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House Velaryon
House Velaryon

"What do you know of Velaryon blood, princess? I could cut my veins and show it to you and you still wouldn't recognize it. This is about the future and survival of my house, not yours. My queen, my lord Hand, this is a matter of blood, not ambition. I place the continuation of the survival of my house and my line above all."
―Vaemond Velaryon[src]

Ser Vaemond Velaryon was a knight of House Velaryon. He was the younger brother of Corlys Velaryon and a commander in the Velaryon navy.[5]

Biography[]

Background[]

Vaemond is the younger brother of Lord Corlys Velaryon, the Lord of the Tides and Master of Driftmark. He serves his brother and his house as a commander in the Velaryon fleet. Vaemond is proud of the ancient lineage of House Velaryon and its Valyrian heritage.[6]

House of the Dragon: Season 1[]

Vaemond fights in the War for the Stepstones. Three years into the drawn-out conflict, Vaemond petitions King Viserys I Targaryen for reinforcements, unbeknownst to the other commanders. Although he expresses misgivings concerning the plan to use Daemon Targaryen as bait during the siege of Bloodstone to the extent that his nephew Laenor Velaryon dubs him the "master of complaints," Vaemond partakes in the ultimately successful plan.[2]

About a year after the victory in the Stepstones, Vaemond is present alongside the rest of his family at the wedding between Laenor Velaryon and Rhaenyra Targaryen. He is seated at the great table alongside his family members.[7]

Vaemond leads Laena Velaryon's funeral procession on Driftmark in High Valyrian. During his eulogy, Vaemond includes several pointed remarks about Velaryon blood remaining pure while glancing at the supposed children of Rhaenyra and Laenor, Jacaerys and Lucerys Velaryon, who look nothing like Laenor or other Velaryons. Vaemond's choice to bring up the children's questionable paternity during the eulogy elicits laughter from Laena's widower Daemon.[4]

After Corlys is injured fighting in the Stepstones, Vaemond intensifies his efforts to keep Lucerys Velaryon from inheriting Driftmark. After Vaemond is reminded by Rhaenys that Corlys named Lucerys his heir, Vaemond travels to King's Landing to make his case before the king that he should instead be named heir. Upon arrival to the Red Keep, Vaemond speaks with Otto and Alicent Hightower, who—due to their animosity towards Rhaenyra—support his claim.[1]

Vaemond beheaded

Vaemond is decapitated by Prince Daemon.

During an audience in the throne room, with Otto Hightower sitting on the Iron Throne as Hand of the King owing to King Viserys being bedridden, Vaemond makes the case that he is a true Velaryon and the closest kin of Corlys whereas Rhaenyra's sons are not. Before Rhaenyra has time to make her own case, Viserys enters the throne room to the surprise of everyone present and takes charge of the proceedings. Realizing that he has no chance of convincing the king to disinherit his own grandchildren, Vaemond becomes irate and aggressive, shouting that Rhaenyra's children are bastards and calling Rhaenyra herself a "whore."[1] Vaemond's slander of the royal family is deemed to be treason[6] and Viserys threatens to remove Vaemond's tongue himself. Before he is able to, Daemon decapitates him from behind using Dark Sister. A group of Silent Sisters later prepare Vaemond's body for transportation back to Driftmark.[1]

Personality[]

Vaemond was proud of his Velaryon heritage.[6] He saw himself as the rightful heir to Driftmark on account of the rumors surrounding the legitimacy of his great-nephews.[1] His brother considered him heedlessly ambitious.[3]

Quotes[]

Spoken by Vaemond[]

Rhaenys: "Be careful, good-brother. One could take your words for treason."
Vaemond: "I speak the truth, Rhaenys, and you know it."
— Rhaenys and Vaemond[src]
"My brother cares only for the history books, but what of the Velaryon line? Is it to be snuffed out, supplanted by the pups of House Strong? Driftmark is mine by all rights."
―Vaemond, to Rhaenys[src]
"You break law and centuries of tradition to install your daughter as heir. Yet you dare tell me who deserves to inherit the name Velaryon? No. I will not allow it."
―Vaemond, to Viserys I[src]
Vaemond: "You may run your house as you see fit, but you will not decide the future of mine. My house survived the Doom, and a thousand tribulations besides, and gods be damned, I will not see it ended on the account of this b..."
Daemon: "Say it."
Vaemond: "Her children... are bastards! And she... is... a whore."
— Vaemond's last words[src]

