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Dragons

"The idea that we control the dragons is an illusion. They're a power man should never have trifled with. One that brought Valyria its doom. If we don't mind our own histories, it will do the same to us."

—Viserys I

The draconic creatures ridden by House Targaryen and the other people with Targaryen blood.

For the dragons as portrayed in the book Fire & Blood, see here.

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In General

Achilles' Heel:
- A dragon is a magnificent and effective weapon of war—and even regular ranged weapons of this time have tended to be ineffective against them. However, they are most effective in pitched battles or encounter battles (i.e. whole hosts of armies facing each other). Hence, guerilla or asymmetric warfare that denies a dragon-possessing army open encounters can still wear them down by attrition. Furthermore, they are not entirely invincible.^{From the books...}
- And of course, the human rider on top of the dragon isn't invincible, so an enemy with plenty of archers can attempt to pull a medieval fantasy version of Sniping the Cockpit. Best illustrated when Daemon Targaryen, while on the back of Caraxes, is targeted by the forces of the Crabfeeder using a rain of Arrows on Fire (Caraxes is then quick to protect his master with his wings).
Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism: Averted. There are no visible features that distinguish male and female dragons: individual dragons do look different but this is purely due to their breed. Much like many real-life reptile and bird species, they don't have external sexual organs.
Bond Creatures: They traditionally bond with Targaryen riders in the riders' infancy. Some old dragons like Vhagar have bonded with several riders in their lifetime due to outliving many of them. Once a dragon bonds with a rider, they will obey their riders every order, and particularly skilled riders like Rhaenys and Daemon are shown to not even need to give verbal commands to impart their intent to the dragons. However, this loyalty is not absolute, and it's shown that dragons can break with their riders, depending on the circumstance. Vhagar, for instance, is shown initially being reluctant to burn Laena despite direct instructions, and later, when Arrax breaths fire on her during their chase, she ignores Aemond's orders, before seeking Arrax out and killing him.
Dragon Variety Pack: The series confirms that there were several breeds of dragons, not just that of the three seen in Game of Thrones.
Endangered Species: Since the Doom of Valyria nearly wiped out all the dragons, the current population has been minuscule since then. While House Targaryen has put efforts into hatching more of them, their current numbers have barely risen above ten by the time King Viserys’ reign begins, and only about twenty by the end of it. The books say that the Valyrians had at least three hundred dragons when they used them to defeat the Rhoynar (as mentioned in the first episode), and this TV series has Viserys state that there were a thousand dragons at the time of the Doom itself (a few centuries after they defeated the Rhoynar).
Fantastic Fauna Counterpart: Of dinosaurs and other prehistoric archosaurs. They all have archosaurian scales, are implied to be warm-blooded despite their reptilian appearance, and are an ancient, mysterious race. They are also incredibly small as babies despite their huge adult size, which was also a trait that dinosaurs had.
Giant Flyer: Dragons can grow to be truly gigantic, as Balerion, Vhagar and Vermithor can attest.
Gigantic Adults, Tiny Babies: Vhagar, an elderly dragon nearly two hundred years old, is absolutely massive, dwarfing even Drogon in his maximum size in Season 8 of Game of Thrones (granted, Drogon is much younger at this stage). However, dragon eggs, as seen with the one stolen by Daemon, are roughly football-sized, and judging by Daenerys's three dragons in the first two seasons of Game of Thrones, will hatch as a Shoulder-Sized Dragon.
It Can Think: The actual intelligence of dragons is hard to pin down, as they can go from acts of instinct to cunning in almost an instant, but there are a number of instances which showcase that they are not simple animals, and are intelligent enough to act on situations they understand.
Mix-and-Match Critters: All of the dragons have a combination of reptilian and mammalian traits, such as movable lips. Their bat-like wings may be considered either way, as seen in the extinct Scansoriopterygidae dinosaur family.^{From the books...}
Monstrous Cannibalism: While dragons were shown previously to prioritize eating the meat of other species to itself, it is only now that we are shown that dragons will eat and bite at each other as part of combat. Vhagar went ahead and chomped practically Arrax's entire torso (with their rider Lucerys on it), such that the only parts of the smaller dragon that recognizably fell off were their tattered wings and tail.
No Man Should Have This Power: Viserys defines them as uncontrollable power that man should never have trifled with. He's proven right in the Season 1 finale when Arrax and Vhagar follow their own will beyond the commands of their riders and Vhagar kills Arrax and Lucerys which pretty much made war completely inevitable.
Only the Chosen May Ride: Even within House Targaryen, not all are (or can be) Dragon Riders. What makes one eligible for such isn't explained fully even in the source material.^{From the books} That said, dragons can be trained to behave amongst people — as shown by Syrax and Caraxes willingly residing in the Dragonpit (and obeying the handlers) when not with their riders.
Our Dragons Are Different: In general, much like the three seen in Game of Thrones, the dragons of these era have the body-shape of wyverns (i.e. only two wings and no other forelimbs—with the wings, as exhibited by Syrax, having limited prehensility). The showrunners explained in pre-premiere interviews that, as a directive from George R. R. Martin, they made sure that each dragon had a distinctive visual appearance that made them distinguishable at a glance, and unique personalities on top of that. They developed this into the idea that there were (at least) three distinct types/breeds of dragon, based on their skull shape: Daenerys's three dragons had "T-Rex" shaped heads, and some in the prequel show are from that breed, but there are also ones with "Wolf-shaped" skulls (Caraxes), and between those two extremes, ones with "Horse-shaped" skulls (Syrax).
Stronger with Age: Dragons just keep growing with each passing year and can grow very old. Vhagar, the oldest dragon shown, is virtually unbeatable in battle due to her immense size, even despite showing signs that she's past her prime.
Sword of Damocles: They are Westeros' ultimate deterrent, and as implied by King Viserys (and true to the historical Damocles anecdote), they are as dangerous towards their riders as they are to everyone else.
Uncatty Resemblance: In both the series and the source material, it is often the rule rather than the exception that the dragons reflect the mood and character of their rider. Syrax is tame, protective yet fierce like Rhaenyra, Caraxes is as much a Blood Knight like Daemon, and Seasmoke is eager to go into battle like Laenor.
Unusually Uninteresting Sight: A bit justified, as the rule of House Targaryen has normalized the presence of dragons in Westeros—even the fact that only House Targaryen has them. Hence, the people of King's Landing take it for granted that Rhaenyra goes flying with Syrax over the skyline (much like we do airplanes in Real Life), and the lords of the realm speak of them the way we do military equipment and vehicles.
- The showrunners explained in interviews for Season 1 that they came up with a general rule that all of Westeros doesn't have this non-reaction to dragons, just logically in the places where dragons are an everyday sight: King's Landing, Dragonstone, and Driftmark. Almost all of Season 1 is focused on just these locations, however, so that's the only reaction seen so far. In future seasons, people in the Riverlands or at Winterfell will be awed by them.
Weapon of Mass Destruction: They can crush or reduce hundreds of people to ashes in seconds, and can be deployed anywhere on Westeros faster than a crow flies.
"X" Makes Anything Cool: Syrax, Caraxes, Vermax and Arrax all have an "x" in their names, which adds to the badass factor of them being dragons.

