Who's The Dragon 'Vhagar' And Why Is She Being Called 'Grandma' and 'Old Hag' Online? 'House Of The Dragon's' Vhagar Memes Explained

Editor's Note: This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon and Fire & Blood; read at your own caution.

The new season of the HBO Max Game of Thrones spin-off TV series House of the Dragon started in June and Vhagar, a female-dragon, has been taking the spotlight out of 16 powerful dragons owned by the House Targaryen.

Ever since the season 1 finale aired in October 2022, Vhagar memes have grown exponentially on social media, most of them hating or mocking Westeros' biggest and oldest fire-breather alive. But what has this winged 170-year-old "grandma" done to upset fans so much? Let's explain!

Who Is 'Vhagar'?

Vhagar is the oldest living and largest dragon (size comparison seen below) of the many owned by House Targaryen in the Game of Thrones spin-off TV show House of the Dragon, which is based on the 2018 book Fire & Blood. The she-dragon Vhagar was ridden by Visenya Targaryen, Laena Velaryon and Aemond Targaryen during her lifetime.

The dragon is described as a destructive, quarrelsome and aggressive creature all her life. Wiki Fandom explains her "roar was one of the most fearsome of any of her kind, noted to have shaken the very foundations of Storm's End during her prime."

The dragon's live-action design was officially introduced on September 25th, 2022, in season 1, episode 6 of the spin-off TV show House of the Dragon, titled "The Princess and the Queen." On September 26th, 2022, YouTube user starkwintertimes1082 posted the TV series scene in which Vhagar first appears (seen below).

How Did The Vhagar Memes Start On The Internet?

Vhagar memes started first because fans weren't happy with the female dragon quickly accepting Aemond Targaryen as her new rider, who some viewers believed was not worthy of flying the most powerful dragon. The second, and most talked about reason why Vhagar became the most hated dragon in the HOTD fandom, is the Vhagar and Aemond vs. Arrax and Luke confrontation in the season 1 finale.

The scene below, posted by @vinod_7781 on October 21st, 2022, shows Aemond riding his dragon Vhagar in pursuit of murdering Lucerys and his dragon Arrax. Vhagar is able to sneak behind Lucerys and kills the duo in the air (seen below).

Memes of the brutal scene began to appear on social media while the episode was airing. For example, on October 23rd, 2022, X / Twitter user @DreamofASOIAF posted a meme using an image of Vhagar paired with an infamous quote (seen below).

On July 7th, 2024, Vhagar was once again the center of memes and jokes after killing another major character in the TV show with a similar sneak strategy. X user @KennyL5S5 posted Breaking Bad's "He can't keep getting away with this" meme paired with the dragon's image (seen below).

Why Is Vhagar Being Called 'Old Hag' and 'Grandma' By The House of the Dragon Fandom?

Vhagar was one hundred and eighty-one years old when she died, being considered the oldest and largest of the Targaryen dragons during her time. The dragon's advanced age was used as fuel for jokes and memes on social media, especially using "grandma" and "old hag" as nicknames to mention Vhagar. For example, on September 25th, 2022, X user @itadoriz edited the "Sure, Grandma, let's get you to bed" meme, replacing the old lady in the picture with Vhagar (seen below, left), joking with the idea the dragon might be suffering from some kind of dementia.

On July 7th, 2024, X user @rhaenyrasrealm posted a picture of Vhagar (seen below, right) accompanied by the caption "If this old hag has a million haters, I'm one of them if it has one hater, it's me. if it has no haters, I am dead."

For the full history of Vhagar, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.