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

We’ve already seen two of the strongest dragons that would take part in the Targaryen civil war in House of the Dragon. The first dragon we are talking about is Vhagar, who Aemond Targaryen claimed as his own. Meanwhile, the second dragon that we are talking about is Meleys, who is the personal dragon of Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. But who between Vhagar and Meleys is bigger and stronger?

Vhagar is a lot bigger than Meleys, as she is right around twice as big as the dragon known as the Red Queen. While Vhagar may be bigger and stronger, Meleys was said to be the fastest dragon of her time. That means that she can stand a chance at winning against the bigger and stronger Vhagar.

It might be true that Vhagar is bigger and stronger than any other dragon in the known world at the time of the Dance of the Dragons, but what is also true is that size and strength don’t always determine the outcome of a fight. This is where Meleys’s speed and maneuverability come in. That said, let’s look at what we know about Vhagar and Meleys.

Vhagar History And Size Explained

One of the most legendary dragons in the history of the Seven Kingdoms is Vhagar, who was one of the dragons that conquered Westeros during Aegon’s Conquest. Out of all of the three dragons that helped Aegon conquer the continent, it was Vhagar that lived during the time of the Dance of the Dragons, albeit she was close to 200 years old at that time.

Born more than 50 years before Aegon’s Conquest, Vhagar was the smallest of the three dragons that conquered Westeros. However, she was able to outlive Meraxes to become the only dragon to come close to Balerion the Black Dread’s massive size. And after Balerion’s death, Vhagar became the biggest dragon in the known world.

Vhagar has had quite a number of riders. Her first dragonrider was Queen Visenya Targaryen, who she spent around 70 years with. After that, Vhagar became the mount of Prince Baelon Targaryen. And we know that Laena claimed Vhagar before the dragon became the personal mount of Prince Aemond.

By the time of the Dance of the Dragons, the only dragon that was close to Vhagar’s size was Vermithor, who was often regarded as the third-largest dragon in the world. As such, due to Vhagar’s massive size, she was often called the Queen of All Dragons and was such a great addition to the Greens when Aemond claimed her, albeit at the cost of an eye. Still, both Aemond and Otto Hightower believed that the eye that was paid was more than enough because Vhagar was now on their side.

During the Targaryen civil war, Vhagar was responsible for many different deaths due to her massive size and incredible firepower. It was only in the Battle Above the Gods Eye that Vhagar was finally killed, as Daemon and Caraxes fought Aemond and his dragon in a legendary fight that killed all four of them.

Meleys History And Size Explained

While Meleys isn’t as old as Vhagar, she has been around for a while already, as she was likely born several years before she was claimed by Princess Alyssa Targaryen, the mother of both Viserys and Daemon. She was already an adult dragon at that time and was widely known as the fastest dragon in the world. That meant that she was faster than larger and smaller dragons alike. And due to her red scales, she was called the Red Queen.

Alyssa had Meleys for nine years before her death on 84 AC. Three years later, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen became Meleys’s new dragonrider, and they were together for more than 40 years. Meleys was already a veteran of many battles by the time of the Dance of the Dragons, although she was slightly slower than she was when she was younger. Still, she was the fastest dragon in the world during the Targaryen civil war.

Meleys’s size could be seen when Rhaenys broke her out of the Dragonpit in the Hill of Rhaenys during episode 9 of House of the Dragon. In the scene where Rhaenys intimidated the entire Green faction, it was clear that Meleys’s head was bigger than both Alicent and Aegon, and that meant that the dragon could have swallowed both of them whole.

Because of her size and speed, Meleys became one of the strongest dragons on the side of Princess Rhaenyra’s Black faction during the Dance of the Dragons. No other dragon in the world could outpace and outmaneuver her, but even she had her own limits during the siege on Rook’s Rest, where she was killed by two full-grown adult dragons.

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

It was during the siege on Rook’s Rest that it was made clear just how huge the size and strength disparity between Vhagar and Meleys was. In the books, Rhaenys rode Meleys to help Rook’s Rest, which was under siege by a force led by Ser Criston Cole. However, this was a trap that was set by Cole to allow Vhagar and Sunfyre to ambush Meleys. Vhagar was right around twice as big as Meleys.

According to the historians, despite being smaller than Vhagar, Meleys’s speed would have allowed her to have a chance against the Queen of All Dragons in a one-on-one situation. That was a testament to how fast and ferocious the Red Queen was. However, the problem was that Sunfyre was also there to help out Vhagar, and that was what allowed King Aegon II and Prince Aemond to defeat and kill Princess Rhaenys and Meleys.

However, Meleys proved to be a difficult match for the Green duo because she was able to injure Sunfyre to the point that the golden dragon could no longer use its other wing properly. Meleys also burned and injured Aegon II to the point that he became so weak throughout his entire lifetime. As such, Meleys would have stood a chance against Vhagar had Sunfyre not intervened.