Does Caraxes Look Different As He’s An ‘Oriental’ Dragon?

Dragon Caraxes looks quite peculiar with a long neck. Could Daemon Targaryen’s dragon belong to YiTi; the HoTD equivalent of Japan?

By Pratyush Singh
December 18,2022
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The complexity of George R. R. Martin’s world of A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) brings a map containing two continents. Namely Westeros and Essos, these two continents are primarily based on the actual world map. Westeros is simply an upside-down map of the United Kingdom and Essos culturally resembles the eastern places of Earth. In House of the Dragon, we know that all dragons, including the oddly looking Caraxes, came from Essos, more specifically, Old Valyria. But it could be true that Dragons existed in the easternmost parts of Essos as well. Daemon Targaryen’s mount could very well be from Yi Ti, the Essos equivalent of Japan.

But why Yi Ti and not anyplace else? What are the indications from Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon that Daemon’s dragon Caraxes came specifically from Yi Ti? Read ahead to figure it out.

 

Caraxes May Have Come From Yi Ti, Which Is Known For Magic

Yin, capital of Yi Ti; art by Henrik Zahringer
Yin, capital of Yi Ti; art by Henrik Zahringer

Yi Ti is a city whose culture, architecture and people are based on real-world Japan. We have seen a red priestess who looked oriental, in Game of Thrones season five, episode three. She was preaching to the masses while Tyrion Lannister and Lord Varys were on their way to Meereen. It is believed that fire worshipping in Essos may have originated because of dragons, as they are considered a higher being than humans. But where does Daemon Targaryen’s Caraxes come into the picture?

Now that we have established that people from Yi Ti were into a religion that may have very well originated from dragons, it would seem that dragons must exist in Yi Ti as well. Just like humans, even dragons could develop differently in different places. So, it’s not a long shot when we say that Caraxes may belong to Yi Ti. But why Yi Ti?

 

Daemon Targaryen & Caraxes Have Japanese Connections Through Mysaria’s Actor

Daemon Targaryen with his Dragon Caraxes
Daemon Targaryen with his Dragon Caraxes

Daemon Targaryen and Lady Mysaria were seen riding away on Caraxes when Viserys banished Daemon to Dragonstone. Sonoya Mizuno, the actress who plays Mysaria is of Japanese origin. Also, she wasn’t even Targaryen but rode on dragon Caraxes.

Caraxes’ strikingly long neck and small eyes further solidify the theory, as Daemon’s dragon has distinct physical features. We know that oriental-looking people do exist in the ASOIAF universe, and so could oriental dragons.

Aegon II Targaryen also mentions Yi Ti, when Aemond Targaryen tries to get him to Alicent Hightower. This could be taken as a hint to the viewers that the country holds some significance.