Spoken about Vaemond[]

"What role have you played in this council, uncle, other than Master of Complaints?"
―Laenor, to Vaemond[src]
"Lucerys is my trueborn grandson, and you are no more than the second son of Driftmark."
―Viserys I, to Vaemond[src]
"He can keep his tongue."
―Daemon, after killing Vaemond[src]
Rhaenys: "Your brother is also dead. In his haste to bury you and claim your seat, he stood before the king and denounced Laenor's sons as illegitimate. Daemon took his head for it."
Corlys: "Heedless ambition has always been a Velaryon weakness."
— Rhaenys and Corlys discuss Vaemond[src]

Family[]

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Famtree-CorlysVelaryon
Corlys
Velaryon


 
Famtree-RhaenysVelaryon
Rhaenys
Targaryen
House Targaryen

 
Famtree-VaemondVelaryon
Vaemond
Velaryon

Deceased
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Famtree-LaenorVelaryon
Laenor
Velaryon
1

 
Famtree-RhaenyraTargaryen
Rhaenyra
Targaryen
House Targaryen

 
Famtree-DaemonTargaryen
Daemon
Targaryen
Daemon Targaryen

 
Famtree-LaenaVelaryon
Laena
Velaryon

Deceased
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Famtree-Jacaerys Velaryon
Jacaerys
Velaryon


 
Famtree-Lucerys Velaryon
Lucerys
Velaryon

Deceased
 
Famtree-JoffreyVelaryon
Joffrey
Velaryon


 
Famtree-Baela Targaryen
Baela
Targaryen
House Targaryen

 
Famtree-Rhaena Targaryen
Rhaena
Targaryen
House Targaryen

 
 

1 While Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey are officially Laenor's, he and Rhaenyra never had any biological issue. His three sons are in fact fathered by Harwin Strong.

Behind the scenes[]

On October 5, 2021, HBO announced that Wil Johnson had been cast in the role of Vaemond Velaryon for House of the Dragon. His character description reads as follows:

"Younger brother to Coryls Velaryon and commander in the Velaryon navy."[8]

In the books[]

In Fire & Blood, Vaemond is not Corlys's brother but his nephew, the son of his unnamed younger brother. While names do repeat in dynasties, the TV version may have been condensed into simply being his younger brother instead of his nephew. There are numerous Velaryon cousins from younger branches of the family, just as in the A Song of Ice and Fire novels there were numerous minor Lannister cousins, resulting in condensations in the TV series.

When Corlys suddenly fell ill with a severe fever, Vaemond immediately pressed his claim as heir to Driftmark. He openly claimed that Rhaenyra's children by Laenor are bastards, prompting Rhaenyra to send Daemon to execute him for treason. Daemon beheaded him, and his carcass was fed to Syrax. Five of his cousins, all merged into Vaemond's character in the TV series, followed in his footsteps, causing Viserys to have their tongues removed. For this, history remembers them as the "silent five."

Appearances[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 8: "The Lord of the Tides" (2022).
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 3: "Second of His Name" (2022).
  3. 3.0 3.1 House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 10: "The Black Queen" (2022).
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 7: "Driftmark" (2022).
  5. HBO Releases First Official Teaser For HOUSE OF THE DRAGON
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Vaemond Velaryon. HBO. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  7. House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 5: "We Light the Way" (2022).
  8. Unknown author (Unknown date). House of the Dragon | Character Descriptions. Warner Bros. Discovery. Retrieved April 25, 2023.

Notes[]

  1. The premise of "The Lord of the Tides" opens with "six years later." The previous episode takes place in 126 AC.

External links[]


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