Meleys vs. Drogon: Who Is Bigger (And Stronger)?

We’ve seen Meleys in House of the Dragon before, but it was during episode 9 that we were able to see her in true action as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen escaped King’s Landing on her dragon and could have killed the Greens right then and there. Out of all of the dragons we’ve seen, she may have been the closest to Drogon in terms of her size and body type, as we do know that Drogon was the largest dragon in Game of Thrones. So, who is bigger and stronger between Meleys and Drogon?

Meleys, being older than Drogon, is bigger than him. She is also said to be the fastest dragon of her time and was strong and fast enough to take on Vhagar on her own. However, Drogon is said to be the same kind of dragon as Balerion, and that means that he is probably just as ferocious.

It is tough to tell whether or not Drogon could actually defeat Meleys because we’ve never seen him taking on a bigger dragon. But the thing is that Drogon’s fire has always been quite hot, as he is said to be the reincarnation of Balerion the Black Dread. As such, his ferocity could be a match for Meleys. Now, let’s get to know more about Meleys and Drogon.

Meleys History And Size Explained

Back in episode 9 of House of the Dragon, we saw the reason why Meleys is called the Red Queen, as this red dragon was big and queenly enough in the way she nearly killed all of the Greens while taking down a lot of King’s Landing civilians when Rhaenys broke her out of the Dragonpit. Of course, Meleys is not a stranger to action because she has been around for a while already, as she was likely born several years before she was first claimed on 75 AC.

Meleys’s first dragonrider was Princess Alyssa Targaryen, who was the mother of both Viserys and Daemon. At that time, Meleys was already old enough to be ridden as she grew up to her adult size without ever getting ridden. However, regardless of whether or not she had a dragonrider, Meleys was said to be the fastest dragon in the world, as she could easily outpace both Vhagar and Caraxes.

Alyssa often went out riding with the riders of Vhagar and Caraxes, as these dragons were ridden by her brothers. During that time, she also often went on rides with Meleys together with Viserys or Daemon. However, she only had Meleys for nine years because she died in childbirth in 84 AC. Three years after the death of Alyssa, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen claimed Meleys. They have been together ever since, as Rhaenys was Meleys’s dragonrider for more than 40 years. 

During the Dance of the Dragons, it was clear that Meleys was already quite large as her head was bigger and longer than the entire body of an average-sized human being. In the scene wherein Rhaenys threatened King Aegon II and the Greens, Meleys could have easily swallowed both the king and his mother. Of course, she was also graceful and swift enough that she could fly through the small opening in the gate of the Dragonpit.

While Meleys was already a bit slower during the Dance of the Dragons, she was still the fastest dragon in the world, as she was faster than larger and smaller dragons alike. This meant that Rhaenys and Meleys were powerful allies on the part of the Black faction in the Targaryen civil war. The Greens knew this, and that was why they set up an elaborate trap for her.

Criston Cole, during the early part of the Dance of the Dragons, led a force that besieged Rook’s Rest. Concerned about the state of the castle, Rhaenys rode out on Meleys to break the siege. But this was a trap that Ser Criston set up as both Aegon II and Aemond were hiding and waiting to attack on their dragons. This allowed both Sunfyre and Vhagar to gang up on Meleys.

Archmaester Gyldayn said that Meleys would have stood a chance against Vhagar because, although more than half the size of the largest dragon in the world, she was a lot faster. However, because Sunfyre was there as well, this made things more difficult for Rhaenys and Meleys. The Queen Who Never Was and the Red Queen fought valiantly after injuring King Aegon II and weakening Sunfyre. But they ended up dying in that battle.

Drogon History And Size Explained

Drogon was one of the three dragons that Daenerys Targaryen hatched during the events of Game of Thrones, as she was the one responsible for bringing dragons back into the world. And out of all of the three dragons that Daenerys hatched, Drogon was already the biggest one of them all and was the most fearsome because of the black scales that made him look like the reincarnation of Balerion the Black Dread.

During the events of Game of Thrones, Drogon grew at a rapid pace and was even able to grow even bigger than Rhaegal and Viserion because he was allowed to roam free around Essos while his siblings were chained. As such, by the time Daenerys was about to attack Westeros with her dragons, Drogon was already a lot bigger than the other two.

Drogon was the most-used dragon when Daenerys attacked the Seven Kingdoms, as he was her personal mount. His flames were so hot that they were able to instantly turn the Lannister soldiers into ash. And Drogon almost singlehandedly destroyed an entire Lannister army that was large enough to take Highgarden.

It was during the Long Night that Drogon’s strength was truly tested when he had to take on an undead Viserion that was powered by the Night King’s magic. Both Drogon and Rhaegal had a tough time against the undead dragon, as they weren’t able to defeat their fallen sibling.

Drogon, however, still showcased how agile he was when he evaded numerous scorpion bolts when Daenerys singlehandedly burned down King’s Landing on her dragon. And the dragon’s flames were hot enough that Drogon actually melted the Iron Throne after Daenerys’s death.

Meleys vs. Drogon: Who Is Bigger (And Stronger)?

Because Drogon was still quite young during the events of Game of Thrones, he was not as big as Meleys. Nevertheless, for a dragon of his age, Drogon was already quite big, as not all dragons that aren’t even a decade old don’t get to grow as big as he did in Game of Thrones.

As you can see in that comparison, Meleys’s head is larger than both Queen Alicent and King Aegon II. Meanwhile, Drogon’s head is barely longer than Jon Snow’s body, as it is clear that Meleys is the larger of the two.

Of course, Meleys is probably the faster dragon of the two as well because she was always known for her incredible speed. That means that she is not only bigger but also faster than Drogon, as Meleys already has the advantage.

However, Drogon isn’t called the reincarnation of Balerion for no reason. We’ve seen how ferocious he is and how hot his flames are, as it is possible that he could bridge the gap between him and Meleys with his ferocity and incredibly hot dragonfire. And Drogon was also agile enough to dodge multiple scorpion bolts, as it is clear that he can probably match or even defeat the bigger and faster Meleys.