Winter is coming. The white-walkers stand poised to destroy the 7 kingdoms of Westeros. What defense do men have against these immortal frozen beasts? Three dragons: Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserian are their best chance.
So far, only Daenerys has the ability to ride these magnificent beasts. But popular Game of Thrones lore indicates that all three dragons will adopt riders. Which of our favorite characters will ride these winged reptiles? Let’s look at the odds…
There’s an 80% chance Jon Snow will ride a dragon.
The odds-on favorite is the most popular character GOT has to offer. The reincarnated Jon Snow fits almost every qualification for becoming a dragon rider. Based on the R+L=J theory (confirmed at the end of season 6), one of the dragons, Rhaegal, is named after his father.
Jon’s lineage and history point to him as the clear favorite to be a dragon rider. With the two kingdoms set to collide, an introduction of Daenerys and Jon seems imminent. Their blood relation presents a very fan-friendly scenario where the two main characters of the series unite in the sky, mounted on Targaryen war machines.
The smart money would be on Jon Snow.
Tyrion Lannister? We’ll put his dragon-riding chances at 70%.
Since his birth, Tyrion Lannister ‘s lineage has been in question. His mother, Joanna, died in childbirth and his family always held him partially, if not fully responsible.
It’s assumed his father is Tywin Lannister and he is full Lannister blood. However, rumor and innuendo indicate that Tyrion might be the illegitimate son of the late Mad King Aerys. We also see Tyrion developing a rapport with one of the dragons. Up to this point, the dragons were ornery to every other person besides Daenerys. The mere fact that they didn’t obliterate Tyrion lends credence to the idea that one day he may ride the majestic beasts.
The Night King has a 40% chance of riding a dragon.
The leader of the White Walkers is already a formidable foe. How much more dangerous would his power grow if he rode one an undead weapon of mass destruction. Although seemingly far-fetched, the idea seems to be gaining steam in the fan theory community.
The idea indicates one of the dragons (most likely Viserian) getting killed in the great battle by the army from beyond the wall. The great and powerful Night King would then raise the dragon from the dead and unleash frozen hell on the armies of Westeros. Not as much history to connect this possibility but the visual itself is enough to make this a decent possibility.
The Field — 20% chance they could all ride dragons!
There are many others who, if events unfold a certain way, possess avenues to dragon ridership. Many characters like Bran, Jorah, Sansa, Arya, and Edric garner some support for their cases to dragon ride.
The revelation of the dragon riders marks an important step in putting the final Game of Thrones pieces together. If season 7 or 8’s reveals compare in any way to our first glimpse of Dany on a dragon then we are in for a wild and enjoyable ride.
