House of the Dragon: Who is the Crabfeeder, where is he from and what’s the story behind his mask?

House of Dragon aired its third episode of the series earlier this week - warning, spoilers ahead!

House of the Dragon has been off to an explosive start introducing a flurry of eccentric characters, including the mysterious Crabfeeder.

The show’s first season is set to run for 10 episodes, and is set 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen and the events of Game of Thrones, the adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire.

Game of Thrones was known for its brutal nature where no character was safe, no matter how popular they were, and while House of the Dragon is set years before, it seems to be following in the original shows footsteps.

The Crabfeeder in House of The Dragon (HBO)

House of the Dragon premiered it’s third episode this week, and in the three weeks it has been airing, the show has featured significant battles, and gutting exits.

Fans of the show who haven’t had a chance to watch this week’s episode yet should look away now, there are spoilers ahead.

The second episode in the series briefly put a face to a new villain named the Crabfeeder, leaving fans intrigued and wanting to know more.

However, hopes of this potential antagonist to the Targaryens becoming a major character were slashed in the third episode, The Second of His Name, when the character was killed off in only his second physical appearance on the show.

So, who was the Crabfeeder and will the character return? Here’s everything you need to know about the

When does House of Dragon air?

The first episode in the series premiered on Monday 22 August on Sky Atlantic at 9pm and Sky Atlantic +1 at 10pm.

The episodes will air every Monday at 9pm on Sky Atlantic until 24 October when the finale episode will premier.

How can I watch House of the Dragon?

You can watch the premier as it airs on Sky Atlantic or you can catch up on NOW TV.

Fans can purchase aNOW TV monthly entertainment package for £9.99 a month, which gives you access to Sky Atlantic, Sky Crime, Sky Nature and a whole host of other channels.

Who was the Crabfeeder?

The Crabfeeder was first mentioned in the first episode of the series when Corlys Velaryon mentioned troubles in Stepstones to King Viserys on multiple occasions.

Unfortunately, due to the short amount of screen time the Crabfeeder got, very little is known about the character. His face was revealed t te end of episode two when Daemon and Corlys decided to go to war in the Stepstones.

The Crabfeeder didn’t actually say any lines in the show. The character was later revealed to be a Myrish prince who went by the name Prince Admiral of Triarchy, while leading allied powers to the Free Cities in conquering the Stepstones.

The Crabfeeder got on the Westeros map once his actions made House Velaryon’s shipping lanes vulnerable, as well as feeding the bodies of the realm’s sailors to the crabs.

While the Crabfeeder seemed to be set up as a big villain, his run came to an end when Daemon Targaryen killed him in one-to-one combat.

Fans did not get to see the combat but at the end of the episode Daemon exits the cave with the Crabfeeder’s head, chest, and one arm dragging behind him to prove his victory, this implied he used Dark Sister to finish the war.

Did the Crabfeeder have Greyscale?

Greyscale featured heavily in Game Of Thrones, and House of the Dragon looks to be going down a similar route, with the first big villain seemingly afflicted with the disease.

The character only lasted one episode and the Crabfeeder served as a formidable opponent for Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen.

However, fans were quick to notice elements on the character’s skin that resembled greyscale. This would never be confirmed as the character died in his first full episode on the show.

What’s the story behind the Crabfeeder’s mask?

Fans may have recognised the mask the infamous Crabfeeder wore in the second and third episode, with the design showing similarities to that of a characters from the shows predecessor Game Of Thrones.

House of the Dragon star Daniel Scott-Smith explained to Entertainment Weekly how the Crabfeeder’s mask is actually a major reference to Game of Thrones.

Scott-Smith confirmed that Prince-Admiral Craghas Drahar’s headgear is based on the face coverings sported by the Sons of the Harpy.

He said:"Crabfeeder’s mask was definitely a nod to the Sons of the Harpy for, I guess, the fans, because it’s something familiar for them," he said.

"And we spoke about the idea of him being the first person to wear this mask and it becoming iconic and, therefore, it’s built from that [for Game of Thrones]."

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