If there is something that makes ‘The House of the Dragon’ clear to us, it is the reason for this name given to the Targaryens in the fantastic prequel that we enjoy week after week on HBO Max. And it is that we are in a series that delves into palace and power plots, this always makes us bear in mind that these they have a weapon up their sleeve (well, in the pit): dragons.
Unlike in ‘Game of thrones’, where we had the dragons well located as there were only three (Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion), in this series we have a good handful of dragons swarming and perhaps we get lost among so many winged creatures.
Fortunately, Miguel Sapochnick, coshowrunner of this first seasonwanted to meet the challenge of making them sufficiently distinguishable from each other, as he told Empire:
“I have a notebook that has hundreds of designs. The first thing you want is not to do Drogon. So I came up with a theory about how there were three different types of dragons, based on their distinctive skulls. We came up with all sorts of things. But in the end, we ended up back on Drogon. There is something about Drogon. It’s like the Millennium Falcon. It has made a dent.
Each new dragon has its own personality. That’s what’s happening now in the last layer of the animation – we’re applying personal characteristics to each of the dragons. One of them has a bad leg. Another is more like an eagle because she is somewhat neurotic. And another is like a cranky grandmother.
In fact, the director promises nothing less than 17 dragons, of which in this first season we will see (or are going to see) about nine in total. So let’s put a little order to the dragons that have appeared so far and those that will appear in the HBO Max fiction.
All the dragons that we have seen in ‘The house of the dragon’
Syrax (Rhaenyra Targayen): The dragon of our protagonist princess, whom we see from the very first episode. She female, with yellow scales and linked to Rhaenyra since she was younger.
Caraxes (Daemon Targaryens): Red in color and also known as the Bloody Amphipterus, it was Prince Aemon’s battle dragon, with whom he fought in the Fourth Dornish War. In the series we have already seen him devastate during the war of the Stone Steps.
Haze (Seasmoke; Laenor Velaryon): Silver in color, so far the greatest feat we have seen of him has been during the War of the Rungs, destroying the minions of the Benefector of the Crabs in episode 3.
Meleys (Rhaenys Targaryens): Nicknamed the Red Queen for the “crown” of thorns it possesses, this is considered one of the fastest dragons. She was first ridden by Alyssa Targaryen, Rhaenys aunt, the current owner of her.
Vermax (Jacaerys Velaryon): With the jump to the sixth episode, we meet the new generation and their dragons. We first see Vermax, bound to Prince Jacaerys Velaryon. He green and, according to the book, he hates the cold.
Dreamfire (Dreamfyre): One of the dragons that dwell in the depths of the Dragon Well and that we meet for rejecting Prince Aemond. This will be Halaena’s future dragon. Be careful, because it is theorized that this is the mother of Daenerys’s dragons.
Sunfire (Sunfyre; Aegon Targaryens): Named for his golden scale, this one we’ve only seen from afar so far and will be claimed (if he hasn’t already) by Aegon Targaryen.
Vhagar (Laena Velaryon / Aemond Targaryen): perhaps the most important and regal dragon of all the ones we have around here. Reclaimed by Aemond after Laena’s tragic death, Vhagar is one of the great dragons of the conquest of Westeros and thus has a very important symbolism and plays a great role in the future war.
The ones we haven’t seen yet
There are still a few dragons yet to make an appearance and, if true to the source material, they’ll be swarming for the next few episodes (or even season 2), since we know of his presence during the Dragon Dance (which is not called that just because it looks pretty).
We have Vermithorthe bronzed dragon of King Jahaerys I; TessarionPrince Daeron’s “blue queen”; silver wingfrom Ulf; arrayby Lucerys Velaryon; Tyraxesby Joffrey Velaryon; Moon Dancer, from Baela Targaryens; besides the puppies? Storm, Morghul and Shrykos. Lastly, there are three wild Dragonstone dragons: Gray Ghost, Sheepstealer and Cannibal.
As you see, Sapochnick speaks of seventeen and in this list there are a total of twenty. The truth is that we don’t know how they will deal with this difference (probably by merging or omitting some of them).