The humongous success of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire introduced the world to a new perspective of dragons, reptilian creatures that spewed fire from their mouths and instilled dread in the hearts of men. With Game of Thrones cementing its place as arguably the most successful television series of the past decade, many people’s curiosity about the different creatures, particularly dragons, heightened.
Though the Game of Thrones series did not dive into the nature of dragons, its prequel, House of the Dragon, gave more insight into the workings of these magnificent beasts of fire and blood. However, House of the Dragon focuses on action and does not give a deep dive into the mysterious nature of dragons.
We’ll take you into the world of ice and fire today and show you mind-blowing secrets about these creatures. So, get yourself ready as we explore 50 incredible dragon secrets.
Description
1. Dragons are, at their core, reptiles. However, they are unique in that they are not cold-blooded; these beasts are terrifyingly large creatures that can fly and breathe fire through their mouths.
2. They have scales on their body, protecting them from weapons and fire.
3. They hatch from eggs and never stop growing until they die. Newborns are hatchlings, while somewhat teenage ones are called drakes.
4. Dragons have four limbs, two hind legs, and two wings. Their necks are elongated, and their teeth are immensely sharp.
5. Like humans, they exhibit incredible intelligence and can be just as opportunistic. According to myth, they originated from the fires of the Valyrian Fourteen Flames and were tamed to lead the Freehold to victory.
History
6. The tale of the dragons begins with the rise of the fiercest power in Essos, the Valyrian Empire. Before they rose to dominate the eastern continent, the Valyrians were simple shepherds living in the Valyrian peninsula with many active volcanoes.
7. According to legend, the Valyrians discovered dragons in the Fourteen Flames and learned to tame them.
8. Many uncanny sources state that taming the creatures involved dark magic and blood sacrifice. However, upon succeeding, the Valyrians rose with their newly found power and projected the empire across Essos with no one capable of stopping them.
9. As the Valyrian Empire grew, their dragons increased in size and numbers. However, a great calamity called the Doom of Valyria occurred; this led to the death of almost every dragon and dragonlord. The Doom, which resulted from the explosion of the volcanoes in the peninsula, destroyed the Freehold. By the end of the calamity, only five from the relatively small Valyrian noble house Targaryen remained.
10. Four of the five dragons the Targaryen brought with them died, but two eggs hatched, leaving three.
11. With the might of the three great dragons, Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes, the lord of House Targaryen, Aegon, led a conquest of Westeros, a relatively primitive continent, and became its first true King.
Biology
12. Dragons are unlike any animals in Game of Thrones. They lay scaled eggs and have hot bodies that emanate heat. Their blood creates smoke.
13. Quantifying a dragon’s age is impossible, as they keep growing the more they eat.
14. Those in captivity grow slower than others who are free.
15. Though carnivores, Dragons don’t eat meat raw because they roast their food with fire before eating. As they age, their scales thicken, making them almost immune to flames. The creature also spews hotter fires that can melt steel and stone.
After Aegon conquered Westeros and became King, House Targaryen gained more dragons and became an unstoppable force. Here are incredible secrets about some of the dragons the Targaryens had:
Balerion
16. Balerion is the largest and fiercest dragon ever recorded in human history. Also known as the Black Dread, Balerion became Aegon Targaryen’s mount and was a primary reason House Targaryen obliterated all opposition to its rule.
17. Known for his signature black scales, King Aegon’s mount had one of the most unique fires ever seen in a dragon, which was jet black and sometimes had swirls or red.
18. At the height of his power, Balerion’s flames melted steel and turned sand into glass. After Aegon’s death, his younger son, Maegor, known as Maegor the Cruel, claimed the Black Dread.
19. As dragons grow bigger and fiercer with age, Maegor inherited a terrifying beast, one so large that his wingspan overshadowed towns as he flew by. For most of his reign, Maegor reigned hell on anyone who opposed his reign. However, the lords grew frustrated and abandoned his cause. With no one left by his side, King Maegor was found dead on the Iron Throne.
20. After Maegor, the next claimant to Balerion was rather weird, as it was Princess Aerea Targaryen, Maegor’s brother’s granddaughter. Aerea took the Black Dread and disappeared for a year. However, on returning, she was sickly and riddled with an unknown disease.
Aerea died after returning, and the next claimant to the Black Dread was King Viserys I Targaryen, who rode the beast till its death. No one knew Balerion’s age, but it was above 200 years.
Vhagar
With the immense popularity of House of the Dragon, Vhagar has become a household name.
21. She is a fierce beast with bronze and greenish scales.
22. Vhagar was the second-largest dragon in recorded history, with Balerion being the first. She was hatched on Dragonstone during the Century of Blood and named after the gods of Valyria.
23. She was first claimed by Visenya Targaryen, Aegon’s older sister and first wife.
24. Vhagar’s fires were so hot it could melt metal. As a battle-hardened beast, she had no match on the battlefield.
25. After Visenya’s death, Baelon Targaryen, the Spring Prince, gained control of Vhagar. After his death, Laena Velaryon, wife of Prince Daemon Targaryen, gained control of the beast. Upon her death, Vhagar remained without a rider until Prince Aemon Targaryen claimed her.