Black faction Dragons

Syrax

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlcsnap_2022_10_17_22h49m09s129.png

"Take care not to startle Syrax, my lords. She's rather protective of me."

— Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen

Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen's bonded dragon. Hatched from an egg placed in her cradle and named after a goddess of Old Valyria.

Animal Motifs: Has a horse-like head shape, and is one of the more tame and loyal of the dragons.
Beta Couple: Implied Trope. It's not fully spelled out, but there's an implication Syrax and Caraxes are a couple in parallel with Rhaenyra and Daemon. Paula Fairfield, sound designer for the dragons — Word of Saint Paul — jokes in an interview, "[Caraxes] tries to sing a new lovesick rap song he wrote for Syrax."
Bond Creature: As the first dragon given focus in the pilot, we are given the impression that she is not only tamed (she is willing to accept Valyrian commands from the Dragonpit tamers), but she is also very empathetic to her rider, Rhaenyra.
- During Queen Aemma's funeral, she seems to be even hesitant and commiserating with Rhaenyra's pain before she sets the funeral pyre alight.
- Notably, during Rhaenyra's Tragic Stillbirth of her daughter Visenya, Syrax is shown on-screen to also thrash and scream in pain as Rhaenyra is trying to get her baby out. Furthermore, she also carries herself with Rhaenyra's simmering rage when she lands to confront Otto Hightower.
Giant Flyer: Downplayed. She's indeed big, but is still nowhere near as large as some of the other Targaryen dragons. She's implied to still be an adolescent if Alicent's comment that she's growing quickly and will probably rival Caraxes in size one day is any indication. Though by the time the Greens-Blacks Civil War erupts she doesn't appear to have grown that much.
Mundane Utility: Her fire is used to set the funeral pyre of Aemma and her son ablaze, which is indicated to be standard practice in Targaryen funerals.
Our Dragons Are Different: A sandy-yellow golden color, with a distinctive set of swept-back horns that seem to be extensions of her facial crests, and she has a more equine-shaped skull. The showrunners mention in behind the scenes videos that she belongs to a different "breed" of dragon that is "built for speed", designing her with a streamlined shape like a supersonic jet.
Series Mascot: For the first season, at least, being heavily promoted together with a young Rhaenyra (as she is essentially the Princess Protagonist of the first half of the narrative).
Uncatty Resemblance: Much like Rhaenyra, Syrax is a protective yet fierce creature. Similarly, she seems to have become a very prolific breeder — as nearly every new clutch of eggs featured in the show comes from her, such that Rhaenyra is willing to offer some of them to spare.

Caraxes

Caraxes the Blood Wyrm

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlcsnap_2022_10_17_22h52m19s712.png

"He does love to burn."

— Prince Daemon Targaryen

Daemon Targaryen's claimed dragon, nicknamed the "Blood Wyrm" for his ferocity and serpentine appearance. First ridden by his uncle Aemon Targaryen in the Fourth Dornish War, and later again in the Myrish Bloodbath. Noted for his unique anatomy, having an uncharacteristically long neck and leg accessory wings.

Animal Motifs: Resembles a snake and has rather viper-like features, fitting his nature as a deadly, sinister Blood Knight.
Beta Couple: Implied Trope. It's not fully spelled out, but there's an implication Syrax and Caraxes are a couple in parallel with Rhaenyra and Daemon. Paula Fairfield, sound designer for the dragons — Word of Saint Paul — jokes in an interview, "[Caraxes] tries to sing a new lovesick rap song he wrote for Syrax."
Bond Creature: Perhaps the most extraordinary in the series is shared between him and Prince Daemon. He looms over Otto and company without a word from his rider, seemingly attracted by sensing the rising tensions and his rider's fury. He actively protects Daemon to the best of his ability during a night raid on Bloodstone and is only driven to retreat when he feels his rider has been wounded; sharing his pain psychically. Unlike all the other riders, Daemon never even commands him in Valyrian; they fight as one mind.
Creepy High-Pitched Voice: A non-human example. Compared to other seen dragons, the sounds he makes are much higher and shriller, almost like a shriek, rather than a roar due to his extended epiglottis, and his appearance is often proceeded by a harsh, whistle-like sound.
Giant Flyer: When Daemon is standing beside his dragon, he's dwarfed just by Caraxes's head. Then he is even bigger by the time the Greens-Blacks Civil War erupts, reaching about half Vhagar's size.
Gunboat Diplomacy: A fantastical version. Whenever Daemon wants to make a point or flex his muscle, he will break out Caraxes, who will often loom over the assembled party as Daemon is talking.
Non-Standard Character Design: While most dragons of the GOT universe have a similar build, Caraxes stands out by his odd proportions, overly-elongated neck, extremely narrow midsection, and most notably, a pair of large fins on his legs that let them act like a second pair of wings. invokedWord of God has stated that Caraxes' odd appearance is due to him being a "mutated" individual.
Old Soldier: Caraxes gives off the impression that he has been in bloodshed just as much as Daemon—and is usually described as a grumpy old warrior like his rider.^{From the books...}
Our Dragons Are Different: Appearance-wise, he's markedly different than the other dragons seen in the franchise up until this point, being much more serpentine in build, with a much longer neck and tail than the other dragons, and a sleek body (to the point he basically resembles a giant snake with wings). He's also shown having smaller hind-limbs than the others, which double as a second, smaller pair of wings. The design team have also specifically pointed out that his flames are much hotter than standard dragons: even Vhagar's flames leave a charred corpse behind, but Caraxes's flames are so hot that people are instantly vaporized to ash by them.
- The showrunners have vaguely mentioned that he's officially supposed to be a "mutant" of sorts, not a different breed. This has led to a fan theory that he's specifically supposed to be some sort of atavistic throwback to the "fyreworms" that, according to legend, the Valyrians crossed with wyverns to create dragons.
Series Mascot: Compared to Syrax usually being featured in promotional materials together with Rhaenyra, Caraxes tends to be shown on his own whenever a dragon is emphasized. His size compared to the others definitely help.
Uncatty Resemblance: Dragon and rider are both Blood Knights. Also, Daemon favors the color red in his clothing early on, and Caraxes' scales are as red as rubies.

