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While most viewers tune into House of the Dragon for the high-stakes political drama and larger connections to Game of Thrones, the spinoff has another undeniable draw: the dragons. The titular beasts make the action of the HBO series that much more compelling, both because they’re capable of destruction on a large scale — and because their deaths hit harder knowing they’ve been dragged into a human conflict that has little to do with them. The Dance of the Dragons sees House Targaryen losing much of its firepower, too, which is a depressing thought (and something that’s already started with Arrax, Meleys, and Vermax). The losses are poised to continue, but for now, both sides of the Targaryen civil war still have a number of mounts.
SPOILERS ahead for House of the Dragon Season 3, Episodes 1 and 2. The seven dragons on Team Black are largely the reason Rhaenyra Targaryen is now the most powerful player in House of the Dragon Season 3, giving her the ability to divide the Greens and claim the Iron Throne. The Greens shouldn’t be underestimated, though, as they’ll likely retaliate…even if they only have four dragons to do so. For those keeping score at home, it might be difficult keeping up with all the dragons on each side. Here’s a breakdown of which creatures are left and who they’re fighting for.
11) Syrax (Team Black) Rider: Rhaenyra Targaryen
Rhaenyra Targaryen’s dragon, Syrax, can be seen at various points throughout House of the Dragon, though she’s rarely in the midst of the action. House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 2 changes that a bit, as Rhaenyra uses her to reach the Red Keep and intimidate the guards who greet her. But as her advisors note, she and Daemon are on their own upon entering the building.
Syrax is a yellow dragon who is medium in size, and she’s formidable enough in a fight — though not the largest, oldest, or strongest dragon in House of the Dragon. She’s fairly young when Rhaenyra claims and names her, and she lays eggs early in the Game of Thrones spinoff. Fire & Blood only confirms that one dragon, Morning — who is Rhaena’s mount in the source material, and thus, likely cut from the series — is Syrax’s offspring. There’s speculation that dragons like Arrax and Vermax hatched from these eggs, though that’s not confirmed on-screen. Some also believe that Daenerys’ dragons may be descendants of Syrax, though that remains a topic of debate.
10) Caraxes (Team Black) Rider: Daemon Targaryen
Image via HBO
Daemon Targaryen’s dragon, Caraxes, is as intimidating as his rider, and House of the Dragon goes to great lengths to establish that reputation for him. His presence alongside Daemon is enough to get soldiers to throw down their swords, and it’s easy to see why. He’s on the larger side of the dragons left — though still not as huge as Vermithor and Vhagar — with a distinctly lean body. The latter, along with his red scales, earns him the nickname “Blood Wyrm.“
Caraxes is also on the older side, and he had a rider before Daemon. Aemon, prince of Dragonstone and son of King Jaehaerys I and Queen Alysanne, laid claim to the dragon first. He rode him into battle, so Caraxes had fighting experience even before becoming Daemon’s mount. Daemon continues to capitalize on his strength in that area, making Caraxes one of the most formidable dragons still around in House of the Dragon Season 3. (He’s still pretty adorable when he’s sipping water in the Riverlands, though.)
9) Vermithor (Team Black) Rider: Hugh Hammer
House of the Dragon‘s largest and most physically daunting dragon after Vhagar is Vermithor, the former mount of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen. Vermithor’s vicious nature, feats in battle alongside King Jaehaerys, and bronze coloring earns him the name the “Bronze Fury.” And he’s still a force to be reckoned with in House of the Dragon, which makes it all the more surprising that Hugh Hammer is able to claim him in Season 2. The dragonseed is now his rider, giving Rhaenyra’s another powerful dragon-rider duo…though those familiar with Fire & Blood know that Vermithor’s strength may go to Hugh’s head.
Prior to Hugh claiming him, Vermithor was one of the three riderless dragons residing in the Dragonmont’s caverns near Dragonstone. Silverwing is another such dragon, and she and Vermithor are seemingly mates in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood. This makes sense, considering the relationship between their riders.
