The Sea Snake will be a prominent character in “House of the Dragon“, but his best tales won’t be included in the Targaryen-focused “Game of Thrones” spinoff. The Dance of the Dragons, which saw Rhaenyra and Aegon II Targaryen divide the realm in half between the “green” and “black” parties, will be portrayed in “House of the Dragon“, which is set 200 years before “Game of Thrones”. “House of the Dragon” will highlight numerous significant figures from Westerosi history as well as prominent members of formerly great houses that weren’t featured in “Game of Thrones”, such as House Velaryon’s Lord Corlys, as the families throughout Westeros decide which child of King Viserys I Targaryen has the better claim to the Iron Throne.
The most amazing thing about Corlys Velaryon, a.k.a. the Sea Snake, from “House of the Dragon” is not that he is one of the few characters to survive from the start to the end of the Dance of the Dragons, but rather that he is one of the most accomplished seafarers in Seven Kingdoms history. Although it won’t probably be depicted on screen, Corlys Velaryon’s legendary past will undoubtedly play a role in “House of the Dragon“, which is portrayed by actor Steve Toussaint. Rather, Rhaenys Targaryen’s (Eve Best) former claim to the Iron Throne and their children’s political marriages to House Targaryen will be largely associated with Corlys Velaryon’s story.
Corlys is one of a select few characters whose backstories offer even more fascinating adaptations, even though his story in “House of the Dragon” is likely to be among the most compelling of the “Game of Thrones” prequel series. Although it is implied that a younger Sea Snake will appear in the Great Council flashback in “House of the Dragon“, it still won’t cover the character’s historical expeditions that are described in Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin. Instead, HBO seems to be holding onto this time period in young Corlys Velaryon’s life for the upcoming “Game of Thrones” spinoff series The Sea Snake.
The Sea Snake: Who Is It? Corlys Velaryon of “House of the Dragon” is explained
Given that the Sea Snake is one of Westeros’s greatest explorers in history, the character’s backstory in “House of the Dragon” deserves some consideration. Young Corlys Velaryon, the heir to Driftmark, inherited his family’s famed prowess at sea with a natural talent, having made his first voyage to Pentos at the age of six. When he sailed from his home of Driftmark to the Targaryens’ Dragonstone and back at the age of 16, the novel-altering character from “House of the Dragon” joined voyages every year after that.
Corlys sailed on the Sea Snake, a ship he designed and built, on nine well-recorded voyages to Essos after sailing across the Narrow Sea and to various isles in Westeros. He made his first voyage past the Jade Gate at Qarth to the Golden Empire of Yi-Ti and Leng, collecting silk, spices, and jade that doubled the wealth of House Velaryon when he got back home. In his third journey, Corlys became the first Westerosi to sail the Thousand Islands and visit the locations of Mossovy, N’Ghai, and Nefer on the world map of “Game of Thrones”. His second journey took him to Asshai, where he notably lost “his love and half his crew” and where he also made a notable loss of “half his crew.” Corlys purchased 20 additional ships, loaded them with elephants and exotic treasures, and set sail on his ninth trip to Essos aboard the Sea Snake. Corlys Velaryon returned extremely wealthy and was given the official moniker “the Sea Snake” despite the fact that the elephants perished and six of the ships never reached port.
By the time Corlys’ grandfather passed away, he had already surpassed the wealth of the Hightowers and Lannisters of “Game of Thrones” and assumed the title of Lord of the Tides and head of House Velaryon. Corlys wed 16-year-old Rhaenys Targaryen, the only child of the eldest son of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, after becoming the Master of Driftmark. Rhaenys was believed to be the next in line to the throne, but after Rhaenys’ father passed away, Jaehaerys named Baelon as his heir. The enraged Corlys Velaryon renounced his admiralty and position on King Jaehaerys’ small council after realizing that Rhaenys and their unborn children were being passed over for the Iron Throne, and they later returned to Driftmark. Laena Velaryon, their daughter, was born to Rhaenys in 92 AC, and Laenor Velaryon, their son, was born two years later. According to HBO, “House of the Dragon” will start at the Great Council in 101 AC, which means that when the Sea Snake first appears, she will still be very enraged with the Targaryens.
