Is Ser Steffon Darklyn Related To House Targaryen In House Of The Dragon? Explored

How is Ser Steffon related to House Targaryen?

I was thoroughly engrossed in the most recent episode of House of The Dragon, titled “Smallfolk.” In this installment, I witnessed a significant turning point for Queen Rhaenyra as she faced the challenge of having an insufficient number of dragon riders, yet an excessive amount of dragons residing in the caverns beneath Dragonstone.

After the passing of Princess Rhaenys, her experienced dragon rider met his end. In an earlier episode named “Regent,” Rhaenyra and her son Jacaerys Velaryn discovered that there could be records of Targaryen matrimonial alliances with other aristocratic lineages.

It occurred to some that the descendants of these people could potentially have enough ancient Valyrian heritage to qualify for owning a dragon.

As someone who has spent countless hours immersed in the captivating world of Game of Thrones, I can tell you that this week’s episode was nothing short of intriguing. The tension between Rhaenyra and Ser Steffon Darklyn reached a boiling point, leading to an explosive revelation that left me on the edge of my seat.

When Ser Steffon is summoned to Rhaenyra’s council, she discloses an intriguing family secret: His grandmother’s grandmother, Arianna, was in fact a Targaryen princess. She had married into the Darklyn household.

Over generations, the noble House Duskendel saw its Targaryen ancestry grow increasingly diluted as new members joined their ranks.

That provides the audience with a rather straightforward method to determine Ser Steffon’s kinship with the Targaryens as a Targaryen princess married into the Darklyn House six generations ago.

As an obsessed fan, I’d put myself in Ser Steffon’s shoes and say: “I can’t contain my excitement at the prospect of claiming the dragon! The risks are high, and failure could mean certain death, but the thrill of the challenge is too great to resist.”

For those who might be familiar with the situation, he hadn’t managed to achieve success. Things seemed to be going well initially, but Seasmoke, the dragon, sensed his fear and determined that he wasn’t quite good enough. Consequently, Seasmoke unleashed his fiery breath and reduced him to ashes.

Ser Steffon’s relation to House Targaryen in the book

According to the information on Winter Is Coming’s site, George R.R. Martin’s original work does not include any connections between Ser Steffon and House Darklyn to House Targaryen.

I’m a lifestyle expert and I’d put it this way: Among several devoted knights, I’m one of them, pledging our allegiance to Rhaenyra. Our commitment and unwavering resolve drive us to strive for the dragons instead of relying on any family ties to the Targaryen line. However, in my pursuit of claiming dragon Seasmoke, I unfortunately met my end.

According to the website and the family tree in The World of Ice and Fire book, there is no information about Arianna Targaryen, who wedded into House Darklyn, mentioned anywhere.

In the TV show, the knowledge that Ser Steffon’s great-grandmother married into House Draklyn implies this could have taken place during the early periods of House Targaryen’s rule, potentially even before Aegon’s conquest, when they primarily resided on their island fortress Dragonstone.

According to what I’ve read from a well-known source, most maesters in the Seven Kingdoms didn’t start tracking Aegon and his wives’ arrivals in Westeros until much later. It seems that the family tree before that point is a bit hazy. There’s an intriguing theory that Arianna could have been a close ancestor of Aegon I Targaryen.