Can Targaryens Really NOT Get Sick (A Song of Ice and Fire)

The old king Jaehaerys believed him and his Targaryen
family were immune from all illness and disease because
of their blood of the dragon
ASoIaF / Game of Thrones / House of the Dragon
Contact ► [e-mail]
Twitter ► whycreator
Viserys and Daenerys art by -
book reading art by -

[@madambutterfly1997]

The fact that they can naturally tame and ride dragons contradicts the idea that they’re just regular people. The same with the Starks, and other first men descendants with the ability to skin change.

[@vishwajeetpanwar3271]

They are Regular Valeriyans tho

[@madambutterfly1997]

@vishwajeetpanwar3271 right, the Celtigars. They don't even have the silver hair and purple eyes

[@fmgmack]

@@vishwajeetpanwar3271the lore says they were not regular because they rode dragons. Even in old Valyria that wasn’t especially common.

[@JohnDoe-vw4zf]

​@@fmgmackit kinda was they were one in forty something families and they have not lived in their homelands for generations while mixing with the people of westeros. Whatever health buff they had would be lost with the death of dragons and the loss of magic until Dany.

[@stepanpazderka5497]

@@madambutterfly1997 we don’t know how Celtigars look, there is very little info about them. However it is possible that after centuries of interbreeding with westerosies they lost their valyrian features.

[@lonemotheomatshaba9640]

I think the immunity to sickness could be due to them bonding with their dragons…..Dany gets sick after she left Drogon but as soon as she reunites with him her sickness is never mentioned Same thing with Bran in AGOT Cat and Robb notes that when Bran is with Summer he gets stronger

[@hayleylongster4698]

Yes, this is part of it imo. The general health and hardiness of their race is tied to the fact that they are both physically and mentally linked to dragons.

[@thalmoragent9344]

​@@hayleylongster4698 True. Their blood helps, as does the bond

[@redrenegade13]

Dany doesn't get sick, she gets diarrhea from drinking unclean water. That's not like a virus or a disease, it's most commonly parasites. Aerea Targaryen was vulnerable to parasites as well, even though she was riding Balerion.

[@lonemotheomatshaba9640]

@@redrenegade13 she had a fever as well I think 🤔

[@saljpal3]

That's probably why Viserys got so sick in the show after Balerion died.

[@madambutterfly1997]

Having lost the blood magic of old Valyria, they pretty much slowly withered away and died. They couldn't be bothered to take more with them when they left they just grabbed their five dragons, their children, and just GTFO’d

[@thalmoragent9344]

They didn't lose it, they maybe weren't as well learned as more powerful houses. Even then, hard to keep up without libraries of it around to read from.

[@madambutterfly1997]

Viserys had the issue of his entire world going to shit at the age of seven years old, and his mother made the good intentions albeit shortsighted decision to shield him from the truth

[@omarbey3868]

Great video! My impression from reading the books is Targaryens are only protected from sickness when they are bonded to a dragon. This connection changes them. For example, the change we see in Aemond when he bonds with Vhagar. Or the fact that King Viserys gets sick. I am sure he would have been okay if he was bonded to a dragon. When it comes to Dani being sick at the end of book 5, well she was not really bonded to her dragons at that point. She had rejected them. When she was sick, Quaithe was talking to her trying to get her to remember she was the blood of the dragon. And it worked, at the very end of the chapter and book, Drogon joins her and she is no longer sick. Anyway, food for thought.

[@philippeblais8594]

Actually. I can recall that Aegon the 5th's eldest brother, Daeron died from a pox he caught from a whore. So we can add him to the list of Targaryens who died of sickness.

[@whitewitch32]

Sickness or poison?

[@yurinabesima]

Not only he died from an STI, his daughter was born with mental disabilities beacuse of it.

[@philippeblais8594]

@@yurinabesima there's no way of knowing if Vaella being simple minded is due to her father.

[@philippeblais8594]

@@whitewitch32 Well, until proven otherwise. And it is the most widely believed cause for his death according to the people of Westeros at the time.

[@hmmuhhh5715]

Did he have a dragon

[@revanius2213]

Jaehaerys did believe that the reason his Daenaerys died was because she didn't have a Dragon, the same could be said for Maegelle. The only Targaryen the really seemed to die from illness who had a Dragon was Aenys and that was more from stress really, and Baelon's sounds closer to internal injury than illness with part of his body bursting.

[@thesoupofthebrain2446]

The spring sickness was the first thing I thought of Eggs older brother

[@arunsingla3452]

Haven’t watched the video yet but didn’t Daenerys get ill in 5th book or Jon getting ill when he was a child. Then there is the whole great spring sickness which killed 3 Targaryen

[@Thereisanalienpresenceonearth]

Jon getting ill was a show invention

[@SpiritStoneWarrior94-yx3gs]

It's not that they can't get ill/sick, but they definitely find it harder to get sicker than most other people in the story. Dany also got sick from eating berries after she flew away on Drogon

[@dirtysheepdog]

Been watching your videos for years now. I really appreciate your style, it makes the videos compelling to watch as well as listen

[@TraciPeteyforlife]

An then Jaehaery's went on to lose several children to sickness. I'm fairly certain that had to sting him hard. He wasn't a god he was just a man. Targaryens were just people who were crazy and kept it too close in the family.

