Dragons of House of the Dragon
Here be dragons. As the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon ramps up, the Targaryen civil war is ablaze in fire and blood.
Even fans of the source material (Fire & Blood by George R. R. Martin) are on the edge of their seats to see how the show tackles adapting the conflicting, unreliable, and sometimes biased accounts from various sources in the book, which is presented as a historical account written by a fictional scholar.
One thing is certain — the dragons will make a big difference. Get to know the beasts on both sides of the Dance of the Dragons before you soar into season two.
Dance of the Dragons: Black vs. Green
This Targaryen civil war is called the Dance of the Dragons for a reason. Dragons are essentially weapons of mass destruction. Targaryens have used them to cement their power in Westeros for generations, and they’re sure to be a major factor in this war.
Team Black
- Dragons: 13, including some unclaimed dragons residing on Team Black-held Driftmark and Dragonstone
- Supporting: Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Justification:
- King Viserys named Rhaenyra as his heir and raised her to rule after him.
- This faction believes that the Hightowers — specifically Aegon's mother, Alicent, and grandfather, Otto — are attempting to use Aegon to seize power and erase the Targaryen legacy.
Team Green
- Dragons: 4
- Supporting: Aegon II Targaryen
- Justification:
- In the tradition of the Seven Kingdoms, male children inherit titles and lands before female children, regardless of age — and Viserys didn’t have any sons when he chose Rhaenyra as his heir.
- Many suspect Rhaenyra’s sons are illegitimate and don’t want them to have a chance at the throne.
- Queen Alicent misunderstood Viserys’ deathbed reference to Aegon [the Conqueror] and believed he meant he wanted their eldest son Aegon as his heir.
How do riders get dragons?
All dragon riders have (at least suspected) Targaryen ancestry — the “blood of the dragon.”
- The Targaryens are the only surviving dragon-riding family of Valyria, an ancient and advanced civilization steeped in magic.
- The other dragonlord families — along with knowledge of the specific magic creating the bond between dragon and rider — were lost in the cataclysmic Doom of Valyria 230 years before the events of House of the Dragon.
There are two ways for riders to obtain a dragon:
- Claiming an unclaimed dragon
- Unclaimed dragons often have previous riders who have died, which means these dragons are larger and more experienced.
- When a dragon has accepted a rider, the dragon will not accept another until their rider is dead.
- Having proximity to an egg and hoping it hatches
- Targaryens traditionally put a dragon egg in every baby’s cradle to see if it will hatch as the child grows.
- Many “cradle-hatched” dragons are smaller than claimed dragons during the Dance of the Dragons, which is a disadvantage.
Meet the dragons
We could encounter up to 17 dragons throughout the run of the show. For now, get to know the key beasts shown in season one.
Note: Many dragons’ ages are approximate, as Fire & Blood focuses more on when a dragon bonds with a rider rather than when they hatch. The assumed sex of a dragon is usually based on whether or not the dragon has laid eggs.
Team Black dragons
Syrax
- Rider: Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Female
- Claimed young
- Age: 25–30 years old
- Known for being pampered
Caraxes
- “The Blood Wyrm”
- Rider: Daemon Targaryen
- Male
- Claimed
- Age: Unknown, first claimed 57 years ago
- Battle-tested: The first Dornish War, War for the Stepstones
Meleys
- “The Red Queen”
- Rider: Rhaenys Targaryen, “The Queen Who Never Was”
- Female
- Claimed
- Age: Unknown, first claimed 54 years ago
- Known for speed
Seasmoke
- Rider: Laenor Velaryon
- Male
- Unknown if claimed young or hatched
- Age: 28–33 years old
- Known for nimbleness
- Battle-tested: War for the Stepstones
- Will Seasmoke accept a new rider now that Laenor has disappeared? Is Laenor gone for good?
Vermax
- Rider: Jacaerys Velaryon
- Male
- Cradle-hatched
- Age: 9–15 years old
Arrax (deceased)
- Rider: Lucerys Velaryon (deceased)
- Male
- Cradle-hatched
- Age: 9–14 years old
- Dragon and rider were killed by Vhagar above Shipbreaker Bay at the end of season one — the first casualties of the Dance of the Dragons.
Team Green dragons
Vhagar
- “Queen of All Dragons”
- Riders: Laena Velaryon (deceased), Aemond Targaryen
- Female
- Claimed
- Age: 180+ years old
- Battle-tested: Aegon’s Conquest of Westeros
- First rider was Queen Visenya Targaryen, sister-wife of Aegon the Conqueror
Sunfyre
- “Sunfyre the Golden”
- Rider: Aegon II
- Male
- Claimed young
- Age: 9–14 years old
- Known for being beautiful
Dreamfyre
- Rider: Helaena Targaryen
- Female
- Age: 97–100 years old
- First rider was Rhaena Targaryen, sister of King Jaehaerys I
- Known for laying eggs, including one Daemon stole (see below)
Unclaimed dragons
Unhatched egg
- Chosen by Rhaenyra Targaryen for her unborn brother Baelon, who died shortly after birth
- Later stolen by Daemon and retrieved by Rhaenyra
- One of several unhatched eggs possessed by both Team Green and Team Black
Vermithor
- “The Bronze Fury”
- Male
- Cradle-hatched for the late King Jaeherys I who named King Viserys I as his heir at the Great Council shown in House of the Dragon’s series premiere.
- Age: 95 years old
You’ve seen the dragons — now prepare for the Dance.
Because when these beasts take to the sky, fire and blood are sure to follow.
Watch House of the Dragon on HBO or streaming on Max.
