All of the Dragons in ‘House of the Dragon’ Explained

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 Episode 4 of House of the Dragon.

The Big Picture

• In the “House of the Dragon” series, several dragons play significant roles in the unfolding events of the Dance of the Dragons. Here are the main dragons and their riders:
• The main dragons involved in the Dance of the Dragons are Caraxes and Vhagar, who are two of the most deadly dragons and ridden by Daemon and Aemond respectively.
• Season 2 introduces new dragons and, if the show follows the book, potential new dragon riders who will be able to ride the larger mounts on Dragonstone.

As the title gives away, House of the Dragon has an abundance of one thing: dragons. From the very beginning, the show says the only thing that can tear down the house of the dragon is itself, which has to do with their flying firepower. More than a century before Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) reintroduces the then-extinct dragons to the world in Game of Thrones, there are many dragons under the control of the Targaryens, giving them an advantage over Westeros’ great houses. But with the inevitable war, the dragons threaten destruction that no other force can cause. But, despite their crucial role, the sheer number of these creatures makes it a challenge to keep all the dragons and the rider each bonded with straight as they rain fire down on Westeros.

Syrax

Rider: Rhaenyra Targaryen

The first dragon to appear is Syrax, who flies over King’s Landing in the first episode. Bonded to Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), the yellow-scaled she-dragon is relatively young. Named after a Valyrian goddess by Rhaenyra, Syrax had no riders before Rhaenyra. She and Rhaenyra share a close bond, as seen by Syrax reacting to Rhaenyra’s emotions in the Season 1 finale. Syrax may not be battle-hardened, but she has contributed to the dragon’s legacy in one significant way: she has produced multiple clutches of eggs. Not every dragon has eggs, and with a finite number of dragons, eggs are an important resource. In Season 2, Episode 3, “The Burning Mill,” Rhaenyra sends four of Syrax’s eggs away with Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell), three of which are intended to be the same eggs that produce Daenerys’ dragons: Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion.

Caraxes

Rider: Daemon Targaryen

Caraxes, sometimes called the Blood Wyrm, is a red dragon with an unusually long neck and, as a young dragon, was noted to be particularly fierce by the Dragonkeepers. In House of the Dragon, Daemon (Matt Smith) rides Caraxes, but before that, Aemon, the oldest son of Jaehaerys and father to Rhaenys (Eve Best), was bonded to the dragon. Caraxes has seen plenty of combat, making him one of the Blacks’ biggest assets. Daemon rode Caraxes in the battle against the Crabfeeder (Daniel Scott-Smith) in Season 1, and even before that, Caraxes flew into the Fourth Dornish War with Aemon. Rhaenyra is already utilizing Caraxes, sending him and Daemon to the Riverlands, making him one of the most active dragons in the war so far.

Seasmoke

Rider: Laenor Velaryon

Seasmoke, as the name suggests, is a gray dragon ridden by Laenor (John MacMillan) in Season 1 because of his Targaryen heritage through his mother. Smaller than Caraxes and with no previous riders, Seasmoke is considered young by dragon standards. But he is large enough for riding and has experience in battle after he and Laenor fought against the Triarchy. However, unlike Syrax and Caraxes, Seasmoke has been riderless since Laenor’s “death.” Now residing on Dragonstone, Seasmoke is restless but uninvolved in the war.

Meleys

Rider: Rhaenys

Known as the Red Queen, Meleys is fittingly ridden by Rhaenys, the Queen who Never Was. Before that, the dragon bonded with Alyssa Targaryen, the mother of Viserys (Paddy Considine) and Daemon, who took both of her sons on a dragon ride when they were mere days old. Meleys is known as the swiftest dragon and can easily outpace Vhagar and Caraxes, and as Rhaenys points out, she is the Blacks’ largest and most experienced dragon. When Rhaenys claimed Meleys, they traveled on royal processions with Rhaenys’ grandfather Jaehaerys, and Rhaenys even rode Meleys into her own wedding. Of course, House of the Dragon fans know Meleys from a different grand entrance when she and Rhaenys escaped the dragonpit and crashed Aegon II’s (Tom Glynn-Carney) coronation. Meleys and Rhaenys assist Rhaenyra’s cause, reinforcing the blockade of the Gullet and defending Rook’s Rest, but she and her rider die in the battle, beaten by Vhagar. However, Meleys proves a capable fighter, overpowering Sunfyre, but Vhagar is too much of a challenge.

