15 Best Dragons From ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘House of the Dragon’

Content Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the HBO show House of the Dragon.Dragons are by far the most beloved and recognized creatures in fantasy. Thanks to their very nebulous definition, nearly every culture around has at least one creature that can be considered a dragon. In modern times, the most recognized dragons on television come from HBO’s series based on the works of George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones, and its prequel, House of the Dragon.

In Martin’s works, dragons are massive beasts of a vaguely magical nature best known as the war mounts of the Valyrian Empire and the Targaryen kings of Westeros. Following a Targaryen civil war called The Dance of the Dragons, they went extinct but returned when Daenerys Targaryen (Emelia Clarke) hatched three eggs with blood magic. Now that Season 2 of House of the Dragon nears its conclusion, and we are deep into the Year of the Dragon, it’s as good a time as any to look back on the best dragons the show has given thus far before watching them die.

15 Dreamfyre

Riders: Princess Rhaena Targaryen and Queen Helaena Targaryen

One of the few adult-sized dragons on the side of Aegon II (Ty Tennant and Tom Clynn-Carney), Dreamfyre has been with House Targaryen since the reign of its third king, Maegor the Cruel. She was originally ridden by Maegor’s niece and queen, Princess Rhaena, but spent most of her life on the other side of Westeros during her rider’s self-imposed exile. When Rhaena died, Dreamfyre remained riderless until she bonded with Helaena Targaryen (Evie Allen and Phia Saban), Aegon II’s sister and queen.

While Dreamfyre hasn’t done much in the show yet, she has had a lot of impact on the lore of Westeros. The egg that Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) stole to get his brother’s attention was laid by Dreamfyre, and there are theories that she laid the eggs that would eventually hatch Daenerys’ three dragons. Though Helaena doesn’t ride her too often, they still have a bond, and should Dreamfyre be roused, her age and size make her a formidable opponent.

14 Arrax

Rider: Prince Lucerys Velaryon

It is tradition for a dragon egg to be placed in the cradle of a Targaryen baby, hoping it will hatch and bond with the child. Such was the case for Arrax, the dragon to Princess Rhaenyra’s (Milly Alcock and Emma D’Arcy) second son, Prince Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault). By the time of the Dance of the Dragons, Arrax is large enough to fly and takes Luke on a mission to win the Baratheons of Storm’s End to Rhaenyra’s cause.

Arrax, unfortunately, doesn’t last long, being devoured alongside his rider after a tense chase with the mightiest dragon at the time named Vhagar. Still, he proves himself a brave and worthy mount in his short time and doesn’t hesitate to attack the much larger dragon to keep Luke safe. It’s a tragic moment that shows the bond dragons have for their riders, while also ending any chance of this war ending peacefully.

13 Moondancer

Rider: Lady Baela Targaryen

One of the younger dragons on the side of the Blacks, Moondancer, is bonded to the eldest of Daemon’s daughters by Laena Velaryon (Savannah Steyn and Nanna Blondell), Baela (Bethany Antonia). Since she isn’t large enough to engage the Green dragons, Rhaenyra commands Baela to fly Moondancer on reconnaissance missions. During one mission, the two of them give the Hand of the King, Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), a fright on their way to subdue the Crownlands.

Moondancer is another dragon who can’t do much due to her age, but the production crew manage to give her personality through her movements and design. Like her rider, Moondancer is brave despite her age and is eager to prove herself. Her design is also striking thanks to her tiger stripes and mohawk-like frills, allowing her to stand out.

12 Rhaegal

Rider: Jon Snow

The second largest of Daenerys’ dragons, Rhaegal, was named after her eldest brother, Prince Rhaegar (Wilfred Scolding), who died fighting Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) at the Battle of the Trident. Identified by his green and bronze scales, Rhaegal is very much the middle child of the family, though he’s closer to his younger brother Viseryon than his elder, Drogon. In preparation for the battle against the Night King (Richard Brake and Vladimir Furdik), Daenerys allows Jon Snow (Kitt Harrington) to ride him.

Rhaegal is easily the most forgettable of the three dragons from Game of Thrones. Everything he does is in the companionship of a second or third dragon, which leaves him with few chances to do much. His actions in season eight sadly continue this trend: he is taken out of the Battle of Winterfell fairly quickly, then gets killed in the next episode because Daenerys infamously “kind of forgot about the Iron Fleet.”

