A Guide to Every Dragon in 'House of the Dragon,' So Far
Spoilers ahead.
In any given shot over the course of Game of Thrones’ eight seasons, it’s relatively easy to decipher which of Queen Daenerys’ dragon babies—Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion—is which. But toss a dozen additional dragons into the mix, and recognizing one fire-breathing beast from another becomes a little more strenuous. Besides, what if you don’t recall the most famous dragons of all? Keeping tabs on these creatures might be a challenge for House of the Dragon audiences—even two seasons in—especially if they aren’t devoted readers of George R. R. Martin’s books. And there could be as many as 17 onscreen dragons by the time Dragon wraps up its final season, as co-creator Ryan Condal teased during the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con.
So, to keep this influx of flying pets straight, we’re tracking each of the new dragons as they appear in House of the Dragon—and sprinkling in some important text-and-TV-based context. We’ll avoid any non-show spoilers, but no guarantees you won’t come away from this article without a favorite winged serpent. Below, all the HotD dragons so far.
Syrax
Rider: Rhaenyra Targaryen
The first fearsome creature to appear in House of the Dragon arrives in the memorable opening shot of season 1, episode 1: a yellow beast swooping through the sky with a Targaryen royal on its back.
This is Syrax. We learn in Martin’s Fire & Blood, from which House of the Dragon is adapted, that Princess Rhaenyra became a dragonrider at the age of seven, bonding closely with the golden Syrax, so named “after a goddess of old Valyria.” Described as a “huge and formidable beast”—though not the biggest of the Targaryen dragons—Syrax was supposedly fast enough to race Daemon Targaryen’s dragon, Caraxes, to Dragonstone and back. We see this dynamic play out in season 1, episode 2, when Rhaenyra uses Syrax to confront her uncle and his dragon on the bridge at Dragonstone, shortly after Daemon swipes an egg from King’s Landing.
We also know Syrax lays a clutch of eggs during the course of season 1, as Daemon is depicted scooping them up in episode 8. Syrax then makes multiple appearances in season 2, particularly as Rhaenyra realizes she must take action on dragonback.
Caraxes
Rider: Daemon Targaryen
Also in the Dragon premiere, we meet Caraxes, mount of Daemon Targaryen and a “lean red beast,” as described in Fire & Blood. “Fiercest of all the young dragons in the Dragonpit,” Caraxes was once the mount of Prince Aemon Targaryen, son of Jaehaerys and uncle to both Daemon and Viserys I, but he became Daemon’s mount by the year 105 AC. Nicknamed the Blood Wyrm for both his color and his brutal tendencies—he is “savage and cunning and battle-tested”—Caraxes has a noticeable appetite. (In one scene from Fire & Blood, he devours half a dozen goats in one sitting.)
He also is a bit of a “bullying white boy,” or so The Ringer writer and podcaster Joanna Robinson explained in a recent episode of the podcast Talk the Thrones. Robinson says she exchanged messages with House of the Dragon sound designer Paula Fairfield, who told her that Caraxes roars with such a strange, strangled whine because “he’s the dragon that no one loves, and he has a deviated septum...He’s a bullying white boy who thinks he can rap and overcompensates, so like real Kendall Roy energy.” Respect.
Balerion the Black Dread
Rider: (formerly) Viserys I Targaryen
Technically, we never actually meet the biggest and oldest of the Targaryen dragons during the time of House of the Dragon. But we do see his skull, nestled in the crypt where Viserys informs his daughter and heir, Rhaenyra, of the secret known as A Song of Ice & Fire. The dragon skull looms over them, dark and enormous, fitting given that Balerion the Black Dread was described as “huge and ancient and sleepy” in Fire and Blood.
Once the mount of Aegon the Conqueror, Balerion was integral to Aegon’s Conquest of the Seven Kingdoms. Black and mighty, with a wingspan that could engulf entire cities in shadow beneath him, Balerion was one of the last dragons born in Valyria and a survivor of the Doom, an unspecified catastrophe—possibly a natural disaster—that destroyed the Valyrian Freehold. Many years later, he became the mount of Viserys I, but by this point he was old and weakened. After Balerion’s death of old age in 94 AC, Viserys never again rode another dragon.
Seasmoke
Rider: Addam of Hull
The stunning “pale grey beast that had been the pride and passion of Ser Laenor Velaryon,” or so he is described in Fire & Blood, makes such a sudden appearance in season 1, episode 3, of House of the Dragon that it’s easy to confuse him with another of his counterparts. He bursts into the War for the Stepstones with Ser Laenor on his back; though Laenor is not a Targaryen in name, his mother is Rhaenys Targaryen and his father is Corlys Velaryon, so he has ample dragon-riding blood. We only get a few minutes of Seasmoke visuals during season 1, episode 3, and by the end of episode 7, Laenor has escaped across the Narrow Sea with his lover, Ser Qarl, leaving Seasmoke’s fate as-yet undetermined. In episode 10, Daemon mentions the beast as still residing on Driftmark, riderless now that Laenor has disappeared.
