If there’s one thing one might associate with the Game of Thrones universe, it’s dragons. Who doesn’t love a fearsome, fire-breathing dragon? While Game of Thrones only had three good boys, its prequel spin-off, House of the Dragon, has at least 17 dragons, whether they appear on-screen or are referenced. As of writing, certain dragons in George R.R. Martin’s intricately detailed world have yet to make their small-screen debut.
As we prepare to return to Westeros for House of the Dragon Season 3, let’s dive into the realm’s 10 largest dragons, ranging from those you know to some you might not (and a few you’ve only heard in passing). It’s crucial to brush up on your dragon knowledge now because the Targaryen civil war is about to kick into high gear.
Balerion – The Black Dread
You’ve undoubtedly seen this fella’s skull mounted on the wall in the Red Keep in House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. Balerion the Black Dread’s first rider was Aegon the Conqueror – the Aegon who blazed a path for Targaryens to rule Westeros. He was the largest of the dragons since Aegon’s Conquest. His scales and wings were the color of pitch, and his fire was black with swirls of red. It’s said that his shadow is so massive that it “could engulf entire towns when he passed overhead.” Balerion could also swallow an aurochs whole. In George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones, specifically Chapter 13, it’s hinted that Balerion’s jaws were large enough to consume a mammoth whole.
He was born in Valyria, potentially in or before 114 BC (Before the Conquest). He was quite young during the Doom of Valyria in 102 BC, and he was one of five dragons who accompanied Lord Aenar Targaryen to Dragonstone. However, he was the last living creature to witness the Freehold in all its glory.
After Aegon I’s death, Balerion had three other riders: Maegor I Targaryen, Princess Aerea Targaryen, and Viserys I Targaryen. In 93 AC, Viserys briefly claimed him, but Balerion was too feeble to carry the prince beyond the skies above King’s Landing. He passed away in 94 AC of old age.
Meraxes
Rhaenyra Targaryen mentions Meraxes by name in House of the Dragon Season 2. This beauty was the second-largest dragon in the realm after Balerion when she was alive (Vhagar was smaller than her during this time). Like Balerion, she was named after one of the old gods of Valyria. Her first and only rider was Queen Rhaenys Targaryen, Aegon I’s sister-wife. Meraxes was born on Dragonstone, sometime during the Century of Blood (it’s purported to be between 114 BC and 88 BC). Meraxes boasted silver scales (almost white in appearance) and gleaming golden eyes.
Meraxes adored Rhaenys, the latter of whom spent more time on dragonback than Aegon and her sister Queen Visenya Targaryen. The she-dragon saw a lot of action during Aegon’s Conquest, flying beside Balerion and Vhagar as Aegon, Visenya, and Rhaenys made Westeros bend the knee. Unfortunately, Meraxes and Rhaenys died in 10 AC in Hellholt during the First Dornish War, felled by an iron bolt through the eye. In the aftermath of their deaths, Aegon and Visenya went on a rampage called the Dragon’s Wroth, burning every Dornish stronghold in their path.
Vhagar – The Queen of All Dragons
You know Vhagar as Prince Aemond Targaryen’s winged – and wizened – beast in House of the Dragon. Here, she’s almost as big as Balerion, but it took many years for her to reach this size. Also named after a god of old Valyria, Vhagar hatched sometime during the Century of Blood on Dragonstone. Her dragonriders include the aforementioned Visenya, Prince Baelon Targaryen, Lady Laena Velaryon, and now Aemond. Vhagar’s scales are “bronze with greenish-blue highlights,” complemented by “bright green eyes.” She can swallow a horse in its entirety (so hide your horses … and maybe hold them, too).
Not to mention, her roar is so powerful that it can “shake the very foundations of Storm’s End.” In Martin’s A Clash of Kings, Tyrion Lannister notes that Vhagar’s breath “could melt a knight’s armor and cook him inside.” In short, she’s not to be trifled with (this applied especially during her heyday).
With Balerion gone, Vhagar is currently the largest and oldest dragon in Westeros. She’s seen her fair share of battles. Aemond will no doubt put her through the wringer in Season 3.
The Cannibal
The Cannibal is only mentioned indirectly in House of the Dragon Season 1, and there’s no telling if we’ll actually see him in the series. That said, this big boy is the largest and oldest of the wild dragons. Yes, Cannibal is riderless, dwelling on Dragonstone in the Dragonmont. He’s not a team player, either, and doesn’t get along with his fellow dragon residents. Bearing black scales and green eyes, the Cannibal earned his moniker from the smallfolk because he feasts on the carcasses of other dragons. He even eats newborn dragons and dragon eggs. In addition to being an ardent practitioner of cannibalism, this untamed beast was purportedly born on Dragonstone before or in 114 BC. No one knows his exact age.
The smallfolk of Dragonstone also claim that the Cannibal is even older than Vhagar, and that she predates the Targaryens’ arrival in the aftermath of the Doom of Valyria. However, these are just rumors. Regardless, in Martin’s Targaryen compendium, Fire & Blood, he notes that none of the dragonseeds attempted to mount the Cannibal during the Red Sowing. That’s definitely for the best.
Vermithor – The Bronze Fury
Prior to Hugh Hammer claiming him in House of the Dragon Season 2, Vermithor, also known as the Bronze Fury, had one other rider: Jaehaerys I Targaryen. This towering creature is, well, bronze, with potentially red or golden flames. Legend has it that he hatched from an egg placed in the cradle of Jaehaerys I. By 48 AC, he accepted the late king as his rider. Vermithor bonded with Jaehaerys I and his queen’s dragon, Silverwing, over the decades that followed. He was alive during the completion of the Dragonpit on the Hill of Rhaenys in 55 AC, but he stayed at the Red Keep with Silverwing.
