Dragonbone, sometimes dragon bone, is a black substance made from the bones of dragons. Unlike other creatures with white bones, dragonbone is black due to its high iron content. It is also one of the lightest and strongest natural substances known to humanity.
After the destruction of the Valyrian Freehold in the Doom, a new substance, dragonbone, became highly sought after. Because of its strength and source, dragonbone became a commodity only the rich could afford. It was used as a decoration by kings and had practical uses, such as bows.
Characteristics and Economical Uses
Dragonbone has a distinctively black appearance. Unlike other living things, dragons were extraordinary creatures who could withstand incredible temperatures and breathe fire. Part of the difference in their biological makeup was their bone, which had high iron content. Besides being black, dragonbone was as strong as steel but lighter and more flexible; this made it an incredibly precious commodity.
After the death of the dragons, goods like dragonbone bows began appearing. They were considered one of the best known to humanity as they outranged even the best-designed goldenheart bows from the Summer Isles.
History
Although a disputed area of historical study, speculations arose about the Grey King’s Hall on Nagga’s Hill on Old Wyk. Some stated the bones of the legendary sea dragon, Nagga, were used. However, no source has verified the information, making it more of a legend than a fact.
After the Doom of Valyria, people found dragonbones on the island of Ib in Sothoryos. Some got found in the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai.
After Aegon the Conqueror subdued the six great kingdoms of Westeros, he led a war on the remaining kingdom of Dorne, and a brutal battle called the First Dornish War began. During the conflict, Queen Rhaenys Targaryen’s dragon, Meraxes, got shot from the sky with an iron bolt from a dragon-killing device called Scorpion. The Queen and her dragon fell to their deaths. When Prince Nymor Martell became the new ruler of Dorne, he sent some delegates with Meraxes’s skull and a letter. Aegon flew to the city the next day, and peace reigned.
After the Targaryen Civil War, Lady Sharis Footly of House Footly came up with an idea to help rebuild Tumbleton. She had people clean the heads of the dragons Vermithor and Seasmoke and displayed them in the town square. Sharis charged a penny for people to look at the skulls and a star for them to touch it.
After the Dance of the Dragons, some dragon skulls became decorations for the Throne Room of the Red Keep. However, after King Robert Baratheon assumed power, he ordered them to be locked away because of his hatred for House Targaryen.
Relevance in A Song of Ice and Fire Novels
A Game of Thrones
While residing in Magister Illyrio Mopatis’s manse, Viserys Targaryen agrees to give his sister, Daenerys Targaryen, to Khal Drogo as a wife, and he fastens his hair with a dragonbone brooch on the day of his sister’s wedding. During the marriage ceremony, Dany partakes in the traditional Dothraki ritual. She receives gifts from Drogo’s bloodriders, including an arakh and a whip. Qotho gives her a double-curved dragonbone bow taller than her. After Drogo dies, Dany places a dragonbone bow in his pyre and later gives hers to Aggo.
In Winterfell, Bran Stark remains in a coma after Ser Jaime Lannister pushes him from a wall. While in his chambers, a catspaw assassin tries to kill him with a Valyrian steel dagger with a dragonbone hilt. Catelyn Stark defends her son, and his direwolf comes to her rescue.
After the assassination attempt, Catelyn travels to King’s Landing, where she meets her husband and Lord Petyr Baelish, Littlefinger, who reveals the dagger belonged to Tyrion Lannister. While practicing in the Red Keep, Arya stumbles upon a secret passage and comes across the skulls of the dragons the Targaryens used to decorate the Iron Throne. She then overhears two men plotting to kill her father.
A Clash of Kings
After agreeing to get her army, Daenerys Targaryen travels to Astapor, where she meets one of the slave masters, Kraznys mo Nakloz, who uses a whip with a dragonbone handle inlaid with gold. Dany eventually collects the Unsullied and sacks Astapor.
Relevance in Adaptation
In HBO’s Game of Thrones, dead dragons had a white bone, unlike in the novels. Daenerys received a dragonbone bow from one of her husband’s bloodriders as a customary gift given to a bride. In Winterfell, Bran almost gets killed by a Catspaw Dagger with a dragonbone and dragonglass hilt. However, he survives, and his sister, Arya, uses the same blade to kill the Night King, ending the war with the White Walkers.
In House of the Dragon, the representation of dragonbone resonated better with the books. King Viserys had the Catspaw Dagger that an assassin would later use to try and kill Bran Stark.
Dragonbone: A Commodity of Fire
Dragonbone was one of the rarest materials in the known World of Ice and Fire. Its prestige was not undeserved as it was as strong as steel, yet lighter and more flexible. Even though it was a material that came from the tragic end of the dragons, it was still a beauty to behold.