One of the hard parts of translating George R. R. Martin’s books intoHouse of the Dragonis determining every character’s relative importance. The main characters and most of the supporting cast are all obvious, but the books pack in dozens of figures who simply fill a role with no notable personality. Each of those grants the showrunners, writers, directors, and casting directors the option to abandon the character or to find a way to make them more interesting. Sharako Lohar demonstrates one of the show’s finest recent successes in livening up a minor name.
House of the Dragonwas a lot morefocused than its predecessorduring its first season. It narrowed the scope, keeping the overwhelming majority of the action in a handful of locations with a slightly smaller cast of characters. As the Dance of the Dragons slowly builds toward an eventual explosion, the series approaches the same level of scale and complexity. The season two finale ends with a montage that gives the audience a brief glimpse of almost a dozen different moving pieces that will be critical to the next season.
Who is Sharako Lohar inHouse of the Dragon?
Sharako Lohar is the Lysene commander of a fleet in service to the Triarchy. Fansmay recall the Triarchyas the triumvirate pirate nation comprised of the Free Cities of Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh. A previous warrior from the Triarchy, Craghas Drahar, posed a significant threat that would provide Daemon Targaryen with one of his earliest victories in the series. Now, 17 years later, the Greens have stolen the Iron Throne from its rightful heir. They earned the ire of House Velaryon, the masters of the sea. Lord Corlys Velaryon arranged a mighty blockade that is slowly starving King’s Landing. No Green-aligned army can break the naval wall, forcing the usurpers to turn to their old enemies. Prince-regent Aemond Targaryen sends Lord Tyland Lannister to the Triarchy to propose an agreement. With his back against the wall, he agrees totrade the Stepstonesfor a suitable fleet. The negotiators then explain that Tyland will have his fleet, but only on the condition that he wins over the commander. In walks Sharako Lohar, the rowdy warrior who may lead the Greens to victory on the high seas.
Lohar is tall, shaggy-haired, and incredibly vibrant. Though she’s a woman, many refer to her with he/him pronouns, seemingly acknowledging her position ina traditionally male role. Lohar insists that she wouldn’t travel with any man who couldn’t defeat her. Tyland faces her in a one-on-one mud wrestling match in front of dozens of roaring spectators. Lohar is visibly superior to Tyland during their bout, but the Lannister lord gets a few good hits in. Eventually, she acknowledges his efforts and excitedly proclaims her allegiance to their cause. Lohar then taunts Tyland a bit, playfully frightening him by suggesting that her people eat their enemies' flesh. After that gag, Lohar joins Tyland at dinner. She insists he stay for a show, then hits him with a bizarre proposal. She asks him to give her a child, but she has no apparent intention of sleeping with him. Instead, she offers her many wives to Tyland. Befuddled, he asks how many wives he’s dealing with. Lohar offersa rare gasp of levityin the otherwise intense finale, and she’s the kind of big personality that sticks out in this series.
Who is Sharako Lohar in the books?
Sharako Lohar is barely a character inFire & Bloodand its related books. As in the show, Lohar is the admiral who will command a fleet of 90 ships from the Stepstones to try tobreak the Velaryon blockade. The resulting conflict, the Battle of the Gullet, goes down in history as one of the bloodiest naval battles in history. During the fight, Lohar captures Daemon and Rhaenyra’s second son, Viserys. Lohar’s 90 ships win, but only 28 of them survive to slowly float home. Many citizens of the Triarchy believed that Lohar displayed bias by holding back fellow Lysene sailors. This led to a civil war that would unmake the Triarchy a few years later. Lohar died shortly after the Battle of the Gullet, fighting for the favor of a high-priced Lysene courtesan. Lohar is mentioned so rarely that his gender is a matter of some dispute. He gets masculine pronouns twice in total, butHouse of the Dragonsuggests that the character is actually female and that the shift exists to justify her position. Some believe that the show’s version of the character combines Lohar with Racallio Ryndoon, a roguish Tyroshi general who dyed his beard purple and often wore women’s clothing. It’spossible that the show’sLohar took Ryndoon’s many wives, but Laenor Velaryon mentions someone matching Ryndoon’s description, suggesting that he exists in the show as a separate character.
Who plays Sharako Lohar?
Sharako Lohar is a great example ofHouse of the Dragonusingthe change in medium to elevate the material. Lohar was barely a character. They needed a name to command a fleet and very little else. The writers, showrunners, and Abigail Thorn elevated that tiny concept to one of the most charming and lively characters in the cast.
