Which can take on Vhagar?

The Targaryen civil war is in full effect on the House of Dragons, and the number of dragons is shrinking.

The death of Meleys, along with her rider Rhaenys, finally pushed Rhaenyra to begin looking for people who could mount the riderless dragons she has on Dragonstone. That represented a significant turning point in the Targaryen civil war, as her eventually finding new riders shifted the balance of power in the Targaryen civil war, as the Black’s can now overwhelm Vhagar’s power with sheer numbers.

So, with House of the Dragon’s second season over, it’s a good time to become familiar with which dragons are left in Westeros, who’s side they’re on, and who’s riding them. It’s also worth knowing which ones have any chance of standing up to Aemond and Vhagar.

After the loss of Meleys, team Black needed to find more dragons if they wanted any hope of winning the war. Luckily, they found new riders for three large dragons living on Dragonstone, but just how strong are the new dragons? Here’s an at-a-glance look at our breakdown of which dragons still flying in House of the Dragon are the strongest. This also includes three wild dragons, two of whom haven’t been mentioned on the show, but appear in the books related to the Targaryen civil war, The Dance of Dragons. Below, you’ll find a complete breakdown, including who’s best positioned to take on Vhagar.

1 Vhagar

The largest and most battle-tested dragon in Westeros

HBO / Pocket-lint

• Dragon-rider: Aemond Targaryen
• Age: 181
• Side: Team Green
• Location: King’s Landing

You’ll recognize Vhagar as the gigantic monstrosity that keeps ripping apart Team Black’s dragons.

She was first hatched on Dragonstone, 50 years before the Targaryens took over all of Westeros. Vhagar was claimed by Visenya Targaryen, one of Aegon the Conqueror’s sister-wives. With Visenya as her rider, Vhagar helped Aegon takeover Westeros before becoming a crucial part in fighting Dorne in the decade following the Targaryen’s arrival in Westeros. After Visenya, Vhagar passed to Baelon Targaryen (Viserys and Daemon’s father), and then Laena Velaryon, before finally ending up with Aemond.

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2 Vermithor

The Blacks find a new rider

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• Dragon-rider: Hugh Hammer
• Age: 95
• Side: Team Black
• Location: Dragonstone

The second-largest living dragon is Vermithor, at almost 100-years-old. He was ridden by King Jaehaerys during his entire 55-year reign, but has been riderless since the King died in 103 AC. He spent the 30 years since the King’s death residing in a lair on Dragonstone, before Rhaenyra brought the dragonseeds before Vermithor. He chose Hugh Hammer as his rider. Hammer’s an interesting choice, as we learned he’s King Jaehaery’s grandson in season two. Hugh’s mother is one of Jaehaerys daughters, named Saera, who ran away from her family following a scandal and was never heard from again. Vermithor, also known as the Bronze Fury, has the size to change the equation of the civil war in favor of Team Black, but he’s still slightly smaller than Vhagar.

We got our first glimpse of Vermithor in the season finale of season one, when Daemon attempts to lure the dragon to the Black’s side by serenading it. We’ll have to wait for season 3 to see Hugh and Vermithor as a formidable pair.

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3 Caraxes

Daemon’s unique red dragon

HBO

• Dragon-rider: Daemon Targaryen
• Age: Unknown exactly, but around 60 to 70-years-old
• Side: Team Green
• Location: Harrenhall

Daemon’s dragon is one of the more unique looking dragons in the show. It features red scales and a long, slender neck. The dragon’s similar in size to Meleys, who we recently saw killed at the hands of Vhagar. Daemon’s dragon has a little more fighting experience than Meleys did though, having recently fought with Daemon in the Stepstones conflict during season one. Caraxes was also used in battle by his first rider, Aemon Targaryen, who was Daemon’s uncle.

Caraxes’ exact age isn’t known, only that he was big enough to ride around in 72 AC (After Conquest). That’s 57 years before the events of House of the Dragon, so we can assume he’s at least 60, maybe closer to 70-years-old. That makes him quite a bit smaller than Vhagar, but should also make him quite a bit quicker, if the two should ever face off.