Vhagar

Riders: Laena Velaryon & Aemond Targaryen

Vhagar is the oldest living dragon in the series, having fought in Aegon’s Conquest more than a hundred years prior. The green dragon is a giant, several times the size of most others. House of the Dragon shows two of Vhagar’s four riders, Laena (Nanna Blondell) and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell). Before either of them, Visenya, the sister and wife of Aegon I, and Baelon, the father of Viserys and Daemon, rode Vhagar.

Not only does Vhagar’s age give her a size advantage, but it also means she has the most experience in battle. Due to her bond with the fierce Visenya, Vhagar fought many battles in the Conquest. Vhagar has several memorable appearances in House of the Dragon, such as burning Laena on her command and bonding with young Aemond. Vhagar was also the first to demonstrate the brutality of dragons when Aemond lost control, and Vhagar killed Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) and his much smaller mount. As the war continues, Vhagar proves a valuable asset, guarding King’s Landing and killing Maelys. Her sheer size makes Vhagar nearly unbeatable.

Vermax

Rider: Jacaerys Velaryon

Vermax hatched from the egg Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett) was given as a child, temporarily quieting the rumors that he was a bastard and not a true Targaryen. He has distinctive coloring with olive scales and orange wing membranes. After hatching, Vermax immediately bonded with Jace. That was so recently that Vermax is still small for a dragon but growing fast as Jace can ride him considerable distances, traveling all the way to the North on Vermax. Though House of the Dragon does not show Vermax in the snowy North, Fire & Blood notes that the ice and cold made the dragon irritable, which is similar to other dragons who traveled to that region in the book.

Dreamfyre

Rider: Helaena Targaryen

Dreamfyre is another older dragon, having hatched during the reign of Aegon I and bonded with King Jaehaerys’ sister, Rhaena, before the series. After Rhaena’s death, Dreamfyre bonded with Halaena (Phia Saban). Though the queen has not been seen riding the blue and silver dragon in the series, Dreamfyre did appear in Season 1 when Aemond attempted to sneak into the dragonpit to steal an egg after the Pink Dread incident. Dreamfyre is understandably defensive, especially after she has had eggs stolen once before. Fire & Blood details how, while she was bonded to Rhaena, the Targaryen’s friend, Elissa Farman, stole three eggs from the she-dragon before fleeing to Essos. Though her age makes her larger than most dragons in House of the Dragon, neither Dreamfyre nor Halaena are particularly warlike.

Sunfyre

Rider: Aegon II Targaryen

Sunfyre is of extra importance as the dragon of Aegon II. Though he briefly appeared in House of the Dragon Season 1 as he flew over Driftmark for Laena’s funeral, his presence is more significant in Season 2 as Aegon wants to use him in the war. Aegon finally gets his wish in Season 2, Episode 4, when he flies his dragon to Rook’s Rest, and quickly regrets it. Fighting with Meleys, Sunfyre is injured, and when Vhagar joins the fight, both Sunfyre and Aegon are sent crashing to the ground in a fiery explosion. If they are not dead, they are severely injured. Known for his golden scales and matching golden flames, Sunfyre is mentioned in Fire & Blood to be the most beautiful of the dragons, describing his gleaming scales and pale pink wing membranes. His appearance is the inspiration behind Aegon’s personal banner, which features a golden version of the Targaryen symbol on a green background. But, like so many other dragons in this generation, he is young and inexperienced in battle as he hatched during a time of peace, so it’s no surprise that he was not prepared for war.

Arrax

Rider: Lucerys Velaryon

Arrax is the youngest dragon in the series and, unfortunately, the first to die. Arrax hatched from the egg given to Lucerys Velaryon, and the two bonded. However, as both boy and dragon were still young, Arrax was the smallest dragon to appear in House of the Dragon, which proved to be a huge disadvantage. After running into Vhagar and Aemond on their simple messenger task, Vhagar killed Arrax and Lucerys at the end of Season 1, marking the first dragon fight of the series, though it wasn’t much of a contest. As they fled Storm’s End with Vhagar behind them, Arrax grew skittish but showed courage, breathing fire at Vhagar. Yet the bigger dragon won.

