The Targaryen civil war is in full effect on the House of Dragons, and the number of dragons is shrinking.

The death of Meleys, along with her rider Rhaenys, has finally pushed Rhaenyra to begin looking for people who can mount the riderless dragons she has on Dragonstone. That represents an important turning point in the Targaryen civil war, as the dragons are now essentially fully unleashed as weapons of war with more on the way.

So, with House of the Dragon’s second season winding down, it’s a good time to become familiar with which dragons are left in Westeros, who’s side they’re on, and if they have a rider. It’s also worth knowing which one’s have any chance of standing up to Aemond and Vhagar.

After the loss of Meleys, the Rhaenyra’s Black Targaryens need to find more dragons if they want any hope of winning the war. Luckily, they have some of the largest dragons left — they just need riders. Here’s an at-a-glance look at our breakdown of which dragons still flying in House of the Dragon are the strongest. This also includes three wild dragons that haven’t been mentioned on the show, but appear in the books related to the Targaryen civil war, The Dance of Dragons. Below, you’ll find a complete breakdown, including who’s best positioned to take on Vhagar.

Dragon Name
Rider
Age
Side
Location

Vhagar
Aemond Targaryen
181
Team Green
King’s Landing

Vermithor
None
95
Team Black
Dragonstone

The Cannibal
None
Over 100
Wild dragon
Dragonstone

Silverwing
None
87-93
Team Black
Dragonstone

Caraxes
Daemon Targaryen
Around 60-70
Team Green
Harrenhall

Sheepstealer
None
Around 100
Wild dragon
Dragonstone

Dreamfyre
Helaena Targaryen
98-100
Team Green
King’s Landing

Sunfyre
Aegon Targaryen
20-30

Grey Ghost
None
Unknown
Wild dragon
Dragonstone

Syrax
Rhaenyra Targaryen
Around 35
Team Black
Dragonstone

Seasmoke
None
Around 30
Team Black
Driftmark

Moondancer
Baela Targaryen
15
Team Black
Dragonstone

Vermax
Jacaerys Velaryon
15
Team Black
Dragonstone

Tessarion
Daeron Targaryen
20
Team Green
Unknown

1Vhagar

The largest and most battle-tested dragon in Westeros

HBO

Dragon-rider: Aemond Targaryen
Age: 181
Side: Team Green
Location: Dragonstone

You’ll recognize Vhagar as the gigantic monstrosity that keeps ripping apart Team Black’s dragons.

She was first hatched on Dragonstone, 50 years before the Targaryens took over all of Westeros. Vhagar was claimed by Visenya Targaryen, one of Aegon the Conqueror’s sister-wives. With Visenya as her rider, Vhagar helped Aegon takeover Westeros before becoming a crucial part in fighting Dorne in the decade following the Targaryen’s arrival in Westeros. After Visenya, Vhagar passed to Baelon Targaryen (Viserys and Daemon’s father), and then Laena Velaryon, before finally ending up with Aemond.

2Vermithor

Can the Blacks find a rider?

HBO

Dragon-rider: None
Age: 95
Side: Team Black

The second-largest living dragon is Vermithor, at almost 100-years-old. He was ridden by King Jaehaerys during his entire 55-year reign, but has been riderless since the King died in 103 AC. He’s spent the 30 years since the King’s death residing in a lair on Dragonstone, which just so happens to be where Rhaenyra is commanding the war from. Vermithor has the size to change the equation of the civil war in favor of Team Black, but he’s still slightly smaller than Vhagar. Another factor to remember, King Jaehaerys was his only rider, and he’s known for having the most peaceful reign of any Targaryen King. So, despite a fierce reputation as the Bronze Fury, Vermithor has less battle-experience than Vhagar.

We got our first glimpse of Vermithor in the season finale of season one, when Daemon attempts to lure the dragon to the Black’s side by serenading it. That attempt fails, but maybe another rider will have more success.

3The Cannibal

A dragon who eats dragons

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Dragon-rider: None
Age: Over 100 years old
Side: Wild dragon
Location: Dragonstone

The Cannibal is one of three wild dragons that have made a home out of the caves on Dragonstone. There’s not a lot known about The Cannibal. We know he’s the largest of the three wild dragons, but not larger than Vermithor. We also know one of the other wild dragons, Sheepstealer is around 100 years old, which means The Cannibal could actually be much older. He’s earned the name The Cannibal by attacking smaller dragons. He hasn’t been mentioned in the show yet, but hopefully we get to see a few unlucky folks attempt to tame him. The Cannibal is described as being an all-black dragon.

4Silverwing

The dragon that saw the wall

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Dragon-rider: None
Age: 87-93
Side: Team Black
Location: Dragonstone

Queen Alysanne Targaryen’s former dragon is another large dragon that doesn’t have a rider. Silverwing was born around 90 years before the Dance of the Dragons, and is described in the books as being one of the more gentler dragons. She’s most well-known as the dragon that Queen Alysanne flew to the Wall, an event that’s been referenced a few times in both House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. After Alysanne’s death Silverwing went with Vermithor to Dragonstone and has been there ever since.

5Caraxes

Daemon’s unique red dragon

HBO

Dragon-rider: Daemon Targaryen
Age: Unknown exactly, but around 60 to 70-years-old
Side: Team Green
Location: Harrenhall

Daemon’s dragon is one of the more unique looking dragons in the show. It features red scales and a long, slender neck. The dragon’s similar in size to Meleys, who we recently saw killed at the hands of Vhagar. Daemon’s dragon has a little more fighting experience than Meleys did though, having recently fought with Daemon in the Stepstones conflict during season one. Caraxes was also used in battle by his first rider, Aemon Targaryen, who was Daemon’s uncle.

