‘House of the Dragon’: Everything We Know About Princess Rhaenyra’s Dragon Syrax
House of the Dragon will tell the story of the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. It’s the event that causes dragons to go extinct. But before that happens, viewers will get to see a number of dragons and dragonriders battle it out in the war for the Iron Throne.
One of the Targaryens with a claim to the throne is Princess Rhaenyra, played by Emma D’Arcy. Here’s everything we know about her dragon Syrax, according to George R. R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood — the source material of the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel.
Warning: House of the Dragon spoilers ahead!
What it takes to be a dragonrider in ‘House of the Dragon’
In the history of the world that Martin created in his novels, the Valyrian Freehold in Essos was ruled by dragonlord families who used magic to tame dragons and exert power over them. One of those 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 dragon in it. The only exception being the Targaryens — who managed to survive because they moved with five dragons to Dragonstone just before the event occurred.
A dragonrider is someone who is able to bond with and mount a dragon. Dragons will only bond to one rider at a time, and only Valyrians are able to do this. Since the only surviving house of the Valyrian dragonlords was House Targaryen, they are the last known dragonriders.
In House of the Dragon, the dragons are at the height of their numbers. Which means fans will get the chance to see a lot of Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and Jon Snow’s (Kit Harington) ancestors mount their dragons amid the Targaryen civil war.
Princess Rhaenyra mounted Syrax at the age of 7
Princess Rhaenyra grows up believing she will one day sit on the Iron Throne because her father, King Viserys I (Paddy Considine), names her as his heir when she is just a young girl. At the age of seven — in 104 AC — Rhaenyra mounted her dragon for the first time 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 formidable, but not as fearsome or experienced in battle as Prince Daemon’s dragon Caraxes.
Syrax was kept in chains and extremely well fed, but she hadn’t hunted for years when the Dance of the Dragons began. She did, however, lay “several” clutches of eggs during Viserys’ reign. And one of those eggs was given to Rhaenyra’s step-daughter Rhaena. It is also implied that the dragons of Rhaenyra’s sons were all hatched from eggs that Syrax laid.
‘House of the Dragon’ will feature Princess Rhaenyra riding Syrax
At the beginning of the civil war, Rhaenyra has a difficult stillbirth. But she manages to recover enough strength to ride Syrax, and she joins other dragonriders in the assault and capture of King’s Landing.
Syrax was then kept within the walls of the Red Keep in a stable in the outer ward, with heavy chains binding her to the ground. The chains were long enough to allow her to move around, but they kept her from flying off without a rider.
Eventually, Syrax is killed in the aftermath of the Storming of the Dragonpit after Prince Joffrey attempts to mount her. In mid-flight she shrugs him off, causing him to fall to his death. Attracted by bloodshed, she continued to the Dragonpit and descended to the ground to kill dozens with tooth and claw.
Gyldayn doesn’t give any specific details about her death. But readers know that Syrax does die while fighting the rioters.
House of the Dragon premieres Sunday, August 21 on HBO.