11 Sunfyre

Rider: King Aegon II Targaryen

The most beautiful dragon ever born to the Targaryens, Sunfyre shares a particularly strong bond with his rider, King Aegon. When the Dance of the Dragon begins, Aegon even honors Sunfyre by making his standard a golden dragon instead of the Targaryen red. Unfortunately, though Sunfyre is of fighting size, he has little in the way of combat experience and suffers terribly during the Battle at Rook’s Rest.

Along with his gorgeous design, Sunfyre comes across as one of the show’s most friendly dragons. He shows lots of affection towards Aegon, and when they fall from the sky, Sunfyre lies curled around Aegon, as if he were trying to protect him. He serves as an example of how innocents get caught up and destroyed in these petty wars, especially because of foolish decisions.

10 Silverwing

Riders: Queen Alysane Targaryen and Ulf White

The former mount of Queen Alysane Targaryen, wife to King Jaehaerys I (Michael Carter), Silverwing traveled across Westeros with her rider, even going as far north as the Wall. After her death, Silverwing spent all her time on Dragonstone, making a lair deep inside the island’s volcano. She is eventually stirred by a Targaryen bastard named Ulf (Tom Bennett), with whom she decides to bond.

Befitting the third-largest dragon in Westeros, Silverwing is a majestic and fierce creature, with an elegant and powerful design. Fortunately, she’s much friendlier than her fellow old dragons, showing curiosity towards Ulf when he stumbles into her lair rather than aggression. Though Silverwing was never ridden to war by Alysane, her experience flying across Westeros makes her nimble in the sky, which could prove to be tricky for the Greens to overcome.

9 Meleys

Rider: Princess Alyssa Targaryen and Princess Rhaenys Targaryen

Known as the Red Queen, Meleys was one of the oldest of the Targaryen’s second generation of dragons, born from their original three. She was originally ridden by the mother of Prince Daemon and King Viserys I (Paddy Considine), Alyssa (Emeline Lambert), and though Daemon tried to claim her after his mother’s death, Meleys instead chose his cousin, Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best). Though she hasn’t seen battle, Meleys’ size still makes her a considerable opponent.

Meleys has one of the most striking designs of the adult dragons, with her blood-red scales and the ring of spines around her head. She is also one of the dragons that pairs the best with her rider: she and Rhaenys are both older, dignified women who should not be underestimated. They get their chance to shine in the Battle of Rook’s Rest, and though Meleys is unable to overcome Vhagar, she goes out befitting a Red Queen, fighting to the end and crippling the Green army.

8 Vermithor

Rider: King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Hugh Hammer

Called the Bronze Fury, Vermithor was the personal mount of King Jaehaerys I. Born early among the second-generation dragons, he mated with the dragon Silverwing, who was the dragon of Jahaerys’ queen, Alysanne. Following the death of the old king, Vermithor lived on Dragonstone without a rider and became more vicious and temperamental with age, still remaining one of the strongest dragons in House of the Dragon.

By the time of the Dance of the Dragon, Vermithor is over a hundred years old and is the second-largest dragon in Westeros under Vhagar. As the war between the Blacks and the Greens becomes inevitable, Daemon descends into Vermithor’s lair and sings a song in Valyrian to prepare him for war. This introduction is the perfect way to set up the Bronze Fury as the old, majestic, and powerful force that he is. Then, Season 2 showed Vermithor in action as he made short work of his would-be riders before settling on a blacksmith named Hugh (Kieran Bew).

7 Syrax

Rider: Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen

A gorgeous golden-green dragon, Syrax, was chosen as the mount of Princess Rhaenyra. Despite her size, Syrax is another dragon who has not seen battle, and rarely even goes out to hunt. However, she has accompanied Rhaenyra on numerous important missions, from stopping Daemon from stealing a dragon egg to asserting Rhaenyra’s position as Queen of Westeros.

As Rhaenyra gets older and has to focus more on her duties as a ruler, Syrax appears more and more infrequently. Nevertheless, they maintain a good connection, to the point where Syrax can feel her labor pains, and lays eggs of her own, giving the two a bond through motherhood. Her design is also quite beautiful, with a more rounded face than the other dragons, which makes her look fierce but also more matronly.

6 Viserion

Rider: The Night King

The smallest of Daenerys’ dragons, Viserion, is perhaps the most beautiful to look at, with gold and cream-colored scales. Named after her hot-tempered brother, Viserys (Harry Lloyd), he is perhaps the calmest of the three, though he is still able to turn violent if necessary. While rescuing Jon Snow and his team, who had gone north of the wall to collect a wight, Viserion is struck down by the Night King, who reanimates his corpse as his mount.

