Dragon bonding, magic involved?

[Queen‍‍‍‍‍‍ Alysanne‍‍™]

There's no evidence that the Targaryan dragonriders used horns. We don't know how they bonded with their beasts, but magic rune-covered horns are one of those things you can't really keep secret. Someone somewhere would have found one.

Dany and Drogon are interesting. She's not in perfect control of him, but that might be a good thing. I'm certain he doesn't want to take her back to Merreen for the same reasons Gray Wolf freaked out about crossing the bridge to the Twins. One way or another Dany's safer starving and dying in the wilderness then she is in that rats nest of a city.

I hope that a magical Instant Dragon Obedience trick doesn't make itself known... I like it more if it relies on an actual relationship between dragon and rider.

Yes Id like it more if the dragon/ ddragon rider bond is made without the use of a horn.

[RumHam]

There's no evidence that the Targaryan dragonriders used horns. We don't know how they bonded with their beasts, but magic rune-covered horns are one of those things you can't really keep secret. Someone somewhere would have found one.

The dragonlords of old Valyria had controlled their mounts with binding spells and sorcerous horns.

We don't actually know much about the early Targaryens and their Dragons, hopefully that will change with the Princess and the Queen and the World of Ice and Fire. It's possible they had a horn and it was lost in the Summerhall fire or something.

[Lonin]

I sometimes get the feeling that grrm never really decided ahead of time how dragons would be controlled.. and its an evolving process. Im not a fan of the dragon horn approach.

[The Idiots Lantern]

We don't actually know much about the early Targaryens and their Dragons, hopefully that will change with the Princess and the Queen and the World of Ice and Fire. It's possible they had a horn and it was lost in the Summerhall fire or something.

We actually know quite a bit about the earliest Targs, although not much about their dragonlore. Still, assuming what Euron has really is a dragonhorn, then it's audible for miles around. Someone at some point would have heard it being sounded. Targaryans (at least the kings) lived in densely populated areas. Someone would have heard it being used, and after the death of the dragons (and the theft of so many Targaryan eggs) someone would have found horns on Dragonstone or in and among the trappings of the Dragonpit.

[RumHam]

We actually know quite a bit about the earliest Targs, although not much about their dragonlore. Still, assuming what Euron has really is a dragonhorn, then it's audible for miles around. Someone at some point would have heard it being sounded. Targaryans (at least the kings) lived in densely populated areas. Someone would have heard it being used, and after the death of the dragons (and the theft of so many Targaryan eggs) someone would have found horns on Dragonstone or in and among the trappings of the Dragonpit.

Just because no one has mentioned it yet doesn't mean it couldn't have happened. It's also possible the Targaryens kept the purpose of the horn secret, or only used it at Dragonstone (which if I'm not mistaken is the only place we know Targaryen dragons were born.) I don't know that any dragon eggs were stolen back when dragon eggs were still hatching. I think it would sort of make sense if each Valyrian dragonrider family had a horn, with each horn being "bound with blood" to that family. In this case the one horn the Targaryens had could have easily been lost, most likely at Summerhall or during the Dance. This is a stretch, but it's possible that is the reason you supposedly need Targaryen blood to ride a dragon. Not because of any magical bond, but because the only dragonhorn known to have survived The Doom was bound by blood to the Targaryen family. Now Euron has found another one, and Moqorro might have helped Victarion bond it to the Greyjoy family.

[James March x2]

Dragons' are the source of magic in the current world setting and you would expect anything less than magic to form the bond with their own riders?

[The Idiots Lantern]

Just because no one has mentioned it yet doesn't mean it couldn't have happened. It's also possible the Targaryens kept the purpose of the horn secret, or only used it at Dragonstone (which if I'm not mistaken is the only place we know Targaryen dragons were born.) I don't know that any dragon eggs were stolen back when dragon eggs were still hatching. I think it would sort of make sense if each Valyrian dragonrider family had a horn, with each horn being "bound with blood" to that family. In this case the one horn the Targaryens had could have easily been lost, most likely at Summerhall or during the Dance. This is a stretch, but it's possible that is the reason you supposedly need Targaryen blood to ride a dragon. Not because of any magical bond, but because the only dragonhorn known to have survived The Doom was bound by blood to the Targaryen family. Now Euron has found another one, and Moqorro might have helped Victarion bond it to the Greyjoy family.

It's possible but I don't think it's likely that the Targs, even with the aura of mystery they try and maintain, could keep their use of loud magical horns a secret. Especially if every single dragon-mounted Targ secretly had a magic horn they must never ever let be seen or mention to everyone...and every single member of that family succeeded at this for almost three hundred years. Maybe if there was one horn and it never left Dragonstone it could be kept a secret, but then every single Targ would have to return to Dragonstone to bond with their dragon, and even then, there'd be servants there, passing ships, shipments of supplies from the mainland...someone would hear a horn being sounded and mention it to someone else.

That's why I think the Targs didn't use horns. I don't know what they did use, but I still think there's something sad about turning a dragon into a mindslave. I hope that wasn't it.