George R.R. Martin Completely Broke the ‘Game of Thrones’ Rules for Daenerys

At the beginning of A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin dedicates the novel to Phyllis Eisenstein, a fantasy writer who convinced him to include dragons in his A Song of Ice and Fire books — and in truth, it’s hard to imagine what Game of Thrones would look like without dragons. In 2023, Martin told Kevin Smith that he originally considered making Targaryens pyromancers, with the ability to wield fire. Fast-forward to House of the Dragon Season 3, and the show now features 16 different dragons, each with unique designs and personalities. These magical beasts have been a trope of fantasy fiction since the conception of the genre, but Martin uses them very carefully — and there seem to be strict rules in the Song of Ice and Fire universe about which characters can actually ride dragons.