- "Vhagar was five times the size of Arrax and a hardened survivor of a hundred battles. Vhagar caught him above Shipbreaker Bay. Watchers on the castle walls saw distant blasts of flame and heard a shriek drown out the thunder. Prince Lucerys fell, broken, to be swallowed by the waves."
- ―Robert Baratheon
Arrax[c][d] was a dragon bred by House Targaryen. He was the mount of Lucerys Velaryon. He was the first dragon to die in the Dance of the Dragons.
Biography[]
Background[]
Arrax hatched in 118 AC, the same year as the birth of his master, Lucerys Velaryon.[a] He has white scales, purple wing membranes, orange eyes, and orange frills.[1]
House of the Dragon: Season 1[]
Arrax is flown by Lucerys to Storm's End in order to send a message to Lord Borros Baratheon regarding House Baratheon's loyalty to Rhaenyra Targaryen's cause. Landing in the courtyard of the castle and dismounted by Lucerys, both are startled by the presence of Vhagar, indicating that Aemond Targaryen is also at Storm's End. Later, as a storm begins to rage over the castle, Arrax grows wary but is calmed by his rider. They take off and attempt to fly back to Dragonstone but struggle to navigate through the savage rain and high winds.[1]
The two are then met by Aemond riding atop Vhagar, who seeks retribution for his lost eye and chases them over Shipbreaker Bay. As Aemond repeatedly menaces Lucerys, Arrax flies down into a canyon along the coast, forcing Vhagar to fly up and abandon the pursuit. However, Arrax suddenly ambushes Vhagar and blasts the ancient dragon with his flame. Lucerys regains control and commands him to fly over the storm clouds. Seemingly safe in the clear skies, an enraged Vhagar attacks them from the side, biting Arrax to pieces and eating Lucerys whole.[1]
House of the Dragon: Season 2[]
Rhaenyra flies to the Stormlands on Syrax and discovers one of Arrax's wings which had been brought to shore by a group of fishermen.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
Arrax was originally written to appear in "The Princess and the Queen." The scene in which he was supposed to appear instead featured Vermax.[3]
In the books[]
In Fire & Blood, Queen Alicent Hightower and her children spread an accusation that the three sons of her stepdaughter Rhaenyra Targaryen were not the sons of Rhaenyra's husband Laenor Velaryon, but bastards fathered by Ser Harwin Strong. To show that he considered Rhaenyra and her sons to be the true heirs to the Iron Throne, King Viserys I Targaryen had a dragon egg placed in the cradle of each boy during their infancy. People who doubted the boys' paternity did not expect the eggs to ever hatch and were disappointed when each of the eggs hatched, with Arrax being the counterpart of Lucerys Velaryon, Rhaenyra's second son.
Arrax's color isn't stated in text, but the artist commissioned for the 2021 A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar, Sam Hogg, asked for clarification from George R.R. Martin's team and was told that Arrax's coloration was "pearlescent white with yellow flame, golden eyes and a golden chest."[4]
Appearances[]
- The Dance of Dragons (illustrated)
- – "The Princess and the Queen" (mentioned indirectly)
- – "The Black Queen"
- – "A Son for a Son" (corpse)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 10: "The Black Queen" (2022).
- ↑ House of the Dragon: Season 2, Episode 1: "A Son for a Son" (2024).
- ↑ https://archiveofourown.org/works/41199249/chapters/105375081#workskin
- ↑ Sam Hogg, Arrax Color
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 According to VFX supervisor Angus Bickerton (https://www.vfxvoice.com/the-virtual-reality-of-house-of-the-dragon/), Arrax is 14 years old in "The Black Queen."
- ↑ "The Black Queen" picks up shortly after "The Green Council," which takes place in 132 AC.
- ↑ High Valyrian: Arraks
- ↑ ÄR-aks
External links[]
- Arrax on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (potential spoilers for House of the Dragon)
- Arrax on The Official Guide
Before Conquest |
Archonei · Balerion · Essovius · Ghiscar · Meraxes · Valryon · Vermithrax · Vhagar |
First century after Conquest |
Caraxes · Dreamfyre · Meleys · Quicksilver · Sheepstealer · Silverwing · Syrax · Vermithor |
Second century after Conquest |
Arrax · Moondancer · Seasmoke · Stormcloud · Sunfyre · Tessarion · Tyraxes · Vermax |
Unknown |