I'm Disappointed That HOTD Seems To Have Cut The Most Terrifying Dragon From George R.R. Martin's Story

Summary House of the Dragon season 2 impresses with new dragons, but missing the Cannibal is a letdown for fans of A Song of Ice & Fire novels.

The absence of the Cannibal in the Sowing means missing out on important dragon complexity in the story Martin intended to tell.

House of the Dragon's vibrant cast of dragons impresses, but there are still those absent in the TV adaptation.

House of the Dragon season 2 has introduced several awesome new dragons, but the absence of one of the most terrifying is still disappointing to me. With season 2, episode 7's ending finally showing the Sowing of the Seeds, I was thrilled to see some clearer images of Vermithor and a first glimpse of Silverwing. Not to mention, with Sunfyre and Moondancer appearing earlier in the season with brilliant designs, this season has truly been a treat, with HBO delivering on its promise of a vibrant cast of dragons.

Still, as a huge fan of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice & Fire novels and, by extension, Fire & Blood, it's always the elements that don't make it to the television medium that leaves me disappointed. House of the Dragon season 2 has done a terrific job at including as much of the book's contents as possible, but I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention one of the fascinating dragons in Martin's world, which raises discussion points about dragon nature in the Game of Thrones universe.

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The Cannibal In Fire & Blood Explained

The Cannibal Is One Of The Largest Dragons In Fire & Blood

The Cannibal is one of the largest dragons in Game of Thrones history, who existed during the time of the Dance of the Dragons. The book suggests the possibility that the Cannibal may have even lived there before Aegon's Conquest and before the Targaryen family even settled on Dragonstone. This would make him older than Vhagar, and he's believed to be larger than Vermithor in the source material text. He earned his name by eating the corpses of other dragons, dragon eggs, and newborn dragons.

Why House Of The Dragon Seems To Have Cut The Cannibal & Why It's Disappointing

The Sowing Of The Seeds Would've Been The Opportunity To Introduce Cannibal

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Rhaenyra states that Vermithor is the second-largest dragon in the world in the show. With this in mind, Cannibal probably won't be appearing on House of the Dragon. The opportunity to introduce Cannibal would have been during the Sowing. In the book version of the event, many of the potential riders try to claim Cannibal, but he leaves a trail of human corpses behind him. To me, these variables in the Sowing are so important to the story Martin is trying to tell, and I was disappointed by the show drastically simplifying the event with just Vermithor and Silverwing.

Vermithor and Silverwing are on the easier side for humans to bond with, as they've had previous riders. Cannibal, on the other hand, has gone centuries as a wild dragon and is virtually impossible to claim. He's highly resistant to humans. Having this in the story is vital to showing the complexities of dragons. They're not all just mounts for those with Valyrian blood to claim; dragons have different personalities and that autonomy is crucial to their role in the story. I hope House of the Dragon amends this by showing the wild dragon Sheepstealer's resistance to a human rider.