Corlys Velaryon, the master of ships, is a key character in “House of the Dragon”, the series of hbo max which opens this August 21 and takes place 200 years before the events of “Game Of Thrones”. Actor Steve Toussaint brings to life the most imposing navigator in Westeros, the continent where the story takes place. About this character, it can be said that his exploits led him to fortune, his marriage to the union of kingdoms and the new physical image he has in fiction raised a debate.
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In fantasy, Corlys Verlaryon is “the sea serpent”, as the ship with the longest voyages he commanded was called. The navigator obtained the alias when he accompanied his uncle to sail the seas of the Seven Kingdoms and became the best sailor anyone has ever known. He honored House Verlaryon, to which his family belongs. In their culture, it is tradition to install young people at sea to face, from the most basic task, such as tying knots and taking the helm of the ship, to the most difficult, such as going into war action with a sword.
In the series “House of the Dragon”, showrunner Miguel Sapochnik (“Game Of Thrones”) introduces us to Lord Corlys Velaryon for the first time. The character lives during the reign of House Targaryen, whose members had a complex but close relationship with the sailor’s family. In the story, the navigator gets involved in a bloody civil war, better known as the Dance of the Dragons. According to “The Hollywood Reporter”, the script for a spin-off called “The Sea Snake” is on the way and directed by renowned British screenwriter Bruno Heller (“Roma”).
These are three important points in the life of this character created by the writer George RR Martin and who will now have prominence on the screen:
driftmark
At 16, he was already a captain. In a small ship called “Queen Codfish”, he led the expedition back and forth from Driftmark Island to Dragonstone across rough waters. Years later, he traveled through the Noble Harbor, Lannisport, Antigua and went from the south of Westeros to the coast of the other end of that continent. With other ships, especially the so-called Sea Serpent, he passed through many places on the world’s largest continent, Essos. He also went to extremes, like Braves, Hardhouse, and Lorath.
Some of the territories mentioned can be found on this interactive map of the continent of Westeros. You click here.
In one of his best times, the young Lord arrived in Qarth, the port city where Daenerys Targaryen was almost killed by merchants who wanted to steal her dragon children in “Game of Thrones.” The navigator then traveled to the Jade Gates and passed through Yi Ti and Leng, where he doubled House Velaryon’s fortune. After other voyages, he returned to Qarth with gold to buy ships and loaded them with silk, spices, and animals.
For a short time, the Velaryons were more powerful than the Lannisters, the house of the siblings Cersei and Jaime on whom, remembering a little, “Game of Thrones” focused. The travels ended when he built an expensive castle called Hightide, which was located in Driftmark. When his grandmother Daemon Velaryon dies, Corlys takes over as the new master of the island and Lord of the Tides. Next on the to-do list would be getting married.
Marriage
Ever since King Aegon Targaryen declared himself the rightful heir to the Seven Kingdoms, House Valeryon had an important role in the ruling Council. By then, Lord Corlys already had a marked trajectory, due to his incredible maritime expeditions. That is, the houses were very close at the political level. For Corlys Velaryon, there was no better option than to marry Rhaenys Targaryen, “the queen who never was”, so designated because justice (or injustice) decided to crown her brother Viserys rather than see a woman on the throne.
The years brought the pair of houses Valeryon and Targaryen together. For the first house mentioned, it was an essential condition to unite with a dragon blood member (Targaryen). In history, dragons are respected creatures, as they have the ability to shoot fire and fly, in addition, their proportion exceeds the impact of a sword or arrow. For George RR Martin, these mythical animals resemble the power of a nuclear weapon, which is a fear for any diplomat in reality, according to the screenwriter in “Before the Dance” (HBO Max).
The Velaryons appear in the first images of the “House of the Dragon” trailer, entering what appears to be the throne room. The agreement is said. Viserys’s daughter, Rhaenyra Targaryen, is to marry Corlys Velaryon’s eldest son, Laenor. The idea is to preserve the blood, iron out political rough edges and for the Lord of the Tides to be an ally of the king of the Iron Throne, the most coveted seat in the entire saga.
Estate
In “House of the Dragon”, Corlys Velaryon is played by British actor Steve Touissant, from “The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” (2010) and “Shooting Dogs” (2005). He is a cunning and adventurous man, his experience on the seas makes that clear, but he is also an ambitious Lord who wants to take the Iron Throne to bring honor to the house to which he belongs.
“When I first met Mr. Corlys, he was on Viserys’s little council,” says actor Steve Touissant in a behind-the-scenes look. “He’s kind of a dour character. He is an incredibly ambitious man of action. He doesn’t have much room for nonsense. He controls the largest and strongest fleet of ships. He is wealthy and an accomplished soldier,” he adds.
Days after the release of the “House Of The Dragon” trailer, negative comments about the skin color of Corlys Velaryon’s character surfaced on social media. The critical arguments fell to the ground, since the readers of RR Martin’s books argued that, at no point in the text, the author describes a strict complexion canon for the character. On the other hand, the book itself is clear, for example, with the description of Nettles, the first and last rider of the Sheepthief dragon, whom he describes as having “brown” skin.
On Javi Marcos’ channel, the youtuber adds one last comment about the character’s roots. “We have, in the Targaryon story, indisputably Valeryos characters, who do not have the violet eyes, the platinum white hair and that white skin, with which these subjects are described in the book,” he explains in the video. However, many illustrators imagined a white sailor in their drawings. For example, on Twitter you can see drawings of a white and blond Corlys Velaryon.
In any case, there is no other anecdote about Corlys Velaryon than that of its creator, who is also part of the series’ production team as a screenwriter and co-creator. We will soon know what other debates set the networks on fire, when the story of this key character continues to advance.
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