4 The Cannibal

A dragon who eats dragons

Pocket-lint / Dall-E

• Dragon-rider: None
• Age: Over 100 years old
• Side: Wild dragon
• Location: Dragonstone

The Cannibal is one of three wild dragons that have made a home out of the caves on Dragonstone. There’s not a lot known about The Cannibal. We know he’s the largest of the three wild dragons, but not larger than Vermithor. We also know one of the other wild dragons, Sheepstealer is around 100 years old, which means The Cannibal could actually be much older. He’s earned the name The Cannibal by attacking smaller dragons. He hasn’t been mentioned in the show yet, but hopefully we get to see a few unlucky folks attempt to tame him. The Cannibal is described as being an all-black dragon.

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5 Silverwing

The dragon that saw the wall

HBO

• Dragon-rider: Ulf White
• Age: 87-93
• Side: Team Black
• Location: Dragonstone

Queen Alysanne Targaryen’s former dragon is another large dragon that we saw choose a new rider in season two. Silverwing was born around 90 years before the Dance of the Dragons, and is described in the books as being one of the more gentler dragons. She’s most well-known as the dragon that Queen Alysanne flew to the Wall, an event that’s been referenced a few times in both House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. After Alysanne’s death, Silverwing went with Vermithor to Dragonstone and stayed there until she chose Ulf White as her new rider.

Interestingly, Silverwing and Vermithor both chose their former rider’s grandchildren for new riders. That’s if we can believe that Ulf is the bastard son of Prince Baelon as he stated early on in season two. Along with Daemon, who already has a dragon in Caraxes, Hugh and Ulf are the couple’s last surviving grandchildren.

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6 Sheepstealer

Guess how he got that name

HBO

• Dragon-rider: None, but Rhaena Targaryen was approaching the dragon
• Age: Around 100
• Side: Wild dragon
• Location: Vale

Sheepstealer literally made a name for himself stealing the smallfolk’s livestock. In the books, he was born sometime early on during the life of King Jaehaerys, which would put him around 100 years old in The House of the Dragon. He’s smaller than the other dragons around that age range though, but still a large enough dragon to be a serious weapon if Team Black could find a way to domesticate him.

In the season finale, we finally got our first glimpse of Sheepstealer. Rhaena Velaryon, after hearing of a wild dragon feeding in the Vale earlier in the season, finds the creature in the closing moments of the season two finale.

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7 Dreamfyre

The Green Queen’s dragon

HBO

• Dragon–rider: Helaena Targaryen
• Age: 98 to 100-years-old
• Side: Team Green
• Location: King’s Landing

Dreamfyre is older than dragons like Vermithor and Silverwing, but she’s still smaller than both. She’s also ridden by Helaena Targaryen. Helaena is one of my favorite characters, with her weird little prophecies, but she seems much closer to a well-deserved mental breakdown than she does to mounting her dragon and leading it into battle. So it remains to be seen how one of the larger dragons controlled by either faction could be a factor in the ongoing war. Aemond tries to push Helaena to fly Dreamfyre into battle in the season two finale, but she refused. If Dreamfyre had another rider, she’d be much higher on this list.

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8 Syrax

HBO

• Dragon rider: Rhaenyra Targaryen
• Age: Around 35 years old
• Side: Team Black
• Location: Dragonstone

Rhaenyra first mounted Syrax when she was seven, when she was just a young dragon. The events of House of the Dragon take place about 25 years later, which should put Syrax in her early to mid 30’s. Syrax is larger than most of the following dragons on this list, but is actually considered small for her age, likely owing to spending large parts of her life in the Dragonpit in King’s Landing. Dragons began to noticeably decrease in size once the Targaryens began keeping them in the Dragonpit.

9 Seasmoke

Rhaenyra’s old husband’s dragon

HBO

• Dragon-rider: Addam of Hull
• Age: Around 30
• Side: Team Black
• Location: Driftmark

Seasmoke belonged to Rhaenyra’s first husband, Laenor Varlaryon, for the first 20 years of his life before Leanor faked his death and fled Driftmark. In the books, Seasmoke is described as being much smaller than Syrax, but in the series the dragons appear to be the same size, with Seasmoke maybe being just a bit larger. We most recently saw Seasmoke take Addam of Hull as his rider after refusing Ser Steffon Darklyn, and torching him in episode six of season two.

