House of the Dragon has done so well for many reasons, but one of the most notable is the inclusion of the giant fire-breathing lizards that people can’t seem to get enough of. The Game of Thrones prequel has far more of the beasts than its predecessor, and it still hasn’t shown us all the important dragons that George R.R. Martin created for his world. Let’s travel back a bit and look at three dragons we won’t see.
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Quicksilver
Quicksilver was the mount of two Targaryen kings: the crowned Aenys Targaryen, who she hatched alongside, and his son, the uncrowned Aegon, who claimed her almost a year after his father’s death. Her fire was a pale white colour, and it is believed that her scales shared that characteristic, given her name.
She only ever rode into battle once, and hers was one of the first dragon fights in Westeros’s skies. During the Battle Beneath the Gods Eye, in a moment mirrored by the chase between Aemond Targaryen and Lucerus Velaryon in episode 10 of House of the Dragon, she was very quickly overwhelmed by the ancient beast Balerion. Quicksilver fell from the sky with one less wing, her rider falling beside her.
Meraxes
Meraxes was one of the oldest and largest dragons ever to live, second only to Balerion. This ancient dragon and silver scales complimented by golden eyes and was ridden by Rhaenys Targaryen, one of the sister-wives of Aegon the Conqueror. Over their many years of conquest, Rhaenys and Meraxes brought down fire and ruin on all who dared to challenge the reign of House Targaryen.
Unfortunately, before House Targaryen gained complete control over Westeros, both dragon and rider were taken out by the armies of Dorne. The ancient beast’s fall is said to have destroyed a section of the Dornish castle. The revenge for their deaths was devasting and seemingly never-ending, as the siblings of Rhaenys Targaryen would burn every stronghold of Dorne at least once over two years.
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Balerion the Black Dread
As the largest and most ancient of the dragons to have ever been flown by the Targaryen’s, Balerion has the most experience of his kin. The ancient beast earned his name from the black of his scales and fire and is one of the last creatures to have seen the glory of Old Valyria.
He had four riders in his lifetime: Aegon the Conqueror (who used him to craft the Iron Throne and force all of Westeros to accept his rule), Maegor the Cruel (who used him to keep people from challenging his rule as king), Aerea Targaryen (who wasn’t really one of his riders, but still flew the ancient beast for over a year when they disappeared) and Viserys I Targaryen.
The ancient dragon died of old age soon after Viserys claimed him. After having fought in the Targaryen’s wars for so many years, I think it’s good he got to rest before he died.
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