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House of the Dragon is entrancing viewers with the bloody war between Greens and Blacks, with their dragons Westeros’ equivalent of nuclear weapons. But, despite their might, the show’s events depict the final years of dragon might.
This bloody conflict, and the practice of keeping the dragons confined in a dragon pit, planted the seeds that led to the dragons’ extinction in Westeros. During the Targaryen Civil War, many dragons would die and the future dragons became stunted and small.
Their like wouldn’t be seen again until Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen placed her three eggs on a funeral pyre in the flagship series. But long before this, the world of A Song of Ice and Fire had a formidable collection of dragons. Though some are still around in the Game of Thrones spin-off, the most fearsome of these beasts started centuries before, when Aegon the Conqueror rained fire down on Westeros.
5. Meleys, the Red Queen
Though not the largest dragon in the history of the Targaryen dynasty, Meleys has a long history of dragonriders. So named the Red Queen for her brilliant scales, Meleys has had a few riders in her long years traversing the skies. She was first ridden by Viserysand Daemon’s Alyssa Targaryen, who claimed the dragon that never had a rider.
After Alyssa’s death, she was not ridden again until Rhaenys claimed her in the Targaryen fashion. Meleys may not be as flashy as the bigger dragons, but she is necessary in a fight due to her speed and claws.
4. Vermithor, the Bronze Fury
Vermithor was a great dragon with brown scales ridden by King Jaehaerys the Conciliator. The peaceful king had Vermithor from an egg and from the moment he was hatched, the two never parted. He was of great scale, approaching the size of Vhagar and Balerion. He has a more even-tempered disposition than other dragons, but his size and fighting ability is why Rhaenyra is so keen to find a rider for him during her fight to reclaim the Iron Throne.
3. Meraxes
Meraxes was one of 3 dragons involved in Aegon’s conquest. Ridden by one of Aegon’s sister-wives, Rhaenys, the size of the dragon has been of some dispute. However, by all accounts, Meraxes was comparable to Balerion and Vhagar and was said to be able to eat horses whole. The only reason that she is less remembered in the history books is her early death. During Rhaenys’ attempt at conquering Dorne, a bolt from a Scorpion hit Meraxes in the eye, leaving the dragon and her rider to plummet to their deaths. Vhagar and Balerion long outlived their fellow conquering dragon.
2. Vhagar, the Biggest Dragon In Westeros
In the time of the Dance of the Dragons, Vhagar is the oldest dragon in living memory. She’s the only dragon alive during the Doom of Old Valyria and, even in her old age, is still a force to be reckoned with. Vhagar had many riders over the years, the first of which was Visenya, Aegon’s older sister and wife.
When Vhagar became too large for the dragon pit, she flew to the wild and would only be claimed later by Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell). As dragons age, they grow. Vhagar may be slow but with Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) as her rider, she is the most dangerous creature in Westeros.
1. Balerion, the Black Dread
While modern audiences may connect Vhagar with gargantuan size, she still was not as large or as ferocious as the biggest dragon in A Song of Ice and Fire lore. Balerion was Aegon the Conqueror’s mount, larger than both Meraxes and Vhagar, and the only dragon to remember the glory of Old Valyria. With teeth like swords and a breath of black fire, Balerion is the standard that all dragons are held to. So infamous was he that after his death his skull was kept in King’s Landing for all to behold. Balerion was the power that Aegon used to conquer the Seven Kingdoms and no other dragon could hold a candle to him.