In House of The Dragon Season 2, Episode 7, The Red Sowing, Aemond Targaryen discovers his sister Rhaenyra has three new dragons: Seasmoke, Silverwing, and Vermithor. The first two dragons are easy targets for Aemond and Vhagar, but Vermithor will give him a run for his money.
House of the Dragon highlights Vhagar, the largest and oldest dragon in the world, as the key to the Greens’ victories. However, with Hugh Hammer’s support for Vermithor, the odds seem to be against Aemond. Vermithor, the second-largest dragon, is not far behind Vhagar. The question remains whether size automatically makes dragons stronger, and a fight between Vermithor and Vhagar would be a challenging decision.
Vhagar has more experience in battles than Vermithor
Vhagar and Vermithor are closely matched in instilling terror in humans. Vhagar can crush knights with her foot and melt armor, while Vermithor is large and fearsome but lacks the same ghastly imagery as Vhagar in the books. Tyrion Lannister even mentioned that a horse could ride down her gullet. Vhagar has a significant battle experience, having been ridden by Visenya Targaryen during Aegon’s Conquest of Westeros.
Known as the Bronze Fury due to his tan wings and barbarity, Vhagar has also participated in the First Dornish War and Visenya’s campaign to install Maegor the Cruel on the throne. Later, Baelon Targaryen rode Vhagar during the Fourth Dornish War.
As of the current events in House of the Dragon, Vhagar has fought in more fights and battles than Vermithor. She killed Lucerys Velaryon and his dragon Arrax, and took down both Meleys and Sunfyre. This gives Vhagar a feared reputation of being nearly invincible. Vermithor may also be daunting, but having not left his lair on Dragonstone in many years doesn’t make him a seasoned war veteran like Vhagar.
Vermithor is younger than Vhagar
Vhagar, despite winning the first round, still has an advantage over Vermithor in terms of age. In A Song of Ice and Fire, dragons can grow without restriction if fed enough and allowed outside the Dragonpit. However, constant growth can lead to a catch-22 situation, as seen with Aegon the Conquerer’s dragon, Balerion, the Black Dread, who became too large to carry themselves in the sky.
Viserys I Targaryen, in his final years, resisted flying Balerion due to his age and weakness. Vhagar, who is slow and has war scars on her wings, is struggling to lift herself and control her direction. Aemond must shift the reigns and pull her away, as she is nearing the end of her life and needs to retire and live in the fields.
Vermithor, 86 years younger than Vhagar, possesses the youthful strength to carry himself and Hugh into battle without tiring out. Old age may increase the risk of disobedience in dragons, but Vhagar, a war dragon, is accustomed to battle and is difficult to obey when her rider shows restraint, as she is not used to backing down from a fight.
This is a double-edged sword if a battle between Vhagar and Vermithor ever happened. On one hand, Vhagar could disobey Aemond again and have full freedom to take out Vermithor. On the other hand, Vhagar’s impulsivity and thirst for blood could blind her from sneak attacks. Contrarily, Vermithor has shown a willingness to obey other Targaryens that he’s not bonded to if he’s commanded and soothed in the right way. If there was a dragon easier to control between the two, it would be Vermithor.
Vhagar is stronger than Vermithor
Vhagar has age-related issues that weaken her battle position. Despite this, she is still more powerful than Vermithor, who is faster, more obedient, and slightly smaller. Both dragons would suffer significant damage in a fight, but Vhagar’s size and battle experience outweigh Vermithor by an inch, which is enough for a win in a war between dragons.
Speed and stealth are crucial in a fight against Vhagar, even if the opponent is smaller. Vermithor, the second-largest dragon in the world, has speed but isn’t known for being stealthy. The real cause could be the riders, Aemond, who has been riding Vhagar for over a decade and has been taught by the best dragonkeepers, and Hugh, who has only ridden Vermithor once and doesn’t know High Valyrian. It’s easy to predict the outcome of the fight between Aemond and Hugh.
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