Who doesn’t love dragons? Like with most fantasy series, dragons play a major role in both of HBO’s fantasy epics, Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. They’re weapons of mass destruction, impervious to arrows and smaller weapons. They’re fearsome and magical beasts that can turn the tide of a battle, soaring overhead while torching an entire battlefield.
Their flames can reduce a person to ash in mere seconds. And yet, the dragons of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon can be tamed, even ridden.
House of the Dragon
Taking place about 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.
- Release Date
- August 21, 2021
- Seasons
- 2
They have a connection to the Targaryen family, thanks to their Old Valyrian blood. The Targaryens used dragons to bring Westeros to its knees and claim power for themselves, something that we’ve seen happen time and time again. It’s always a treat whenever a dragon soars onto our screens. Here’s every dragon we’ve seen so far between Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon.
12 Drogon
Game of Thrones
At the beginning of Game of Thrones, dragons are extinct, an unusual plot point in the realm of fantasy. That is, until the last surviving member of House Targaryen, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), performs a miracle. She steps into a massive funeral pyre. And like a phoenix reborn, she emerges from the ashes, unburnt, with three baby dragons, bringing these magical creatures back to the world.
Drogon is Dany’s main dragon, the one that she always rides and has the strongest connection with. Named after her late husband Drogo, this black-scaled dragon manages to evade capture when Dany decides to confine her dragons to the catacombs, in order to limit their danger to others. Because of this, Drogon is larger and wilder than his siblings.
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Despite his rebellious nature, Drogon is devoted to Daenerys and has saved her several times, most notably in the fighting pits. He unfortunately helps Daenerys massacre King’s Landing, and also her character arc. Unlike his mother and many other characters in Game of Thrones, Drogon manages to survive the show. He flies off into the distance, carrying Dany’s body, after destroying the Iron Throne.
Although his whereabouts are unknown, it’s nice to know that dragons still exist somewhere in the world.
11 Viserion
Game of Thrones
Named after Dany’s deceased and abusive older brother, Viserys Targaryen, Viserion is a cream-and-gold colored dragon and the smallest of Dany’s three children in George R.R. Martin’s books. Most notably, he was killed beyond the Wall when the Night King unexpectedly launched a spear at him.
Viserion was resurrected as an undead dragon with tattered wings and blue eyes. Ridden by the Night King himself, Viserion used his blue flames to destroy the Wall, allowing the White Walkers and their army to finally invade Westeros. He officially became dead after the Night King was slain.
10 Rhaegal
Game of Thrones
Named after Dany’s other late brother who she never met, Rhaegar Targaryen, Rhaegal is a green-scaled dragon. He becomes the mount of Jon Snow (Kit Harrington), who’s secretly a Targaryen prince and the heir to the Iron Throne.
Jon rides Rhaegal during the Battle of Winterfell, where the pair clash with the Night King and the undead Viserion. He’s later killed by a scorpion on the way to King’s Landing, when Euron Greyjoy’s (Pilou Asbæk) fleet ambushes Dany’s forces on the open water.
9 Syrax
House of the Dragon
Set in an earlier time period than Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon features multiple silver-haired Targaryens — and also tons of dragons. A handful of dragons are mentioned by name but have yet to be shown on screen. And there are also several unseen dragons that have yet to be claimed by riders. Here are all the known dragons that have soared across our screens so far in the new HBO series.
Syrax is the first dragon we meet in House of the Dragon. Named after the Valyrian goddess Syrax, she has only been ridden by Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), with whom she shares a close bond. Syrax has a very distinctive appearance.
Her yellow scales, those several long horns protruding from the back of her head, and the minimal hors around her jaws give Syrax a sleeker, more regal appearance, making her stand out from the other dragons in the show. We’ve seen Rhaenyra ride Syrax several times, though we have yet to see her ride the dragon into battle.
8 Vhagar
House of the Dragon
Known as the Queen of All Dragons, Vhagar is the most iconic dragon we’ve seen so far. Well over a hundred years old, she was famously ridden by Visenya Targaryen during Aegon’s Conquest. She’s a colossal beast that dwarfs every dragon in sight — and yet, she was the smallest of the three dragons in Aegon’s Conquest. She’s the only surviving dragon from that legendary trio.
In House of the Dragon, Vhagar starts off as a wild beast who hadn’t been claimed in years. She eventually becomes the mount of Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell), a member of the Targaryen family. But Vhagar becomes riderless once again when Laena asks the dragon to burn her alive after experiencing childbirth complications.
Vhagar is then claimed by Aemond Targaryen (Leo Ashton), the second-born son of King Viserys (Paddy Considine) and Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke), in an exhilarating scene that shows the two bonding. A pivotal moment comes at the end of season 1 when Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault) flies to Storm’s End with his own dragon and finds Vhagar unexpectedly there.
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The shot of Vhagar’s massive form at night, against the lightning and pouring rain, is the stuff of nightmares. An epic, heart-pounding dragon chase in the thunderstorm ensues, Aemond (now played Ewan Mitchell) and Vhagar chasing after Lucerys and his dragon as revenge for a childhood incident that left Aemond with one eye. And the consequences of this chase are devastating.
7 Arrax
House of the Dragon
Arrax was the mount for Lucerys Velaryon, Rhaenyra’s second son. Hatched the same year as Lucerys’ birth, Arrax was a much younger, and thus smaller, dragon compared to others we’ve seen so far. This was the light-scaled dragon that found itself in a nail-biting chase with the legendary Vhagar, whose gigantic size made Arrax look like a speck of dust.
