'House of the Dragon': Vhagar's Long History Explained (2024)

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 1 of House of the Dragon.House of the Dragon's fanbase has seen quite a bit of Vhagar, the oldest and strongest dragon alive in the spin-off. She instills fear in her enemies and isn't above ignoring her rider when she sees fit. We've seen two riders claims her so far, but Vhagar has had quite a tumultuous history well before the Dance of the Dragons. The old girl has earned her stripes and seen her share of warfare.

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The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO seriesGame of Thrones. Based on George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, House of the Dragonis set nearly 200 years before Game of Thrones, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.

Vhagar's Birth and Visenya Riding Vhagar Into the Conquest

Vhagar hatched from her egg on Dragonstone 52 years before Aegon's Conquest. According to George R.R. Martin's novels, A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords, Vhagar was named after one of the gods of the Valyrian Freehold. Vhagar's early life was relatively uneventful, but a young Visenya Targaryen eventually claimed her as her mount. Visenya would go on to marry her brother Aegon Targaryen, who also married their sister Rhaenys. For years, House Targaryen was content to exist on Dragonstone. However, everything changed on the account of Storm King Argilac "the Arrogant" Durrandon.

Argilac had sought to halt the advance of King Harren "the Black" Hoare, who was King of the Iron Islands and the Riverlands. Harren had nearly completed construction on the dreaded fortress of Harrenhal, and King Argilac wanted to keep Harren from advancing into the Stormlands. Argilac sent the offer of an alliance to Aegon Targaryen. He offered his daughter Argella for Aegon to wed (Aegon had not yet married his sisters), but Aegon refused. Instead, Aegon asked that Argella marry his best friend (and allegedly his bastard brother) Orys Baratheon. When the emissary arrived in Storm's End, King Argilac had his hands cut off and sent back to Dragonstone, with a message stating "these are the only hands you will receive." Aegon called his banners and set his eyes on the Seven Kingdoms in response. He sent ravens to the rulers of Westeros, stating that he would unify the Seven Kingdoms under House Targaryen. He began the campaign to dominate the Seven Kingdoms with his wives, forever being symbolized in House Targaryen's three-headed sigil alongside their dragons: Aegon atop Balerion, Rhaenys atop Meraxes, and Visenya atop Vhagar.

When Aegon landed at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush (a place that would later give rise to the Aegonfort and ultimately King's Landing), Visenya spared no time and pressed the attack. She flew north to Castle Stokeworth, where the castle's soldiers and men-at-arms attempted to take down Vhagar with crossbow bolts. In response, Vhagar set the roof of Castle Stokeworth aflame, resulting in House Stokeworth's surrender. One by one, the lords of Westeros began to submit. Some resisted, while others laid down their arms and begged for mercy. After the fall of Houses Darklyn and Mooton, Aegon was crowned as King Aegon I Targaryen, First of His Name, King of All Westeros, and Shield of His People, and his new royal dynasty would last for nearly three centuries.

Visenya Targaryen Took Vhagar to War Aegon's Crowning

Visenya pressed onward and took Vhagar to accompany the Targaryen fleet to Gulltown. The fleet was attacked by House Arryn's fleet, where they successfully destroyed a third of House Targaryen's ships. Visenya counterattacked with Vhagar, torching the Arryn fleet in totality. Visenya then headed to Crackclaw Point to hear more pledges of loyalty before flying to Stoney Sept to regroup with Aegon and Rhaenys. They flew to the northern portions of the Reach, where the combined forces of Casterly Rock and Highgarden were five times as large as those of the Targaryens. Regardless, Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar took flight together and descended on the enemy troops.