Meleys

Meleys the Red Queen

"Beware the beast beneath the boards."

— Helaena Targaryen

Princess Rhaenys Targaryen's claimed dragon, nicknamed "the Red Queen" as the prior mount to Princess Alyssa Targaryen, mother to Viserys and Daemon. The fastest dragon in all the realm.

Animal Motifs: Resembles a falcon and flies much like one, highlighting her speed and agility in the air.
Dig Attack: How she and Rhaenys escape the Dragonpit, interrupting Aegon's coronation in the process.
Dragons Are Demonic: Intentional or not, Meleys breaking through the Dragonpit and caving in the attending population of King's Landing, swiping and likely killing scores of people in the process, is received with the appropriate terror such a beast should receive. The fact that she and Rhaenys had practically all of the Green court dead to rights in front of her, terrified as they were caught without their own dragons, heightens it. Her appearance also evokes this tropes, combining a narrow, menacing hawk-shaped head with Spikes of Villainy and a blood-red color scheme.
Giant Flyer: Shown to be larger in size than Seasmoke during the Velaryon host's arrival for Rhaenyra's wedding to Laenor.
Lightning Bruiser: The few seconds of her debut in flight show that she is a more nimble, graceful and fast flyer than her size would suggest.^{From the books...}
Mighty Roar: Rhaenys has her do an extended one on Aegon and his parents and siblings instead of incinerating them, both as a show of the rider's contempt and as a warning.
Our Dragons Are Different: Has a more falcon-like build and avian head, with small, sharp spikes adorning her head and neck and a noticeable lack of a tail fin.

Vermax

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlcsnap_2022_10_19_14h21m51s500.png

"Once they are fully bound to you they will refuse to take instruction from any other."

— Dragonkeeper at the Dragonpit

Prince Jacaerys Velaryon's bonded dragon. Hatched from an egg placed in his cradle and named in honour of his mother's dragon.

Gigantic Adults, Tiny Babies: By the time he reappears in Episode 10, he is now almost as big as Meleys.
Older Than They Look: Even as an adult, Vermax still retains a rounded head and more baby-like proportions.
Our Dragons Are Different: Has a head shape similar to Caraxes but has two neck frills similar to a cobra's hood, and is a brilliant green in color.
Pint-Sized Powerhouse: He's younger and smaller than the other dragons seen in the show, about the size of Drogon in Season 4 of Game of Thrones, but he still takes two Dragonpit trainers to restrain him and has a breath powerful enough to roast a live goat in an instant. He's implied to be the same age as Jace, born of the egg-in-the-Targaryen's-princeling's-cradle tradition.
Raptor Attack: In his youth, his near-human size and aggressiveness gave off a Jurassic Park velociraptor vibe.

Arrax

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlcsnap_2022_10_24_19h02m25s845.png

"None of our dragons have been to war."

— Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen

Prince Lucerys Velaryon's bonded dragon. Hatched from an egg placed in his cradle.