Addam of Hull was a shipwright on Driftmark, and is also the bastard child of Driftmark’s lord and Rhaenyra’s hand, Corlys Velaryon.

10 Sunfyre

Is Aegon’s dragon still alive?

HBO

• Dragon-rider: Aegon Targaryen
• Age: 20 to 30 years old
• Side: Team Green
• Location: Rook’s Rest

Last we saw Sunfyre, he was curled around Aegon’s lifeless body after being attacked by Meleys and burned by Vhagar. We even heard Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) say the dragon was “long in the dying,” implying that he’s already dead. Book readers have reason to suspect that Cole may have spoken too soon about Sunfyre’s death. HBO has made changes from the source material in the past, but Sunfyre dying at Rook’s Rest would be a significant departure on the level of leaving out Lady Stoneheart (zombie Catelyn Stark) in the original series.

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11 Grey Ghost

The smallest wild dragon

Pocket-lint

• Dragon-rider: None
• Age: Unknown
• Side: Wild dragon
• Location: Dragonstone

Not much is known about Grey Ghost. It’s mentioned in the books that he’s the smallest of the three wild dragons on Dragonstone at the start of the Dance of Dragons. He took its name from its distinctive grey color. He’s one of two wild dragons from the books that haven’t been mentioned in the TV series yet.

12 Moondancer

The youngest dragon fighting in the war

HBO

• Dragon-rider: Baela Targaryen
• Age: 15
• Side: Team Black
• Location: Dragonstone

Moondancer is the youngest dragon fighting in the Dance of Dragons. In the books, she’s described as being unable to hold her rider, Baela, just a few years before the war. Both Moondancer and Seasmoke are described as being very small dragons in the book, but seem to be somewhere between the size of Syrax and Vermax in the TV show.

13 Vermax

The black prince’s dragon

HBO

• Dragon-rider: Jacaerys Velaryon
• Age: 15
• Side: Team Black
• Location: Dragonstone

Vermax was hatched soon after Jacaerys was born in an attempt to prove his Targarye bloodline. Vermax has been a common sight during the second season of House of the Dragon, as we’ve seen him at the Wall to start the season with Jacaerys meeting the Starks, and also at the Twins, as Jace won the Freys for his mother’s cause. Just going off of looks though, Vermax appears to be the smallest dragon able to fight in the field for either side.

We got our first look at Vermax in season one when Jace entered the Dragonpit to help in his training. Vermax was an adolescent in that scene but has grown to be about the size of a large horse in season two.

14 Tessarion

Otto’s pet project

HBO

• Dragon-rider: Daeron Targaryen
• Age: 20
• Side: Team Green
• Location: Oldtown

We finally saw Tessarion in the closing seconds of the season two finale as the dragon flew over a Hightower army leaving Oldtown. For most of the series, fans have wondered if Tessarion, and her rider Daeron Targaryen, were cut from the show. Finally, we got confirmation they existed this season when Otto reminded Alicent of her youngest son’s existence before he left to serve as the boy’s tutor in Oldtown. Tessarion is another important chess piece in Team Green’s dragon arsenal that will be important down the line, as they’ll look to counter the Black’s number of dragons.

She’s the youngest dragon to fight on Team Green’s side during the Dance of Dragons, but is still a formidable threat.

15 Stormcloud

He’s just a baby

HBO

• Dragon-rider: Aegon Targaryen III
• Age: 5 or younger
• Side: Black
• Location: The Vale

A later episode in season two showed us a new dragon — Stormcloud. He’s a young dragon who was hatched in the cradle of Rhaenyra’s son, Aegon III. Both Stormcloud and Aegon are too young to help with the fighting in The Dance of Dragons. Let’s just hope the showrunner, Ryan Condal, protects the cute little baby. Watching adult dragons die this season has been hard enough, so I can’t handle losing Stormcloud.

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FAQ

Q: How did I rank the dragons in House of the Dragon?

In House of the Dragon, dragons are ranked by their strength, age, and importance in the Targaryen civil war. After losing some key dragons like Meleys, Rhaenyra really needs to find riders for powerful dragons like Vermithor and Silverwing, because they could be game changers in the war.