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)
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.
Appears in: S1E05 (We Light the Way), S1E07 (Driftmark), S1E09 (The Green Council), S1E10 (The Black Queen)
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. Whether another rider will be able to claim Seasmoke while Laenor is alive remains to be seen. As of the end of season one, this dragon is riderless.
Appears in: S1E03 (Second of His Name), S1E05 (We Light the Way), S1E07 (Driftmark)
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.
Appears in: S1E07 (Driftmark)
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. Syrax is still laying dragon eggs, so her offspring may also play an important role in the battles to come.
Appears in: S1E01 (The Heirs of the Dragon), S1E02 (The Rogue Prince), S1E07 (Driftmark), S1E10 (The Black Queen)
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)
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. Whether anyone will be successful in taming Vermithor remains to be seen.
Appears in: S1E10 (The Black Queen)
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.
Appears in: S1E06 (The Princess and the Queen), S1E07 (Driftmark), S1E10 (The Black Queen)
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