From The Black Dread to beautiful blue dragons, Game of Thrones has some of the most stunning dragons in fantasy. Which ones are the biggest?
Along with new characters, new houses, and (hopefully) a few new locations, House of The Dragon promises to breathe new life into Westeros. But its biggest departure from Game of Thrones will be the amount and size of the dragons.
While Daenerys Targaryen had three dragons in the original series, House of The Dragon takes place during the height of the Targaryens’ power in Westeros. It was a time when there were dozens of Targaryen dragon riders, and these dragons grew to a monstrous size. Last year this Reddit post not only detailed the size of the Targaryen dragons but also showed their beautiful coloring.
Updated on December 16th, 2022 by Jordan Iacobucci: The Game of Thrones franchise is back on the top of the streaming charts thanks to the immense popularity of the prequel series House of the Dragon, which puts the eponymous dragons in the spotlight. Season 2 of the hit spinoff promises bigger battles, all-out war, and even more dragons. As fans await the next batch of episodes, they can now familiarize themselves with the biggest dragons in the entire franchise thanks to some knowledgeable fans on Reddit.
CloseTessarion
Also known as “the Blue Queen,” Tessarion was a dragon ridden by Daeron Targaryen, the youngest child of King Viserys I Targaryen and Queen Alicent Hightower during the Dance of the Dragons. While far from the largest dragon to roam Westeros, Tessarion, according to Redditor Kelebrimbor21, is large enough “to be a real threat.”
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While neither Tessarion or Daeron appeared in the first season of House of the Dragon, the showrunners have revealed that they haven’t been excluded from the series entirely, but were rather in Oldtown during the events of the last several episodes. As such, viewers should prepare themselves for both Daeron and Tessarion’s introduction in Season 2 of House of the Dragon.
Sunfyre
Sunfyre is one of the more beautiful dragons in Game of Thrones lore, with his glimmering golden scales being counted worthy of hosting King Aegon II Targaryen. Though the dragon has had few scenes so far in House of the Dragon, it is sure to be featured more heavily as the Dance begins.
In a post from a deleted Reddit account, one Game of Thrones fan describes Sunfyre as being “a fair bit bigger” than Tessarion, the dragon ridden by Aegon’s brother, Daeron. Nevertheless, Sunfyre himself, while big, is far from some of the other colossal beasts of his time.
Grey Ghost
Grey Ghost is a reclusive wild dragon that resides near Dragonstone. This large creature got its name due to its scale coloration, which was a mixture of grey and white. While Grey Ghost has only been featured briefly in House of the Dragon, the original novella reveals that he is killed by Sunfyre, Aegon II’s dragon, in a fight.
One Redditor by the handle of LuminariesAdmin points out that, while Grey Ghost is not the biggest dragon in the franchise, he is “much younger” than other, larger dragons, and therefore might have grown even larger had he been given the opportunity to reach full maturity.
Quicksilver
Quicksilver is an ancient dragon from Westerosi lore, having been bonded to a member of the original Targaryen dynasty. She served as the personal dragon of Prince Aenys, the son of Aegon the Conqueror, but was eventually killed by the dread dragon Balerion.
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According to Redditor Panther25423, Quicksilver was “a quarter the size of Balerion,” making it all the more impressive that she was able to stand against the larger dragon’s might. Being one-quarter size that of Balerion is no small feat, either, as the larger dragon was considered to be one of the biggest creatures in the world.
Syrax
Named after a Valyrian goddess, Syrax is the dragon ridden by Rhaenyra Targaryen, both in her youth and during the upcoming war. Syrax will fight alongside Rhaenyra as the Dance of the Dragons kicks off in Season 2.
Redditor LuminariesAdmin suggests, based on Syrax’s description in the original books, that the dragon is “comparable in size to Meleys,” one of the larger dragons during the time of the Dance. Though not as humongous as other dragons in her day, Syrax is certainly formidable and will doubtlessly serve to be quite a soldier during the war.
Meleys
Also known as “The Red Queen,” Meleys was one of the first dragons to die in the heat of battle during the Targaryen Civil War, more commonly known as The Dance of Dragons. In House of the Dragon, she is ridden by Princess Rhaenys Targaryen.
What Meleys lacked in size, she made up for in speed and was known as one of the fastest dragons in Westeros. But being on the smaller side compared to other dragons is what led to her downfall in a battle that ultimately did nothing to change the outcome of the civil war. Redditor LuminariesAdmin points out “As I got to previously, I think Caraxes was older & larger than Meleys, but not by much.”
Caraxes
With a nickname like “The Blood Wyrm” it is clear that while Caraxes may not be one of the bigger dragons, he was regarded as one of the fiercest of his day, and was beloved by the two Targaryens who bonded with him, Aemon and Daemon Targaryen.