Alarmed by his pursuer’s aggression, Arrax unexpectedly attacked Vhagar with fire to defend himself. Everything seemed to be alright as Arrax and Lucerys exited the thunderstorm, the skies clear of both lightning and Vhagar. Until, at the last second, the massive Vhagar came soaring out of nowhere and absolutely destroyed Arrax and Lucerys with a single snap of her jaws.
This moment of uncontrollable rage officially sparked the civil war in Westeros, the Dance of the Dragons. Arrax is the first dragon to die in the show.
6 Vermax
House of the Dragon
Vermax is bonded to Rhaenyra’s firstborn son, Jacaerys Velaryon. Like Arrax, Vermax is a younger and smaller dragon than the others in the show. We’ve seen very little of Vermax so far. Our best glimpse of this green-scaled dragon happens early in season 1, where we see a young Jacaerys (Leo Hart) training a young Vermax to heel and breathe fire onto a goat.
Later, when the two have grown into young adults, Jacaerys (now played by Harry Collett) and Vermax fly to the North to meet with Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor) and rally the North to his mother’s cause.
5 Seasmoke
House of the Dragon
As the mount for Laenor Velaryon, Rhaenyra’s first husband, Seasmoke belongs more to House Velaryon than he does House Targaryen. This pale, silvery dragon resides in Driftmark, the ancestral home of House Velaryon, rather than in King’s Landing. Seasmoke plays a crucial role in the War for the Stepstones, though we only catch brief glimpses of him and Laenor (Theo Nate) riding into battle.
The pair also help save Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) during the siege of Bloodstone. After Laenor (John Macmillan) fakes his own death and leaves King’s Landing, Seasmoke becomes riderless. But it seems like this won’t be the case for long, from what we’ve seen in the season 2 trailers for House of the Dragon.
4 Dreamfyre
House of the Dragon
Dreamfyre is another dragon that’s been around for a while. She originally bonded with Princess Rhaena Targaryen, Rhaenyra’s great-grandfather’s sister. She’s now the mount for Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban Dreamfyre), though we have yet to see the young queen ride her.
We’ve gotten very few glimpses of Dreamfyre so far. Remember when a young Aemond went into the dragon cave and came across a ferocious dragon in the darkness? That was Dreamfyre. If we saw her in the light, we would see that Dreamfyre is a pale blue dragon with silvery markings. Hopefully, we’ll get to see her true colors, and more of Dreamfyre, as the show progresses.
3 Meleys
House of the Dragon
Rhaenys Targaryen was considered as a possible successor to King Jaehaerys I Targaryen (Michael Carter) but lost the Iron Throne to Viserys. Rhaenys may be known as the Queen Who Never Was, but her dragon, Meleys, is known throughout the Seven Kingdoms as the Red Queen. And it’s not hard to see why.
Meleys is an enormous and fearsome red-scaled dragon. She has several massive horns that encircle her face, almost like a crown of her own. The pair share a close bond; Rhaenys often rides Meleys and speaks lovingly of her dragon.
During the impromptu coronation of Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney), Meleys is chained in the Dragonpit at King’s Landing. Rhaenys manages to sneak away from the crowd of spectators and free the dragon from her confinement. In one of the most epic scenes of season 1, Rhaenys and Meleys crash Aegon’s coronation. Literally. They burst through the walls and into the ceremony, inadvertently killing a number of smallfolk.
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For one long, heart-pounding moment, it seemed like Rhaenys and Meleys might torch Aegon and the rest of the royal family. But the pair instead flees to Dragonstone to alert Rhaeneyra of what’s happened at King’s Landing. Rhaenys and Meleys are now valuable allies for Rhaeneyra. They’ve spent their time patrolling the Gullet to reinforce a blockade of the shipping lanes to King’s Landing.
2 Caraxes
House of the Dragon
Daemon Targaryen and his dragon, Caraxes, are a perfect match. Caraxes’ imposing and aggressive nature pairs well with Daemon’s, making them a force to be reckoned with. He has a beard of large horns and a long, serpentine body and neck. Known as the Blood Wyrm, Caraxes’ red and black scales make it look like he’s covered in magma.
He and Daemon are both battle veterans and were key combatants in the War for the Stepstones. Daemon often uses Caraxes to intimidate others and bend them to his will, which unsurprisingly proves effective. Who wouldn’t be terrified of the Blood Wyrm? Last we saw, Daemon and Caraxes have taken flight, presumably for Harrenhall, after a brutal argument with Rhaeneyra.
1 Vermithor
House of the Dragon
The House of the Dragon began with King Jaehaerys I Targaryen (Michael Carter) choosing the successor to his throne, ultimately landing on Viserys. He was the longest reigning monarch of the Seven Kingdoms and arguably its most peaceful leader. We’ve seen very little of Jaehaerys — and we’ve seen even less of his dragon, Vermithor.
Remember that vicious and monstrous dragon that Daemon searches for in the darkness? That was Vermithor. Known as the Bronze Fury, this dragon is covered with bronze scales. Vermithor has been riderless ever since Jaehaerys’ death and has spent much of his time lurking in the darkness of his lair.
After tensions escalate with the Hightowers, Daemon goes to Vermithor’s lair to claim the beast for his new wife and, in his eyes, the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, Rhaenyra. Daemon is already bound to Caraxes; can a rider claim more than one dragon? This scene seems to hint that it is possible — and that Vermithor has an important role to play in the wars to come.
