Summary
The Targaryen dragons will become a casualty of the realm-wide civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. As seen inHouse of the Dragon- Season 2, the Black Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen struck back after failing to sue for peace at King’s Landing. She traveled to the capital with Ser Steffon Darklyn and pleaded with Alicent Hightower to avoid war. The latter declined, and Rhaenyra was back at Dragonstone, undoing weeks of inaction.
Dragon warfare is risky because dragons will set the realm on fire, and dangerous becausethe Blacks and the Greenswill potentially lose most of them, leading to a change in status quo vis a vis other Great and Minor Houses in the Seven Kingdoms. In theHouse of the Dragon, Alicent gives two cents about the rise of a brutal war, saying,“The war will be fought, many will die, and the victor will eventually ascend the throne.“Though Alicent modestly omits that the Targaryen dragons will die, as it turns out, some will still fly the skies of Westeros at the end of the Dance.
Updated on June 16, 2025, by Bisma Fida:Season 2 ofHouse of the Dragonisn’t really a true adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood. It has retained certain elements in the story and altered most of the events, and their chronology, thereof. So far, Rhaenyra has lost Arrax and Meleys butgained Vermithor, Silverwing, and Seasmoke. She is due to gainthe wild dragon named Sheepstealerthrough Rhaena Targaryen and not Nettles' efforts.House of the DragonSeason 2 borrows the lore bits and adds interesting dimensions to the story of the dragons. This list has been updated to include those changes.
1The Cannibal
The Wild Dragon Of Dragonstone
The Cannibal, as the name suggests, feeds on dragons and their ilk on Dragonstone. The wild dragon lives through the Dance of the Dragons, and because none of the Dragonseeds attempt to tame him during the Sowing of the Seeds, he remains riderless until the end.
The Cannibal is feared by the residents of Dragonstone and the popular theory that he lived on the island way before the Targaryen colonization finds ground among the Smallfolk of the said island. If this were true, then the serpentine beast is older than theoldest living dragon in Westeros during the Dance - Vhagarand Vermithor. The Cannibal was entirely scrapped out of the Sowing inHouse of the Dragon. In lore, however, when the Dragonseed, Silver Denys, loses his arm while trying to claim Sheepstealer, the Cannibal appears on the scene and preys on him and his sons.
How Does The Cannibal Survive The Dance Of The Dragons In Lore?
The Cannibal remained riderless throughout his life, and no one dared to seek him out, much less, attempt to mount him. He continued to live in his natural habitat. He vanished after the Dance, but lore doesn’t reveal how.
2Sheepstealer
The Second Wild Dragon Of Dragonstone
Similar to the Cannibal, Sheepstealer inspires fear and is untameable until"a skinny brown girl"named Nettles arrives on the scene. Sheepstealer’s story has been wildly changed, much to the chagrin of Martin, who writes on hisNot A Blogpage:
My dragons are predators, carnivores who like their meat will done. They can and will hunt their own prey, but they are also territorial. They have lairs. As creatures of the sky, they like mountain tops, and volcanic mountains best of all.
Martin is miffed byHouse of the Dragonwriters who had Sheepstealer flying to the Vale for food shortly after the Dance of the Dragons kicked off. Sheepstealer lives on Dragonstone in lore and is mostly present at the back of Dragonmont. The wild dragon usually hunts his prey between Driftmark and the Wendwater.
Yes, Sheepstealer loves mutton and devours sheep dog, but as stressed by Martin, the dragon isn’t"nomadic.“He adds:
Think about it. If dragons were nomadic, they would have overrun half of Essos, and the Doom would only have killed a few of them. Similarly, the dragons of Westeros seldom wander far from Dragonstone.
