Who is Vermithor? House of the Dragon’s secret dragon and his riders explained

House of the Dragon has been teasing the appearance of a major dragon for a while now, and considering Vermithor’s status, there’s plenty of reason to look out for him.

The Game of Thrones prequel hasn’t been shy about making use of some of its famous dragons and their riders. And with the Targaryen Civil War reaching new heights, there’s still many more to come.

Unfortunately, following the Battle at Rook’s Rest, Team Black is down a dragon following the death of Meleys and her rider, Rhaenys. Thankfully, Dragonstone has a mighty beast hiding down below, and the TV show is very likely to bring him out soon.

Here’s everything you need to know about Vermithor, including his riders throughout history.

Who is Vermithor?

Vermithor is the second-largest living dragon in all of Westeros, coming after Vhagar and third to Balerion the Black Dread in the overall history of the show.

Known as the Bronze Fury, Vermithor has “great tan wings” according to George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, and by the time of the Dance of the Dragons, he’s already almost 100 years old.

HBO

In Season 1 Episode 10, we watched Daemon head into the Dragonstone dragon lair while singing a High Valyrian lullaby. From the darkness, a massive beast creeps out, spouting plumes of fire into the void. Even in the face of something so immense, Daemon keeps singing, and the dragon begins to calm.

This is Vermithor. He gets another mention in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 5, when Rhaenyra and Jace discuss the potential for getting more dragonriders. They currently have Vermithor sitting in the Dragonstone lair, so they may as well put him to good use.

Vermithor’s riders

Vermithor was first ridden by King Jaehaerys I, Viserys’ grandfather. In the book, he was later ridden by Hugh Hammer, a blacksmith’s bastard son.

As per Fire & Blood, Vermithor accepted Jaehaerys as his rider by 48 AC. He flew on the dragon to King’s Landing to claim the Iron Throne in the wake of Maegor the Cruel’s death.

He became riderless following Jaehaerys’ death in 103 AC, and didn’t find another rider during the reign of Viserys I. He remained in a lair on Dragonstone.

Following the beginning of the Dance of the Dragons, some tried to claim Vermithor – including Lord Gormon Massey, who was scorched to death as a result. He eventually bonded with Hugh Hammer, a somewhat random blacksmith’s bastard, who then flew with the other dragons in battle.

Initially, it was thought that Daemon might have managed to bond with Vermithor in the show. Considering Aemond has Vhagar, and the two Targaryens have a major rivalry in the book, it would make sense… until you consider he’s already bonded with Caraxes, so it’s all a bit messy.

Ultimately, Daemon might have just been visiting Vermithor in preparation for finding him a new rider. In Season 2, nobody has been seen riding Vermithor yet.

However, with Rhaenyra and Jace currently hatching a plan to bring in the dragonseeds to aid in their cause, it looks like things are priming up for that Hugh-Vermithor pairing.

For more, check out our guides to Nettles and Ulf the White. You can also take a look at all the Game of Thrones dragons, so you’re up to date with Westeros’ creatures.