Characters in House of the Dragon are honorable, corrupt, wicked, greedy … but only one of them is so slimy and equipped with the right survival instincts that he could even survive the Game of Thrones. Along the way, he thoroughly annoys MeinMMO editor Sophia Weiß.
The first episode of the third season of House of the Dragon has given us some more or less joyful reunions with the still-living characters from the previous season. Without spoiling too much:
We know that Daemon is successful with his campaign in the Riverlands. Alicent has an unwittingly intimate encounter with one of her sons. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra struggles with her pubescent eldest child and his stubbornness. Just another normal day in Targaryen life.
There is also a reunion with the dragon seeds, the three brand new riders of the fire breathers Vermithor, Seasmoke and Silverwing. On behalf of Rhaenyra, Hugh Hammer, Addam of Holk, and Ulf the White are camping outdoors, awaiting the arrival of adversaries Aemond and Vhagar.
And here the very slimiest among them proves that he has the right survival instincts to survive a horror film. Or even the Game of Thrones.
Only one has the instinct to survive Westeros
In the first episode of the third season, the three dragon seeds in Rhaenyra’s service are waiting for Aemond and his dragon Vhagar to show up at Harrenhal. It’s a rather thankless job: the weather is really horrid, wet, and cold, and waiting for the arrival of a monstrous killing machine is probably not very motivating.
Particularly frustrated with the whole situation is Ulf the White. He grumbles to himself the whole time and looks forward to a castle that he allegedly gets as a reward. His mood does not improve when Addam and Hugh inform him that it will probably be not a castle but rather a horse.
The last straw comes with the rude interruption of Hugh’s nature toilet visit: Alys Rivers and a humanoid creature with horns and hooves completely scare him. Then Alys reveals herself to be a witch, and for Ulf, the mission is over:
It’s wet. It’s cold. He risks his life for a horse, and now witches are showing up? No thanks
, he probably thinks and packs his things.
Just running away would be cowardly. But can you blame him? Not really. And this survival instinct makes the slimy upstart the one person who might even survive the war.
bad luckcan one man have? Yes.
He annoys me – But I like the character!
I can’t stand Ulf at all. In season 2, he has already repeatedly spoken out of turn to the one true queen Rhaenyra. I don’t understand why Silverwing, an incredibly elegant dragon, would want this unsympathetic character as a rider at all.
Unfortunately, that’s the way it is, and now the gentleman could at least try harder if he is to steer a living atomic bomb. After all, not everyone gets to be a dragon rider!
But no. Ulf loudly complains about everything, he completely misbehaves, and then he seeks to run away when things get dangerous. But this could save his life in the war between the greens and the blacks:
Of course, Ulf would love to be rich and powerful. But he much prefers to be alive. So when it gets too dangerous for him, all loyalties go out the window. Who would want to or could stop him with Silverwing by his side?
I just find Ulf as a person repulsive. He violates all the principles that are important to me, and he does it multiple times. It feels like he even enjoys it. I’m just going to assume that.
As a character, however, I find him fascinating and want to take my hat off to him: Westeros is a merciless world. Taking care of oneself, for whatever base reasons, is the best strategy to avoid ending up like some crown prince lately.
Honor, glory, and loyalty are indeed great traits. At the same time, they are also the reasons why many a hero ends up in the afterlife too early.
Big kudos from me to Ulf: Look out for yourself, stay alive, and do your thing. As much of a jerk as I think it is. You have the best chance of getting out of this whole mess alive. So keep it up. Even if I hate you for it in the end.
Anyone who has dealt with the books knows of course how things will end for Ulf. However, the series has already made some changes to the plot. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments about whether Ulf will still be standing on two legs after season 4. A major change is the finale of the first episode, in which the second crown prince from Westeros 2026 meets his demise. But who is actually to blame for that? Well: House of the Dragon has a new dragon and it should remind everyone: The Targaryens do not control them
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