In a newblog post , Game of ThronesauthorGeorge R.R. Martinregisters his disappointment with the House Targaryen allegory onHouse of the Dragon . Namely , that its three - headeddragonhasfourlegs , instead of his preferred two - legged line drawing .
In the postal service , Martin argue a flying dragon ’s wings would have likely evolved from its foreleg , stating “ four - legged dragon subsist only in heraldry . No animal that has ever populate on Earth has six limb . Birds have two stage and two wings , bat the same , ditto pteranodons and other flight dinosaur , etc . ” He then salute the correct two - legged reading of the emblem next to its wrong four - legged version , adding , “ why would any Westerosi ever put four leg on a dragon , when they could depend at the real matter and could [ see ] their limbs ? ” The Charles William Post conclude with the HBO - bedamn statement , “ illusion needs to be ground . It is not simply a licence to do anything you like . ”
Of naturally , the obvious counter - debate here is that no fauna that ever lived on Earth has hadthree heads , either , but Martin catch himself , stating,“of course no dragon has three heads . That bit is purely emblematical , meant to reflect Aegon the Conqueror and his two sister . ”
Dragons on House of the Dragon. Image: HBO
Forgetting for a second that a three - headed dragon likelywouldneed the superfluous legs to support itself ( or atleastKing Ghidorah ’s dummy thicc second joint ) , Martin submit an interesting parameter — though I ’m not certain it ’s necessarily the right one . Must a dragon always be reptilian ?
Many insect , of course of study , aresix - legged animals with additional wing , which new research suggests may haveevolved from gills . Notably , over 5,000 species of something call a “ skeeter hawk ” which also matches the forcible verbal description of its namesake . underworld , there ’s even a “ flee ” lizard called a Draco with an extendable membrane that allows it to glide distance of over 200 feet at once . Martin is also adamant his dragons are “ wight of the sky ” that must “ breathe fire , ” yet there ’s vanishingly littleoxygenthe high one go . As large animals need more of it for simple cellular respiration , it also strains credulity they ’d live contemporaneously with mankind . Hatzegopteryx , the largest eff flying animal to have ever lived , did so at a time when there was 50 % more oxygen than our current atmosphere . In this case , would it be so difficult to believe a firedrake could be a “ live fossil ” descendent of an undiscoveredsix - limbed ascendent ?
Maybe argue about how many legs a three - headed dragon would possess is a conversation considerably leave untilafterhe finishesThe Winds of Winter — and not a consequence before .
Want more io9 tidings ? Check out when to expect the latestMarvel , Star Wars , andStar Trekreleases , what ’s next for theDC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to bang about the future ofDoctor Who .
Game of ThronesGeorge R.R. MartinHouse of the DragonWings
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , science , and refinement intelligence in your inbox day by day .
news show from the future , return to your nowadays .
You May Also Like
