Summary

• House of The Dragon showcases the biggest and most powerful dragons in Game of Thrones history during the time of the Dance of the Dragons.
• The dragons in House of The Dragon are larger and more numerous than those seen in the original series, adding to the epicness of the story.
• The dragons play a significant role in the events of the Dance of the Dragons, leading to tragic deaths and shaping the outcome of the Targaryen Civil War.

The biggest dragons in Game of Thrones add to the fantastical elements of the series, showcasing the amazing power of these beasts and their history in Westeros. House of The Dragon breathed new life into Westeros, continuing the story with one of the most horrific stories in Game of Thrones history. This was the time when the Dance of the Dragons took place, and that saw the tragic deaths of some breathtaking dragons from GoT lore. Its biggest departure from Game of Thrones was also the amount and size of the dragons, leading up to this event.

House of The Dragon takes place during the height of the Targaryens' power in Westeros. It was a time when there were dozens of Targaryen dragon riders, and these dragons grew to a monstrous size. The first season saw some new dragons, and the second season offers to introduce more because that is when the Dance of the Dragons and the horrific Storming of the Dragonpit event takes place. Seeing the growing roster of dragons makes it all the more impressive to see which are the biggest dragons in Game of Thrones.

Watch On Max

18 Moondancer

Dragonrider: Baela Targaryen

Moondancer was a dragon in the House of Targaryen, and she was bonded to Baela Targaryen. She is a pale green dragon with pearl-white highlights. She was also a young and slender dragon, which made her fast and maneuverable. However, in her early appearances, she wasn't big enough to carry a 13-year-old Baela on her back. By the time Baela could ride her, Moondancer was no bigger than a warhorse and weighed even less than that. Sunfyre killed Moondancer and devoured the young dragon. However, Moondragon also mortally wounded Sunfyre, showing her mettle.

17 Tessarion

Dragonrider: Daeron Targaryen

Also known as "the Blue Queen," Tessarion was a dragon ridden by Daeron Targaryen, the youngest child of King Viserys I Targaryen and Queen Alicent Hightower during the Dance of the Dragons. While far from the largest dragon to roam Westeros, Tessarion is large enough to be a real threat.

While neither Tessarion nor Daeron appeared in the first season of House of the Dragon, the showrunners revealed they haven't been excluded from the series entirely, but were rather in Oldtown during the events of the last several episodes. Viewers should prepare themselves for both Daeron and Tessarion's introduction in season 2 of House of the Dragon​​​​.

16 Sunfyre

Dragonrider: Aegon II Targaryen

Sunfyre is one of the more beautiful dragons in Game of Thrones lore, with his glimmering golden scales being counted worthy of hosting King Aegon II Targaryen. Though the dragon has had few scenes so far in House of the Dragon, it is certain to be featured more heavily as the Dance begins. Sunfyre is a fair bit bigger than Tessarion, the dragon ridden by Aegon's brother, Daeron. Nevertheless, Sunfyre himself helped lead the way to the darkest moments of House of Dragon. He is extremely violent in the books as Sunfyre killed Moondancer and Grey Ghost.

15 Grey Ghost

No Dragonrider

Grey Ghost is a reclusive wild dragon that resides near Dragonstone. This creature got its name due to its scale coloration, which was a mixture of grey and white. While Grey Ghost has only been featured briefly in House of the Dragon, the original novella reveals that he is killed by Sunfyre, Aegon II's dragon, in a fight. ​​​​​​While Grey Ghost is not the biggest dragon in the franchise, he was younger than other, larger dragons, and therefore might have grown larger had he reached full maturity.

14 Quicksilver

Dragonrider: Aenys I Targaryen & Aegon Targaryen

Quicksilver is an ancient dragon from Westerosi lore, having been bonded to a member of the original Targaryen dynasty. She served as the personal dragon of King Aenys I and his son Prince Aegon Targaryen. She was a quarter of the size of the dread dragon Balerion, who was the dragon that killed her. Being close in size to Balerion is no small feat as the larger dragon was considered to be one of the biggest dragons in Game of Thrones. Their battle was the first time since the Doom of Valyria that two dragons fought in the skies.

13 Syrax

Dragonrider: Rhaenyra Targaryen

Named after a Valyrian goddess, Syrax is the dragon ridden by Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, both in her youth and during the war. Syrax will fight alongside Rhaenyra as the Dance of the Dragons kicks off in Season 2. Though not as big as others in her day, Syrax is certainly formidable and will doubtlessly serve to be quite a soldier during the war. She is also a young dragon, around the same age as the Princess, and she didn't grow as big compared to others as she was mostly kept in chains and never had to hunt for her food.

12 Drogon

Dragonrider: Daenerys Targaryen

Drogon was born in the Dothraki Sea, and he was commanded by Daenerys Targaryen. She named him after her late husband, Khal Drogo, and some believe that Drogon might be the reincarnation of Balerion the Black Dread, the largest known dragon in history. Drogon was also the most famous of the dragons that appeared in the TV series, known as the possible last dragon. Drogon was the largest and the most aggressive of Daenerys's three dragons, and she often has trouble controlling him. With his wings stretched twenty feet across, he is also her biggest dragon.

11 Meleys

Dragonrider: Rhaenys Targaryen

10

Known as "The Red Queen," Meleys was one of the first dragons to die in battle during the Targaryen Civil War, more commonly known as The Dance of Dragons. In House of the Dragon, she is ridden by Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. What Meleys lacked in size, she made up for in speed and was known as one of the fastest dragons in Westeros. But being on the smaller side compared to the biggest dragons in Game of Thrones is what led to her downfall in a battle that ultimately did nothing to change the outcome of the civil war.