As men battled on foot, the dragons melted thousands in their own armor. The dry grass on the battlefield that day caught fire and spread quickly, killing House Lannister and Gardener's forces in droves. At the end of the battle that would be known as the "Field of Fire," House Gardener had been completely obliterated, thousands died from swords, arrows, and spears, while the dragons killed thousands more. Visenya herself took an arrow to the shoulder but would recover. Loren Lannister relinquished his crown the next day, earning the name "Loren the Last," but remaining Warden of the West. Aegon gave dominion over Highgarden and the Reach to Lord Harlen Tyrell, House Gardener's steward.

The war raged on, and Visenya and Vhagar would eventually fly to the Riverlands, expecting to face King Torrhen Stark and his army of battle-hardened northmen. The King in the North had heard the news of the Field of Fire and had decided that defeating the Targaryens wasn't achievable. The King in the North wisely sent his brother to negotiate. The young conqueror would allow Torrhen Stark to keep Winterfell and his lordship over the North, but he would be a king no longer. Torrhen bent the knee before Aegon, earning him the name "The King Who Knelt." Vhagar's subsequent action during the War of Conquest was to fly to the Vale, landing in the courtyard of the Eyrie. Queen Regent Sharra Arryn ran out into the courtyard to find her son, King Ronnel Arryn of Mountain and Vale, resting on Visenya's knee and admiring Vhagar. The boy king requested that his mother allow Visenya to give him a ride on Vhagar's back. The Queen Regent bent the knee, resigning House Arryn's kingship. After Ronnel Arryn rode with Visenya and Vhagar three times around the mountain known as the Giant's Lance, House Arryn pledged fealty as Wardens of the East.

The First Dornish War and the Death of Queen Visenya

At the end of the initial war, six of the Seven Kingdoms had pledged fealty to House Targaryen. Balerion's dragonfire forged the Iron Throne, and Aegon and his queens ruled from King's Landing. Unfortunately, Rhaenys and Meraxes died during the subsequent invasion of Dorne, with defenders killing Meraxes with a scorpion bolt to the eye. The dragon's crash to earth was horrific, and Rhaenys' body was never recovered. Aegon and Visenya responded to the death of their sister by glassing the majority of Dorne. During two years that would be known as the "Dragon's Wroth," Aegon and Visenya scoured all of Dorne, burning countless castles to the ground. Only Sunspear was spared from dragonfire, though it's unclear as to why this happened. Some Dornishmen rumored that Princess Meria Martell had bought a device that could slay the dragons, but Archmaester Timotty of The Citadel surmised that Aegon and Visenya wanted to force the Dornish houses into an uprising against House Martell. Despite the acts of Aegon and Visenya, Dorne remained defiant of the crown for many years. Although only six kingdoms remained united, the Conquest was deemed complete, and it would profoundly influence the politics of the continent for the next three centuries.

King Aegon ruled Westeros until 37 years after the conquest when he died from a stroke at age 64. He was cremated on Dragonstone, with Vhagar supplying the fire. Aegon's son Aenys became king and angered Visenya by naming his son (also named Aegon) the heir to the Iron Throne. The Faith of the Seven soon rose against Aenys due to House Targaryen's practice of incestuous marriage. When King Aenys died, Visenya flew to Pentos to retrieve her son Maegor from exile. Atop Balerion and Vhagar, the two returned to King's Landing, which broke out in riots as they approached. Maegor killed the young Aegon and usurped his position as king before setting Balerion loose on the Faith Militant. Visenya also took Vhagar across Westeros to put down any rebellion, and Vhagar burned down the strongholds of five houses in the Riverlands in a single night. Maegor's reign of cruelty would continue, but Visenya would die in 44 AC (After Conquest), leaving Vhagar without a rider. After going for decades without war or even a rider, the two surviving original dragons had largely become relics in an era full of much younger beasts, though Vhagar still had one last major role to play in the wars to come.