8) Silverwing (Team Black) Rider: Ulf White
Image via HBO
Silverwing is a fairly large dragon (though not on the level of Vhagar and Vermithor), and as her name suggests, she has a silver coloring. She becomes Ulf White’s dragon during the Dance of the Dragons, meaning she’s currently on Rhaenyra Targaryen’s side of the war. She and Ulf are shown flying together, but they’ve not yet been seen in battle yet. And Silverwing isn’t as tested in combat, as her former rider mostly used her for transportation. That rider was Queen Alysanne Targaryen, the sister-wife of King Jaehaerys I. Given they were ridden by a married pair, it’s no surprise that Vermithor and Silverwing have a similarly close bond.
Like Vermithor, Silverwing spends the time after Alysanne’s death in 100 AC riderless. It’s only when Rhaenyra tests the dragonseeds that she chooses a new rider. We’ll likely see Silverwing and Hugh in battle at some point in House of the Dragon Season 3, giving the dragon more of a chance to shine.
7) Seasmoke (Team Black) Rider: Addam of Hull
Image via HBO
Perhaps the most charming of the three dragonseeds’ dragons is Seasmoke, who chases Addam of Hull in a hilarious Season 2 sequence that ends with them forming a bond. Seasmoke is originally Laenor Velaryon’s dragon, so it’s no surprise that he chooses another member of Lord Corlys’ bloodline as his next rider following Laenor’s faked death and departure in Season 1. (This is a change from what becomes of Laenor in Fire & Blood, and one has to wonder how he manages to leave Seasmoke behind.)
Seasmoke is a dragon with light gray scales, and he’s younger and smaller than most of the dragons already discussed. With Addam of Hull backing Rhaenyra’s claim to the Iron Throne, Seasmoke is yet another dragon in her artillery during the Dance of the Dragons. Fans most recently saw him flying in search of Corlys after the Battle of the Gullet, but we’ll probably see him on the battlefield before long.
6) Moondancer (Team Black) Rider: Baela Targaryen
Image via HBO
The final dragon fully on Team Black — though one other arguably is as well — is Baela Targaryen’s mount, Moondancer. Another dragon that’s on the younger and smaller side, Moondancer is a light green shade. She’s young enough that Baela is the only rider she’s ever had, and she’s not featured that prominently in House of the Dragon‘s early outings.
Moondancer finally gets more screen time during House of the Dragon Season 3’s Battle of the Gullet, which proves she can do a lot of damage, especially facing fleets and armies rather than other dragons. In Fire & Blood, Baela is just beginning to ride Moondancer when the First Battle of Tumbleton occurs, so House of the Dragon is obviously making changes to her character and her connection with her dragon. With that in mind, we could see more of Moondancer on-screen than is suggested in the book. Even if we don’t, she’ll likely have one more big moment before the Game of Thrones spinoff is through.
5) Sheepstealer (Team Black…Sort Of) Rider: Rhaena Targaryen
Image via HBO
Look, House of the Dragon‘s take on Sheepstealer is more chaos agent than Team Black or Team Green, but we’ll count him among the Blacks for the sake of this list. After all, that’s where Rhaena Targaryen’s allegiances lie, though her choice to flee the Battle of the Gullet and take refuge with Lady Jeyne Arryn is bound to complicate things with her family. Rhaenyra certainly doesn’t view Sheepstealer as Team Black, as she notes that he and his rider are responsible for Jace’s death. Daemon is tasked with hunting them, so we’ll see how that turns out in House of the Dragon Season 3’s later episodes.
Sheepstealer starts House of the Dragon as a wild dragon, and he still basically is, though he’s accepted Rhaena as a rider. The show’s take on the dragon differs from how he’s described in Fire & Blood, as Rhaena is getting an altered version of the cut character Nettles’ narrative. (Nettles is Sheepstealer’s rider in the book.) In the spinoff, Sheepstealer is a black dragon of medium size, and he’s in the middle in terms of power. He’s clearly feral and vicious when he needs to be, though he’s not very easily controlled.
