The Dragon in pop culture, from Shenron to Smaug
The Dragon in pop culture
Everyone, in every part of the world, knows what a dragon is. They may not know giraffes, platypuses, and penguins, but dragons always have a familiar face, covered in scales, feathers, fangs, and sometimes long barbels. From East to West, however, the dragon changes its shape, sometimes it is a malevolent being, a cunning lover of riddles and an enemy of knights, other times it is a benevolent god, the bearer of rain and wisdom. There is no land, region or country on the planet that does not know a legend about a dragon. It could be said that the origins of the dragon are linked to the very origins of man: great tyrannical reptiles, sometimes devouring men. Perhaps the encounter with these fearsome creatures can even go back to prehistoric times and not be mere fantasy? Let's analyze the sources, bestiaries and myths about these wonderful creatures, discovering how the dragon evolved (and if it did) in pop culture.'House of the Dragon' New Promo Drops After SDCC 2022
San Diego Comic-Con 2022 may be over, but the House of the Dragon hype is just getting started. After releasing two cuts of the trailer and hosting one of SDCC's biggest panels this weekend, HBO released a new 5-minute behind-the-scenes video on Monday. It includes new glimpses of Westeros with commentary from the cast and creators.
House of the Dragon is striving to capture the excitement of Game of Thrones while forging its own path as well. It centers around House Targaryen, so naturally there are a lot of familiar set pieces including King's Landing, the Red Keep and Dragonstone. However, because it takes place about 200 years in the past, everything has a slight twist and plenty of new elements to be excited about. The new featurette is a perfect tour of the sets, the characters and the costumes.
House of the Dragon also has some new locations to get interested in as well. The story includes a few major Houses that were not included in Game of Thrones — the lords who ruled the islands surrounding Dragonstone, including House Velaryon on the island of Driftmark. It's clear that this show will spend more time on shores, ships and islands than its predecessor.
Meanwhile, the voice-over tracks give fans some ideas about what they can look forward to in this show. Star Eve Best may have summed it up best when she said: 'I hope fans will get everything they got out of Game of Thrones, and more. More dragons!' Other cast members and creators also weighed in on the similarities to and differences from the first series, remarking on the 'scale' and 'size' of the story, which doesn't have the threat of the White Walkers looming over it this time.
House of the Dragon is set during the height of House Targaryen's power, with 17 dragon-riders at its disposal. It is about a crisis of succession where multiple claimants to the Iron Throne are at odds and the resulting war threatens to burn all Seven Kingdoms down. It is based on George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood, which is written as a history book instead of a novel. The show will presumably flesh out many of the ideas in the book and give it a more personal perspective.
Still, it's clear that the show will not ignore all the other Houses in Westeros in favor of the dragons. The new teaser even shows the banners of House Stark and House Bolton, indicating that the North will be present for one of the major gatherings in this season. As the war comes to impact various parts of the realm.
House of the Dragon premieres on Sunday, Aug. 21 on HBO and HBO Max. Fire & Blood is available now in print, digital and audiobook formats.