[@patrick070]

love that you mentioned how wealth can purchase health, just as today - through medicine and good food and chosen locations. Good job. Thank you.

[@Divine_Chareka]

Forgive me but the closing line of this video is hilarious 😂😂😂

[@allison6428]

I do think that over the years they lost they’re connected with their blood magic as it thinned out, them losing their bonds with dragons when they went extinct, but I also think that being located in KL had some affect on them. Dragonstone has a volcano and is heavily implied has their blood magic infused but KL is normal

[@thalmoragent9344]

So, the way I see it: we know heat kills off most diseases, its how Fevers work. Their blood is naturally warmer than most, and is due to their shared genetics with Dragons. That said, the Valyrians are likely more resistant than most other ethnic groups, such as First Men/Andals etc. The bond with a Dragon also helps. Whatever magical and psychological bond is made seems to help strengthen the human of the pair (as the human is the more fragile being among the two, the other being a literal dragon). So, the answer is yes, Valyrians can get sick, but only to the more dangerous and contagious diseases. The common cold is likely something they just don't have to worry about, but things lkke "The Shivers", "Great Spring Sickness" and "Grey Scale" aren't low-level things. Viserys having leprosy is certainly a higher level disease, not to mention Aegon III' mental health likely played a part in his sickly demise, given that; "Bad humours of the mind can adversely affect the body", as said by the Grand Maester in HotD. And we all know Aegon's mental health was... anything but strong or healthy. Which ironically could point back to the "the only thing that could tear down the House of the Dragon, was itself".

[@garcalej]

“He must be the king.” “How you figure?” “He’s the only one of us not covered in shit.”

[@laurelsilberman5705]

So, scientifically (I know, not a great way to start a comment about a fantasy series, haha) if the Targ’s have a slightly higher standard body temp, as is indicated throughout the books like you said they seem very comfortable in the heat; that actually could explain why diseases don’t afflict them. Many viruses and even small organisms can only survive in certain environments, even a slight variation means they simple can’t reproduce and survive. So if they were like, say, two degrees Fahrenheit warmer, closer to a base 100.6 instead of 98.6, it’s actually very likely that viruses which do not cause fever would be unable to survive. Fun fact: Bees have a heat tolerance just two degrees above their main threat, hornets, so when one invades the nest, the bees swarm him and vibrate their bodies to create heat, effectively roasting the intruder alive. Absolutely badass evolutionary advantage. Conversely, low temps also pose an unappealing environment to viruses: this is why, despite being basically dangerous bug and tick garbage disposals, the north American possum is pretty much immune to any dangerous diseases the food they eat carries. They also cannot be afflicted with rabies, even if bitten by an infected animal, because the rabies virus can’t survive in such a low body temp! I love possums. They have a bad rap but they’re great for eliminating pests and they’re not a nuisance whatsoever where I live. We have a big one that lives somewhere near us cuz we always see it wandering around; he’s bigger than our cats but they don’t seem bothered by him at all. He just sometimes wants the outdoor cat’s food😂

[@Gigipretty64]

I’d imagine biologically their blood ruins warmer so it burns out any bacteria or impurities.

[@aengusog3415]

i think targaryens are the ones bonded with dragons that can't really get sick.

[@SantomPh]

The Spring Sickness also took the lives of Baelor Breakspear's two sons, including his heir Valarr.

[@wfmikeie]

The Targs that bond with dragons don't get sick. Jae's daughter that died from the shiver's didn't have a dragon, and in her last hours Jae sent word for one to be brought to her but it was too late. Same is the case for Magelle(?), Jae's daughter who joined the Faith. She didn't bond with a dragon and eventually died from contracting greyscale while treating the afflicted. Aegon III's dragon died during the Dance, leaving him without a bond when he got TB. After all the dragon's were dead, Daeron II and his grandkids died of the plague as well.

[@zaja2418]

Except Aenys got sick with when he had already bonded with Quicksilver, so...

[@GreySwordsman-gy2qt]

​@@zaja2418wasn't that said to be more like stress and worry that did him in though? Honestly it's so convoluted it's hard to pin point the right answer.

[@KTChamberlain]

Funny how the show incorporated leprosy when greyscale itself is already like a fusion of leprosy, rabies, and smallpox all on steroids. I've read books 1-5 in A Song of Ice and Fire, the Dunk and Egg novellas, Fire and Blood, and The World of Ice and Fire, and I don't think the word "leprosy" itself appears in any of those books with a 1.3 million and counting word count combined.

[@Larisa_Baya_Momo]

The finishing line to this video 😂

[@stephaniemomma]

Hello 👋🏼 I’m finishing up a degree in molecular & cellular biology, and I’ve published a single piece of supernatural historical fiction. I think what has happened here is that the medieval ppl in the series do not understand the difference between immunity and resistance. Targaryens are resistant to disease, not immune to it. Although dragons may take that resistance up a notch to immunity. Or it may not, and only strengthens the original resistance.

