House Of The Dragon: How Does Vhagar Die In The Book?

Vhagar is one of the most important dragons on "House of the Dragon." Old, dangerous and imposing, she is an instrumental force on the "Game of Thrones" prequel series, to the point that the merest Season 1 mention of Vhagar was more important than you'd think. Any viewer who has seen her on the show might find it difficult to imagine anything that can kill her ... but as anyone who's watched "Game of Thrones" itself knows, that's precisely what happens at some point before the events of that series begin. Vhagar's skull is mentioned in "Game of Thrones" Season 1, and several other seasons mention the legendary dragon and the lore that surrounds her. So how on Earth does a creature like that die?

Vhagar is still very much terrorizing the land of the living on "House of the Dragon," but in the book she dies at the age of 181 at the hands — or rather, in the jaws — of Daemon Targaryen's (Matt Smith) fearsome red dragon Caraxes during the Battle Above the Gods Eye in 130 AC (for reference, "Game of Thrones" begins in 298 AC). Daemon and Caraxes attack Vhagar and her rider, Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), in a bloody and thrilling feat of aerial combat that will no doubt make for a magnificent scene if and when "House of the Dragon" brings it to live action. 

"Game of Thrones" is known for its devastating deaths, from Ned Stark's (Sean Bean) shocking execution near the end of Season 1 to Hodor's (Kristian Nairn) horrifying door-holding moment to, of course, the Red Wedding. While "House of the Dragon" has its share of death, the series arguably still has some way to go before reaching the heights of its parent show ... but Vhagar's highly dramatic death scene just might become the moment where the prequel show surpasses the original on this gruesome front.

Apart from the comparatively small and slithery Caraxes and the much larger Vhagar killing each other in extremely gory fashion, the two Targaryens on their backs also have their final showdown. Though everyone involved ends up plummeting into a lake called the Gods Eye, Daemon actually jumps on Vhagar and puts his sword through Aemond's eye as they fall, putting an end to their animosity just before they all hit the water. Combined with the events that precede this final confrontation, this highly cinematic sequence has all the potential makings of a truly classic death scene.