Corlys Velaryon’s fate is revealed in “House of the Dragon“
When Corlys Velaryon and his wife Rhaenys get ready for the Great Council of 101 AC, where thousands of Westerosi lords debate who should succeed the late King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, the true beginning of Corlys Velaryon’s “House of the Dragon” saga will begin. King’s Landing learned that Corlys was assembling ships to support the claim of his 7-year-old son Laenor when the succession was first revealed to be murky following Baelon’s passing. The Sea Snake and Rhaenys later went to Harrenhal to participate in the Great Council, where the lords once more disregarded Rhaenys and her daughter Laena because they were female, establishing the male preference for the Iron Throne’s succession. But as the Sea Snake’s wealth and renown for its achievements grew enough support, Corlys and Rhaenys fought even harder for the claim of their son, making Laenor one of the two finalists with the strongest claims to the Iron Throne. In the end, however, Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine), the son of Baelon, won the most votes and was crowned Prince of Dragonstone.
When Viserys became king, it was suggested that he wed Laena Velaryon to mend the rifts between the families, but the monarch opted to wed Alicent Hightower of the “House of the Dragon“. Corlys and Rhaenys declined to go to Viserys’ wedding to his second wife after being rejected three times. The king’s cunning brother Daemon Targaryen, who would later wed the king’s daughter Laena, and Corlys later formed an alliance. But prior to this union, Viserys tied his eldest daughter and heir Rhaenyra to Corlys’ son Laenor, mending the division between the two houses once and for all. While Daemon and Laena would have two daughters, both of Corlys’ children would perish in 120 AC, Rhaenyra and Laenor would have three sons together (even though they were rumored to have been fathered by Harwin Strong).
Corlys Velaryon, who is the most powerful lord on Rhaenyra Targaryen’s council and the strength of her army, will support Rhaenyra Targaryen’s claim when the Dance of the Dragons starts in 129 AC. Corlys and Rhaenys were given command of Laenor’s army after Rhaenyra and her son Lucerys were killed during the battle, with the Velaryon taking to the sea and the Targaryen taking to the skies with her dragon. After Rhaenys passed away, Corlys was appointed Hand of the Queen. The lord soon discovered Addam and Alyn of Hull, who were widely believed to be the offspring of Corlys himself. After Addam proved to be a skilled dragonrider, Corlys had the Iron Throne-reigning Rhaenyra Targaryen legitimize the two as Velaryons, but she still sent Addam to be arrested after two other “dragonseeds” had shown to be traitors. The Sea Snake was imprisoned in the dungeons in Addam’s place as a result of Corlys’ warning and assistance in his escape.
Queen Alicent offered Corlys a pardon after Rhaenyra passed away, but the Sea Snake recommended that Rhaenyra’s supporters also receive one, and that in order to bring about peace, Aegon II’s daughter wed Rhaenyra’s son Aegon III. Aegon II declined, which prompted Corlys to hatch a plan to put an end to the conflict. As a result, the king was soon poisoned, and Aegon III took the throne. Lord Cregan Stark, who intended to apprehend and execute traitors to both sides of the “House of the Dragon’s” war, would soon be helped by Aegon III Targaryen, also known as the Broken King, to spare Corlys Velaryon from his wrath. From 131 AC until his untimely death in 132 AC at the age of 79, Corlys Velaryon served as one of Aegon’s regents.
His incredible backstory won’t be included in HOTD because of HBO’s Sea Snake spinoff
Corlys Velaryon’s exploits during the Nine Voyages are the source of all of his power and prestige in “House of the Dragon“, but the HBO series isn’t likely to depict any of these journeys. With the exception of “House of the Dragon“, the Corlys Velaryon origin story is one of the “Game of Thrones” prequels on HBO that is currently in the early stages of development. The Nine Voyages was the original working title for the prequel-to-the-prequel, indicating that the plot would in fact chronicle Corlys’ most thrilling journeys that shaped him into the highly regarded character he is in “House of the Dragon“. The title of the project was changed to The Sea Snake in order to avoid confusion with another “Game of Thrones” prequel in production, Ten Thousand Ships, as confirmed by George R.R. Martin in March 2022.
“House of the Dragon” is unlikely to reveal too much of the action on screen because The Sea Snake is one of the most eagerly anticipated “Game of Thrones” spinoffs. Instead, viewers can anticipate verbal references to the broad strokes of Corlys Velaryon’s fascinating backstory in “House of the Dragon“. These references will provide just enough hints about the discoveries he made, his record-breaking travels, and the treasures he brought back, like the elephants that Cersei mentioned in “Game of Thrones”. The highly anticipated Arya Stark pirate sequel show can be replaced by Corlys Velaryon’s Sea Snake series since Jon Snow is the Stark receiving a “Game of Thrones” spinoff. It is anticipated that HBO’s Sea Snake show will continue and eventually feature Corlys Velaryon’s greatest exploits if “House of the Dragon” is well received by viewers.