|tpatq}}
  
Word later reached them of the [[Storming of the Dragonpit]] in King's Landing, and the [[Dance over Harrenhal]] in which both [[Vhagar]] and Caraxes died. The only other remaining rideable dragons were Sunfyre (crippled and presumed dead), Sheepstealer (disappeared), Moondancer (barely big enough to ride), and Seasmoke and Tessarion (large enough for battle, but still relatively young and small compared to Vermithor and Silverwing).  Recognizing this, Hugh Hammer decided to declare himself king, and the new leader of the green army at Tumbleton. Prince Daeron and his mount Tessarion were in the camp, and he was insulted at Hugh's usurpation.  When asked for justification, Hugh bluntly said that he named himself king by the same right that Aegon the Conqueror did:  he had a dragon, the biggest and most powerful one remaining. Tessarion could not hope to fight the combined might of Vermithor and Silverwing so Daeron did not challenge them further - though with the [[Bloody Caltrops]] he conspired to have them assassinated.
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While Vermithor was only twenty feet above the field, Seasmoke slammed into him from above. The two dragons rolled over the field, so entangled that neither was able to break free. According to Lord [[Benjicot Blackwood]], Seasmoke was no match for Vermithor on account of the older dragon's size and weight. Lord Blackwood believed that Vermithor would have torn Seasmoke into pieces if [[Tessarion]] had not entered the fight. The three dragons fought to the death. Vermithor killed Seasmoke when he locked his teeth into the latter's neck and ripped his head off. He attempted to take flight with his prize still in his jaws but his wings were tattered, causing him to be unable to bear the weight. After a moment he collapsed and died.{{ref|tpatq}}
  
Unbeknownst to any in the green camp at Tumbleton, however, [[Addam Velaryon]] had ridden his dragon Seasmoke across the Riverlands to rally surviving black armies, eventually amassing an army 4,000 strong.  Addam was determined to prove his loyalty to Rhaenyra by taking revenge on the Two Betrayers who had cast doubt on his honor because he was also a bastard.  Thinking the blacks defeated, the green army was taken completely by surprise when he made a daring night-time attack:  the [[Second Battle of Tumbleton]].  The three dragons of the greens were also riderless:  Daeron was killed before he could mount Tessarion, and Ulf the Sot was (aptly) passed out drunk in an inn.  Hugh himself rushed to mount Vermithor but was stopped by [[Jon Roxton]], one of the Bloody Caltrops.  Unsuspecting and also distracted by the attack of Addam's forces, Hugh was taken by surprise when Roxton used his Valyrian steel sword Orphan-maker to cut him open from groin to throat, spilling his entrails on the ground.  Silverwing fled the battle altogether, but the riderless Vermithor and Tessarion began wildly attacking any who came into their sight, from both sides.  Seasmoke and Tessarion engaged in a protracted and spectacular aerial duel but were evenly matched. 
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It is said that after dark Silverwing, who had fled into the sky when the battle began, descended to land beside the slain dragons. Later, the singers would tell of how she tried to lift Vermithor’s wing three times with her nose, as if to try and make him fly again. According to Archmaester [[Gyldayn]] this is most likely a fable.{{ref|tpatq}} Vermithor and Seasmoke's remains became a tourist attraction at the rebuilt Tumbleton.{{ref|fab|Under the Regents - The Hooded Hand}}
 
 
Vermithor, however, then turned into the black army and dealt grievous damage to Addam's forces.  Addam must have realized that Seasmoke had no hope of defeating Vermithor, but apparently hoped to at least distract it long enough for his men to escape to safety.  Vermithor was no more than twenty feet above the battle when Seasmoke slammed into him from above, driving him shrieking into the mud.  Just as Vermithor was overpowering Seasmoke, Tessarion inexplicably returned to attack Vermithor.  None can say why Tessarion did this:  perhaps upset at seeing Vermithor about to kill the smaller dragon, perhaps out of some lingering anger that Vermithor's rider had been the enemy of Tessarion's rider, or perhaps out of blind rage - the mind of the dragon is unknown.  All three fought to the death on the ground amidst mud and blood and smoke.  Vermithor killed Seasmoke when he locked his teeth into his neck and ripped his head off.  He attempted to take flight with his prize still in his jaws but his tattered wings could not lift his weight. After a moment he collapsed and died.  Vermithor had also mortally wounded Tessarion, who died soon afterwards.{{ref|tpatq}}
 
 
 
It is said that after dark Silverwing descended to land beside her slain cousins. Later, the singers would tell of how she tried to lift Vermithor’s wing three times with her nose, as if to try and make him fly again, but according to Archmaester [[Gyldayn]] this is most likely a fable.{{ref|tpatq}}
 
  
 
==Known dragonriders of Vermithor==
 
==Known dragonriders of Vermithor==
 
* King [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen]]
 
* King [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen]]
* [[Hugh Hammer|Hugh the Hammer]]
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* [[Hugh Hammer]]
 +
 
 +
==Notes==
 +
{{Notes}}
  
==References and Notes==
+
==References==
 
{{references}}
 
{{references}}
  

Revision as of 19:15, 28 August 2019

Vermithor
Rogar Jaehaerys and Vermithor.JPG
Jaehaerys I Targaryen feeding Vermithor before Lord Rogar Baratheon as depicted by Douglas Wheatley in Fire & Blood.