Vermithor

Riderless

Vermithor, known as The Bronze Fury, is currently riderless, but the dragon used to be bonded to the old King Jaehaerys (Michael Carter), who appears in the show’s first episode. However, Vermithor is not seen until the Season 1 finale, when Daemon ventures into the depths of Dragonstone to sing to him. Nearly 100 years old, Vermithor hatched from an egg placed in Jaehaerys’ cradle. As Jaaehaerys ruled in a time of peace, Vermithor is not well-versed in battle, but his size makes up for that. Second in size only to Vhagar, Vermithor is a threatening creature, yet he is accustomed to people and not as wild as other riderless dragons and currently resides on Dragonstone.

Moondancer

Rider: Baela Targaryen

Moondancer is bonded to Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia). Season 1 mentions that Baela has a dragon of her own, unlike her sister Rhaena, suggesting that she bonded with Moondancer when they were both very young. In House of the Dragon Season 2, Baela and Moondancer are tasked with watching King’s Landing for movements, which is a perfect job for the dragon as she is known to be swift and nimble, as seen by her chase of Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) in Season 2, Episode 3. Though Fire & Blood kept Moondancer and Baela out of most of the war because Moondancer was too small to ride at the beginning, House of the Dragon changed this detail, sending the pair out early. Yet, Moondancer is still small for a dragon, which can be dangerous.

Tessarion

Rider: Daeron Targaryen

Tessarion, the Blue Queen, has not yet appeared in House of the Dragon, nor has her rider, Daeron, but they are significant nonetheless. Bonded to Aegon II’s youngest brother, Tessarion is the smallest of the Greens’ dragons, but she is nimble. Season 2, Episode 3 mentions that she is nearly big enough for riding, which will be important for the Greens as they gain another dragonrider for their cause. Fire & Blood describes Tessarion as cobalt blue scales with a copper-colored belly and blue flames. Tessarion’s absence in House of the Dragon is easily explained by her remaining near Daeron, who has been in Oldtown for years, but with the kingdom on the brink of war, Aegon II will need all his dragons. Already, Oldtown’s forces are on the move, and the Smal Council has discussed mobilizing Daeron and Tessarion as well.

Other Dragons ‘House of the Dragon’ Discusses

While only so many dragons are alive, not all have appeared onscreen. Season 2, Episode 3 provides two more names, Tyraxes and Stormcloud. Though small, Tyraxes is bonded to Rhaenyra’s third son, Joffrey (Oscar Eskinazi). Sent to the Vale to ensure their alliance, Tyraxes does not appear in the series, but he gets a mention. The same is true for Stormcloud, sent away for safety with his rider, Aegon the younger, Rhaenyra’s fourth son. Rhaena refers to him as “a hatchling” (judging by baby Aegon’s age, that isn’t an exaggeration). With the princes and their dragons, Rhaenyra sends four eggs to Rhaena, calling them the future, which is very literal considering three are Daenerys’ in Game of Thrones, but that leaves one unaccounted for, so potentially, a new dragon could appear. Four other dragons living on Dragonstone are mentioned in Season 1, Episode 10, “The Black Queen.” Daemon names Silverwing and acknowledges three wild, riderless dragons, but he counts them as Rhaenyra’s.

Of course, other dragons will not participate in the impeding Dance because they are already dead. Two dragon skulls appear in the Targaryens’ castles. One is the massive skull of Balerion, the Black Dread, the last surviving dragon to see Valyria. Ridden by Aegon I, Maegor, Aerea, and most recently, Viserys I, Balerion was larger than even Vhagar. His remains appear as Viserys tells his daughter of Aegon’s prophecy in Season 1. The other dead dragon is Meraxes, ridden by Aegon I’s sister-wife, Rhaenys (not to be confused with her descendant of the same name). As seen in Season 2, Episode 1, Meraxes’ skull rests in Dragonstone, reminding the family that dragons can be killed as she was shot out of the sky by a Dornish scorpion. These two are an important reminder of the dragons’ history and the fates that can befall them.

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