Aemond Targaryen rides the biggest (and oldest) dragon in all of Westeros, named Vhagar, in House of the Dragon, leaving many to wonder about the reasoning behind the beast's enormous size.
Many different dragons have been featured thus far in House of the Dragon, but none compare to Vhagar, a green-scaled female dragon who dwarfs every other dragon regarding appearance and size.
Vhagar (and Aemond) has also been responsible for killing multiple main characters in the show throughout one-and-a-half seasons, as well as two other dragons.
Why Is Vhagar So Big?
Through dialogue and different on-screen visuals, it has been established that Vhagar is far and away the biggest dragon in House of the Dragon.
For example, when the young version of Laena Valaryon spoke with Viserys in House of the Dragon Season 1, the two discussed how Vhagar was the largest living dragon in Westeros.
Also, in scenes from Season 1, Episode 10 and Season 2, Episode 4, Vhagar can be seen side-by-side with other dragons, and it is clear she is at least double their size, if not bigger.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, House of the Dragon showrunner Miguel Sapochnik revealed that, at least for the show, the "dragons never stop growing, despite their age:"
"One of the most interesting things, for me, was trying to figure out dragon sizes and dragon anthropology. What we came up with is dragons never stop growing."
Sapochnik then explained how their large sizes eventually end up killing them (if they are not killed by other people or dragons):
"At some point in their prime, they're this fully formed incredible beast, and then they start to get, essentially, cancer. Bits of them break off, they start to become flaky, and they become so big that they break their legs when they land and that's what kills them. What kills them is their own weight."
It is important to note that, in Fire & Blood (the source material), Vhagar was born in 52 BC (before Aegon's Conquest) and died in 130 AC (after Aegon's Conquest), making her 181 years old.
Since House of the Dragon takes place around that timeline, Vhagar is approximately that age in the show, explaining why she is incredibly large.
No other living dragon in Westeros is even close to being roughly 180 years old, making Vhagar the biggest and most intimidating dragon in the show.
Is Vhagar the Biggest Dragon Ever?
Seeing Vhagar's size on-screen and realizing that she is around 180 years old would make most viewers think she has to be the largest dragon in Westeros history, but that is not the case.
As explained in House of the Dragon Season 1, King Viserys' dragon, named Balerion the Black Dread, was even larger than Vhagar before he died.
In Fire & Blood, Balerion was born in (or possibly even before) 114 BC and ridden by Aegon the Conqueror himself.
Balerion then lived until 94 AC, making him, at the very least, 208 years old, nearly 30 years older than Vhagar is at the point House of the Dragon takes place in the timeline.
So when Balerion was alive, he was an even bigger and more imposing beast than Vhagar, and both the Blacks and the Greens were lucky that he was not still roaming.
House of the Dragon is streaming on Max, and new episodes are released every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.
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