Which Dragons Survived Dance of the Dragons? (& How Many Died)

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At the start of the Dance of the Dragons in House of the Dragon, there were still quite a number of dragons left in the world. However, we know for a fact that these dragons were used as the main weapons of both the Blacks and the Greens in the Targaryen civil war. Of course, there were a lot of dragons that died in this battle between the two different Targaryen factions that fought against one another. So, which dragons survived the Dance of the Dragons?

The dragons that survived the Dance of the Dragons were the Cannibal, Sheepstealer, Silverwing, and Morning. The first three dragons were born long before the war. However, Morning was the only dragon that hatched during the Dance of the Dragons and was never able to see any action in the war.

It was indeed true that the Dance of the Dragons was a pivotal moment in the history of the Targaryen dynasty because it led to the extinction of the dragons from the world before Daenerys Targaryen brought them back almost 200 years later. This also weakened the Targaryens, as the only weapon that gave them an advantage over the other Houses was now gone. That said, let’s talk more about which dragon survived the Dance of the Dragons.

Which Dragons Survived The Dance Of The Dragons?

Throughout the history of Westeros, it was often said that the event that led to the extinction of the dragons from the world was the Targaryen civil war called the Dance of the Dragons because this war basically erased a lot of dragons from existence and caused the Targaryens to lose the one thing that people feared the most when it came to this family. 

Nevertheless, as devastating as the Dance of the Dragons was, there were still a few dragons that survived the war. That’s because these dragons were either lucky enough to escape or were simply not involved in the war at all. That said, let’s look at the dragons that lived through the Dance of the Dragons.

The Cannibal

The Cannibal was a wild dragon and was the only adult dragon that did not care about the Dance of the Dragons at all because he did not participate in it. He was too wild and too ferocious for anyone to ride, and that was the reason why the Cannibal never had his own dragonrider in his entire lifetime. As such, he never had any stake in the war, as he never participated in it, even though there were a few people that tried to claim him.

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Aptly named, the Cannibal was said to cannibalize on dragon eggs and smaller dragons. It is said that he was born from a different dragon lineage, and that might explain why he was so antagonistic against the Targaryen dragons. The Cannibal was said to have been born at least before Aegon’s Conquest, although some would say that he has been around since before the Targaryens occupied Dragonstone.

The Cannibal disappeared after the Dance of the Dragons, as no one saw him after the war. That’s why there are those who still believe that he might have continued to live long after the end of the Targaryen civil war and continued to grow bigger as he aged.

Sheepstealer

Sheepstealer was one of the three wild dragons in Dragonstone during the time of the Dance of the Dragons. However, he was also the only one out of the three wild dragons to bond with a dragonrider when Prince Jacaerys called for more dragonriders during the outbreak of the war. Sheepstealer bonded with Nettles, who fed the dragon sheep every single day until he became accustomed to her presence.

Before bonding with Nettles, it was almost impossible for anyone to come close enough to Sheepstealer because of how antagonistic he was when it came to people. However, because Nettles knew that he loved eating sheep, she found a way to bond with the dragon.

Sheepstealer survived the Dance of the Dragons because he and Nettles escaped in the middle of the war. When Rhaenyra heard that Daemon had been keeping Nettles as his bedside companion, she called for her execution. However, Daemon allowed the girl to escape, as it was said that she lived in peace and solitude after the war. It is unknown how Sheepstealer died.

Silverwing

Silverwing was a dragon that was hatched to Alysanne Targaryen during the early part of the Targaryen dynasty, as she was likely born sometime between 36 to 41 AC. Aptly named, Silverwing was a beautiful dragon that had silvery scales. And when Alysanne became King Jaehaerys’s queen, Silverwing often flew together with Vermithor, as it was often said that they were actually mates because Silverwing often coiled with Vermithor.

After Alysanne died in 100 AC, Silverwing was without a dragonrider. She lived her entire life in the dragonpit in Dragonstone until it was time for her to have a new rider when Prince Jacaerys called for more dragonriders.

That was when a dragonseed named Ulf the White claimed Silverwing without a lot of trouble. That’s because, out of all of the dragons in the world, Silverwing was the most docile and was quite receptive to the presence of people. As such, unlike other dragons like Vermithor, she was easier to claim.

Silverwing became riderless when her rider, Ulf the White, died when he was poisoned. As such, Silverwing survived the death of her rider, as she became a wild dragon that made her nest in Red Lake. She continued living until the time of Aegon III but eventually died during his reign.

Morning

Morning was the only dragon out of all of the dragons that lived during the time of the Dance of the Dragons to hatch during the time of the war itself. She started off as an egg that was given to Rhaena Targaryen, as she didn’t have her own dragon. The egg hatched in the middle of the war as Rhaena finally had a dragon of her own.

But the fact was that Morning was far too small and too young to ever see any real action during the Targaryen civil war. Of course, Rhaena wasn’t a fighter as well and never had any real training as a dragonrider. As such, both Rhaena and Morning stayed away from the fights during the Dance of the Dragons.

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Morning survived the Targaryen civil war due to the fact that it never really fought due to its youth. The dragon lived together with Rhaena after she was able to enjoy a peaceful life long after the end of the war. However, the dragon eventually died during King Aegon III’s reign.

How Many Dragons Died In The Dance Of The Dragons?

As there were only four dragons that lived through the Dance of the Dragons, it is now easy to see why the dragons eventually became extinct after the Targaryen civil war. Of course, there were more dragons that died compared to the ones that survived. But how many dragons died during the Dance of the Dragons?

Based on the Fire & Blood book, a total of 17 dragons died in the Dance of the Dragons. These dragons were:

  1. Vhagar
  2. Sunfyre
  3. Caraxes
  4. Syrax
  5. Vermithor
  6. Meleys
  7. Dreamfyre
  8. Vermax
  9. Tessarion
  10. Arrax
  11. Tyraxes
  12. Moondancer
  13. Seasmoke
  14. Stormcloud
  15. Grey Ghost
  16. Morghul
  17. Shrykos

In that regard, out of all of the 21 dragons that were alive during the Dance of the Dragons, only four of them survived, as 17 of them died. As such, it is an understatement to say that the Targaryen civil war led to the extinction of the dragons, as plenty of adult dragons that could have given birth to new dragons died during the different battles that the Blacks fought against the Greens.

Were There Dragons Born After The Dance Of The Dragons?

While we do know that four dragons lived through the Dance of the Dragons, only one known dragon was born after the Targaryen civil war. This was the dragon called The Last Dragon, but it was never given a name. The Last Dragon was described to be no bigger than a cat and was so small and sickly that it was never going to survive. It died during King Aegon III’s reign, as The Last Dragon was literally the last of its kind and was the reason why Aegon III became known as the Dragonbane.

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Of course, the reason why no other dragon hatched after the Dance of the Dragons could be related to the fact that the Targaryens no longer had any control over the surviving dragons and could not have them breed and produce more eggs. All of the surviving dragons ended up living away from one another, and that meant that they could no longer reproduce.

But we do know that Daenerys Targaryen was able to hatch three dragon eggs during the time of Game of Thrones. She brought dragons back into the world when Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion hatched from eggs that were believed to be petrified. However, these eggs were not from the surviving dragons of the Dance of the Dragons, as they were believed to have been laid hundreds of years ago.

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