loml just did a dope theory video on the dragon bond stuff for those who care:
like others said though, its only ever implied or hinted at but what evidence there is seems to point towards to some kinda magic or ritual being done in ancient valyria as to why they could tame and ride dragons and binded them. Targs are known to birth scaled and deformed babies from time to time as well, even if they mate with someone outside the bloodline. Targ blood is tainted. Just as it's hinted that they tamed the 14 volcanoes surrounding valyria with magic. What kinda magic? Blood magic ofc. Hence Fire & Blood becoming a targ thing. Fans speculate thats also why they were OD with slavery, they needed bodies to sacrifice for their prosperity.
All of that tracks when you consider how Goerge bases all this shyt on real world stuff, he just hides it behind magic and metaphors. So it fits that the most prosperous empire the west in ASOIAF has seen was built *literally* off of blood sacrifice.
like others said though, its only ever implied or hinted at but what evidence there is seems to point towards to some kinda magic or ritual being done in ancient valyria as to why they could tame and ride dragons and binded them. Targs are known to birth scaled and deformed babies from time to time as well, even if they mate with someone outside the bloodline. Targ blood is tainted. Just as it's hinted that they tamed the 14 volcanoes surrounding valyria with magic. What kinda magic? Blood magic ofc. Hence Fire & Blood becoming a targ thing. Fans speculate thats also why they were OD with slavery, they needed bodies to sacrifice for their prosperity.
All of that tracks when you consider how Goerge bases all this shyt on real world stuff, he just hides it behind magic and metaphors. So it fits that the most prosperous empire the west in ASOIAF has seen was built *literally* off of blood sacrifice.