House of the Dragon's Biggest Retcon May Change Ulf’s Fate
“The Rogue Prince will soon quake before the mighty and terrible Lord Ulf the White!”
House of the Dragon has never been above changing events from its source material, Fire & Blood. In fact, that may be the reason George R. R. Martin isn’t the biggest fan of the show anymore. But with those changes comes a new opportunity: there is no longer a guarantee that what happened in the book will happen in the show.
Which is why dragonseed Ulf the White is such an interesting character. As of the Season 3 finale, he’s on a much different path than his book counterpart, and he might meet a much different end.
Warning! Major spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 8 ahead!
How Does Ulf The White End Up Dying In The Books?
In the books, Ulf is made a lord by Daeron Targaryen, but that’s not enough to satisfy him.
In Fire & Blood, Ulf the White is one of two different traitors: he’s joined by Hugh Hammer when he turns on the Blacks and roasts their army with his dragons. He then becomes a member of the Green side and is named the Lord of Bitterbridge by Daeron. Ulf, unsurprisingly, isn’t happy with this title, and he continues the drunken carousing that he’s done every step of the way.
The Caltrops, 13 nobles from the Reach, set out to murder the two traitors, but unfortunately the Second Battle of Tumbleton breaks out before they are able to carry out their plans. Ulf survives the battle, but not through valiant effort. Instead, he makes it out alive by sleeping through much of the action.
After the battle, Hobert Hightower presents Ulf with two casks of wine, one a rich Dornish red and the other, a sweet Arbor Gold. Ulf was known for his love of sweet wine, so the Arbor Gold was poisoned. Hobert also drank a cup of the poisoned wine, but Ulf drank three cups, fell asleep, and passed away peacefully in his sleep.
Ulf’s partying ways are the same in the books and the series.
Why This Wouldn’t Work In House Of The Dragon?
Ulf has already diverged from his plot in the series by turning against both the Blacks and the Greens. It’s a spur-of-the-moment decision for him, but it has massive implications for the series. If Ulf isn’t in good with the Greens, then he wouldn’t be available to be poisoned. So unless he manages to get on Daeron’s good side — which seems difficult considering he burned a good number of civilians within the walls of Tumbleton — he’s hung out to dry by both sides of the Dance of Dragons.
But maybe that presents a more interesting question: if Ulf has enemies on both sides, then which one will be the one to get even and murder him for betraying them? It may have been a Hightower in the books, but anyone from Rhaenyra all the way down to Hugh Hammer would have reason to attack him. He may be a dragon rider, but that hubris is sure to catch up with him.