Alias The Bronze Fury
Allegiances
Born or between 30 AC and 35 AC[N 1]
Died 130 AC
Tumbleton
Books

Vermithor, called the Bronze Fury, was a male dragon once ridden by King Jaehaerys I Targaryen.

Appearance

Vermithor was a bronze dragon with "great tan wings".[1] Vermithor was already a large dragon in 48 AC;[2] Only Balerion and Vhagar were larger.[3] By the time of the Dance of the Dragons, Vermithor was almost a hundred years old.[1]

Vermithor was a fearsome beast.[1] Accustomed to men and having had a previous rider, by the reign of Aegon II Targaryen Vermithor was tolerant of the presence of people and more accepting of new riders.[1]

History

Vermithor had accepted Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen as his rider by 48 AC, when Jaehaerys made his claim for the Iron Throne.[3][2] Nine days after the mysterious death of King Maegor I Targaryen, Jaehaerys flew to King's Landing upon Vermithor to claim the throne.[2] During his reign, Jaehaerys I and his sister-wife, Queen Alysanne Targaryen, once visited Winterfell with six dragons.[4] After Alysanne grew bored and flew her own dragon Silverwing north to the Wall, Jaehaerys came after her on Vermithor.[5]

Vermithor became riderless when Jaehaerys died in 103 AC. Throughout the reign of Jaehaerys's successor, King Viserys I Targaryen, Vermithor had no new rider.[6] During this time, Vermithor remained on the island of Dragonstone and made his lair in one of the smoking caverns of the Dragonmont.[1]

At some point, Vermithor and Silverwing became a mated pair. During the Dance of the Dragons, Vermithor and Silverwing were said to often coil about one another in the fields.[1]

In 129 AC, after the start of the Dance of the Dragons, Prince Jacaerys Velaryon decided that his mother's faction needed more dragonriders. Many men attempted to claim a dragon of their own; Lord Gormon Massey attempted to approach Vermithor, who burned him to death. Eventually, Vermithor bent his neck to a blacksmith’s bastard called Hugh Hammer.[1][6] Hugh rode Vermithor to battle in the Battle in the Gullet. Along with Silverwing, Sheepstealer, Vermax and Seasmoke, Vermithor descended upon the ninety warships sailing under the banners of the Three Daughters.[1]

When King's Landing fell to Rhaenyra Targaryen's supporters, Hugh landed Vermithor upon the Hill of Rhaenys, outside of the Dragonpit. In the Dragonpit, Vermithor made a lair before flying off to battle. Hugh rode Vermithor into battle during the first battle at Tumbleton. Hugh and fellow dragonseed Ulf the White, who had claimed Silverwing, changed their allegiance, betraying Rhaenyra in favor of Aegon II Targaryen. Vermithor, Silverwing and Tessarion, the dragon of Aegon II's brother Prince Daeron, let loose their flames upon Tumbleton, which was savagely sacked.[1]

Vermithor after killing Seasmoke during the Second Battle of Tumbleton as depicted by Douglas Wheatley in Fire & Blood.

As the Hightower host remained at Tumbleton, so did Hugh with Vermithor. With Aegon II missing and Prince Aemond Targaryen dead, Hugh Hammer decided to fulfill his wish for the crown and declared himself king, as he was the rider of the oldest and largest living dragon.[1] During the Second Battle of Tumbleton, an army of four thousand men strong, led by Addam Velaryon upon the dragon Seasmoke, surprised the Hightower host at Tumbleton with their night-time attack. Hugh rushed to mount Vermithor but was stopped by Jon Roxton, one of the Caltrops, who killed Hugh with his Valyrian steel sword Orphan-Maker. Vermithor, now riderless, was still half-asleep and on the ground when two score knights attempted to slay him. They died in their attempt. Wounded and enraged, Vermithor took flight, attacking all those around him. He snatched up a knight who tried to flee before him in his jaws, and burned Lords Piper and Deddings, with their squires, servants, and sworn shields.[1]

While Vermithor was only twenty feet above the field, Seasmoke slammed into him from above. The two dragons rolled over the field, so entangled that neither was able to break free. According to Lord Benjicot Blackwood, Seasmoke was no match for Vermithor on account of the older dragon's size and weight. Lord Blackwood believed that Vermithor would have torn Seasmoke into pieces if Tessarion had not entered the fight. The three dragons fought to the death. Vermithor killed Seasmoke when he locked his teeth into the latter's neck and ripped his head off. He attempted to take flight with his prize still in his jaws but his wings were tattered, causing him to be unable to bear the weight. After a moment he collapsed and died.[1]

It is said that after dark Silverwing, who had fled into the sky when the battle began, descended to land beside the slain dragons. Later, the singers would tell of how she tried to lift Vermithor’s wing three times with her nose, as if to try and make him fly again. According to Archmaester Gyldayn this is most likely a fable.[1] Vermithor and Seasmoke's remains became a tourist attraction at the rebuilt Tumbleton.[7]

Known dragonriders of Vermithor

Notes

  1. In 130 AC, Vermithor was said to have been "almost a hundred" years old, indicating he was closer in age to a hundred than to ninety, placing his age between ninety-five and ninety-nine at the time. It is possible he would have turned a hundred later that year.

References

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 The Princess and the Queen.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Sons of the Dragon.
  3. 3.0 3.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Jaehaerys I.
  4. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 41, Jon V.
  5. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 5, Samwell I.
  6. 6.0 6.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon II.
  7. Fire & Blood, Under the Regents - The Hooded Hand.