Much like Rhaegar, Viserion didn’t have much to define him during Game of Thrones‘ early seasons, but his death and resurrection offered something interesting and unique in the show’s final seasons. For the first time, Daenerys wasn’t the only power to have a dragon, and his fire was used to bring down the wall and allow the Night King to invade. Plus, seeing Viserion in battle as a wight was rather gruesome: unhindered by fear or pain, he fights ferociously and without care for his being, even after getting half of his face ripped off.

5 Balerion

Riders: King Aegon I “The Conquerer” Targaryen, King Maegor “the Cruel” Targaryen, Princess Area Targaryen, and King Viserys I Targaryen

The oldest of all the Targaryen dragons, Balerion is the only dragon known to Westeros who had seen the Valyrian Empire before its destruction. By the time Aegon I was ready to unite Westeros under his rulership, Balerion had grown to a formidable size, earning him the nickname “The Black Dread”. When he died during the reign of King Jaehaerys I, he was over two hundred years old.

Although Balerion died long before both shows aired, his legacy is still felt by the world. His fire melted the swords of Aegon’s enemies into the much coveted Iron Throne, and he alone destroyed Harrenhal, Westeros’ most formidable fortress, which has since become a cursed ruin prone to tragedy. Even his skull has incredible thematic relevance as a reminder of the potential power of dragons and the sad reality that everything must end eventually.

4 Seasmoke

Riders: Ser Laenor Velaryon and Addam of Hull

The beloved mount of Ser Laenor Velaryon (Theo Nate and John Macmillan) and one of the most powerful dragons from House of the Dragon, Seasmoke bore his rider to war in the Stepstones alongside his father, Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and prince Daemon, to claim the islands from the Triarchy. After the war was won and Laenor married Rhaenyra, Seasmoke spent his time on Dragonstone, but was tragically separated from his rider following Laena’s funeral when he faked his death and went into exile. Eventually, Seasmoke became restless and pined for a new rider.

Seasmoke has one of the strongest personalities among the dragons. His chief trait is his loyalty: Seasmoke is always there for his rider and is ready to defend them from anything, even his allies. He’s also shown to be determined when he sets his mind to a task, such as tracking down Corlys’ son Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty), to be his new rider.

3 Vhagar

Riders: Queen Visenya Targaryen, Prince Baelon Targaryen, Laena Velaryon, and Prince Aemond Targaryen

During Aegon’s conquest, Vhagar was initially the smallest of the three dragons ridden by Aegon I and his sister wives. However, she was no less formidable in battle and fought in dozens of wars across Westeros. By the time of the Dance of the Dragons, Vhagar was the largest and oldest of the Targaryen dragons, matching the size of Balerion during the conquest.

Vhagar’s advanced age has done little to slow down her combat effectiveness. She has proven surprisingly stealthy for a creature of her size, and in the heat of battle, she is willing to ignore the commands of her rider, Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), if it means killing her foe. The CGI animators do a phenomenal job of capturing her size and power, especially when she flies alongside her fellow dragons.

2 Caraxes

Riders: Prince Aemon Targaryen and Prince Daemon Targaryen

From a young age, Caraxes was considered a vicious and cunning dragon, which earned him the title of Blood Wyrm. He was initially claimed by Jaehaerys I’s eldest son and Rhaenys’ father, Prince Aemon, until he was killed fighting against Dorne. He was later claimed by Aemon’s nephew, Daemon, who rode him into many battles, giving Caraxes enough combat experience to rival Vhagar.

HotD went all out in designing the Blood Wyrm, giving him a unique, serpentine neck and wing membranes on his legs. His personality is the perfect reflection of Daemon’s: he is wild, fierce, and always ready for a fight. Despite his ferocious attitude, he can be very compassionate and kind to his rider and will spirit him away from a fight if he gets hurt.

1 Drogon

Rider: Queen Daenerys Targaryen

The first and largest of Daenerys’ dragons, Drogon, is named after her first husband, the Dothraki Khal, Drogo (Jason Momoa). Befitting his red and black coloring, he is the dragon who develops the strongest bond with Daenerys. It’s a rocky relationship with lots of moments of abandonment, but he eventually calms down enough to let her ride him into battle.

Drogon is the most iconic and strongest dragon from Game of Thrones, thanks in no small part to getting the most screentime. In many ways, he embodies everything Martin wanted from his dragons: a destructive and magical force that can never fully be tamed and reflects the irresponsible ways man tries to harness nature to their will. His rocky relationship with Daenerys was also very interesting in the early seasons regarding how much control she had over him, only for it to sadly be discarded in the show’s final seasons.

NEXT:The Best ‘House of the Dragon’ Characters, Ranked