Dragon

Dragons are the legendary fire-breathing creatures of House Targaryen, believed extinct for over a century until Daenerys Targaryen hatches three from fossilized eggs in a blood-magic ritual, reawakening magic and power in the world.

Nature and History

Dragons were the emblem and the ultimate weapon of House Targaryen, the blood of the dragon. Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters Visenya and Rhaenys used their three great dragons—Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar—to forge the Seven Kingdoms into a single realm. The singers gave them the names of gods. Balerion, the Black Dread, was the greatest of them, capable of swallowing an aurochs whole. The dragons were not mere beasts but intelligent, magical beings, bonded to their riders. The last Targaryen dragons died out during the reign of Aegon III, called the Dragonbane, a century and a half before the events of the story. The youngest were a matched pair of hatchlings no bigger than mastiff's skulls, the last born on Dragonstone. After their death, magic faded from the west, and dragons passed into legend.

The Dragon's Eggs

Magister Illyrio Mopatis gave Daenerys Targaryen three dragon's eggs as a wedding gift. They were from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai, turned to stone by the eons, yet still beautiful. One was a deep green with burnished bronze flecks, another pale cream streaked with gold, and the last black as a midnight sea with scarlet ripples and swirls. They were heavy as solid stone, their shells covered with tiny scales that shimmered like polished metal. Daenerys kept them close, finding comfort in their presence. She would hold them, feeling a strange warmth, as if drawing strength from the stone dragons locked inside. When she felt her unborn child move within her, it seemed as if he were reaching out, brother to brother, blood to blood.

The Birth of the Dragons

After Khal Drogo's death and the stillbirth of her son Rhaego, Daenerys built a funeral pyre for her husband. She placed the three dragon's eggs around his body and had Mirri Maz Duur, the maegi, bound to the pyre as well. As the fire consumed the pyre, Daenerys walked into the flames. When the fire died, she emerged unscathed, naked and covered in soot, her hair burned away. Three dragons had hatched from the eggs. The cream-and-gold dragon suckled at her left breast, the green-and-bronze at her right, and the black-and-scarlet beast was draped across her shoulders. For the first time in hundreds of years, the night came alive with the music of dragons. The Dothraki who witnessed this fell to their knees, recognizing her as their leader.

Significance

The birth of the dragons marks a fundamental shift in the world's balance of power. It restores magic to the world and gives Daenerys a claim to power that transcends politics. The dragons are the living embodiment of her Targaryen heritage, the blood of the dragon made flesh. They are also a direct threat to the Usurper, Robert Baratheon, who feared the return of dragons and the Targaryen dynasty. The dragons are not just weapons but symbols of a new era, one where the old powers of fire and blood are reborn.