Baelon the Brave and Vhagar's Final Riders

Maegor the Cruel died unexpectedly atop the Iron Throne in 48 AC, leaving his nephew Jaehaerys I Targaryen as the heir to the Iron Throne. The young king would go on to be known as "The Conciliator" and ushered in the longest period of prosperity in the history of Targaryen rule. After 29 years, Vhagar was claimed by Jaehaerys's son, Prince Baelon "the Brave" Targaryen, who had earned his name from whacking Balerion on the snout as a child. Baelon would ride Vhagar during the Fourth Dornish War, where Baelon, his brother Aemon, and King Jaehaerys annihilated a Dornish fleet aiming to attack the Stormlands. Balerion the Black Dread would die of old age in 94 AC, leaving Vhagar as the lone surviving dragon who had participated in the War of Conquest. Unfortunately for her, Prince Baelon would soon die in 101 AC of appendicitis, leaving her riderless again.

During the reign of Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine), Lady Laena Velaryon of Driftmark (Savannah Steyn/Nanna Blondell) would become a dragonrider and claim Vhagar. House of the Dragon sees Laena taking on Vhagar sometime before her marriage to Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), many years after she claimed Vhagar in Fire & Blood. She absolutely adored Vhagar, and she and Daemon toured the Free Cities together, putting on spectacles on dragonback. Laena was pregnant with her third child, and she dreamed of returning home to Driftmark to give birth. However, Laena went into labor in Pentos. After several excruciating hours, Laena and Daemon's child would not arrive, and Daemon was faced with the same horrible decision as his brother years earlier: Perform a dangerous procedure to save the child or lose both Laena and the baby.

Before Daemon made a decision, Laena rose from her birthing bed and made her way down to a nearby shore where Vhagar rested. She cried out in pain, begging to die on her own terms with her bodily autonomy intact. Though she was initially reticent, Vhagar finally obeyed and burned Lady Laena alive in full sight of Prince Daemon. During Laena's funeral on Driftmark, Prince Aemond Targaryen (Leo Ashton) ran out to Vhagar and climbed onto her back in the dead of night. After taking to the skies, Aemond returned to the castle and was confronted by Laena's daughters Baela (Shani Smethurst) and Rhaena (Eva Ossei-Gerning). A scuffle broke out, and Prince Lucerys "Luke" Velaryon (Harvey Sadler) sliced Aemond's eye with a knife. Aemond remarked that he was okay with being partially blinded, as he "lost an eye but gained a dragon."

Vhagar's Involvement in the Start of the Dance of Dragons

After the death of King Viserys, a Targaryen conflict begins brewing. Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and her father Ser Otto (Rhys Ifans), the Hand of the King, have seated Viserys' son Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) on the Iron Throne. This flies in the face of Viserys naming his daughter Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) as his heir. Rhaenyra and Alicent both attempt to resolve things amicably, but Rhaenyra nonetheless sends her sons to treat with the Great Houses. Luke is tasked with riding his dragon Arrax to Storm's End to receive the support of Lord Borros Baratheon. As he touches down in the courtyard, Luke notices Vhagar in the distance, knowing Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) must have beaten him to Storm's End. Upon meeting Lord Borros (Roger Evans), the Storm Lord spurns his request for assistance, stating that the boy showed up empty-handed. Aemond taunts Luke, wanting revenge for the loss of his eye, but Luke is protected by Guest Right and returns to the courtyard to ride Arrax back to Dragonstone.

Flying over the waters of Shipbreaker Bay, Luke spots Aemond chasing after him on Vhagar. As Aemond taunts him, Luke and Arrax attempt to escape by flying through crags in the sea where Vhagar is too large to follow. The two young dragonriders struggle to control their dragons during the storm and during the chase. Vhagar doesn't listen to Aemond's commands and soars upwards through the storm-ridden clouds to kill Arrax with a single chomp, leaving the few remaining bits of him and Prince Luke falling into the sea. Aemond stares on in horror, as he knows this act has pushed the rising inter-family conflict well past any hope of negotiation.

