The latest episode in the seventh season of Game Of Thrones, Death Is The Enemy, saw the birth of perhaps the greatest enemy Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen will face yet – the Ice Dragon.
This monster is sure to wreak havoc North of The Wall – and maybe even further south. But what can we expect from this new demonic enemy?
How was it created?
It is well known that there hadn’t been any kind of dragon in Westeros – or beyond – for three centuries, until Daenerys came along. This has given her a huge advantage over her opponents for the Iron Throne, as coupled with her Dothraki horde and army of Unsullied, her army has looked unassailable.
However, in rescuing Jon Snow and his band of hardy warriors North of The Wall, Daenerys paid a high price. The weakest of her three dragons, Viserion, was struck by a spear hurled by The Night’s King, and plummeted to his death. It should come as no surprise that the dragon named after her brother Viserys was the first to die, as he was by far the least impressive of the three men after which she named her dragons. Daenerys now looks more vulnerable than she has done for years.
Unbeknownst to Daenerys though, the Night’s King used his army to pull the corpse of the dragon from its watery grave, and using his magical hands reanimated the dragon to do his bidding.
What will the Ice Dragon look like?
The episode ended with the camera hovering over his bright blue eye, a trait shared with all of the undead marshalled by the Night’s King. In addition to this, an Ice Dragon has crystalline scales, shaded white. Covered with hoarfrost, as it beats its wings the Ice Dragon’s skin crackles and creates icy wind.
The wings themselves are less white, and more translucent blue; it’s possible to see through them, faintly. The teeth are described as being similar to rows of icicles, set within frost rimmed jaws.
What abilities will the Ice Dragon have?
Unlike true dragons which breathe fire, Ice Dragons breathe plumes of blue ice. It is impossible for any human to touch an Ice Dragon without receiving ice burns, as its flesh is so cold. Not only does the Ice Dragon bring cold as it moves, but it also appears to drive away warmth. The Westeros winter, already one of the worst in living memory, is set to become a whole lot more brutal.
How can the Ice Dragon be defeated?
As is to be expected, heat is the natural enemy of an Ice Dragon. While it has long been thought that A Song of Ice and Fire metaphorically referred to Jon and Daenerys’ story and subsequent romance, perhaps a more literal interpretation is the final battle between the fire dragons and the ice dragon; Drogo memorably killed Viserys with a crown of molten gold.
Will history repeat itself with their dragon namesakes fighting to the death?
The key vulnerability of the Night’s King’s army was revealed in Death is The Enemy, but this will be far harder to enact with him riding the Ice Dragon. We’re sure to catch a glimpse of the Ice Dragon in action next week, in the season finale, before proving a tough nut to crack in Season Eight.
Note: This article draws on The Ice Dragon by George R R Martin. It is unclear whether this story is canon to A Song of Ice and Fire.
Martin has said that Westeros did not exist when he wrote the story, so it cannot be set there; however recent publications have been marketed as being a children’s story set in Westeros. Futhermore, ice dragons have been mentioned in A Song of Ice and Fire, used
