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Warning! This List Contains Spoilers For The First Season of House of the Dragon, The Lore From Fire & Blood, And Related Material!Dragonback and resplendent, House of the Dragon returned to Westeros, inviting fans new and old alike to an epic tale of fire and blood, but the first season is coming to a close. More is to come with season 2 already renewed, although audiences will likely have to wait until 2024 to see more. Regardless, from the utterly superb performances to the grand scales and visuals, there’s something to celebrate in each episode.
One of the most exciting elements in House of the Dragon is its namesake, the dragons. Unlike Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion in Game of Thrones, these dragons are incredibly unique with distinct personalities. While some featured more than others this season, the show is moving toward many incredible moments in the Dance of the Dragon when dragons fight dragons. In total, there will be seventeen over this entire tale, but only nine will have appeared by the season’s end.
Syrax
One of the most prevalent dragons in House of the Dragon is the first one to grace the screen – Princess Rhaenyra’s loyal steed, Syrax. Right from the start, the premiere showed her connection and loyalty to her rider, garnering plenty of reactions on Twitter when Rhaenyra said “dracarys.” Named for a Valyrian Goddess, Syrax is a striking dragon with bright yellow scales, and while she’s not as large as others, she’s still a formidable fighter.
It’s important to note that Syrax is capable of bearing eggs, as shown when Daemon grabs some for his new children in “The Lord of the Tides.” In the books, one of those eggs hatches into Morning, Lady Rhaena’s dragon, so perhaps viewers will see her in season 2, but it’s also implied that Rhaenyra’s children’s dragons were also from Syrax’s eggs. Unfortunately, she would die in the Storming of the Dragonpit, when the small folk of King’s Landing attacked and destroyed the building, killing the dragons. What’s even more tragic is that Rhaenyra’s innocent son, Joffrey, would also die with Syrax because he tried to free her and fly her away from the danger.
Caraxes
The other dragon fans have become quite familiar with is Caraxes, Prince Daemon’s dragon. He’s very difficult to forget thanks to his distinct design – his long neck and wing-like tails. Caraxes is also known as the Blood Wyrm in the books, a fitting name for his scarlet hue and dangerous personality – incidentally making him perfect for someone like Daemon Targaryen, a complicated and oft-misunderstood character. Interestingly, Daemon is actually Caraxes’ second rider, as he was originally paired with Prince Aemon, King Jaehaerys I’s firstborn son and Princess Rhaenys’ father.
Caraxes didn’t feature greatly throughout Fire & Blood, mostly because Daemon’s quite a mysterious figure, and he had difficulty ever staying in King’s Landing for too long. However, he is an important dragon throughout the upcoming war. Those familiar with the books are eager to see the budding rivalry between Daemon and Aemond come to its fruition and for them to fight in the Battle Above the Gods Eye. The deadly princes will force their dragons to battle in the sky, presumably resulting in the deaths of all four.
Vhagar
There is no dragon in House of the Dragon more epic in all accounts than Vhagar. Unless there are dragons elsewhere in the world, this massive she-dragon is the oldest living dragon at this point. She first came into the story as a legendary figure being talked about by a young Laena Velaryon – foreshadowing her own claiming of the dragon, which she did at only 15 – only to be later mastered in a stunning sequence by Aemond Targaryen.
Importantly, Vhagar’s history long predates the young princeling. She was the dragon for Queen Visenya Targaryen, one of Aegon the Conqueror’s sister-wives. With Queen Rhaenys’ dragon, Meraxes, and Balerion the Black Dread – whose last rider was actually King Viserys I – Vhagar helped create the Kingdom of Westeros and establish the Targaryen Dynasty. There’s hope that following the Dance of the Dragons, House of the Dragon will showcase Aegon’s Conquest and thus Vhagar in her true prime.
Sunfyre
Opposing Rhaenyra and Syrax is the unlikeable and newly-crowned King Aegon II with his beautiful dragon, Sunfyre. So far, this dragon’s inclusion in the season is a bit of a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment when he was on Driftmark for Laena’s funeral. He was only seen in the cool shot with the other dragons in attendance and when leaving with Vhagar and Dreamfyre. Nevertheless, as the King’s dragon, Sunfyre plays a pivotal role in the Dance of the Dragon – unfortunately for Rhaenyra.
Sunfyre is described as incredibly beautiful with striking gold scales that shine bright in the sunlight, and he’s quite big for his young age. War, however, took its toll on the stunning beast and his rider. Together with Aemond and Vhagar, they fight Princess Rhaenys and Meleys, killing them both, but also getting irrevocably crippled and burnt in the act. Importantly, Aegon will feed Rhaenyra to Sunfyre, but the dragon will die shortly after, and rightfully, the king will be unable to hatch another.