Cruel and Unusual Death: Vhagar literally slices him in two with her teeth and jaws, leaving only the tail, one leg and one wing falling off.
Curb-Stomp Battle: In the receiving end against Vhagar
The Dog Bites Back: After being chased and intimidated by Vhagar in the midst of a hurricane, Arrax seems to lash out in panic, against Luke's will, by spitting fire in her face before flying away. Unfortunately for him, Vhagar after that act goes for the kill and devours him along with his rider.
Fragile Speedster: Arrax is a young and slim dragon, and takes full advantage of his light build to travel fast. However, when he's caught by a bigger dragon, such as Vhagar, he goes down very easily.
Leeroy Jenkins: After being hounded by Vhagar and her rider, Aemond, Arrax defies the orders of his own rider, Lucerys, to simply flee and instead attacks the much larger and stronger Vhagar with his fire breath. This immediately costs both Arrax and Lucerys their lives to Vhagar's subsequent counterattack. That said, it’s very likely this is an act of panic as opposed to aggression.
New Meat: The first unseasoned dragon to debut in combat and one of the youngest overall. He ends up being a rather literal example courtesy of Vhagar's jaws.
Theme Naming: Shares the suffix -ax with Rhaenyra's Syrax and Jacaerys' Vermax.
Uncatty Resemblance: Arrax's youth, slender build, lack of experience mirror Lucerys' own qualities.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Introduced in the same episode he's killed.

Tyraxes

Prince Joffrey's bonded dragon.

Moondancer

Princess Baela's bonded dragon.

Green faction Dragons

Vhagar

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlcsnap_2022_10_24_23h54m53s471_4.png

"I imagine even dragons get lonely."

— King Viserys Targaryen

The last of Aegon the Conqueror's original three dragons, born during the Century of Blood and the oldest and largest living dragon in the series's setting.

