House of the Dragon: All dragons and dragonriders

House of the Dragon spent its first season arguing over who should sit on the Iron Throne. By the end of season 2, the question has become much simpler: Which side in this familial civil war has the bigger dragons?

The Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons is fully underway in season 3, and the balance of power has shifted dramatically. While Aemond and Vhagar remain the single most terrifying force in Westeros, Rhaenyra responded in season 2 by recruiting a new generation of dragonriders from among the commonfolk, referred to as the “dragonseeds.” This transformed several riderless dragons residing at Dragonstone into powerful weapons for Team Black.

With season 3 poised to bring some of the largest battles in franchise history, it can be difficult to keep track of who is riding what dragon, which dragons have died, and where the remaining wild dragons fit into the war. Here’s every major dragon in House of the Dragon, their rider, and which side they’re fighting for.

[Ed. note: This story contains spoilers through the end of House of the Dragon‘s season 3 premiere episode.]

GREENS

Vhagar

Image: HBO

Riders: Laena (deceased), Aemond Targaryen

The oldest and biggest of the Targaryen dragons in Westeros — and the only living remnant of Aegon’s conquest — Vhagar was once ridden by Visenya Targaryen when she, her brother, and their sister united the seven kingdoms. Vhagar then passed to Baelon Targaryen, before eventually being claimed by Laena Velaryon. After Laena’s death in season 1, the dragon remained riderless for only a short time before being claimed by Aemond Targaryen, whose dragon egg baby gift did not hatch. Despite Vhagar’s age, she remains one of the most fearsome and dangerous dragons in Westeros, and is now ridden by one of the Greens’ most ardent supporters.

Vhagar and Aemond were directly responsible for Lucerys’ death at the end of season 1. Then, they killed Rhaenys Targaryen and her dragon Meleys during the Battle of Rook’s Rest in season 2. In that same battle, they severely wounded King Aegon II and killed his dragon Sunfyre.

Sunfyre

Rider: Aegon II Targaryen

Death: Wounded by Vhagar during the Battle of Rook’s Rest and later succumbed to its wounds

A bright-gold dragon with pink-membraned wings, Sunfyre was the dragon of King Aegon II Targaryen and a swift flier, though far from the biggest of the Targaryens’ dragons. That made him, aside from Vhager, one of Team Green’s bigger assets — even if sending the king into battle poses a major risk. In Fire & Blood, the source material the show is based on, Archmaester Gyldayn descreibes Sunfyre as the most beautiful dragon ever seen in the known world.

During season 2’s Battle of Rook’s Rest, Aemond ordered Vhagar to emit a huge burst of flames that severely wounded both his brother, King Aegon II Targaryen, and his dragon Sunfyre. The dragon seemingly survived the attack and was seen breathing on the ground, but in the season 2 finale, Aegon II says that Sunfyre died. This marks a huge deviation from the book, in which Sunfyre plays a role in a crucial moment in the story — so it’s unclear how the show might approach that.

Dreamfyre

Rider: Rhaena Targaryen, Helaena Targaryen

Dreamfyre is a pale-blue dragon, older but more slender than most of the others. She was hatched during the reign of King Aegon I Targaryen and bonded with Princess Rhaena Targaryen quickly. The two were paired for about 40 years until Rhaena’s death. After Dreamfyre relocated to King’s Landing, she was claimed by Helaena Targaryen, who eventually became Aegon II’s queen. Although Aemond tried pressuring Helaena to ride Dreamfyre into battle during House of the Dragon‘s season 2 finale, the queen refused.

BLACKS

Syrax

Rider: Rhaenyra Targaryen

Rhaenyra is likely the first rider of Syrax, a dragon she named after a Valyrian goddess when the princess claimed the dragon at 9 years old. Syrax was nearly as large and threatening as Caraxes, though Rhaenyra has not ridden her into a true battle, even by the end of the second season. She had every intention of joining the Battle of the Gullet atop Syrax, but her son locked her in her room at Dragonstone. Syrax lived in captivity in King’s Landing for years and hadn’t even hunted in years. Despite her size, she lacks any combat experience.

Caraxes

Rider: Aemon Targaryen, Daemon Targaryen

Caraxes may be about half the size of Vhagar, but Daemon and Caraxes make up perhaps the most dangerous rider and dragon combo on the show. Both have a great deal of combat experience that, despite apparent skill, Aemond lacks. Caraxes was born about 65 years or perhaps more before the Dance of Dragons and was first bonded to Prince Aemon Targaryen. For about 20 years, the two played a vital role in various military engagements, including the Fourth Dornish War and an invasion of Myrmen. Almost 15 years after Aemon’s death, Daemon Targaryen claimed the dragon as his own.

By the time of the Dance of Dragons, Caraxes is one of the largest and most dangerous of all the remaining dragons, thanks to the fact that Daemon Targaryen has spent much of his adult life waging war. Caraxes and Daemon fought in the Stepstones against the Triarchy and the Crabfeeder in season 1, then in the Riverlands in season 2.