Then, early in season 2, Rhaenyra comments that Seasmoke has grown “restless” as of late. In season 2, episode 6, the beast descends unexpectedly upon Addam of Hull, and they engage in a fearsome chase—ultimately creating their bond. The next episode, Addam bends the knee to Rhaenyra as Seasmoke’s rider.
Dreamfyre
Rider: Helaena Targaryen
This next dragon is one we’ve yet to see up close. But her existence in House of the Dragon was confirmed during episode 2, when Daemon admits to stealing one of her eggs for his unborn (and, we later learn, completely fabricated) child.
Once the mount of Princess Rhaena Targaryen—not to be confused with Rhaenys, Rhaenyra or Daemon’s daughter Rhaena!—Dreamfyre is of silver and blue coloring, and lays several eggs over the course of her life. She is now the mount of Princess Helaena Targaryen, daughter of Viserys and Alicent Hightower, and herself an apparent dragon-dreamer. In the season 2 finale, Rhaenyra mentions that Dreamfyre “hatched when the Conqueror was King,” meaning she must be enormous by now. “She is formidable,” she adds.
Vhagar
Rider: Aemond Targaryen
Perhaps the most visually impressive dragon on the show is Vhagar, the sister of Balerion the Black Dread and the only still-living dragon to have arrived in Westeros with Aegon the Conqueror. In later chapters of Fire & Blood, this dragon “had grown nigh as large as the Black Dread of old. Her fires burned hot enough to melt stone.”
Vhagar is first discussed briefly by Viserys and a young Laena Velaryon in season 1 episode 2, during the two’s awkward walkabout in the gardens. Laena reveals that Vhagar is still alive, somewhere, though the dragon’s apparently too big for the Dragonpit, to which Viserys responds, “Some would say too large for our world.”
In season 1, episode 6, after a 10-year time jump, it’s revealed that Laena eventually claimed Vhagar as her mount, and the two are depicted flying alongside Daemon and Caraxes. But the joy is short-lived, as Laena’s traumatic childbirth later results in Vhagar assisting her in suicide.
In season 1, episode 7, we meet the enormous she-dragon again, snoozing on Driftmark shortly after Laena’s funeral. Viserys and Alicent Hightower’s insolent second son, Aemond, decides to try and claim the dragon as his own mount, and though he’s successful, stealing her away from Laena’s daughters prompts a violent squabble between families. Later, in episode 9, an older Aemond references that he rides the largest dragon in the world—meaning he’s officially bonded with Vhagar. Then, of course, Aemond’s seen riding her in the momentous season 1 finale, when she attacks Lucerys Velaryon (Rhaenyra’s son) and kills both him and his dragon.
Still, season 2 is where Vhagar’s power truly comes into play—particularly in episode 4, when Vhagar and Aemond attack Rhaenys and her dragon, Meleys, ultimately slaying them both. Atop Vhagar, Aemond is virtually unstoppable, unless Rhaenyra can pull together an army of dragon riders to face him.
Meleys
Rider: (formerly) Rhaenys Targaryen
Princess Rhaenys’ dragon, Meleys, made only a brief appearance in the early episodes of House of the Dragon, but she proved herself increasingly essential as the series progressed. According to Fire & Blood, Rhaenys arrived to her wedding to Corlys Velaryon on Meleys’ back, which, in hindsight, is how I should have showed up to mine.
The scarlet-scaled dragon—known as the “Red Queen”—was once the mount of Princess Alyssa Targaryen, mother of Viserys. In season 1, episode 9, Meleys makes a dramatic on-screen appearance during the coronation of the usurper King Aegon II: She bursts through the floors of the Dragonpit and carries Rhaenys in battle armor upon her back. She’s mere moments away from toasting the Hightower clan to a crisp when Rhaenys pulls her away without uttering “Dracarys.” Together, they fly to Dragonstone to warn Rhaenyra of the plot to foil her claim to the throne.
In episode 10, Rhaenys pledges to patrol the Velaryon fleet’s blockade of The Gullet with Meleys. But both Meleys and her rider meet a tragic end in season 2, episode 4, as Vhagar’s brute strength proves too much for them to escape. The last we see of Meleys is in season 2, episode 5, when her head is paraded through King’s Landing after the battle at Rook’s Rest—a sign many of the smallfolk view as a bad omen.
Vermax
Rider: Jacaerys Velaryon
Vermax first appears as an adolescent dragon in season 1, episode 6, when a young Jacaerys Velaryon (Rhaenyra’s eldest son) attempts to teach him to “Dracarys.” Vermax seems about ready to eat his master first, but ultimately acquiesces. By episode 10, it seems the beast and rider have fully bonded as Jace flies on Vermax to the Eyrie and Winterfell to confirm the support of his mother’s allies.
In season 2, Jace returns home to Dragonstone to discover his brother, Lucerys, is dead, and he vows to seek revenge on Vermax’s back—at least, as soon as Rhaenyra allows him into battle.
