House Of The Dragon: The Parallels Between Balerion And Drogon

Balerion and Drogon are arguably the two most famous dragons in the Game of Thrones universe. Aegon I Targaryen brought Balerion to Westeros’ shores, while Drogon is one of the three dragons born from petrified dragon eggs from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai. Aegon I mounted Balerion the Black Dread during the Targaryen Conquest of Westeros, and afterward, and Daenerys Targaryen rode Drogon when she came for the Iron Throne.

Game of Thrones takes place roughly 200 years after House of the Dragon, and the Targaryens have been ousted from the Seven Kingdoms. King Robert I Baratheon has Balerion and the skulls of Targaryen dragons stored in a cellar in the Red Keep. In House of the Dragon, however, Balerion’s skull is enshrined and surrounded by candles. This raises the question of whether there exist any similarities between Balerion the Black Dread and Drogon.

Black Scales

Both Balerion and Drogon have black scales in Game of Thrones lore. While Balerion’s wings were black too, Drogon’s wings and horns, by contrast, are of scarlet red coloration. The dragons have large wingspans, and Drogon lives in the show’s canon and has yet to reach full size. Aegon and Daenerys win conquests on their respective dragons. Aegon used Balerion in a pivotal battle of the Targaryen Conquest known as Field of Fire, and Daenerys used Drogon in the Goldroad Ambush.

The Battle of the Goldroad is similar to Field of Fire, in that, both battles were fought between forces representing the Targaryens and the Lannisters (and the Reach) in an open field, in the geographical range of King’s Landing, and the Blackwater Rush. Aegon atop Balerion and Daenerys atop Drogon descended on the enemy lines and breathed fire in open fields of northern Reach, and south of the Blackwater.

Black Flames

Game of Thrones lore says that Balerion’s flames were as black as his scales and at times “swirls of red” could be spotted in his dragonfire. His flames were powerful enough to melt the hardest materials such as stone and steel, and turn sand into glass. This set Balerion apart from other dragons and earned him the name – the Black Dread. Drogon’s flames are described as black and red in lore, and, as seen in Game of Thrones, can raze the oldest and most resilient structures.

Largest Of The Three Dragons

Balerion was among the three dragons of the Targaryen siblings; the others being Visenya’s Vhagar and Rhaenys’ Meraxes. Aegon and his sister-wives brought the Seven Kingdoms to their knees because they had dragons. While his small army was no match for the armies that the Seven Kingdoms could and did raise, the rulers and lords did not have an answer for the dragons. Balerion the Black Dread was once the largest living dragon in all of Westeros, and now, the she-dragon, Vhagar, holds that record. As for the third of the trinity – Meraxes, she and her rider plunged to the ground when a dragon-killing Scorpion bolt hit the dragon in the eye at Hellholt in 10 AC.

As seen in Game of Thrones, Daenerys’ Drogon is one of the three dragons hatched in Khal Drogo’s funeral pyre, at the edge of a wasteland beyond Lhazar. While the Queen bonds with all her children, she rides the largest, Drogon, whom she names after her dead husband, Drogo.

Fiercest Of The Three Dragons

Aegon the Conqueror’s Balerion was the fiercest of the three, just like Daenerys’ Drogon. Balerion was the mount of three kings, such as Aegon, Maegor the Cruel, and Viserys the Peaceful. Similarly, the largest and fiercest of the three, Drogon, was ridden by the Queen – Daenerys Targaryen. Balerion’s breath is said to have forged the Iron Throne from a thousand swords of Aegon’s enemies, while Drogon in his fury melted it as HBO’s Game of Thrones neared its end. In the words of Petyr Baelish:

A thousand blades, taken from the hands of Aegon’s fallen enemies.
Forged in the fiery breath of Balerion the Dread.

Drogon Is Balerion Reborn

The skies of Westeros did not see another creature like Balerion the Black Dread, nor did those who suffered his wrath on the ground below. The dragon’s name inspired fear and to date, he remains the last living creature who saw Old Valyria before it was destroyed by the Doom. But more than most, Balerion is a symbol of the Targaryens’ triumph, majesty, and grandeur. He formed the bridge between the blood of Old Valyria and the Targaryens in Westeros, and he knew Valyria’s greatness and flaws.

Many in lore believe that Drogon is Balerion reincarnated. He is, after all, Daenerys’ rider and inspires the same fear as the Black Dread ever since his arrival on Westerosi soil. Balerion and Drogon are central to the Targaryen saga. The former represents the beginnings of the Targaryens in Westeros, and the latter flies away for good after watching his mother die of the fascination of power.

House of the Dragon – season 2 premiers on HBO this June.