‘House of the Dragon’ Star thinks titular creatures smell like canines

The House of the Dragon series is now well underway and fans so far seem to be enjoying their return to the Game of Thrones world. The show and its predecessor have been praised for their world-building based on the George R. R. Martin novels but there are some things that are never going to be fully tangible to the audience. Luckily one star of the show has some helpful references that may better allow us to immerse in the experience.

Milly Alcock plays Young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in the House of the Dragon series, the first-born child of King Viserys and ancestor of Daenerys Targaryen. The young actress is still fairly green when it comes to television, but fans have already been comparing her character to that of Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys from Game of Thrones.

Currently, when it comes to visual media it is just that, visual, and as grand as television has become with shows like House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which contain stunning visuals and audio, we as the audience are locked out from the other senses. Touch, taste, and smell are still out of reach, though with technology plowing forward how long will it be till we are able to access these as well? The actress put forward her own opinion on one aspect of the show that viewers are unable to tap into from the comfort of our couches.

Alcock described what she believes the dragons smell like on a podcast, The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon, stating they would give off a “wet dog” aroma. The actress went into more specifics on exactly what kind of wet dog, stating,

“Want to get my theory? It’s wet dog. But in a salt lake, salt lake specifically. So this dog has been in a salty lake, and it’s like mulling out, it’s wet, it’s a bit acidic, you know, it’s a hot day, and it’s like leathery paws and nose. It’s that. Like that’s what a dragon would smell like.”

So if viewers at home are wondering exactly what riding astride a mighty dragon must feel like, perhaps think of a salty wet dog and incorporate that into your overall experience whilst watching the series which is available to watch on HBO Max. Episodes are released every week on Sunday with episodes one to three already released.