The greatest dragon of House Targaryen left a lasting legacy, and you don’t know half of what he’d been through. Here are the 10 most interesting Black Dread facts.

10. Balerion Had the Most Fearsome Appearance

Unlike all other dragons, Balerion was completely black, including even his wings — and, most wondrously, his fire breath, which was described as black with sparkles of dark red. His unique appearance was partially the reason why he was called the Black Dread; centuries later, Daenerys’ dragon Drogon would have similar features.

9. Balerion Was the Largest Dragon Since the Doom

While the Dragonlords of Valyria most likely had dragons even larger than him, Balerion was famously the biggest dragon since the Doom of Valyria destroyed all others. Since dragons never stop growing, he was a flying mountain, and only Vhagar managed to somewhat catch up to him in size decades after his death.

8. Balerion Was the Last Dragon to Witness Valyria

Speaking of which, Balerion was the only dragon that survived the Doom: four others who escaped with the Targaryens died after arriving at Dragonstone. Just one human generation after the Doom, the Black Dread could officially be named as the only living creature who had seen Old Valyria in its glory with its own eyes.

7. Balerion Seemingly Missed Old Valyria

After the Doom, only fools dared step foot to the cursed ruins of the fallen empire, but Balerion admittedly missed his home. He once took Princess Aerea Targaryen there, staying in Old Valyria for over a year. Upon their return to Westeros, the Princess died from a terrible disease, and even Balerion was seriously wounded.

6. Balerion Has the Most Dragonriders of Any Dragon

Thanks to his ridiculously long life, the Black Dread had the chance to bond with several dragonriders. Starting from Daenys Targaryen, the oracle who foresaw the Doom, he then flew with Aegon the Conqueror, Maegor the Cruel, Princess Aerea, and eventually, Viserys I Targaryen, bringing his final rider count to five people.

5. Balerion’s Fire Breath Reached Over 3090°F

As the largest dragon to have seen Westeros, Balerion was also the most powerful. His black fire breath was recorded to melt through stone and steel, and he could even melt sand into glass. This suggests that Balerion’s breath’s temperature was higher than 3090°F (1700°C). No wonder Aegon conquered Westeros riding him!

4. Balerion Destroyed Many Iconic Buildings

Speaking of his adventures with Aegon the Conqueror, it was with Balerion that he burned down Harrenhal to control the Riverlands, starting its curse. After Aegon, his second son Maegor the Cruel bonded with the Black Dread — and his new dragonrider set Balerion’s fire to destroy Faith Militant’s Sept of Remembrance.

3. Balerion Repopulated the World With Dragons

After the Targaryens escaped to Dragonstone, their other four dragons died, leaving only Balerion — and two eggs. Those eggs later grew into Vhagar and Meraxes, and the Black Dread put in work with those two, eventually repopulating the world with dragons and single-wingedly saving his species from extinction. What a mad lad.

2. Balerion Was the Only Dragon to Die of Old Age

Dragons don’t typically die of old age; so much, in fact, that the Black Dread became the only dragon to have died just because he was too old. Balerion lived for over 200 years, and in the end, he became too weak and heavy to properly rise. Viserys could only make three circles around King’s Landing on him before Balerion was too tired.

1. Balerion Had a Kitten and a Ship Named After Him

The legend that he was, the Black Dread inspired many generations of Targaryens with his unspeakable power and might — and some of them even named something after him. Princess Rhaenys named her black kitten Balerion in honor of the old dragon, and Daenerys Targaryen did the same with one of Illyrio Mopatis’ ships.