Caraxes exact age isn’t known, only that he was big enough to ride around in 72 AC (After Conquest). That’s 57 years before the events of House of the Dragon, so we can assume he’s at least 60, maybe closer to 70-years-old. That makes him quite a bit smaller that Vhagar, but should also make him quite a bit quicker, if the two should ever face off.

6Sheepstealer

Guess how he got that name

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Dragon-rider: None
Age: Around 100
Side: Wild dragon
Location: Dragonstone

Sheepstealer literally made a name for himself stealing the smallfolk’s livestock. He was born sometime early on during the life of King Jaehaerys which would put him around 100 years old in The House of the Dragon. He’s smaller than the other dragons around that age range though, but still a large enough dragon to be a serious weapon if Team Black could find a way to domesticate him.

7Dreamfyre

The Green Queen’s dragon

Dragon–rider: Helaena Targaryen
Age: 98 to 100-years-old
Side: Team Green
Location: King’s Landing

Dreamfyre is older than dragons like Vermithor and Silverwing, but she’s still smaller than both. She’s also ridden by Helaena Targaryen. Helaena is one of my favorite characters, with her weird little prophecies, but she seems much closer to a well-deserved mental breakdown than she does to mounting her dragon and leading it into battle. So it remains to be seen how one of the larger dragons controlled by either faction can be a factor in the ongoing war. If she had another rider, she’d probably be much higher on this list.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW

8Sunfyre

Is Aegon’s dragon still alive

HBO

Dragon-rider: Aegon Targaryen
Age: 20 to 30 years old
Side: Team Green
Location: Rook’s Rest

Last we saw Sunfyre, he ws curled around Aegon’s lifeless body after being attacked by Meleys and burned by Vhagar. We even heard Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) say the dragon was “long in the dying”, implying that he’s already dead. Book readers have reason to suspect that Cole may have spoken to too soon about Sunfyre’s death. HBO has made changes from the source material in the past, but Sunfyre dying at Rook’s Rest would be a significant departure on the level of leaving out Lady Stoneheart (zombie Catelyn Stark) in the original series.

9Grey Ghost

The smallest wild dragon

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Dragon-rider: None
Age: Unknown
Side: Wild dragon
Location: Dragonstone

Not much is known about Grey Ghost. It’s mention’s in the books boil down to it being the smallest of the three wild dragons on Dragonstone at the start of the Dance of Dragons. It took its name from its distinctive grey color.

10Syrax

HBO

Dragon rider: Rhaenyra Targaryen
Age: Around 35 years old
Side: Team Black
Location: Dragonstone

Rhaenyra first mounted Syrax when she was seven, when she was just a young dragon. The events of House of the Dragon take place about 25 years later, which should put Syrax in his early to mid 30’s. Syrax is larger than the rest of the dragons on this list, but is actually considered small for his age. Likely owing to spending large parts of his life in the Dragonpit in King’s Landing. Dragons began to noticeably decrease in size once the Targaryens began keeping them in the Dragonpit.

11Seasmoke

Rhaenyra’s old husband’s dragon

HBO

Dragon-rider: None
Age: Around 30
Side: Team Black
Location: Driftmark

Seasmoke belonged to Rhaenyra’s first husband, Laenor Varlaryon, for the first 20 years of his life before Leanor faked his death and fled King’s Landing. Despite being around the same age as Syrax, Seasmoke is a much smaller dragon. Having already had a rider though, he’s one of the dragons that Team Black needs to find a rider for if they have any hopes of winning the war.

Seasmoke was last seen returning to Driftmark by Adam Hull in the second episode of season two.

12Moondancer

The youngest dragon fighting in the war

HBO

Dragon-rider: Baela Targaryen
Age: 15
Side: Team Black
Location: Dragonstone

Moondancer is the youngest dragon fighting in the Dance of Dragons. In the books, she’s described as being unable to hold her rider, Baela, just a few years before the war. Both Moondancer and Seasmoke are described as being very small dragons in the book, but seem to be somewhere between the size of Syrax and Vermax in the TV show.

13Vermax

The black prince’s dragon

HBO

Dragon-rider: Jacaerys Velaryon
Age: 15
Side: Team Black
Location: Dragonstone

Vermax was hatched soon after Jacaerys was born in an attempt to prove his Targarye bloodline. Vermax has been a common sight during the second season of House of the Dragon, as we’ve seen him at the Wall to start the season with Jacaerys meeting the Starks, and also at the Twins, as Jace won the Freys to his mother’s cause. Just going off of looks though, Vermax appears to be the smallest dragon able to fight in the field for either side.

We got our first look at Vermax in season one when Jace entered the Dragonpit to help in his training. Vermax was an adolescent in that scene but has grown to be about the size of a large horse in season two.

14Tessarion

Otto’s pet project

Pocket Lint

Dragon-rider: Daeron Targaryen
Age: 20
Side: Team Green
Location: Oldtown

We haven’t met Tessarion, or her rider Daeron Targaryen, in The House of the Dragon yet. The closest we’ve come is Otto reminding Alicent of her youngest son’s existence before he left to serve as the boy’s tutor in Oldtown. Still, Tessarion is another important chess piece in Team Green’s dragon arsenal that will be important down the line.

She’s the youngest dragon to fight on Team Green’s side during the Dance of Dragons, but is still as large as older dragons like Vermax and Seasmoke.

FAQ

Q: How did I rank the dragons in House of the Dragon?

In House of the Dragon, dragons are ranked by their strength, age, and importance in the Targaryen civil war. After losing some key dragons like Meleys, Rhaenyra really needs to find riders for powerful dragons like Vermithor and Silverwing, because they could be game changers in the war.