Redditor RockyRockington makes it clear that despite his size disadvantage Caraxes gave the much larger, older dragon Vhagar more than a little trouble when they fought. “Caraxes and Vhagar was also a much more even fight than in my head (I always imagined Caraxes’ ferocity and youth made up for its lack of size).”
Dreamfyre
Dreamfyre is the original dragon of Rhaena Targaryen which, despite never fighting in great battles, was considered to be as beautiful as any of the Targaryen dragons, and was a source of pride to her two riders.
While Dreamfyre did not fight in the Dance, but she looms large in the story of that war. Many characters are drawn to her silvery-blue coloring and believed that in time Dreamfyre could become a powerful weapon. Redditor MulatoMaranhense also appreciates her beauty saying, “Tessarion has the best color scheme, and after him come[s] Dreamfyre, Silverwing, Grey Ghost, and Cannibal.”
Silverwing
While Silverwing fought in several battles, she is one of the very few dragons who survived the Dance and was sought after by several dragon-less Targaryens thereafter, lasting in legend long after the age of dragons had ended.
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While there is some uncertainty about her exact color as LuminariesAdmin points out, “As I said in your other post, Meraxes is between Balerion & Vhagar in size. And her scales are silver, so I would’ve made her hue lighter like Silverwing’s.” Silverwing was considered an older, almost stately dragon and lived well over 100 years.
Sheepstealer
One of the mysterious, riderless, wild dragons, Sheepstealer famously avoided humans, but unsurprisingly, loved mutton, earning his name. He was also one of the few dragons to be ridden by a non-Targaryen, instead bonding with a young girl known as Nettles.
Time allowed this dragon to grow in size and play a small role in the Dance when the girl Nettles tamed the beast with gifts of fresh sheep. Like many of the dragons, his story has several tragic elements as MacAlkalineTriad says, “Sheepstealer is my favorite. Dude just wants to eat his mutton and be left alone and I wish he’d been able to do that.”
Vermithor
Among some of the biggest dragons in the history of Westeros, the bronze dragon Vermithor was ridden by great kings like Jaehaerys, considered one of the best Targaryen characters, and common folk alike, eventually proving to be instrumental during the Dance.
Vermithor not only had a great dragon name but is a fan favorite. Along with being associated with beloved kings, he was a force in battle, ending fights and even war swiftly due to his combination of speed and power. Redditor TheHolyGoatman puts it best when he says, “My favorites are Vermithor and the Cannibal. Proper lads those two”
The Cannibal
The Cannibal earned his name for his habit of eating the remains of other dragons, and even some of the hatchlings. He was one of the few dragons that were never ridden and was sometimes considered to be a threat to certain other dragons, including Grey Ghost.
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Easily the most mysterious of all the dragons, little is known of the Cannibal, save his savage behavior toward other dragons and humans who bother him. He was able to grow to a truly terrifying size, and if he ever died and stopped growing is still up for debate. In a since-deleted comment, a Redditor added, “Man. The Cannibal really would have been a king-maker if someone managed to ride him during the Dance.”
Meraxes
The first of the three dragons that were ridden by Aegon The Conqueror and his three sisters, Meraxes died over 100 years before the events of House of The Dragon, serving as an important piece of Westerosi history.
When the first Targaryens and their allies, the Velaryons (a family not in the Game of Thrones series), first invaded Westeros Aegon’s sister/wife Rhaenys rode the silver dragon into battle, during one she and the dragon were killed. leelancer1 points out that Meraxes could have been known as an even larger dragon, “Meraxes was actually bigger tha[n] Vhagar but died much younger so Vhagar eventually grew bigger.”
Vhagar
First ridden by Aegon The Conqueror’s sister/wife, Vhagar fought in more battles than any other Targaryen dragon and was the largest known dragon in the world when the Dance officially began, making her a major threat in battle.
By the time of her last battle, Vhagar was considered all but a god on the battlefield, her death in The Battle Above God’s Eye marked the beginning of the end of The Dance of the Dragons. Her name even sounds powerful, as it should, as Redditor abellapa points out, “Balerion and Vhagar are also named after gods.”
Balerion
Known as “The Black Dread,” Balerion was the biggest of the Targaryen dragons and is one of the largest dragons in all of Game of Thrones, if not the entire fantasy genre in general. Balerion’s name has withstood history in Westeros, with even those in the age after the dragons died remembering this mighty creature.
The only Targaryen dragon that was born in the Freehold of Valyria, Balerion, in his prime, was an unstoppable force on the battlefield. Aegon the Conqueror rode The Black Dread into battle during his war to unite Westeros under his rule, and his mere presence caused great armies and kings to bend their knee. Redditor rattatally hits the nail on the head when it comes to this massive dragon, “Balerion, what an absolute unit!”