Always Second Best: Albeit she is huge at the time of House of the Dragon, Vhagar is still smaller than Balerion at the time of his death, even when she's the largest extant dragon at that point.
Animal Motifs: Has physical features of tortoises, komodo dragons and dinosaurs, befitting her being an ancient, elderly creature from an age long since past.
Beast of Battle: Moreso than any other dragon in the setting due to her history as the personal mount of Visenya Targaryen during Aegon's Conquest, and subsequent use in wars going forward.
Berserk Button: Befitting her age, Vhagar gets noticeably annoyed and angry when she's disturbed or attacked.
Bond Creatures: She has bonded with several riders in her long lifetime and has outlived them all—from Queen Visenya Targaryen during Aegon's conquest, Baelon "The Brave" Targaryen, and Laena Velaryon. Aemond Targaryen is the latest to claim her successfully.
The Bus Came Back: She enters the story during episode 6. Vhagar is absent at the start of the series, having outgrown the Dragonpit and thus not living there anymore.
Laena: Do you know where Vhagar is now?
Viserys: Er, the Dragonkeepers believe she made home somewhere on the coast of the Narrow Sea.
The Dreaded: She's by far the largest and oldest dragon introduced in the plot, having once been the dragon of one of the sister-wives of Aegon I the Conqueror and for this very reason her being among the Greens makes this faction a very credible threat to the deployment of the Blacks (which instead have more — although smaller, — dragons on their side).
Famed In-Story: Was ridden by Visenya Targaryen in Aegon's Conquest, and is thus the most famous of her kith and kin still alive. Laena and Aemond, both young dragon enthusiasts, are eager to claim her when given the opportunity.
Gentle Giant: A terrifying beast of mass destruction, sure, but one who loved her rider Laena, hesitating to burn her as she pleads to die and attending her funeral on Driftmark of her own volition. Significantly less so, however, once Aemond claims her.
Giant Flyer: Outsizes all other dragons in the hands of Houses Targaryen and Velaryon, and thus also reigns as the strongest. Fittingly, in her appearances in "The Princess and the Queen", she absolutely dwarfs Caraxes, himself a fairly large dragon. ^{From the books...}
Hidden Depths: Surprising for a dragon, but Vhagar actually seems to have a coping mechanism consisting of self-isolation when dealing with grief, such as when her riders Baelon and Laena died at different points in her lifetime.
- Vhagar displays genuine reluctance to mercy-kill Laena and even isolates herself after doing the deed. When Aemond is about to claim and ride her, Vhagar actually appears annoyed that she's being bothered.
- In episode 10 when Arrax attacks her after being hounded by Aemond, Vhagar lets out an angry roar before pursuing the much smaller dragon despite Aemond's protests.
It Can Think: As Luke, Arrax, and Aemond realize in episode 10, Vhagar disobeys Aemond's commands and makes a point to outmaneuver the much smaller Arrax and kill him and Luke.
Last of Her Kind: She is the last living dragon to have hatched before the founding of the Seven Kingdoms and the last of Aegon the Conqueror's three dragons.
Lonely at the Top: Suggested by Viserys. The other dragons whom she flew with in the Conquest (Balerion and Meraxes) are long dead, and because she's now too big to fit in the Dragonpit where the other dragons are, she's consigned to living alone, away from others.
Long-Lived: She's around 200 years old at the time of the series.
Mercy Kill: In episode 6 when Laena realizes that she will die in childbirth (either naturally or possibly being killed in an attempt to save her breeched child's life), she escapes the castle to find Vhagar and begs the dragon to kill her so that she can die a dragonrider's death. Vhagar is noticeably reluctant to do so but ultimately obliges, burning Laena and her unborn child alive with her dragonfire.
Monstrous Cannibalism: After being attacked by the very young dragon Arrax (after Vhagar chased and intimidated him), she retaliates by devouring him midair, and his rider Lucerys along with him.
