Which Dragon Did Daemon Approach in House of the Dragon Finale?

By Charlie Ridgely

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from the Season 1 finale of House of the Dragon... HBO's House of the Dragon brought plenty of action to its finale, including a duel between two of the titular flying beasts that resulted in a devastating loss. The dragons are at the heart of the Targaryen story, and perhaps the most interesting dragon scene in the entire first season came near the end of Sunday's season finale. Daemond believes more dragonriders are needed to win the war against Alicent and Aegon. He mentions several dragons at various locations around Westeros that don't have any riders, and at one point goes underground to visit one, singing to it in order to try and win it over.

Daemon doesn't call the dragon by name, but readers of George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood likely know exactly who the dragon is. The creature's name is Vermithor, and he is one of the biggest dragons Westeros has ever seen.

Who Is Vermithor?

Vermithor is a bronze dragon who belonged to King Jaehaerys Targaryen. If you recall, Jaehaerys was the one seated on the Iron Throne at the very beginning of House of the Dragon. Widely known as the most noble and effective Targaryen King, Jaehaerys ultimately gave the throne to Viserys, passing up on the better choice, Rhaenys, because she was a woman.

When Jaehaerys died, Vermithor went without a rider. He was said to be one of the biggest dragons around, with only Vhagar and Balerion measuring larger. Vhagar is the dragon being ridden by Aemond, and Balerion was dead before the start of House of the Dragon. So that means Vermithor is one of the two biggest dragons in the realm, and someone claiming him and fighting for Rhaenyra would give the Blacks a dragon that could match up against Vhagar.

In addition to being a very large dragon, Vermithor is also very old. The creature has been alive for around 100 years by the time Daemon approaches him.

Will Anyone Ride Vermithor?

Daemon already has a dragon, so he's not trying to claim Vermithor for himself. In Fire & Blood, Rhaenyra and Jacaerys put out a call for potential dragonriders and Vermithor is very picky with who he lets near him. He ultimately allows a bastard named Hugh Hammer to ride him, and the two go on to play a vital role in the Dance of the Dragons.

What did you think of the House of the Dragon season finale? Let us know in the comments!

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