Meleys

Rider: Alyssa Targaryen, Rhaenys Targaryen

Death: Killed by Vhagar above Rook’s Rest

Meleys was known as the Red Queen thanks to her red scales and pink wing membrane. Meleys was an old dragon, but in her younger days she was perhaps the swiftest and most nimble of all the Westerosi dragons. Despite her age, however, she remained fearsome in battle. Meleys’ first rider was none other than Alyssa Targaryen, Viserys and Daemon’s mother. A few short years after Alyssa’s death during child labor, Rhaenys claimed Meleys as her own.

In the season 2 premiere, Rhaenys and Meleys were shown patrolling over “a hundred miles of open sea” to hold the Sea Snake’s blockade. Later that season, when Rhaenys and Meleys went to stop Ser Criston Cole from taking over Rook’s Rest, they met an untimely death by Vhagar.

Vermax

Rider: Jacaerys Velaryon

Death: Struck by a grapnel and dragged into the sea at the Battle of the Gullet

Vermax hatched from the egg that was given to Jacaerys when he was an infant in a stunt partially designed to prove his status as a true-born Targaryen. As such, Vermax is fairly small compared to many of the dragons depicted on the show. During the season 3 premiere, Jace flew Vermax into the Battle of the Gullet. Toward the end of the battle, when trying to protect

Arrax

Rider: Lucerys Velaryon

Death: Killed by Vhagar somewhere in the skies above Storm’s End

Just like his brother’s dragon, Luke’s was hatched from an egg he was given at birth. This means that the dragon is quite small during the events of the show. Vhagar pursued Luke and Arrax as they were leaving Storm’s End in season 1, and they were easy prey for the world’s largest dragon. Luke’s death is ultimately what kickstarted the Dance of Dragons civil war.

Moondancer

Rider: Baela Targaryen

Moondancer is a slender, pale green dragon with pearl-colored horns and wingbones. The dragon bonded with Baela when both were at a young age. In Fire & Blood, Moondancer is still too small to ride during much of the Dance of Dragons. House of the Dragons mixes things up to make both more actively involved in the war. Baela patrolled the skies over the Crownlands during season 2 and spotted Green troops moving into a forest. They’re also a key asset during the Battle of the Gullet depicted in the season 3 premiere.

Seasmoke

Rider: Laenor Velaryon, Addam of Hull

Seasmoke’s only previous rider was Laenor Velaryon, who gave up the dragon when he slipped away from his life in Westeros and escaped to Essos. Since Laenor’s death, Seasmoke has resided on Dragonstone.

But as we see in the final few episodes of season 2, Seasmoke selected Addam of Hull as its new rider. In “The Red Sowing,” Addam meets Rhaenyra on the beach and pledges fealty if the Targaryen queen will teach him to be a dragonrider.

Vermithor

Rider: Jaehaerys I Targaryen, Hugh Hammer

Vermithor is one of the oldest living dragons in Westeros and resides on Dragonstone. Despite his old age and massive size, we don’t know much about the riders that Vermithor has previously had. But we do know that he was bonded to King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, who rode the dragon until his death. Vermithor is one of the largest dragons to ever reside in Westeros with only Vhagar and Balerion besting him in size. As Rhaenrya tells the Targaryen bastards she’s assembled at Dragonstone, Vermithor is known as the “Bronze Fury.”

And in “The Red Sowing,” those same bastards are lined up to try to bond with Vermithor. Ultimately, Hugh Hammer — a Targaryen bastard of (apparently) Viserys and Daemon’s illegitimate aunt — is the one who wins Vermithor’s favor.

Silverwing

Rider: Jaehaerys I Targaryen, Ulf White

According to legend, Silverwing hatched from an egg placed in the cradle of Alysanne Targaryen, who went on to become queen to King Jaehaerys. Seemingly mirroring the couple’s love, Silverwing and Vermithor often coiled together in the same lair on Dragonstone. Alysanne had been dead for decades when House of the Dragon begins.

In season 2, as Ulf White flees from the carnage caused by Vermithor as various people attempt to bond with the dragon, Ulf winds up meeting Silverwing face-to-face. The two bond, and he becomes one of Black’s new dragonseeds.

Sheepstealer

Rider: Rhaena Targaryen

The aptly named Sheepstealer got his name because he has spent most of his life in the wild stealing people’s sheep. His storyline varies greatly between the book and the show. In House of the Dragon, he’s been lurking around the vale. Rhaena notices the carnage he leaves behind in season 2 and becomes detemined to tame him. She somewhat successfully bonds with the dragon in the season 3 premiere, but not before he abandons her on a mountaintop for an unknown period of time and returns to give her a sheep to eat.

The pair then flew into the Battle of the Gullet only for Sheepstealer to burn everything he saw indiscriminately. This led to Baela and Jace trying to stop them. The chaos that ensued ultimately led to Vermax being shot by a grapnel and Jace’s death.

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