Why Is Caraxes Called The Blood Wyrm?

House of the Dragon is set to feature a lot of dragons that will form the foundation of the eventual war between members of the Targaryen family. One of the dragons featured quite early in the series is Caraxes, who is set to become one of the most important dragons in the eventual Dance of the Dragons that will happen sometime later in the storyline. Caraxes is a huge dragon that’s called the Blood Wyrm. But why is Caraxes even called the Blood Wyrm?

Caraxes is called the Blood Wyrm because of how long its neck is in comparison to the other dragons, as it resembles a wyrm or even a snake. Nevertheless, Caraxes was leaner than most dragons but was incredibly ferocious and was around thrice the size of younger dragons like Seasmoke.

While Caraxes was never the biggest dragon, it was called the Blood Wyrm for a good reason, as it was a lot fiercer than its siblings and was incredibly strong. Its ferocity only matched the cruelty and brutality of Daemon Targaryen, the rider it was bonded to right until the very end of its life. That said, let’s look at what we know about Caraxes, the Blood Wyrm.

Who Rides Caraxes?

One of the things that fans are excited about House of the Dragon is the fact that the series will feature a lot more dragons that Game of Thrones, which only had three. In fact, House of the Dragons is set to feature all of the dragons that became important during the time of the Targaryen dynasty more than a hundred years after Aegon’s Conquest.

House of the Dragon will also tell the story of the Dance of the Dragons, which is told in George RR Martin’s Fire and Blood novel. The Dance of the Dragons is the Targaryen civil war between different members of the family that were fighting for the throne left by King Viserys I. However, the series will cover the events that led to the Targaryen civil war, as it introduced Rhaenyra and Daemon, who are two of the most important figures of the Dance of the Dragons.

The Dance of the Dragons is aptly named not only because it included fights between Targaryens but also because it showed dragons fighting in the skies in what seemed like a dance that eventually led to their extinction. That means that the dragons are going to be very important to the war between the Targaryens. And one of the dragons that were revealed quite early was Caraxes.

Caraxes is a huge dragon that has been around since the first century of the Targaryen rule and was born somewhere before 72 AC. At that time, it was first claimed as the mount of Prince Aemon Targaryen, who was the Prince of Dragonstone and the heir apparent to the Iron Throne. Caraxes was named the Blood Worm by the Dragonkeepers of the Dragonpit, and it was the fiercest of all of the young dragoons that included Meleys.

Aemon Targaryen used Caraxes to burn the Dornish fleet during the Fourth Dornish War in 83 AC. However, in 92 AC, Aemon was killed by a crossbow bolt in the throat while Caraxes was eating goats. In that regard, the dragon wasn’t able to protect its rider from harm, as Caraxes was left unclaimed after the death of the heir-apparent, that never rose to the Iron Throne. 

In 105 AC, Prince Daemon Targaryen, the nephew of Aemon, claimed Caraxes as his mount. This was when Caraxes found the perfect match because Daemon was just as ferocious and as brutal as the Blood Wyrm itself. Daemon also took his whore, Mysaria, with him when he fled King’s Landing and took Dragonstone as his territory.

During the War for the Stepstones against the Triarchy, Daemon used Caraxes and fought alongside the Velaryon fleet. Daemon often flew together with his niece, Princess Rhaenyra, who flew on the back of her own dragon Syrax. 

After Daemon remarried to Lady Laena Velaryon, they often toured the Free Cities on the back of their dragons. At that time, Laena mounted Vhagar, who was the biggest of the living dragons in the world and was one of the original dragons that conquered the Seven Kingdoms with Balerion the Black Dread and Meraxes.

Why Is Caraxes Called The Blood Wyrm?

One of the best nicknames among all of the dragons in Westeros history belonged to Caraxes because he was called the Blood Wyrm. This nickname is probably second only to Balerion, who was called the Black Dread. Balerion, of course, was called the Black Dread because of his black scales and black flames. But why was Caraxes called the Blood Wyrm?

Aside from the fact that Caraxes had blood-red coloration throughout a body that was covered in black and red scales, this dragon was called the Blood Wyrm because its neck was usually longer than any other dragon. The House of the Dragon series was able to capture just how unique Caraxes is compared to its kin, as its neck is almost serpent-like in terms of its length. It gave Caraxes an appearance that made it look like a snake or even a wyrm. As such, the Blood Wyrm is an apt nickname for it.

Of course, there is also the fact that Caraxes was always one of the most ferocious dragons in Westeros. Its ferocity was only matched by Daemon Targaryen’s brutality. As such, there was no bout that the Blood Wyrm was a fitting nickname for a dragon that looked like a wyrm covered in blood and was as ferocious as any other dragon in the history of Westeros.

How Big And Strong Is Caraxes Compared To Other Dragons?

Compared to other dragons, Caraxes was actually quite big but not as big as the incredibly huge dragons like Balerion, Vhagar, and the Cannibal. It was still quite huge and was just as big as the other great dragons like Dreamfyre and Silver Wing. And despite its size, it was more mobile and agile than most dragons, as Meleys was probably the only other dragon that was faster.

In terms of its strength, Caraxes had a ferocity that was second to none as it was able to match Vhagar, who was the biggest and most ferocious dragon that existed after Balerion’s death. It was its ferocity that made it one of the strongest dragons during the Dance of the Dragons.

When the Dance of the Dragons broke out, Caraxes flew into battle with Daemon as its mount. The dragon eventually challenged Aemond Targaryen, who was now the one that claimed Vhagar. Despite the fact that Vhagar was twice as big as Caraxes, the younger and faster dragon was able to match it in the skies. In fact, Caraxes and Vhagar battled to a draw as they both crashed into the water, with Caraxes dragging itself to shore before dying.