Vhagar (House of the Dragon)

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

About

Vhagar is the oldest living and largest dragon 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 has been mentioned since the first season of Game of Thrones but officially appeared on screen in September 2022 in the spin-off series (HOTD). Online, Vhagar has sparked significant discourse among fans of the show since her introduction, particularly after the dragon killed two characters with a sneaky strategy by ambushing them from below. Vhagar has also been the subject of numerous memes and fan art among the fandom.

Origin

Vhagar the she-dragon has been mentioned since the first A Song of Ice and Fire^[1] novel (A Game of Thrones, written by George R.R. Martin) was released on August 1st, 1996, as well as the Targaryen-focused novel Fire & Blood, released November 20th, 2018. In the lore, Vhagar is described as bronze-colored with greenish-blue highlights and bright green eyes. Vhagar is also one of the oldest and largest living dragons in the universe (size comparison seen below), ridden by Queen Visenya Targaryen during Aegon's Conquest alongside Aegon the Conqueror's Balerion and their sister Rhaenys's Meraxes. In later years, she was ridden by Prince Baelon Targaryen, Lady Laena Velaryon and Prince Aemond Targaryen.^[7]

The dragon was first officially introduced on September 25th, 2022, in the spin-off TV show House of the Dragon^[2] season 1, episode 6, titled "The Princess and the Queen." On September 26th, 2022, YouTube^[3] user @starkwintertimes1082 posted the TV series scene in which Vhagar first appears (seen below), which amassed more than 18,000 views and 150 likes in two years.

Online Presence

Vhagar attracted a spike in viral attention in October 2022 after the dragon killed the characters Arrax and Luke in a sneak attack movement while chasing them, spawning many memes online.

For example, on October 23rd, 2022, X^[4] / Twitter user @DreamofASOIAF posted a version of the Fuck Them Kids meme using an image of Vhagar (seen below). The post amassed more than 116,000 likes and 14,000 reposts in two years.

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 sneaky strategy, as Redditor @Responsible_Price_64^[5] started a discussion with the title "Is anyone else bothered by how sneaky sneaky Vhagar is?" on the /r/HouseOfTheDragon subreddit.

On the same day, X^[6] user @KennyL5S5 posted Breaking Bad's He Can't Keep Getting Away With This meme paired with the dragon's image (seen below), which amassed more than 17,000 likes and 2,800 reposts in a day.

Related Memes

Vhagar and Aemond vs. Arrax and Luke

Vhagar and Aemond vs. Arrax and Luke refers to a series of memes regarding a scene in the final episode of season one of House Of The Dragon created by HBO and George R.R. Martin, in which the character Aemond Targaryen kills Lucerys Velaryon. Memes started being posted on TikTok and Twitter, showing the scene's impact on viewers and recalling other brutal deaths on the original show Game Of Thrones.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References