26. With Aemond, Vhagar was an unstoppable beast on the field. As the commander of the Greens during the Targaryen Civil War, Aemond used Vhagar to reign terror on Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen’s faction. However, he and his dragon fell during an intense battle.
As a she-dragon, there are speculations about Vhagar’s children. Some state she may have birthed ferocious monsters like Vermithor and Cannibal. However, there is no concrete evidence for such assumptions.
Meraxes
27. Meraxes is a beautiful she-dragon and Queen Rhaenys Targaryen’s mount. She was one of two eggs hatched after the Targaryens arrived on Dragonstone.
28. Though belonging to the conqueror trio, Meraxes didn’t live long enough to see Aegon fully become King as the Dornish, who refused to bow to Aegon’s rule, shot her from the sky with a bolt.
29. Meraxes and Rhaenys’s deaths led to radical change in Westeros and the formation of the King’s Guard as a brutal assassination spree began between the Dornish lords and Aegon.
Caraxes
30. Caraxes is by far the bravest dragon the Targaryens ever had. He was so fierce and cunning that he got nicknamed the Blood Wyrm.
31. After his first mount, Prince Aemon Targaryen, died, Prince Daemon Targaryen claimed Caraxes, and when the Dance of the Dragons began, Daemon led Queen Rhaenyra’s forces and dealt several severe blows to the Greens using the Blood Wyrm.
32. Towards the end of the Civil War, Daemon challenged Aemond, who rode on Vhagar, to a duel, and the ensuing combat became the Battle Above the God’s Eye.
Even though Vhagar was twice his size, Caraxes fought with immense courage, and in a final beautiful and jarring end, he and the she-dragon locked onto each other and tore themselves apart. Vhagar died from the impact of the fall, but Caraxes lived and dragged himself from the water to the shore. He eventually died at the walls of Harrenhal.
Meleys
33. Meleys, mounted by Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, is the fastest dragon of House Targaryen. She is also called the Red Queen.
34. As one of the most gorgeous dragons, Meleys was the topic of envy among many. Besides her beauty, she was an exceptional creature with excellent maneuverability; this impeccable skill led to one of the most mind-blowing duels in the Targaryen Civil War.
35. During the war, Princess Rhaenys, on her dragon, faced both Vhagar and Sunfyre, King Aegon II Targaryen’s ride. Though the Queen that Never Was died, she dealt a severe injury that incapacitated Sunfyre and critically harmed Aegon.
Sunfyre
36. Sunfyre is the most beautiful dragon in recorded history. He had golden scales and fire. When the Dance of the Dragons began, King Aegon, on Sunfyre, ambushed Princess Rhaenys; this action had severe consequences as Meleys dealt a severe blow that took him out of the sky.
37. On crashing, Sunfyre never recovered again. He eventually killed Rhaenyra Targaryen but hesitantly did so while her son, Prince Aegon, watched. Sunfyre never flew after eating Rhaenyra, and he died.
Vermithor
38. Vermithor, also called the Bronze Fury, was among the crucial dragons that fought during the Dance of the Dragons.
39. He was the third largest dragon the Targaryens had after Balaerion and Vhagar.
40. Vermithor was King Jaehaerys I Targaryen’s mount, and after the conciliator’s death, he was riderless until the Targaryen Civil War started.
41. During the war, Rhaenyra’s son, Prince Jaehaerys Velaryon, asked many Targaryen bastards to try mounting different dragons. Shockingly, Vermithor bowed to a bastard named Hugh Hammer.
42. With the Blacks having many new riders, Vermithor unleashed hell on Aemond and King Aegon II’s forces. Eventually, Hugh switched sides, and after Aemond Targaryen’s death, he tried becoming King.
43. Hugh died, and Vermithor unleashed hell after realizing knights were trying to kill him. He took to the skies, but Seasmoke and Tessarion attacked him. After a brutal battle, Vermithor collapsed and died.
Drogon
44. Drogon is the primary dragon of Daenerys Targaryen, daughter of King Aerys II Targaryen. He is a fierce black dragon who spews out black flames just like Balerion. Because he’s still young, Balerion is much smaller compared to his ancestors.
45. Because of his extreme fierceness, Drogon is hard to tame; this leads to him becoming somewhat of a rogue beast.
Silverwing
46. Silverwing is among the few dragons fond of people. Queen Alysanne Targaryen first rode her, and she later bowed to a bastard named Ulf the White.
47. Silverwing was fond of Vermithor and often coiled with him. When he died, she allegedly descended and tried raising his wings.
48. Eventually, Ulf the White died from poison, and Silverwing flew away. She was among the few that survived the Civil War.
Cannibal
49. Cannibal was a wild dragon and one of the few that survived the Dance of the Dragons. He got his nickname from his weird act of eating the carcasses of dead dragons.
50. Cannibal vanished after the Dance of the Dragons and was never seen again.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed learning 50 mind-blowing facts about the dragons in Game of Thrones. Don’t forget to leave us a comment and share. You can check out other articles like Paul Atreides Facts. You can also search our Facts Database.
i wonder how many kilos of meat would be Balerion’s daily maintenance and the amount of sh*t he’d produce 🤔
A lot of kilos, and he’d have many people tending to him, doubt that though as he should have been able to groom himself.