Dreamfyre
Like her brother’s dragon, Queen Helaena’s, Dreamfyre, has only been shown a few times yet in House of the Dragon. Along with those listed for Sunfyre, she was the dragon Aemond happened upon in the Dragonpit when he foolishly went exploring in “The Princess and the Queen.” What makes Dreamfyre so striking in the books are her blue scales, though they might be a bit difficult to translate to the show, so she might come off as grayish-blue. Unlike Sunfyre, Dreamfyre is quite mature as she was hatched during Aegon I’s reign, and his granddaughter, Princes Rhaena, first claimed her.
Helaena doesn’t engage in any of the fights throughout the Dance of the Dragons as she is dealt an incredibly difficult hand as book readers know. However, Dreamfyre will see some action tragically in the Storming of the Dragonpit. Despite the likely little screen time, they’ll have to showcase Dreamfyre to make viewers familiar with her should she serve the same role in House of the Dragon. On another note, Dreamfyre, like Syrax, bore many eggs, three of which some fans theorize might end up in the lucky hands of one Danaerys Targaryen nearly two hundred years later.
Meleys
Another dragon that’s barely featured and deserves more screen time in future seasons is Meleys. Princess Rhaenys’ dragon is also known as the Red Queen and was first ridden by Princess Alyssa, King Viserys’ mother. Funnily enough, Viserys had ridden Meleys once when he was only nine days old with his mother. Not to be outdone, Rhaenys famously rode Meleys directly to her wedding with Corlys Velaryon.
In the books, Rhaenys is more of a warrior than what’s seen in the show, but they’ve certainly built up her resolve, wisdom, and strength throughout the season, as shown by these House of the Dragon memes. She and Meleys will have to feature even more predominantly next season. Importantly, their battle at Rook’s Rest against Aegon and Aemond marks them as one of the first major casualties of the Dance of the Dragon, but hopefully, that won’t happen too quickly in the show.
Seasmoke
While Rhaenys’ dragon was a bit of a no-show, her son Laenor’s, Seasmoke, got to see some action. Interestingly characterized by its goatee-like tuft on its chin, Seasmoke joined Caraxes in decimating the Triarchy in the Stepstones in “Second of His Name.” Next, he was shown ferrying Laenor to his wedding in “We Light the Way” and among the other dragons in “Driftmark.” While he might not seem important, Seasmoke’s future was actually made far more interesting to consider thanks to the choice to let Laenor live.
In the books, Laenor is killed by Qarl, leaving Seasmoke riderless. However, in this case, Seasmoke is still tethered to someone, but he’ll need to get a new rider down the line to play his part in the war. This presents a theory that while he might’ve sailed away, Laenor could make an unexpected and heroic return later. Interestingly, Seasmoke’s second rider, Addam of Hull, claims to be Laenor’s bastard son, so it’ll be interesting to see how they solve this conundrum.
Vermax
All the children in House of the Dragon have children, though they’re still quite young and inexperienced like their riders. Vermax is Prince Jacerys’ as shown during the dragon training sequence in “The Princess and the Queen.” It might not have been referenced in House of the Dragon, but Vermax’s hatching in the books was incredibly important. Despite his Strong hair, the fact that Jace was able to bond with a dragon solidified his shaky claim to the Iron Throne as Rhaenyra’s heir.
Jace and Vermax will serve as messengers in the early days of the civil war, traveling across Westeros to recruit lords and ladies to his mother’s cause. This will be a welcome sight in House of the Dragon simply for the fact that they can visit familiar places like Winterfell and the Eyrie again. One of the unreliable sources in Fire & Blood is Mushroom who posits that Vermax also left a clutch of eggs in the crypts of Winterfell, and he’s been largely right about his stories thus far in House of the Dragon, so that has some merit.
Arrax
The final dragon set to appear this season won’t be here for long. Arrax is young Prince Lucerys’ dragon, and based on where they are seemingly leading, they might meet their doom by season’s end. Importantly, when Rhaenyra becomes Queen, she sends Jace and Luke on missions as messengers. Since he’s younger, he is given the easier task of flying on Arrax to Storm’s End – the seat of House Baratheon – swearing he would take no part in the fighting.
However, he arrives too late as Aemond was already there, meeting with Lord Borros Baratheon, who was unwelcoming to Luke. This is where the first tragedy strikes in the Dance of the Dragons. Amidst a storm above Shipwreckers’ Bay, Aemond and Vhagar attack the young prince. Had the sky been clear, Arrax could’ve evaded the behemoth and flown to safety, but Vhagar was triumphant and both Luke and Arrax were killed. This is what truly launched the war, catalyzed by Aemond’s thirst for revenge, and this is likely where season 1 is heading to conclude.
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