House of the Dragon: the 10 most powerful dragons in the Game of Thrones prequel

House of the Dragon is the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel to the Dance of the Dragons. It is the name of a bloody civil war within House Targaryen that took place about two centuries before the original series.

The story is based on the history book Westeros by George RR Martin Fire & Blood. And it's the last major event that involved dragons and dragon riders - because that's why the dragons died out before Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) hatched her three Games of Thrones. Here's a look at what it takes to be a dragon rider in House of the Dragon and the 10 most powerful creatures that make up the story.

What it takes to be a Dragon Rider in House of the Dragon

In the lore of Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, the Valyrian Freehold in Essos was ruled by families of dragon lords who used magic to tame dragons and wield power over them. One of these families was the Targaryens, who were the only ones to survive a mysterious event known as the Doom of Valyria.

This event wiped out the city, including every person and every dragon in it. The only exception being the Targaryens - who managed to survive because they moved with five dragons to Peyredragon just before the event occurred.

A dragon knight is someone who is able to bind to a dragon and ride it. But dragons only bind to one rider at a time - and only the Valyrians are able to do this. Since the only surviving house of Valyrian dragon lords was House Targaryen, they are the last known dragon riders.

10. Moondancer - Ridden by Baela Targaryen

Lady Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia) is the daughter of Prince Daemon (Matt Smith). She rides Moondancer, a young dragon described as pale green, small and very fast. Moondancer stays in Peyredragon with Baela for the majority of the first two years of the Dance of the Dragons.

9. Dreamfyre - Ridden by Helaena Targaryen

Dreamfyre is the oldest dragoness in Martin's novels, a slender, pale blue creature with silver markings, silver crests, and blue wings. She is ridden by Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban), the daughter of King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) and sister-wife of Aegon II. Dreamfyre is kept in the great Dragonpit near King's Landing.

8. Vermax - Ridden by Jacaerys Velaryon

Prince Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett) - the son of Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan) - rides Vermax, a thriving dragon that grows every year.

By the time the Dance of the Dragons begins, Vermax is big enough to ride. This allows Jacaerys to be a messenger for his mother, flying north on a successful mission to deal with Jeyne Arryn the Lady of the Eyrie, Desmond Manderly, the Lord of White Harbor, and Cregan Stark, the Lord of Winterfell. Prince Jacaerys also uses Vermax in the Battle of the Esophagus.

7. Tessarion - Ridden by Daeron Targaryen

Daeron Targaryen - the youngest son of Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and the brother of Aegon II and Aemond - rode Tessarion. The dragon is known as the Blue Queen and has the colors of cobalt and copper.

6. Balerion - Ridden by Aegon the Conqueror

Balerion or "the Black Dread" was a dragon of House Targaryen ridden by King Aegon I during the Conquest. Named after an ancient god of the Valyrian Freehold, Balerion was born in Valyria and was one of the dragons that Aenar Targaryen brought with him when he fled to Peyredragon to survive the Doom of Valyria. He was ultimately the last dragon to see the Freehold at its peak.

Balerion's scales and wings were black. So was his fire, but there were occasional swirls of red. He was so powerful that his flames could melt steel and stone, as well as fuse sand into glass. His teeth were as long as swords and his jaws were large enough to swallow a hairy mammoth. Balerion was willful and "not a beast to play with" according to the Wiki of Ice and Fire.

But it was Balerion's size that was truly a sight to behold. He was so large that the shadow alone could engulf entire cities as he flew over.

While bound to King Aegon, Balerion was involved in the war in the disputed lands and the conquest of the seven kingdoms. According to the song, Balerion helped forge the Iron Throne at the end of the war by melting the swords of Aegon's fallen enemies.

During the reign of King Jaehaerys in 93 AD, Viserys Targaryen claimed Balerion. But at that time, he stopped growing. Balerion eventually died of old age, less than a year after Viserys claimed him as his mount.

5. Meleys - Ridden by Rhaenys Targaryen

Meleys is known as the Red Queen, and she is ridden by King Viserys I's cousin, Rhaenys Targaryen (Emily Best). She is an old dragon, with scarlet scales and pink membranes on her wings. Her crest, horns and claws are as shiny as copper.

She was considered one of the fastest dragons in Westeros in 75 AC and was formidable in battle. But she eventually became lazy and could no longer outrun the other dragons at the top of the list.

4. Sunfyre - Ridden by Aegon II

Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) fights for the Iron Throne in House of the Dragon, and he is the rider of Sunfyre the Golden. Described as the most "magnificent" dragon to ever fly in Westeros, Sunfyre is fierce and powerful with golden scales that shine in the sun.

3. Vhagar - Ridden by Visenya Targaryen/Aemond Targaryen

Vhagar is one of the three legendary dragons that first conquered Westeros, along with Balerion and Maraxes. She was originally ridden by Visenya Targaryen, and in the Dance of the Dragons, she is the largest living dragon.

Eventually, Vhagar is piloted by King Viserys' second son and Aegon II's younger brother, Aemond "One Eye" Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell).

2. Syrax - Ridden by Rhaenyra Targaryen

At the age of seven - in 104 AD - Rhaenyra first rode her dragon and named her Syrax after a Valyrian goddess. The implication was that Rhaenyra was her first rider.

Syrax is described as a "young" dragon with yellow scales at the time the princess mounted her. She was both huge and fearsome, but not as formidable or experienced in battle as Prince Daemon's dragon Caraxes.

Syrax was chained and extremely well-fed, but she hadn't hunted in years when the Dance of Dragons began. She did, however, lay "several" clutches of eggs during Viserys' reign. And one of those eggs was given to Rhaenyra's daughter-in-law, Rhaena. It is also implied that the dragons of Rhaenyra's sons were all born from eggs laid by Syrax.

1. Caraxes - ridden by Daemon Targaryen in 'House of the Dragon'

Caraxes was a "huge huge" red dragon that was both massive and lean, while being quite "battle savvy". He was first claimed by Aemon Targaryen, Prince of Peyredragon in 72 AD. Because the Dragonkeepers considered him the fiercest of all the young dragons in the dragon pit, Caraxes was given the nickname "Blood Wyrm".

After the death of Prince Aemon, his nephew, Prince Daemon - aka the Rogue Prince - claimed Caraxes as his mount. A major player in the Dance of Dragons is Prince Daemon and Caraxes. Fans should expect to see this dragon and dragon rider regularly throughout the series.