ByLuxrah
One thing that The House of the Dragon has in spades compared to its predecessor, Game of Thrones, is… dragons. While the species is already in decline at this point in the history of Westeros, they are still numerous enough that it can be tricky to keep track of them all – as well as which member of the family has claimed the right to ride them.
Never fear! Much like we already laid out who’s who in the Targaryen family at this point in the story, we’ve got you covered for their dragons as well.
As one of the smallest and youngest dragons in the show, Arrax is ridden by Lucerys Velaryon, the younger son of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Ser Harwin Strong (though officially, Laenor Velaryon is his father). Lucerys doesn’t fully have control of this small drake, who foolishly attacks the massive Vhagar during a chase and is bitten in half, killing both Arrax and his rider and triggering an all-out war within House Targaryen.
Appears in: S1E10 (The Black Queen)
Caraxes is a massive male dragon who once belonged to Prince Aemon Targaryen, who was murdered. Daemon Targaryen then claimed Caraxes, who he has used in battle in the Stepstones and elsewhere. The dragon is distinctive for its long neck, and is nicknamed “Blood Wyrm.”
Appears in: S1E05 (We Light the Way), S1E07 (Driftmark), S1E09 (The Green Council), S1E10 (The Black Queen), S2E02 (Rhaenyra the Cruel), S2E03 (The Burning Mill), S2E05 (Regent), S2E06 (Smallfolk), S2E08 (The Queen Who Ever Was)
A prank by his brother and nephews sends Aemond Targaryen into the Dragonpit, where he encounters a large dragon who scares him off with its fiery breath. This is Dreamfyre, who at the time is unclaimed and living in the pit. Apparently she is also still laying eggs, one of which Daemon Targaryen stole. Book readers will know who eventually claims this dragon, but the show has yet to reveal that information.
Appears in: S1E06 (The Princess and the Queen), S1E07 (Driftmark)
This dragon is nicknamed “The Red Queen,” and is ridden by The Queen Who Never Was, Rhaenys Targaryen, who was passed over for the Iron Throne due to her gender, setting in motion the chain of events that have led to the current war. Meleys is an older dragon, once among the fastest but now slowing a bit with age.
After being imprisoned by Alicent and Aegon, Rhaenys finds her way to the Dragonpit and uses Meleys to escape, but not before wreaking havoc on Aegon’s coronation and announcing her loyalty to Rhaenyra. Meleys proves that her age hasn’t made her any less formidable in this scene.
Rhaenys later flies Meleys to Rook’s Rest to help the battle, but both are slain after being attacked by Sunfyre and Vhagar. Meleys’s body falls on Rook Rest, destroying the walls and allowing Ser Criston Cole’s army to invade. Her head was later paraded through King’s Landing by Criston.
Appears in: S1E05 (We Light the Way), S1E07 (Driftmark), S1E09 (The Green Council), S1E10 (The Black Queen), S2E01 (A Son for a Son), S2E04 (The Red Dragon and the Gold), S2E05 (Regent)
Moondancer bonded with Baela Targaryen at a young age. While patrolling the skies over the Crownlands, Baela spots the mounted knights led by Ser Criston Cole and Ser Gwayne Hightower. She pursues the group on Moondancer, but is forced to retreat when the knights escape into a dense forest.
Appears in: S2E03 (The Burning Mill), S2E08 (The Queen Who Ever Was)
Laenor Velaryon, son of Rhaenys Targaryen and Corlys Velaryon, rides this dragon into battle in the Stepstones. Later on Laenor fakes his own death and leaves the dragon behind. For a time she was flying around Dragonstone, restless.
Later she is summoned to the Dragonstone gantry so that Ser Steffon Darklyn may try to claim her. However, Seasmoke rejects him, burning him to death. She later finds and chases down Adam of Hull, choosing him to be her new rider.
Appears in: S1E03 (Second of His Name), S1E05 (We Light the Way), S1E07 (Driftmark), S2E02 (Rhaenyra the Cruel), S2E03 (The Burning Mill), S2E06 (Smallfolk), S2E07 (The Red Sowing), S2E08 (The Queen Who Ever Was)
A wild dragon flying living around the Vale of Arryn, Sheepstealer feeds itself on livestock near the Eyrie. Rhaena Targaryen spots him flying over the Vale, and pursues him. After eating some sheep, he spots Rhaena and lets out a roar. Whether she bonds with him or survives the encounter is currently unknown.
Appears in: S2E08 (The Queen Who Ever Was)
Silverwing is the mate of Vermithor, and was the mount of Queen Alysanne Targaryen during the reign of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen. While the dragonseeds were attempting to escape Vermithor, Ulf stumbles upon Silverwing in her cave. Despite having stepped on some of her eggs, Silverwing accepts him as her new rider after nudging him a little.