Moody Mount: She's none too pleased when Aemond approaches her on the night of Laena's funeral, seeming genuinely annoyed that she's being disturbed. Whe times when Aemond is flying her has her roaring and groaning considerably more than other dragons. To say nothing of her outright disobeying Aemond in episode 10 and killing Lucerys and Arrax as well.
Mutually Assured Destruction: Due to being the largest and strongest dragon, Vhagar is rightfully seen as the most prized of them all, which deters any attack on her owner. It was such that the deceased Laena Velaryon's daughters, Baela and Rhaena, were hoping to keep her for themselves. Unfortunately for these plans, however, it was Aemond, in his daring, who mounts Vhagar and successfully claims her — in exchange for an eye he loses when the Velaryon heirs confront him over it. Otto Hightower, the prince's grandfather, is suitably impressed and grateful for it, for this now gives the Hightower-Targaryens their biggest deterrent. Rhaenyra's faction doesn't have dragons large enough to confront Vhagar when the Blacks-Greens war erupts, so Daemon Targaryen steps in to ensure the second biggest dragon, Vermithor, will be claimed by someone from the Dragonstone Targaryen side to even the odds.
Never Mess with Granny: Is nearly 200 years old at the series's start, and certainly is showing her age, with her tattered wings and wrinkly sagging skin. However, she is by far the largest of the dragons, twice as big as Caraxes (who is already said to be big by dragon standards), and certainly is not a creature to be messed with.
Odd Friendship: With her riders. Vhagar was noticeably grieving for years after Baelon died, and reluctantly mercy-killed Laena.
Old Retainer: A nearly 200-year-old dragon ridden by several generations of Targaryens (at least four that we know of).
Our Dragons Are Different: Though she's from the same "breed" as Daenerys's dragons, with a T-Rex-like head, the showrunners explained in interviews that they wanted to show what a dragon looked like when it grew almost 200 years old. Taking the idea from the books that "dragons never stop growing" and running with it, they decided that dragons eventually die when they grow so big that it just isn't physically possible to sustain their biology anymore, even in this Fantasy world (the Square-Cube Law is a harsh mistress). Thus Vhagar is an extremely large and powerful, but old and gnarled grandmother of a dragon. Her skin is sagging on her throat and belly, her scales look overgrown with each other, and she has a much thicker skull and jaws. The designers also used centuries-old large species of turtles as a reference for her neck posture: her skull has become so disproportionately heavy that her own neck strains to lift it, so her neck is noticeably bowed and held lower. On top of this her main horns atop her head have all snapped off from their own weight, giving her an uncanny resemblance to a balding old woman.
Rent-a-Zilla: This old beast is immense, dwarfing every other dragon. When Aemond approaches her while sleeping, she is taller than Season 8 Drogon, and she's lying down. In the "How to Claim Your Dragon" featurette video on the making of this sequence, Nikeah Forde, the visual effects producer of the series estimate that she's 150 metres long.
Spanner in the Works: As Lucerys departs from Storm's End on Arrax, Aemond chases them on Vhagar, intending only to intimidate and scare him. However, Vhagar acts on her own accord and kills both Lucerys and Arrax, destroying any chance for a peaceful resolution between the Blacks and the Greens, and beginning the Dance of the Dragons in earnest.
Spotlight-Stealing Squad: While promotional materials would have us believe that the dragons that would have most character importance are Syrax and Caraxes (the mounts of ostensible protagonists Rhaenyra and Daemon), Vhagar inadvertently becomes the most important and plot-pivotal dragon from Episode 6 onwards. To be fair, it is understandable considering her age, strength, and firepower is unsurpassed among all the dragons. Nevertheless, it can be quite jarring to see Syrax and Caraxes reduced to background characters compared to her—even with their resurgence in importance in Episode 10.
To Serve Man: Devours Lucerys in Episode 10, and his dragon Arrax along with him.

