‘House of the Dragon’: Everything We Know About King Viserys Targaryen’s Dragon Balerion
House of the Dragon is the new Game of Thrones prequel coming to HBO. Set approximately three centuries before the original Westeros series, this story will focus on a civil war among House Targaryen known as the Dance of the Dragons.
The war officially begins after the death of King Viserys (Paddy Considine) when two of his children believe they each have a claim to the Iron Throne. It’s a bloody event that causes dragon extinction. But before they are all gone, House of the Dragon viewers will get to see the largest of all the Targaryen dragons since Aegon’s Conquest — Balerion.
Major spoilers for House of the Dragon ahead!
Everything we know about Balerion in ‘House of the Dragon’
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 Dragonstone to survive the Doom of Valyria. He was ultimately the last dragon to see the Freehold in its prime.
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 trifle with” according to the Wiki of Ice and Fire.
But it was Balerion’s wingspan that was truly a sight to behold. It was so large that the shadow alone could engulf entire towns when he flew overhead.
The dragon helped forge the Iron Throne
While bonded with King Aegon, Balerion was involved in the war in the Disputed Lands and the conquering 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.
Aegon also flew Balerion during the First Dornish War. And, he rode him when he made his frequent visits throughout the Seven Kingdoms to help prevent rebellion.
After Aegon’s death, Balerion was claimed by his younger son, Prince Maegor. He had been jealous of his father’s mount his whole life, and opted to wait for Balerion because he deemed all other dragons unworthy.
After Maegor’s death, Balerion returned to Dragonstone, where he was claimed in 54 AC by Princess Aerea Targaryen. However, she was unable to bend the dragon to her will, which led to her death.
Balerion dies during the reign of King Jaehaerys I in ‘House of the Dragon’
Just after Princess Aerea’s death, Balerion became the first dragon to be housed in the Dragonpit and guarded by Dragonkeepers. During the reign of King Jaehaerys in 93 AC, Viserys Targaryen claimed Balerion. But by that time he stopped growing. The dragon was heavy and sluggish, and extremely difficult to rouse.
He started to struggle, and it wasn’t long before Viserys realized he no longer had the strength to fly from King’s Landing to Dragonstone. Balerion eventually died of old age, less than a year after Viserys claimed him as his mount.
House of the Dragon premieres Sunday, August 21 on HBO.