Sunfyre
Rider: (formerly) Aegon II Targaryen
King Aegon II, eldest son of Viserys and Alicent, mentions in season 1, episode 7, that the golden beast known as Sunfyre—“the most beautiful dragon ever seen in the known world,” according to Fire & Blood—is his mount. In season 2, Aegon and his dragon make an unexpected appearance at Rook’s Rest, disrupting Criston Cole and Aemond’s plan to lure a dragon (and its rider) from Dragonstone to kill them. Aegon and Sunfyre brawl with Rhaenys and Meleys in the sky, but it’s only after Aemond and Vhagar get involved that the fight turns truly bloody. Vhagar, through Aemond’s prompting, unleashes fire upon Aegon and Sunfyre. Both king and dragon crash to the ground in a smoldering heap. Later in season 2, Aegon mentions his beast didn’t make it out alive: “My dragon is dead.”
Arrax
Rider: (formerly) Lucerys Velaryon
Jace’s younger brother, Lucerys, had his own dragon: the “pearlescent white” Arrax, whom he rode to Storm’s End in the House of the Dragon season 1 finale. But by the end of the episode, Arrax is killed by Vhagar, and so is his rider.
Moondancer
Rider: Baela Targaryen
This slender, green dragon—per Fire & Blood—is the mount of Lady Baela Targaryen, one of Laena Velaryon and Daemon Targaryen’s two daughters. This young beast makes its first appearance in season 2, episode 3, when Baela chases Criston Cole, Gwayne Hightower, and a few other green knights on their way to Harrenhal.
Tyraxes
Rider: Joffrey Velaryon
Tyraxes is the mount of Joffrey Velaryon, Rhaenyra and Laenor’s third son. Daemon mentions the dragon in season 1, episode 10, while listing all the dragons Team Black has at their disposal. The dragon then briefly makes an appearance in season 2, episode 3, when Tyraxes and Stormcloud are sent to reside with Lady Arryn in the Vale in exchange for her army. “Tyraxes is but a hatchling,” Rhaena says in the episode. According to Fire & Blood, this dragon is slightly smaller than Vermax and Arrax.
Stormcloud
Rider: Aegon III Targaryen
This is the dragon of Aegon the Younger (aka Aegon III, Rhaenyra and Daemon’s son). “Stormcloud and Tyraxes are small, but they will grow,” Rhaenyra says. The queen sends the pair of dragons to Lady Arryn on her request, but the latter isn’t exactly pleased to have dragons that aren’t old enough to defend themselves—or the Eyrie.
Vermithor
Rider: Hugh Hammer
This older beast was once the mount of King Jaeherys I Targaryen, who preceded King Viserys on the Iron Throne. In Martin’s books, Vermithor is described as bronze in color with tan wings, and he’s almost 100 years old by the time the Dance of Dragons begins. (The only dragons larger than him were Balerion and Vhagar, which means he’s enormous indeed.)
Daemon name-drops Vermithor in season 1, episode 10, as another potential dragon on Rhaenyra’s side of the war. Daemon goes looking for him in the season 1 finale while singing a High Valyrian tune.
Then, in season 2, episode 5, Jace mentions to his mother, Rhaenyra, that both Vermithor and Silverwing are large enough to take on Vhagar in battle, and that there might—somewhere in the great blue yonder—be dragonseeds who could ride them. “It’s a mad thought,” Rhaenyra replies, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Finally, in season 2, episode 7, Vermithor (whom Rhaenyra calls the “Bronze Fury”) meets his rider: the dragonseed Hugh Hammer, who claims the beast only after the dragon nearly incinerates every contender Rhaenyra has gathered before him.
Silverwing
Rider: Ulf White
Often paired with Vermithor, Silverwing is another (previously unclaimed) dragon who resides at the Dragonmont in Dragonstone. Silverwing’s described as silver-hued—hence her name—and docile in Fire & Blood, and was previously the mount of Alysanne Targaryen, queen to and sister of King Jaehaerys I.
Silverwing makes her grand appearance at the end of season 2, episode 7, when Ulf White discovers her lurking while he attempts to escape the Dragonmont. Thankfully, instead of eating him, she headbutts him playfully (and accepts him as her rider).
Tessarion
Rider: Daeron Targaryen
In the season 2 finale, Tessarion makes her entrance. All this time, she had been in Old Town with her rider, Viserys and Alicent’s youngest son, Daeron, as he served as a squire. But the duo ride out with the Hightower army en route to Harrenhal in the final montage. In Fire & Blood, she’s also called the Blue Queen, with “wings dark as cobalt and her claws and crest and belly scales as bright as beaten copper.”
Wild Dragons
In season 1, episode 10, Daemon mentions that there are other wild dragons nesting about Westeros, and Team Black might use them to their advantage. Then, in season 2, episode 6, we learn that one such dragon—fond of eating sheep—roams amongst the the Mountains of the Moon in the Vale, where Princess Rhaena is staying with Rhaenyra’s youngest sons. In episode 8, she finally comes face to face with the beast as it feeds, but we’ve yet to find out if this particular dragon accepts her.
This post will be updated.
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