Daenerys Targaryen rides Drogon for the first time.
- "Brave men didn't kill dragons, the brave men rode them."
- ―Viserys Targaryen to Doreah
A dragonrider[1] was an individual who was able to bond with and mount a dragon. The Targaryens were the only surviving house of the Valyrian dragonlords, making them the last known dragonriders.
The histories of the Valyrian Freehold claim that dragons will accept only pure Valyrians as their riders, though Jacaerys Velaryon believed this may have been false propaganda; on that basis he proposed to call for potential dragonriders from houses besides the Targaryens to aid the Blacks in the Dance of the Dragons.[2] The Night King was able to mount Viserion despite not bonding with him by reanimating his corpse and enslaving him as a wight.[3]
With the deaths of the Night King and Daenerys Targaryen, there are no active dragonriders. Jon Snow, the only living Targaryen, was able to ride Rhaegal, but the latter's death has left him mountless.
Abilities[]
Dragons cannot be truly "tamed", but they can be bonded with and trained. The Valyrians rode dragons for millennia. Aegon I Targaryen and his sister-wives, who descended from Old Valyria, used the last three dragons in the world to conquer and unify the Seven Kingdoms.
Dragons are fairly intelligent animals, and like a horse or a dog, they can be trained by their rider to respond to basic voice commands. Tyrion claims that dragons are intelligent, much more so than most people and will quickly recognize friend from foe. If they are not trained they will quickly lay waste to anything around them. The key to training dragons is making sure they are well fed, a dragon with a full stomach is more obedient. Since they cannot be truly tamed, dragons can be very dangerous even to their riders. However, they can form very strong bonds with their riders and will show affection and trust towards them. They will even nuzzle their riders, hoping to be petted.
Daenerys has trained her three dragons to respond to vocal commands in her mother tongue of High Valyrian. She often uses the command "Dracarys" (Valyrian for "dragonfire"), to which her dragons respond by instantly breathing fire and burning anything in their path.
Known dragonriders[]
| Dragonrider | Dragon |
|---|---|
| Jaehaelor Mataeryon | Unknown |
| Daenys Targaryen | Balerion |
| Aegon the Conqueror | Balerion |
| Visenya Targaryen | Vhagar |
| Rhaenys Targaryen | Meraxes |
| Maegor the Cruel | Balerion |
| Rhaena Targaryen | Dreamfyre |
| Aenys Targaryen | Quicksilver |
| Aegon Targaryen | Quicksilver |
| Jaehaerys the Conciliator | Vermithor |
| Alysanne Targaryen | Silverwing |
| Baelon Targaryen | Vhagar |
| Alyssa Targaryen | Meleys |
| Rhaenys Targaryen | Meleys |
| Viserys I Targaryen | Balerion |
| Daemon Targaryen | Caraxes |
| Laenor Velaryon | Seasmoke |
| Rhaenyra Targaryen | Syrax |
| Laena Velaryon | Vhagar |
| Aegon II Targaryen | Sunfyre |
| Helaena Targaryen | Dreamfyre |
| Aemond Targaryen | Vhagar |
| Daeron Targaryen | Tessarion |
| Jacaerys Velaryon | Vermax |
| Baela Targaryen | Moondancer |
| Lucerys Velaryon | Arrax |
| Addam of Hull | Seasmoke |
| Hugh | Vermithor |
| Ulf | Silverwing |
| Daenerys Targaryen | Drogon |
| The Night King | Viserion (as a wight) |
| Jon Snow | Rhaegal |
History[]
Game of Thrones: Season 1[]
Daenerys is given three dragon eggs at her wedding to Drogo.[4] Viserys tells Doreah that brave men used to ride dragons before they all died.[5] Later, Daenerys hatches her three dragon eggs.[6]
Game of Thrones: Season 5[]
Daenerys is saved by Drogon in the Great Pit of Daznak. She mounts Drogon to escape, making her the first dragonrider in over a century.[7]
Game of Thrones: Season 6[]
Daenerys rallies her newly acquired Dothraki while mounted on Drogon. The Dothraki agree to follow her across the seas between Essos and Westeros to reclaim the Iron Throne.[8] Later in Meereen, Daenerys liberates the common people once and for all by destroying the slave masters' fleet, riding on Drogon and followed by Viserion and Rhaegal.[9] Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion join Daenerys and her armada as they sail across the Summer Sea to Westeros.[10]
Game of Thrones: Season 7[]
The dragons fly to Dragonstone and explore the island as Daenerys enters the castle. Their arrival marks the first time in over a century that dragons have flown the skies of Westeros.[11] Daenerys agrees not to use the dragons on a direct attack on King's Landing to avoid bloodshed.[12] After losing the Ironborn and Dornish fleets, Highgarden, and Casterly Rock, Daenerys decides to ride Drogon to ambush the Lannister and Tarly army. For the first time in over a century, a dragon has been used in warfare in Westeros and has ended the battle quickly, but Drogon is hit by a scorpion bolt and is injured.[13]