Sunfyre

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20221004_084246_chrome.jpg

King Aegon II Targaryen's dragon.

The Cameo: Makes a small appearance at Driftmark as the dragonriders attend Laena's funeral.
Gold Is Yellow: Appears to be far more of a bright yellow color than Syrax, the other dragon described as "golden".

Dreamfyre

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Princess Helaena Targaryen's claimed dragon.

The Cameo: Appears briefly in the Dragon Pit, scaring Aemond away with a burst of flame, and later attends the funeral at Driftmark with her rider.
Meaningful Name: Dreamfyre eventually becomes the dragon mount of Helaena, who has some very potent prophetic dreams.^note
Old Retainer: She is the second oldest Targaryen Dragon still living, after Vhagar, having once been the dragon of Rhaena Targaryen, the Conqueror's granddaughter, and Jaehaerys's eldest sister.
Uncanny Family Resemblance: Is shown to very closely resemble Drogon, despite all the dragons in the series having markedly unique designs.^{From the books...}

Unclaimed Dragons

Seasmoke

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20220928_073212_chrome.jpg

Ser Laenor Velaryon's claimed dragon. Together with Caraxes, he saw action in the War for the Stepstones.

Adaptational Badass: Together with Laenor Velaryon's own, seeing combat action at the Stepstones and successfully ending that war. In the books, Seasmoke has basically no battle experience to the point in time where Season 1 would end, as book!Laenor is not a warrior.
Adaptational Early Appearance: Throughout Fire & Blood, it was noted that Seasmoke, despite being bound to Laenor Velaryon, was never really ridden (either for general riding or combat), and would only truly enter combat during the Dance of the Dragons. Here, he fought and successfully burned Triarchy forces at the Stepstones.
Bond Creatures: Served as one to Laenor Velaryon. This also makes him, together with Meleys, one of the few dragons under the nominal power of House Velaryon. As of the end of Season 1, he is unclaimed due to the disappearance of his master.
Our Dragons Are Different: Resembles Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion from Game of Thrones, but is ash-grey with orange wing membranes and has markedly curved horns.
Uncanny Family Resemblance: Compared to the first two dragons that were introduced in the series before him (Syrax and Caraxes), Seasmoke shares more than passing similarities with the dragons Daenerys Targaryen would command centuries later—including head shape and back fin design. Apparently, they're the same "breed" of dragons.

Vermithor

Vermithor the Bronze Fury

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The great dragon once ridden by King Jaehaerys I, famed as the "Bronze Fury". It's the largest Targaryen dragon born post-Conquest, second largest to Vhagar. Riderless at the end of Season 1, Vermithor dwells in Dragonstone's caverns at the Dragonmont.