[@mcstotti8691]

It would be intresting to know if Valyrians have any Cultural Hygiene processes that most of Westeros lacks. More Bathing and more regular hand washing will lead to less sickness even if you dont know about germ theory. These traditions could have been lost over the generations in westeros and so the targs became sick more often.

[@BigLargeExtraDel]

I think there was a few grand maesters writing a similar thesis, but they died during the spring...

[@MROJPC]

The biggest contribution to good health and “immunity” is access to good nutrition, good health care, good habits, and proper sanitation. I know it’s not a glamorous factor, but GRRM is pretty savvy about mixing the real and mystical and also leaving it up to the audience to piece all the clues together. These people are the billionaire rock stars of the world - its not fair to compare their vulnerability to disease with the run of the mill farmer or towns people.

[@og8263]

Doesn't the fact that they consistently reach 70-80 years of age in the setting of the story support this theory? I would guess the average lifespan of those who make it past childhood is 40-50

[@lawrencereid2767]

First to take the Black 🖤

[@Kuluweltherobloxgamwr]

Can you cover branch family’s in the next video

[@marcmalecki443]

Dany’s Diarrhea is going to be an HBO spin off series 😂

[@crystalblainemaynard5937]

Are the Targaryens based on the rh negative bloodline? If you look into the theories regarding rh negative blood it fits in many ways.... oh and it is believed to have come from Atlantis... just sayin'.... you should check it out... thanks for the content 😊

[@johnpixie]

Student Paramedic here so take everything with a pinch of salt. Did a little reading and I'm sorry to say but being rh negative, apart from being amazingly rare is no more special then most other blood. Main difference being they don't have the rh protein which effects what blood they can take and in some instances can result in pregnancy complications if the baby is rh positive. It's cool in theory though. As for origins I couldn't find anything concrete, I personally don't think Atlantis was real at least in how we view it today but who knows.

[@og8263]

Delusional

[@kylenetherwood8734]

I can't believe Dany has had the shits since 2011

[@kevinbrown6286]

The thumbnail is a sick Targaryen?

[@dhalps23]

What about Daeron II and his grandsons, Valarr & Matarys Targaryen? They all died from the great sickness

[@bclr6843]

We just watched a 10 episode season of tv where the Targaryen king was sick. Really sick

[@cynfaelalek-walker7003]

The maesters totally poisoned Viserys and manipulated events so that the dance would happen.

[@flamingobandit8065]

I mean, some of them were wiped out in the great spring sickness

[@anorangetabby]

Its dragon magic that boosts their immunity.

[@stormerjc9493]

Looking forward to another you of watching you break the game lol

[@allenm.355]

Didn't Catelyn say jon snow got very sick and She would love him if he lived..........

[@ccronk]

Jon Snow, or Aegon??? Didn’t Catelyn say he had the pox as an infant?

[@TowelsKingdom]

None of them ever got Covid though

[@sda3082]

Jon was sick when he was a baby

[@believiny0urself]

Jon got sick as a little boy in the show.

[@onyedikachukwumiracle]

Dracarys 🔥🔥🔥💥

[@nodatastored684]

Viserys needed to be on a dragon

[@rhaenyratargaryen1stofhern55]

Of course they can. It’s just rare.

[@HBpenman]

Pretty cool to see Martin including propaganda in his lore.

[@targlife2979]

Not you using Jon Snows picture when Daenerys, the literal face of house Targaryen and the character you talked about extensively in the video is right there. Weird af!

[@SHARKVADERS]

WC!!!!!

[@counterspellgoon6854]

only non dragon riders, or those who lost their dragon seem to get ill.

[@magister343]

Was Jaehaerys really the best king, or just the king with the best propogandists?

[@vilevillain1059]

a large number of the best kings in our history are the ones with the best propogandists to be fair, so my answer would be what's the difference

[@sufianabuahmad7781]

Yeah, Aerea really messed up that belief system

[@dineshbalu6107]

Aerea's condition was definitely not by some disease bro lol...

[@moyo2850]

I just kind of figured they were hotter then nomral people, its the same reason cats dont get sick. bacteria have a hard time living in a host to hot for them.

[@zaja2418]

The fact that Aenys was sickly and frail even when he had already bonded with Quicksilver leads me to believe that Targaryens being immune to diseases is just pure propaganda, much like the claim that all Targaryens are closer to gods than they are to men... when a good number of them died like little biches.😆

[@melanoidmarkus]

👍🏾👌🏾

[@Hawkenshmire]

1st

[@Floundermore]

thirst

[@EatMyFist777]

'Like' number #667. Sorry to ruin it.

[@Dominknows]

Why has nobody called George out for his blatant racism? Kind of happy he will never finish these books…

[@AnarchoCatBoyEthan]

Jaehaerys was not really the best king, literally propaganda you’ve fallen victim to. The maesters got you, fool! Anyway besides this one thing i disagree with you on i do love your videos.