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Aegon the Conquerer's story has been an integral part of HBO's famous series Game of Thrones, and now its spinoff, House of the Dragon, has already given us a glimpse of more dragons in an episode than we saw in eight seasons of the original show.
Based on Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin, the spinoff series is entirely based on the history of the Targaryens, who used dragons to conquer Westeros and establish the Seven Kingdoms as we know it in Game of Thrones. However, more specifically, it was Aegon the Conquerer and his sisters, who also happened to be his wives, with their three mighty dragons who completed this grand feat of taking over Westeros.
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These three dragons, namely Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar, played a primary role in the conquest. Not only are they an important part of the storyline, but one of the dragons is still alive and kicking in House of the Dragon season 1. It is also clear that the dragon will be useful in the coming season(s) as well.
House of the Dragon: Who are the three dragons of Aegon the Conqueror? Whereabouts explored
The three large dragons that Aegon and his sisters brought to Westeros are Balerion, whose rider was Aegon himself, Meraxes, a female dragon ridden by Queen Rhaenys Targaryen, and Vhagar, the only dragon still alive in House of the Dragon, whose original rider was Visenya.
Here is what happened to each of the three dragons in the Game of Thrones history.
Balerion, the Black Dread
Balerion, the Black Dread, is perhaps the best-known dragon among the three. It was renowned for its legendary size and for being the "original" dragon that Aegon rode to conquer Westeros. Often compared with Drogon from Game of Thrones, Balerion had plenty of mentions throughout both the shows.
Balerion also had several important battles like the burning down of Harrenhal, where the black dragon was instrumental. After Aegon's death, Balerion served other masters, including then-Prince Viserys (Paddy Considine), who also became the last rider of the dragon.
In the House of the Dragon timeline, Balerion is already dead. The dragon had died from old age. However, Balerion's skull was kept in the Red Keep till the days of Game of Thrones.
Meraxes, the female dragon
Meraxes was the dragon of Queen Rhaenys Targaryen, the younger sister of Aegon. Meraxes was much larger than Vhagar but smaller than Balerion and was extremely adept at fighting.
Meraxes and Rhaenys were the key reasons for the victory Aegon's side had. After the initial battle, Meraxes and Rhaenys also fought in the First Dornish War, which would also prove to be fatal for the dragon as she was shot down by a scorpion bolt in the battle of Hellholt in 10 AC. Both Rhaenys and Meraxes died in the battle after the bolt hit the dragon's eye.
Vhagar, the longest-living dragon
Vhagar was the youngest and smallest of the three dragons that Aegon came with. The Visenya-ridden dragon had an exceptionally long stint of battles, which comprised the battle in the waters off Gulltown, which was an integral part of Aegon's conquest.
Visenya also took Vhagar to conquer Vale, where Dowager Queen Sharra Arryn bent the knee. After Visneya died in 44 AC, Vhagar was without an owner for 29 years before Prince Baelon bonded with the dragon and became her rider till his death in 101 AC.
Lady Laena Velaryon was the next rider of Vhagar till her death during House of the Dragon season 1, following which Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) took over the role.
As seen in the finale of House of the Dragon season 1, Aemond's inability to control Vhagar may become the reason for the ultimate war in the coming seasons. Hence, Vhagar is not only alive but is still a key part of the plot. Sadly, the other two will not be seen in the future seasons of House of the Dragon.
House of the Dragon season 2 will premiere in June 2024.
