The mighty dragons are the most decisive resource inGame of Thrones. Aegon the Conqueror flew a few winged nightmares from one end of Westeros to the other until all were united beneath his banner. When his distant descendant acquired the last three dragons, the world seemed to shift on its axis. Though dragons and their riders dominated for generations, they aren’t the only winged reptile in the Known World. Wyverns are dragons without the cultural cache.
Game of Thronestakes place primarily on a continent called Westeros. The Seven Kingdoms are the setting and backdrop for theWar of the Five Kings. Westeros is a brilliant fantasy story location from the deserts of Dorne to the frozen lands beyond the Wall. Beyond Westeros, the rest of the Known World often goes unfairly ignored despite the fantastical flora and fauna they hide.
What is a Wyvern?
A wyvern is awinged carnivorous reptile. Their wings are large and leathery, each often wider and longer than the rest of their body. They have beaks with savage hooks and sharp points. Wyverns are bipedal, using their wings as forelimbs when grounded. There are many noted species of wyverns. They are recorded inDragons, Wyrms, and Wyverns: Their Unnatural History, an in-universe textbook compiled by Septon Barth.
Wyverns are almost alwayscompared to dragons. The two species are kin but distinct. The most notable difference is that wyverns cannot breathe fire. Wyverns tend to be smaller than dragons but also typically more vicious. Characters in the story often confuse the two. While dragons were believed to be extinct for several years, wyverns remained prevalent. In Barth’sUnnatural History, he addresseslegends surrounding dragons. Some maintain that Valyrian bloodmages used forgotten magic to turn wyverns into dragons. There’s a misconception among fans that all dragons inGame of Thronesare wyverns. In ancient myths, dragons tended to have four limbs and two wings, while wyverns had only two legs and wings. Dragons and wyverns have the same configuration of appendages inA Song of Ice and Fire, making it harder to tell them apart.
Where do Wyverns live?
Wyverns are sometimes called “tyrants of the southern skies.” They primarily occupy thehidden continent of Sothoryos. Sothoryos sits south of Westeros and Essos. Most of its land is unexplored, leaving historians and scientists to wonder what lives in its dense jungles. A northern peninsula on the continent took the name Wyvern Point for the winged reptiles that hunt above it. This is the only noted natural home for wyverns. Their presence would annihilate the ecosystem of any land they occupy. Many believe that wyverns are the primary explanation for Sothoryos' minimal human population. The natives can’t reproduce in large enough numbers to counter the constant wyvern attacks. A threat would struggle to stand out among the monsters and diseases on Sothoryos, implying wyverns might be apex predators and pests. Wyvern Point used to hold a Ghiscari penal colony called Gorosh. It fell to ruin beforethe Ghiscari Empire, likely thanks to its namesake.
How do Wyverns appear in Game of Thrones?
Live wyverns rarely appear inA Song of Ice and Fire. No one travels to Sothoryos, making it difficult to encounter any. Barth served as Hand of the King to Jaehaerys I Targaryen. When the King received word of a dragon in a fighting pit in Slaver’s Bay, Barth assured the council that they’d likely captured a wyvern and passed it off as a more entertaining beast to an unaware audience. The wyvern remains a notable symbol, even in lands without them. House Vyrwrel, one of the principalunderlings to House Tyrell, prominently displays a wyvern on its banner. The mighty castle Dragonstone bears over 1,000 stone statues of various monsters. Wyverns appear among basilisks, demons, manticores, hellhounds, and, of course, dragons.
Wyverns aren’t common inGame of Thrones. They’re a fascinating side-species to the most iconic monster in the franchise. Afew dragons and riderscan conquer a continent. Imagine what an army could do with more than a hundred violent, monkey-sized reptiles empowered by the endless fury of the small. Wyverns are dangerous monsters that keep their habitat almost entirely human-free. In many ways, things have worked out better for them than they did for dragons.