Vermithor saw his fair share of war during Jaehaerys I’s reign. The king rode him into battle during the Fourth Dornish War. Following his first rider’s death, Vermithor was riderless and remained so during Viserys I’s time on the Iron Throne. That is, until he bent his neck to Hugh, a dragonseed whose mother was purportedly Princess Saera Targaryen.
Silverwing
Silverwing is probably the friendliest of the dragons in the Game of Thrones universe. Potentially born sometime between 36 and 42 AC in King’s Landing, it’s rumored that Silverwing hatched from an egg placed in Queen Alysanne Targaryen’s cradle. She boasts stunning silver scales, and her flames are potentially blue. She and Vermithor are two peas in a pod, just like their first riders were. Like Vermithor, Silverwing only had one rider before Ulf White claimed her.
During Jaehaerys I’s long reign, Alysanne rode Silverwing across Westeros, accompanying her husband whenever he would treat with lords or hold audiences in various villages. One recorded period of estrangement between Alysanne and Jaehaerys I, known as the Second Quarrel, saw Silverwing fly her rider to Dragonstone, where she remained away from Westeros’ capital for two years. Following Alysanne’s death in 100 AC, Silverwing remained riderless until Ulf, who claimed to be the bastard son of Prince Baelon Targaryen, came around in 129 AC during the Red Sowing.
Dreamfyre
It’s fitting that Queen Helaena Targaryen, who’s a dreamer specifically in House of the Dragon, has a dragon named Dreamfyre. Unfortunately, Helaena never rides her, and she remains in the Dragonpit in King’s Landing. Anyway, Dreamfyre hatched in 32 AC during the reign of Aegon I. She bonded with her first rider, Princess Rhaena Targaryen, who was the king’s granddaughter. While she’s a large dragon, she’s also quite slender in frame, boasting pale blue scales complete with silver flourishes. Rhaena and Dreamfyre flew all over Westeros. However, following the death of her father, Aenys I Targaryen, she made a beeline for Fair Isle to avoid Maegor I’s wrath after he usurped the crown.
At one point, Rhaena was forced to wed Maegor I, so Dreamfyre returned to King’s Landing. The union didn’t last long, though, with Rhaena fleeing the Red Keep with Dreamfyre, her daughter, Aerea, and Maegor I’s Valyrian steel sword, Blackfyre. While it’s not officially canon, it’s theorized that Dreamfyre is the mother of Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons – Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion. In Fire & Blood, Rhaena’s lover, Elissa Farman, stole three dragon eggs from Dragonstone, which were possibly the eggs Dreamfyre laid at Fair Isle. Elissa fled to Pentos with them.
After Rhaena’s death in 73 AC, Dreamfyre remained riderless until Helaena claimed her in 120 AC.
Sheepstealer
While not mentioned by name and only referenced as a “wild dragon” roaming the Vale, Sheepstealer makes an appearance in the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale. He’s another wild dragon. Born in or after 35 AC on Dragonstone, Sheepstealer gets his name from his favorite delicacy: sheep. His story changes quite a bit in the show, where he’s seen by Princess Rhaena Targaryen feasting on mutton in the Vale. However, in Fire & Blood, Sheepstealer dwells in the Dragonmont. A bastard girl named Nettles claims him during the Red Sowing. From there, Nettles and Sheepstealer fight for Rhaenyra. The writers appear to be giving Nettles’ story to Rhaena and instead have her bond with Sheepstealer.
In addition to stealing sheep for his supper, Sheepstealer bears brown scales with red or golden flames. He’s only ill-tempered with humans when provoked. Otherwise, he’ll leave you alone.
Caraxes – The Blood Wyrm
Caraxes is unique among dragons due to his slender, worm-like neck. Boasting rich crimson scales, the Blood Wyrm is a battle-experienced, formidable creature with a huge but lean build. He was born sometime before or in 72 AC, presumably in King’s Landing. Before bending his neck to Prince Daemon Targaryen, Caraxes’ first rider was Prince Aemon Targaryen, the son of Jaehaerys I and Alysanne. Aemon was the heir apparent to the Iron Throne. Caraxes spent a lot of time with Vhagar, whose rider at the time was Baelon, and Meleys, whose first rider was Princess Alyssa Targaryen, during Aemon’s adolescence.
Aemon rode Caraxes during the Fourth Dornish War. After Aemon’s death in 92 AC, Caraxes remained riderless until Daemon claimed him around 105 AC. While he’s certainly not the biggest dragon on this list, Caraxes’ long neck and fighting abilities make him a force of nature.
Drogon
You might be asking why Drogon is on this list in place of, say, Meleys. Drogon’s not the largest boy in the bunch, but he’s the biggest of Dany’s dragons, to be sure. In Martin’s Game of Thrones books, Drogon is known as “Balerion come again” because he was believed to be the Black Dread’s spiritual successor. His black scales bear streaks of red, and his eyes gleam like hot coals. While on the show, his fire is red/orange; in the source material, it’s black with tinges of crimson.
Dany was clearly closest to Drogon, who was her personal mount. Drogon didn’t have the advantage of growing up in the Dragonpit or in an environment suitable for dragons, so it’s quite impressive that he’s as massive as he is. After all, he hatched in 298 AC in the Dothraki Sea. By the time Game of Thrones ends, Drogon is still young, and his size is imposing, to say the least. Drogon is officially the last surviving dragon in the series, and only time will tell if the franchise ever continues his story. Perhaps he’s meant to vanish among the ruins of Old Valyria.
What are your favorite dragons in Game of Thrones? Let us know in the comments.
