The Dragons in the Dance

This post is about the dragons that appear during the Dance of the Dragons. While it is going to be focused on information from the book series, the idea is to discuss each dragon that could appear on the upcoming seasons of House of the Dragon.

In "House of the Dragon," however, each creature should be distinct enough for people on the ground to know which Targaryen is flying above them based simply on the color of the dragon's scales. - 'House of the Dragon': GRRM Asked for 3 Book Details in the Show (insider.com)

Background

The (first) Dance of the Dragons was a civil war that took place between the "blacks" and the "greens" between 129AC and 131AC. The fallout from the battle saw the Targaryens lose their dragons within the next quarter century.

If interested: Dragon Size & The Blood of Old Valyria Part II: Here There Be Dragons

Note: After rearranging this a few different ways, I thought the best way to present the information was in the order of their deaths.

The Early Dance

Arrax

Rider(s): Lucerys Velaryon

Color: pearlescent white with yellow flame, golden eyes and a golden chest (non canon 2021 calendar)

Size: 5x smaller than Vhagar

Lucerys and Arrax were attacked by Vhagar and Aemond One Eye over Shipbreaker's Bay in 129AC. It was one of the first major events of the Dance.

Rook's Rest

Meleys (The Red Queen)

Rider(s): Alyssa Targaryen (pre Dance), Rhaenys Targaryen

Color: Scarlet scales, pink membranes, copper horns and claws

Size: She was once one of the fastest dragons, but had grown lazy and old but the time of the Dance

The Battle of the Gullet

Stormcloud

Rider(s): Aegon III (The Younger)

Color: Unknown

Size: less than 9 years old

Died from wounds received on his first flight carrying Aegon to Dragonstone.

Vermax

Rider(s): Jacaerys Velaryon

Color: Unknown

Size: Young but growing quickly, died crashing into ships for unconfirmed reasons

The Fall of Dragonstone

Grey Ghost

Rider(s): N/A

Color: pale grey-white, the color of morning mist

Size: Unknown (likely smaller than Sunfyre)

Killed by an injured Sunfyre upon its return to Dragonstone

Moondancer

Rider(s): Baela Targaryen

Color: Pale Green with pearl horns/crests

Size: Slender about the size of a warhorse when Baela mounted her

Killed by Sunfyre after they both crashed to the ground at Dragonstone (although she mortally wounded Sunfyre)

Sunfyre

Rider(s): Aegon II (The Elder) Targaryen

Color: Gleaming gold scales, pale pink wing membranes

Size: Huge and heavy despite its youth

Wounded at Rooks Rest, Sunfyre later succumbed to further wounds received from Moondancer

Battle Above the Gods Eye

If interested: Weird Happenings Around the God's Eye

Vhagar

Rider(s): Visenya Targaryen, Baelon Targaryen, Laena Velaryon, Aemond "One Eye" Targaryen

Color: Bronze with green-blue highlights and bright green eyes (2021 calendar)

Size: Almost as large as the Black Dread (able to swallow a mammoth or aurochs whole)

Killed in battle with Caraxes after crashing into the Gods Eye.

Caraxes aka The Blood Wyrm

Rider(s): Aemon Targaryen, Daemon Targaryen

Color: Red

Size: Huge and lean (about half the size of Vhagar)

Died from wounds received fighting above the Gods Eye with Vhagar

The Storming of the Dragonpit

Syrax

Rider(s): Rhaenyra Targaryen

Color: Yellow scales

Size: Huge and formidable

Shrykos

Rider(s): Jahaerys Targaryen (son of Aegon II) (bound never ridden)

Color: Unknown

Size: Too young for war/to be ridden

Tyraxes

Rider(s): Joffrey Velaryon

Color: Unknown

Size: Young, only able to fly short distances with a rider

Dreamfyre

Rider(s): Rhaena (pre Dance), Helaena Targaryen

Color: Pale blue wings with silver crests and markings

Size: Her size is not mentioned during the dance, but she would have been around 100 years old

Morghul

Rider(s): Jaehaera Targaryen (bound never ridden)

Color: Unknown

Size: Too young for war/to be ridden

Second Battle of Tumbleton

Seasmoke

Rider(s): Laenor Velaryon (pre Dance but he affected the Dance), Addam of Hull

Color: Pale silver-grey

Size: at max 2/3 size of Vermithor

Died fighting Tessarion and Vermithor at Tumbleton (where the dragons truly danced)

Tessarion (The Blue Queen)

Rider(s): Daeron Targaryen

Color: Dark cobalt wings, beaten copper for claws, belly scales

Size: 1/3 the size of Vermithor, youngest dragon fighting for Aegon II

Died at Tumbleton.

Vermithor (The Bronze Fury)

Rider(s): Jaehaerys I Targaryen, Hugh the Hammer

Color: Bronze with great tan wings

Size: Large, as big as Seasmoke and Tessarion combined, in 48AC (80 years before the dance, Vermithor was already one of the largest dragons).

Died at Tumbleton

If interested: History is Wheel: The Two Betrayers

Survived the Dance

If interested: The Blood of Old Valyria Part V: The Last of the Dragons

The Cannibal

Rider(s): N/A

Color: Black as coal, menacing green eyes

Size: Largest and oldest of the wild dragons

Disappeared after the Dance.

If interested: Pre-Targaryen Dragons in Westeros

Silverwing

Rider(s): Good Queen Alysanne (pre dance), Ulf the White

Color: Silver

Size: Just under 100 years old during the Dance

Made her lair on one of the islands in the Red Lake after the Dance.

Morning

Rider(s): Rhaena Targaryen (did not fly her until after the Dance)

Color: Pale pink scales with black horns and crest

Size: Born in 129AC. Was not big enough for Rhaena to ride until 135AC

Survived the Dance and died sometime during Aegon III's reign.

Sheepstealer

Rider(s): Nettles

Color: Mud brown,

Size: Over 50 during the Dance but considered slender

Disappeared with Nettles after the Dance

If interested: Nettles: Dragonseed?

The Last Dragon

Rider(s): N/A

Color: Green

Size: Skull about the size of a large dog

Small and sickly, did not survive long

Aly Rivers' "Dragon"

Rider(s): N/A

Color: Unknown

Size: Unknown

Alys Rivers supposedly has a dragon at Harrenhal at the end of the Dance. Personally I think this a glamour she is putting on the corpse of Caraxes (who crawled out of the God's Eye near Harrenhal before dying).

If interested: The Witch Queen of Harrenhal: Alys Rivers

Some other items that may pop up in the show include the Dragonkeepers, as well as the sowing of the seeds. I know I keep using the phrase "first dance" so if you are interested: Thoughts, Theories and Parallels on The Dance of the Dragons II

If interested: The Blood of Old Valyria Part IV: How to Kill Your Dragon

TLDR: Over 20 dragons feature at some point (even just briefly) during the book series' Dance of the Dragons (or its immediate aftermath), it will be interesting to see just how many of them appear in the House of the Dragon. Based off GRRM's comments we should be able to visually distinguish these dragons.