Appears in: S2E07 (The Red Sowing)
Stormcloud is a very young dragon, bound to Aegon the Younger. As they are far too young for battle, both of them, along with Viserys, Joffrey and Rhaena, are sent to the Eyrie to keep them safe.
Appears in: S2E06 (Smallfolk)
Sunfyre is barely seen in season one of The House of the Dragon, but he belongs to Aegon Targaryen, the current usurper king, son of Viserys Targaryen and Alicent Hightower. His nickname is “Sunfyre the Golden,” and he’s a younger and smaller, but relatively fast dragon.
During the battle at Rook’s Rest, Aegon flew Sunfyre there to join in the fight, and quickly gets into a battle with Rhaenys Targaryen and Meleys. During the battle, Aemond and Vhagar join the fray, shooting fire at both of them. This hits Sunfyre, burning both of his wings and causing him to plummet to the ground. He is severely injured from the fall and is left behind, and is later presumed to have died.
Appears in: S1E07 (Driftmark), S2E04 (The Red Dragon and the Gold)
This large female dragon is named for a Valyrian goddess and is ridden by Rhaenyra Targaryen, who seems to be her first rider. She hasn’t seen battle yet, but has been effectively used to intimidate people into falling in line.
Appears in: S1E01 (The Heirs of the Dragon), S1E02 (The Rogue Prince), S1E07 (Driftmark), S1E10 (The Black Queen), S2E01 (A Son for a Son), S2E06 (Smallfolk), S2E07 (The Red Sowing), S2E08 (The Queen Who Ever Was)
Though still young, Tessarion is called the Blue Queen, and is bonded with Daeron Targaryen. Having recently becoming of fighting age, Tessarion and Daeron now fly with the Hightower army to help with the war.
Appears in: S2E08 (The Queen Who Ever Was)
One of the smallest and youngest dragons on the show is hatched from an egg that is given to Jacaerys Velaryon as a baby. Jaecerys is Rhaenyra Targaryen’s oldest son, and though she was married to Laenor Valeryon at the time, it’s clear to everyone that Jaecerys’s father is actually Ser Harwin Strong. Hatching the egg in his crib is a way of cementing his birthright as a Targaryen.
Vermax is not big enough to ride yet, and we haven’t seen him fly, but his training and bonding with Jaecerys seems to be going well so far.
Appears in: S1E06 (The Princess and the Queen), S1E10 (The Black Queen), S2E05 (Regent), S2E08 (The Queen Who Ever Was)
The third largest and oldest dragon on the show is riderless, and seemingly has been for a long time. Nicknamed “The Bronze Fury,” Vermithor was once the mount of King Jaehaerys Targaryen, but has remained unclaimed since his death. In the season one finale we see Daemon Targaryen luring the great drake from his lair at Dragonstone with a song in High Valyrian.
Later, Rhaenyra Targeryen summons him in an attempt to find him a new rider amongst the dragonseeds. Thought he kills many of them, he eventually finds a rider in Hugh, who he accepts after standing up to him.
Appears in: S1E10 (The Black Queen), S2E07 (The Red Sowing)
The oldest and largest dragon in the show is this large lady, who was named for a god of Old Valyria and once helped Aegon the Conqueror take over Westeros and unite the Seven Kingdoms. To give you a sense of just how old she is, that happened about a century before the start of the show. At that time she was ridden by Visenya Targaryen, Aegon’s sister.
At the start of the show, it’s Laena Velaryon who rides this monstrous creature. But after a traumatic childbirth, she chooses death by fire, commanding Vhagar to kill her with the command “Dracarys.”
Upon Laena’s death, Aemond Targaryen, the youngest child of Viserys Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, claims the right to ride Vhagar, since his own dragon egg never hatched. This triggers a fight between Aemond and Lucerys in which Aemond loses an eye. Years later, Vhagar would kill Lucerys and his dragon Arrax in a stormy chase, demonstrating that Aemond had never fully gained control over this formidable dragon.
During the battle at Rook’s Rest, Aemond and Vhagar laid in wait for Rhaenys Targaryen and Meleys. After Sunfyre made a surprise entrance and began battling Meleys, Vhagar joined the fray, severely injuring Sunfyre and killing Melys. When Silverwing is spotted flying over King’s Landing, Aemond take Vhagar to pursue her, only to stop and retreat when he sees Vermithor and Syrax on Dragonstone with her.
Appears in: S1E06 (The Princess and the Queen), S1E07 (Driftmark), S1E10 (The Black Queen), S2E01 (A Son for a Son), S2E04 (The Red Dragon and the Golden), S2E08 (The Red Sowing)
Welcome to Beyond Hogwarts!
Beyond Hogwarts is a site primarily about the Wizarding World, including the Harry Potter franchise and Fantastic Beasts but also covers a wide variety of other series including The Lord of the Rings.
You can also find news, editorials, features, list, and reviews for other movies, TV shows, and books!
Our Communities
