Who is Sheepstealer in House of the Dragon? Rhaena and Nettles character swap explained

*WARNING - This article contains spoilers for the House of the Dragon season 2 finale and Fire & Blood.*

House of the Dragon fans were left reeling at the end of the HBO show’s season 2 finale, as various factions prepared themselves for war on behalf of either Team Black or Team Green. The Game of Thrones spin-off show, which is based on George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, also introduced a brand new dragon. 

While the dragon is not yet named in the show, book fans will recognise it as Sheepstealer, who currently roams the Vale. After deciding to abandon her younger half-brothers as they make their way from the Vale to Essos, Rhaena searches for the mysterious dragon who has been leaving burnt sheep corpses littered around the mountains. 

Rhaena is yet to claim a dragon on the show and, presumably with the hopes of finally doing so, approaches Sheepstealer when she finds him lying on the grass. This causes the beast to let out a massive roar, so we are as yet unsure of whether she was successful.

While the dragon plays a significant role in the books, it is clear that House of the Dragon has already deviated significantly from the source material, as another crucial character has failed to appear. Want to know more about Nettles? Then please read on but - be warned - BOOK SPOILERS AHEAD.

Who claims Sheepstealer in the Book?

In fact, it is Nettles who claims Sheepstealer in Fire & Blood, and now many fans have assumed she has been combined with Rhaena’s character.

In the book, the dragon is taken during the Sowing of the Seeds by the young girl, who it appears does not exist in the show. 

During the Sowing, Sheepstealer killed more people who tried to claim him than any other dragon combined, but Nettles wins his loyalty by taking a different approach.

Instead of trying to claim him by speaking in High Valyrian, she brings sheep to the dragon for several days in a row, and he eventually lets her mount him.

She then goes on to pledge loyalty to Rhaenyra and takes part in huge fights including the Battle of the Gullet and the Fall of King's Landing.

It is later hinted that Nettles forms a romantic relationship with Daemon, although this will presumably not be the case in the show not that she has been replaced by his daughter Rhaena.

In the books, Nettles is also eventually named a traitor by Rhaenrya, causing both her and Sheepstealer to go into hiding.

Will Rhaena claim Sheepstealer in place of Nettles and go to Dragonstone to fight for Rhaenrya? We’ll just have to wait for season 3. 

House of the Dragon season 2 is available to watch on Sky Atlantic and HBO.