Daenerys rides Drogon, followed by Rhaegal and Viserion, to save Jon Snow and Jorah Mormont during the wight hunt. The dragons burn many wights and Drogon lands to flee with the survivors. The Night King kills Viserion in flight, causing Daenerys to flee with Drogon and Rhaegal, leaving Jon behind.[14]
Daenerys rides Drogon, followed by Rhaegal to the Dragonpit Summit, as a show of power. This proves to be a mistake, as Cersei notices Viserion's absence and finds out that the dragons are vulnerable. Daenerys later decides not to ride Drogon north; instead, she sails with Jon to reaffirm that they are allies to the common people of the North.[15]
Beyond the Wall, the Night King has reanimated Viserion as a wight. The Night King rides Viserion, who now has no free will and is controlled by the Night King. The Wall is destroyed at Eastwatch; for the first time in thousands of years, the white walkers invade Westeros.[15]
Game of Thrones: Season 8[]
Daenerys allows Jon to mount Rhaegal.[16] During the Battle of Winterfell, Daenerys and Jon mount Drogon and Rhaegal and burn thousands of wights. Mounted on their dragons, Daenerys and Jon fight the Night King and Viserion, who greatly injures Rhaegal, causing him to fall unconscious. Daenerys forces the Night King off Viserion and attempts to burn him, but to her surprise he is undamaged. Daenerys is later dismounted off Drogon when hundreds of wights climb on him, causing him to shriek in pain as he attempts to shake them off. The Night King is killed by Arya Stark, killing one of three dragonriders alive.[17]
Following the Battle of Winterfell, Daenerys checks the wounds of Rhaegal, who is now healing, and rides Drogon alongside him. Later Daenerys on top of Drogon, followed by Rhaegal, follows her fleet to Dragonstone. Flying alongside Rhaegal, Daenerys is happy to see Rhaegal recovering from his wounds, but to her surprise Rhaegal is shot with three scorpion bolts from Euron Greyjoy new frigate, killing him. Daenerys in shock and rage attempts to burn the Greyjoy fleet, before being forced to retreat as she mourns Rhaegal's loss. With the death of Rhaegal, Daenerys is the last living dragonrider.[18]
Daenerys, mounted on Drogon, ambushes Euron's fleet during the Battle of King's Landing, and burns all scorpions. As the Unsullied, Dothraki, Vale, and Northern armies wait outside the gates of King's Landing, Daenerys destroys them, allowing them to enter the city. In grief over the loss of her two dragons, along with Jorah and Missandei, Daenerys refuses the surrender of the city and mercilessly burns much of it and its population.[19]
Having won the war and the throne, Daenerys dismounts Drogon and rallies her army, telling them that the war is not over. Daenerys is later assassinated by Jon, thus the last dragonrider is killed. Drogon mourns over her and burns the Iron Throne to slag before taking her body away with him.[20]
In the books[]
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, additional known dragonriders are:
| Dragonrider | Dragon |
|---|---|
| Aurion | Unknown |
| Aerea Targaryen | Balerion |
| Aemon Targaryen | Caraxes |
| Jaenara Belaerys | Terrax |
According to Daenerys, no dragonrider ever flew two dragons; even Aegon the Conqueror never dared mount Vhagar or Meraxes, nor did his sisters ride Balerion. Since dragons live longer than people, after a dragonrider dies - his/her dragon may bond with another person (A Dance with Dragons, Daenerys VIII).
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ House of the Dragon: Season 1, Episode 2: "The Rogue Prince" (2022).
- ↑ House of the Dragon: Season 2, Episode 5: "Regent" (2024).
- ↑ Game of Thrones: Season 7, Episode 7: "The Dragon and the Wolf" (2017).
- ↑ "Winter Is Coming"
- ↑ "The Kingsroad"
- ↑ "Fire and Blood"
- ↑ "The Dance of Dragons"
- ↑ "Blood of My Blood"
- ↑ "Battle of the Bastards"
- ↑ The Winds of Winter
- ↑ Dragonstone (episode)
- ↑ "Stormborn"
- ↑ "The Spoils of War"
- ↑ "Beyond the Wall"
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "The Dragon and the Wolf"
- ↑ "Winterfell"
- ↑ "The Long Night"
- ↑ "The Last of the Starks"
- ↑ "The Bells"
- ↑ "The Iron Throne"
External links[]
Dragonrider on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (potential spoilers for House of the Dragon)