Sheepstealer’s rider, Nettles, is cut fromHouse of the Dragon’s canon, and Rhaena Targaryen is likely to claim the dragon at the Vale. Rhaena remained at the Vale after Rhaenyra’s sons left the kingdom to take their berths on the Gay Abandon. She’d discovered the dragon’s presence in the Vale and questioned Lady Jeyne Arryn about it. Rhaena was slightly disappointed to learn this was a wild dragon, but unwilling to give up on becoming a dragonrider. She looks for Sheepstealer’s usual signs, that is, scorched earth, and charred bones outside the Eyrie. Martin, however, feels differently about Sheepstealer’s nomadic movement:
The three wild dragons mentioned inFire & Bloodhave lairs on Dragonstone. The rest can be found in the Dragonpit of King’s Landing, or in deep caverns under the Dragonmont. Luke flies Arrax to Storm’s End and Jace to Winterfell, yes, but the dragons would not have flown there on their own, save under very special circumstances. You won’t find dragons hunting the riverlands or the Reach or the Vale, or roaming the northlands or the mountains of Dorne.
How Does Sheepstealer Survive The Dance Of The Dragons In Lore?
Nettles rides Sheepstealer into theBattle of the Gulletand the capture of King’s Landing. However, the duo leaves after two Dragonseeds named Ulf and Hugh betray Rhaenyra’s faction at the First Battle of Tumbleton. The rumors that Nettles has an illicit relationship with the King consort, Daemon Targaryen, at Maidenpool push Rhaenyra to demand her head. Dubbed as a traitor, Nettles flies away on Sheepstealer’s back. Though reports of occasional sightings are heard, Sheepstealer and his rider leave the war scene for good.
3Silverwing
Takes No Part In The Second Battle Of Tumbleton
Silverwing is a Targaryen dragon, once ridden by the Wise King Jaehaerys' sister-wife, Alysanne. A she-dragon, Silverwing, and Jaehaerys' Vermithor would often swoop and swirl in the skies. Silverwing, as the name suggests, is of silver colorings and is friendly and docile.
Ulf is Silverwing’s rider in the source material and the show. Ulf runs into Silverwing in her lair, and she lets him mount her. He then flies to King’s Landing to goad the Greens, especiallyPrince Regent Aemond Targaryen. In Martin’s source material, Silverwing and Ulf land on Rhaenys' Hill afterthe Fall of King’s Landing. The dragon makes a lair in the Dragonpit. Shortly after, Ulf betrays the Blacks and sets Tumbleton on fire.
How Does Silverwing Survive The Dance Of The Dragons In Lore?
Worried about the repercussions of the betrayal, Ulf resides in Tumbleton, and Silverwing remains outside the town walls. The Second Battle of Tumbleton sees Addam Velaryon atop Seasmokeambush the Hightowers. While Ulf sleeps through the commotion, Silverwing takes a bolt. She survives, but Vermithor, Seasmoke, and Tessarion perish in the battle. Silverwing is rendered riderless after Ulf is poisoned by Ser Hobert Hightower. Silverwing doesn’t take another rider, and remains wild and free. She lairs in the northwest of the Reach.
4Morning
Rhaena’s Dragon In Lore
Morning is the last of the four dragons who survive the kin strife. The dragon is Lady Rhaena’s mount in lore and was born during the war in the Vale of Arryn. Rhaena is fostered at Eyrie, where she prays for the dragon eggs to hatch. Rhaena will ride Sheepstealer, leaving less space for Morning’s existence in the TV continuity.
How Does Morning Survive The Dance Of The Dragons In Lore?
It is at the end of the Dance that Lady Rhaena, Morning, and Lady Jeyne Arryn set sail from Gulltown towards King’s Landing. The Smallfolk of the capital are delighted to witness Morning fly overhead as she is a reminder of the heyday of the Targaryen glory and is the last of her ilk. Rhaena’s brother, Aegon the Younger (Aegon III), cannot stand the sight of dragons, but she takes pride in her dragon saddle. Morning makes a lair in the Dragonpit, and Rhaena loves the dragon’s saddle.