In the Dance of the Dragons, Vhagar Is Now the Most Powerful Dragon the Greens Have

Now that war has fully broken out into the open, the Blacks and the Greens need to find every dragon they can get to have any hope of victory. Although both sides manage to stay restrained during the opening salvo, the shadow of Vhagar remains very much present, given that she has a power that even Aemond himself struggles to control in the opening shot of the new civil war. During the few days between the death of Lucerys and his funeral, Daemon remarks to Rhaenys that the power of Vhagar is the only reason he cannot try to simply overwhelm King’s Landing by force alone. Even though the Blacks have more dragons on paper, Vhagar is strong enough to serve as a serious deterrent to any escalation of the war into a larger dragon fight, at least initially. While revenge is the primary factor, the Blood and Cheese plot can arguably be attributed to sheer pragmatism for this very reason. Had Aemond been killed, as the plan called for, finding Vhagar another rider would have taken weeks or months at the very least, allowing Rhaenyra to claim a swift victory during such a window and with little violence.

As an asset to the Greens, Vhagar now remains their biggest advantage in both strategic and political ways. While not quite as old as Balerion himself, she is still only a few decades younger than the Doom of Valyria, and the egg from which she hatched could predate the event, which might easily explain her huge size in comparison to the many other dragons who followed. As the last dragon still alive since the era of the Conquest, Vhagar remains by far the most experienced, making her a deadly threat for anyone who might ever dare to attack her. Additionally, by claiming such a dragon, the Greens have now secured themselves an aura of political and magical legitimacy for their right to the Iron Throne, as if it were a blessing by the Valyrian gods for which Vhagar and the other two original Targaryen dragons had themselves been named.

Rook’s Rest Shows Vhagar Is Still a Dangerous Fighter

After so many clashes that escalate the war into an increasingly deadly affair, battles between dragons soon become inevitable, but it is only Aemond who realizes the importance of combining their power with regular armies of men. When Vhagar finally makes his grand entrance, the sheer scale of his own advantage becomes clear for the first time in the war. Whereas Arrax was still relatively young, Meleys and Sunfyre are both bigger and older, yet they are still outmatched by Vhagar in size and power. Once Aemond decides to take advantage of the chance presented to him and attack his brother while he is on dragonback himself in a brilliant change from the books, it only takes one precise blast of fire to cripple Sunfyre, as well as her rider. Despite her own size and experience, Meleys might have a more experienced rider and be a fair match, but Vhagar still has size on her side. Ultimately, Vhagar kills Meleys during the battle, robbing the greens of one of their most important dragons. Should the Blacks ever hope to win the war as a whole, killing Vhagar and her rider will now remain a major obstacle to achieving their goal, one that might take some creative and desperate measures to overcome from an island like Dragonstone.

Thankfully for them, Rook’s Rest also hints at a major weakness that Vhagar has that could neutralize the biggest asset the Greens have in their arsenal, one that even the deadliest battle in the early civil war cannot afford to hide. Because of her extreme size, Vhagar is also quite slow, and there are several points in the battle where she finds herself outmaneuvered by Meleys and Rhaenys. While no dragon can exceed Vhagar in size and power, some can still compete with her, and if there is a rider experienced enough, the same ambush tactics could be used to great effect, especially since Aemond is also blind in one eye. Granted, the strength behind her jaw, fire, and claws would place the opponent directly in the line of fire and could still prove fatal for the dragon in question, not to mention their own rider. Aside from Rhaenyra herself as Queen, few Targaryens or dragons remain powerful or dangerous enough to take on such a deadly challenge, but Daemon seems determined to bring his nephew down and he remains perhaps the most qualified to take Vhagar on, making him the most likely candidate both strategically and thematically. Clearly, it's no big secret that Aemond secretly idolizes Daemon, so a death at his hands might be the greatest end he could hope for, as well as being a fitting demise for the last dragon who lived through the Conquest.

House of the Dragon season 2 airs every Sunday at 9:00 PM EST on Max in the US.

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