Famed In-Story: He has the distinction of having been the personal dragon of the most highly regarded Targaryen king.
Giant Flyer: The second-largest Targaryen dragon in existence after Vhagar herself. When we get a look at him in the Season 1 finale, he's even larger than Caraxes, who's grown quite big on his own.^{From the books...}
Godzilla Threshold: As the second-largest of the living Targaryen dragons, Vermithor is the Blacks' best hope of evening the odds against the Greens and Vhagar.
Music Soothes the Savage Beast: Daemon comes to his cavern to sing to him in High Valyrian, presumably to acclimate him to human contact, and therefore a future rider.
Mutually Assured Destruction: The Blacks need to claim Vermithor in order to even the odds against the Greens-controlled Vhagar.
Old Retainer: He was initially the dragon of Jaehaerys, and is already nearly 100 years old by the time the Dance breaks out.

Silverwing

The dragon once ridden by Good Queen Alysanne. Currently untamed and living in Dragonstone's caverns with her mate Vermithor.

Famed In-Story: She was the dragon of Queen Alysanne, the beloved wife of King Jaehaerys I.

Others

Balerion

Balerion the Black Dread

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f59a4805f2.jpg

"Balerion was the last living creature to have seen Valyria before the Doom. Its greatness and its flaws."

— King Viserys Targaryen

The deceased dragon of Aegon the Conqueror. Born while the Valyrian Freehold still reigned at its height and perhaps the single longest-lived being in the world save the Earthsingers. Balerion assisted in the forging of the Iron Throne by melting the very swords that make it up under its fiery breath. King Viserys I claimed him shortly before his death.

The Dreaded: By deed and epithet, Balerion was a daunting sight to behold.
Giant Flyer: The largest recorded dragon to have ever existed, second to none. The only dragon that comes close was Vhagar (who helped him conquer Westeros), and she only reached his size 130 years after Aegon's Conquest and 35 years after Balerion's death. And that was only Vhagar being as big as Balerion was during the Conquest, and since dragons never stop growing until they die, Balerion was even larger at his death than Vhagar is now. ^{From the books...}
Long-Lived: As the personal dragon and steed of Aegon the Conqueror, Balerion was the last living creature to have beheld Old Valyria itself and survived the Doom. He died shortly before Viserys' ascension to the throne, but he'd have been at least two hundred years old.
Posthumous Character:
- He passed away during the reign of King Jaehaerys. Balerion's skull is laid out in a crypt of the Red Keep as a reminder of the power of Old Valyria, especially since Balerion was the last creature to ever see Old Valyria before its destruction in the Doom. As his last rider, his death weighs heavily on King Viserys; he has never bonded with another dragon again.
- Over a century and a half after the Dance of the Dragons in Game of Thrones, the skull is no longer exhibited in its crypt nor honored with candles, but simply rests on the ground of a cellar of the Red Keep. Queen Cersei Lannister has it desecrated by its use as target practice for the Scorpion ballista model that's to be used against the dragons of Daenerys Targaryen.
Rule of Symbolism: Viserys having been Balerion's last rider cut both ways in strengthening his position, and weakening it. With Balerion having been the largest, oldest, and most famous of the Targaryen dragons (the dragon of the Conqueror himself), bonding with him, however briefly, enhanced Viserys' reputation and prestige, which helped legitimize him as heir. However, by that same token, after he died, Viserys was left dragon-less, which diminished his personal power, and his standing in his own family.

Characters / House of the Dragon - Dragons

Dragons

Black faction Dragons

Syrax

Caraxes the Blood Wyrm

Meleys the Red Queen

Vermax

Arrax

Tyraxes

Moondancer

Green faction Dragons

Vhagar

Sunfyre

Dreamfyre

Unclaimed Dragons

Seasmoke

Vermithor the Bronze Fury

Silverwing

Others

Balerion the Black Dread

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Characters / House of the Dragon - Dragons

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Dragons

Black faction Dragons

Syrax

Caraxes the Blood Wyrm

Meleys the Red Queen

Vermax

Arrax

Tyraxes

Moondancer

Green faction Dragons

Vhagar

Sunfyre

Dreamfyre

Unclaimed Dragons

Seasmoke

Vermithor the Bronze Fury

Silverwing

Others

Balerion the Black Dread

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Index

Next