The Size of the Dragons in ‘House of the Dragon’ Doesn’t Make Sense

The Big Picture

• Dragons in
  Game of Thrones
  and
  House of the Dragon
  have irregular growth rates, with various theories but no clear explanation.
• Dragons’ growth may be influenced by captivity, blood magic, or genetic origins.
• Despite unanswered questions, author George R. R. Martin promises more dragon information in his upcoming books.

There are many reasons to love HBO’s Game of Thrones and its prequel, House of the Dragon,but one of the most celebrated is the iconic dragons. These mighty magical reptiles once allowed the Valyrian Empire to dominate most of Essos before a mysterious event known as the Doom of Valyria nearly killed them all. Generations later, the surviving Valyrian dragons would aid Aegon I Targaryen in uniting the warring kingdoms of Westeros and aid his descendants in ruling the Seven Kingdoms before they were wiped out in the Dance of the Dragons. For centuries, people struggled to bring the dragons back to life until Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) succeeded through blood magic. Since much ancient knowledge was lost during the Doom of Valyria, many details about dragons remain a mystery, even to House Targaryen and their dragon keepers. One of these details is the rate at which dragons grow. When one compares dragons of comparable ages, there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to why they grow bigger or smaller. Or might there be a hidden reason that requires a deeper look?

How Do Dragons Grow in ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘House of the Dragon?’

When Daenerys hatches her dragons in one of Game of Thrones’best season finales, “Fire & Blood,” they are around the size of cats and hardly much use in battle. However, they grow quickly, and by Season 3, the dragons are the size of wolves and capable of burning a human alive on their own. Season 5 sees Drogon, Daenerys’ favorite dragon, grow to a size where she can ride on his back. His siblings, Rhaegal and Viseryon, are slightly smaller but maintain a similar growth rate, even after Daenerys locks them underground during the Season 4 finale when a child was seemingly killed by dragon fire. By the end of the show, approximately six to seven years between Seasons 1 to 8, the dragons are fully grown and capable of burning down armies.

Given this time frame, the growth rate of the dragons almost two hundred years ago is truly all over the map. Adult dragons like Syrax and Seasmoke, who bonded to Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and Ser Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan), are comparable in size to Drogon by the end of the show. However, these dragons were already massive when their riders were in their teenage years and didn’t grow much during the ten years of their marriage. Meanwhile, the dragons of some of the eldest children on both sides, such as Prince Jacaerys Velaryon’s (Harry Collett) Vermax, Lady Baela Targaryen’s (Bethany Antonia) Moondancer, and Prince Daeron Targaryen’s Tessarion, are only just big enough to allow riders on their backs, even though they are at least double the age of Drogon and his brothers. Then there is Sunfyre, the dragon ridden by Rhaenyra’s younger half-brother, King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney). Despite almost two decades separating them in age, Sunfyre seems to be comparable in size to Syrax. No explanation is given for this irregular growth, which makes Daenerys’ dragons all the more curious.

Why Do the Dragons Grow So Irregularly?

While no official reason is given for why dragons grow at different rates, there are a few speculations that can be made based on the information given. The first clue could have to do with raising the dragons in captivity versus raising them in the wild. During House of the Dragon, most dragons are kept either in the caves on Dragonstone or the massive Dragon Pit of King’s Landing. While the Dragon Pit does contain massive caves that the dragons can use as lairs, they also offer no way for the dragons to see the sky, and they can only spread their wings on the whim of their riders. The dragons on Dragonstone fare slightly better since their lairs are more naturally formed, and they are capable of flying around the island at their pleasure. As such, some of these dragons, such as Vermithor and Silverwing, were among the largest dragons at the time, even compared to Dreamfyre, who was hatched before them. This theory could explain why Daenerys’ dragons grew quickly since they were allowed to fly free and hunt their own food for years. While Rhaegal and Viserion were imprisoned by Daenerys at the end of Season 4, they didn’t spend nearly the same level of time underground as dragons like Vermax. The only snag in this theory is the wild dragon, Sheepstealer, found by Lady Raena Targareyn (Phoebe Campbell) in the Vale. Despite being a wild dragon who has never known a rider, Sheepstealer seems to be on the smaller size of adult dragons. We don’t know the dragon’s age, so Sheepstealer may be younger than Syrax and Seasmoke, but it also might be older. Perhaps Season 3 will answer the question.

Another explanation could come from the dragon’s origins. Daenerys’ three dragons were hatched from petrified eggs using blood magic that required the sacrifice of Mirri Maz Duur (Mia Soteriou). Mirri told Daenerys that death pays for life, and it’s theorized that the ancient Valyrians first bonded with dragons through blood rituals. Perhaps when Daenerys recreated this ancient ceremony, it infused her young dragons with enough magic to accelerate their growth. Meanwhile, the dragons from House of the Dragon are the byproduct of generations of inbreeding. Aegon the Concorer only had three dragons when he took Westeros: Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar. Thus, the dragons currently used by House Targaryen are descended from them. With no new genetic material to work with, issues are bound to pop up as the generations go on. Dragon eggs are already notoriously difficult to hatch, and those who do never reach the same majesty as their forebearers. Perhaps this is because their shallow gene pool naturally degrades with no new blood being mixed in.

Whatever the answer, it’s unlikely we will receive it anytime soon. In one of his recent Not a Blog posts, author George R. R. Martin, the creator of the A Song of Ice and Fire series both shows are based on, said that more information about dragons will be revealed in his upcoming books, The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring. Sadly, Winds has been in production for over thirteen years, and Martin has made no indication that he is even close to releasing it. Thus, the best we can do is speculate about all things draconic in Martin’s world.

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