4) Vhagar (Team Green) Rider: Aemond Targaryen
If you’re keeping up with House of the Dragon, you’ll instantly recognize Vhaghar. She’s at the scene of the series’ most devastating moments, from Lucerys’ desmise to Rhaenys’ death. These appearances are reminders that Prince Aemond Targaryen’s mount is the largest, oldest, and most ruthless dragon in House of the Dragon so far. She’s a huge asset to Team Green, helping compensate for their smaller number of dragons (though she can’t take them all on, something Aemond seems to accept after the dragonseeds arrive).
Vhagar has a dark gray coloring in House of the Dragon, and she’s absolutely massive. She’s also up there in age, as she was around during Aegon’s Conquest. She was Queen Visenya Targaryen’s dragon and helped the Targaryens take Westeros. Needless to say, she has a long history of battle experience — and she has two riders between Visenya and Aemond: Prince Baelon Targaryen and Laena Velaryon. We see a bit of her bond with the latter before Aemond claims her in House of the Dragon Season 1.
3) Dreamfyre (Team Green) Rider: Helaena Targaryen
Image via HBO
Helaena Targaryen’s Dreamfyre is another formidable beast in terms of size and strength, but she’s kept off the battlefield because Helaena doesn’t fight. According to House of the Dragon, Helaena rarely rides Dreamfyre. She’s confined to the Dragonpit in King’s Landing, meaning she doesn’t contribute much to Team Green’s efforts. She’s technically a weapon in their arsenal, and Aemond is eager to utilize her during the Dance of the Dragons. However, based on the book and the show’s progression, that’s unlikely to happen.
Dreamfyre is described as a slender dragon with blue scales, and she’s hatched during King Aegon I Targaryen’s reign. Her first rider was Rhaena Targaryen, and the princess used her as a mount. However, Dreamfyre didn’t see much combat even then, so she’s inexperienced on that front. Dreamfyre did lay eggs, and there’s some discussion about whether Daenerys’ dragons descended from her. Overall, she’s one of the more peaceful dragons, and that’s why we don’t see much of her in House of the Dragon.
2) Tessarion (Team Green) Rider: Daeron Targaryen
Image via HBO
There’s one dragon we haven’t met in House of the Dragon yet, though his entrance is on the horizon: Tessarion. This is the dragon ridden by Alicent’s youngest son, Daeron Targaryen, who is mentioned but not seen in House of the Dragon Seasons 1 and 2. He’s sent away from King’s Landing to serve as Ormund Hightower’s ward, and he’s poised to play a larger role in Season 3 — though there’s still some confusion over who’s playing him and what he’ll be up to. Tessarion will no doubt be involved in some way, as she’s one of the few dragons the Greens can still make use of.
Of course, Tessarion is the youngest dragon on Team Green, so she’s not as effective as a mount like Vhagar. She’s described as having blue and copper scales, and she’s on the smaller side. That said, she’ll be involved in House of the Dragon‘s action over the next two outings. That’s also true of another dragon, but those who aren’t acquainted with Fire & Blood may not know it.
SPOILERS ahead for Fire & Blood and likely House of the Dragon Seasons 3-4.
1) Sunfyre (Team Green) Rider: Aegon II Targaryen
Image via HBO
Sunfyre is the last of the dragons on the Greens’ side, and those who haven’t read Fire & Blood will think King Aegon II’s mount is dead. House of the Dragon Season 2 leaves it looking that way after Aemond and Vhagar attack Sunfyre and Aegon at Rook’s Rest. However, despite both Aegon and his dragon receiving terrible injuries in Fire & Blood, Sunfyre returns to him in the book. And considering his importance to the Dance of the Dragons, we can probably anticipate a a partly healed Sunfyre showing up at Dragonstone once Aegon and Larys make their way there.
After all, Sunfyre fights and kills another dragon on this list, and he plays a prominent role in Rhaenyra Targaryen’s fate. The gold-scaled dragon doesn’t fly again, as he never fully recovers from the Battle at Rook’s Rest. However, he has more to do, so we’ll probably see him again before the HBO show takes its final bow.
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