House of the Dragon has focused on the Targaryens in Team Green and Team Black so far, but some key players are not part of the noble family.
One specific non-Targaryen who has a significant role in the ‘Dance of Dragons’ is Hugh the Hammer. His story is being slowly fleshed out in the second season of HOTD, but some changes have been made to the character based on what fans know from the books.
[SPOILERS FOR HOUSE OF THE DRAGON AND FIRE & BLOOD]
Who is Hugh the Hammer? Is He A Targaryen?
Hugh the Hammer (or just Hugh Hammer) was introduced in the premiere episode of HOTD Season 2, asking King Aegon II for more compensation for the blacksmiths. He only made a short appearance at court, but he gets an extended role in the second episode, where fans see his family and what the working class was going through as the war between the Targaryens started brewing.
The first season of HOTD teased that there are bastards with Valyrian blood all around King’s Landing. It will be revealed that Hugh is actually what the lore considers a ‘dragonseed’—low-born citizens with the blood of a dragon.
Though being a bastard with Valyrian blood may seem like no big deal, it’s the base requirement for being able to ride a dragon—a power that the Targaryens and Velaryons have exploited over the years.
In the books, Hugh is hired by the Blacks to become a dragon rider. Along with his fellow dragonseeds, he rides to war atop a dragon wielding a war hammer.
How The Series Changes Hugh’s Story
Hugh Hammer is considered kind of a brute in the books. Though he is lowborn, the status of becoming a dragon rider kind of gets to his head, and he starts demanding that he be treated like royalty.
In the show, though, Hugh is presented as a hardworking blacksmith who speaks for his fellow workers. Moreover, he also has a family he’s working hard to provide for. At this point in the story, he’s thankful to Aegon for promising the smiths a sizeable advance for their labour—but the question is, will Aegon be able to keep that promise?
At this point, it’s still possible for Hugh to start with the Blacks and change allegiances to the Greens. Still, the way he’s being set up as a noble character with responsibilities, it’s possible that he could be faithful to the Greens first before changing his mind and working for the Blacks.
After all, the timeline for House of the Dragon has been compressed, and Hugh only betrays the Blacks well into the middle of the “Dance of Dragons”. If he were to betray the Greens, Hugh would still get his betrayal arc and have a more noble reason to side with Rhaenyra.
Then again, this is all just speculation on the fans’ part. Until the season ends, it’s not clear where Hugh will end up. With him already having his own scenes in the first two episodes, though, it’s possible that he could have an entire arc for the second season, and the end will have him riding a dragon for a definitive side.
Catch new episodes of House of the Dragon every Sunday on Max.