9 Caraxes

Dragonrider: Aemon & Daemon Targaryen

With a nickname like "The Blood Wyrm" it's clear that while Caraxes might not be one of the bigger dragons on Game of Thrones, he was regarded as one of the fiercest, and was beloved by the two Targaryens who bonded with him, Aemon and Daemon. At the start of House of the Dragon, Caraxes was as big as Drogon was in Game of Thrones season 8, which was around 100ft long. However, while the same size at that time, he was slimmer. By the time the Dance of the Dragons arrived, he was about half the size of Vhagar.

8 Dreamfyre

Dragonrider: Rhaena Targaryen

Dreamfyre is the original dragon of Rhaena Targaryen which, despite never fighting in great battles, was considered to be as beautiful as any of the Targaryen dragons, and was a source of pride to her two riders (Wheen Helaena Targaryen was the other). While Dreamfyre did not fight in the Dance, she looms large in the story of that war.

Many characters are drawn to her silvery-blue coloring and believe that, in time, Dreamfyre could become a powerful weapon. She ended up breaking free during the storming of the pit and took down half the Dragonpit wall, dying while killing most of the dragonslayers under the stone and rubble.

7 Silverwing

Dragonrider: Alysanne Targaryen

While Silverwing fought in several battles, she is one of the very few dragons who survived the Dance and was sought after by several dragon-less Targaryens thereafter, lasting in legend long after the age of dragons had ended. Silverwing was considered an older, almost stately dragon and lived to be around 93 years old. King Jaehaerys’ queen Alysanne Targaryen rode Silverwing, and he developed a strong bond with Vermithor as well, as they coiled together at night when sleeping. He was slightly smaller than that other dragon but was still one of the biggest dragons in Game of Thrones.

6 Sheepstealer

Dragonrider: Nettles

One of the mysterious, riderless, wild dragons, Sheepstealer famously avoided humans, but unsurprisingly, loved mutton, earning his name. He was also one of the few dragons to be ridden by a non-Targaryen, instead bonding with a young girl known as Nettles. Time allowed this dragon to grow in size and play a small role in the Dance when the girl Nettles tamed the beast with gifts of fresh sheep.

Like many of the dragons, his story has several tragic elements. Sheepstealer was over 50 when Nettles bonded with him, and while described as slender, he was one of the biggest dragons in Game of Thrones regardless.

5 Vermithor

Dragonrider: Jaehaerys Targaryen

Among some of the biggest dragons in Game of Thrones, the bronze dragon Vermithor was ridden by great kings like King Jaehaerys Targaryen, the man who preceded King Viserys Targaryen. Vermithor isn't as big as Balerion, and the Bronze Fury is a little smaller than select others in Game of Thrones history, but he was the second largest still living dragon in the world. He has huge wings and was almost 100 years old when the Dance of the Dragons began. He eventually proved to be instrumental during the Dance, dwarfing dragons like Daemon in comparison.

4 The Cannibal

No Dragonrider

The Cannibal earned his name for his habit of eating the remains of other dragons, and even some of the hatchlings. He was one of the few dragons that were never ridden and was sometimes considered to be a threat to certain other dragons, including Grey Ghost. Easily the most mysterious of all the dragons, little is known of the Cannibal, save his savage behavior toward other dragons and humans who bother him. He was able to grow to a truly terrifying size, and if he ever died and stopped growing is still up for debate.

3 Vhagar

Dragonrider: Visenya Targaryen

First ridden by Aegon The Conqueror's sister/wife, Vhagar fought in more battles than any other Targaryen dragon and was the largest known dragon in the world when the Dance officially began, making her a major threat in battle. By the time of her last battle, Vhagar was considered all but a god on the battlefield, her death in The Battle Above God's Eye marked the beginning of the end of The Dance of the Dragons.

In House of the Dragon, Vhagar was the size of Balerion during Aegon’s Conquest, making that ancient beast the only real competitor for the biggest dragons in Game of Thrones.

2 Meraxes

Dragonrider: Rhaenys Targaryen

The first of the three dragons that were ridden by King Aegon The Conqueror and his three sisters, Meraxes died over 100 years before the events of House of The Dragon, serving as an important piece of Westeros history. When the first Targaryens and their allies, the Velaryons, first invaded Westeros, Aegon's sister/wife Queen Rhaenys Targaryen rode the silver dragon into battle during the Conqueror's Balerion, and this was a battle where she and the dragon were killed. Meraxes was bigger than Vhagar, as told in the A Game of Thrones novel.

1 Balerion

Dragonrider: Aegon The Conqueror

Known as "The Black Dread," Balerion was the biggest of the Targaryen dragons and is one of the biggest dragons in Game of Thrones, if not the entire fantasy genre in general. Balerion's name has withstood history in Westeros, with even those in the age after the dragons died remembering this mighty creature.

The only Targaryen dragon that was born in the Freehold of Valyria, Balerion, in his prime, was an unstoppable force on the battlefield. Aegon the Conqueror rode The Black Dread into battle during his war to unite Westeros under his rule, and his mere presence caused great armies and kings to bend their knees.

• 

  Game of Thrones

  Created by:

  George R.R. Martin

  Cast:

  Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Iain Glen, John Bradley, Alfie Allen, Conleth Hill, Liam Cunningham, Gwendoline Christie, Aidan Gillen, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Rory McCann, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jerome Flynn, Rhys Ifans, Matt Smith, Graham McTavish, Fabien Frankel, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Emma D'Arcy, Matthew Needham, Olivia Cooke, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey

  TV Show(s):

  Game Of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Jon Snow