Emma D’Arcy brilliantly plays Rhaenyra Targaryen in the House of the Dragon cast, and the character sees some notable changes from her book counterpart. The TV writers have a strange task in adapting Fire & Blood, as characters like Rhaenyra and Daemon essentially don’t have much going on during season 2’s period during the books. House of the Dragon has developed original stories for its two main characters, including several extra dragon scenes for Syrax, who’s barely mentioned in the text once the Dance begins.
Syrax’s Size Is Partly Due To Being Kept In The Dragonpit
Syrax’s Growth Is Stunted By Inactivity
In George R.R. Martin’s world, dragons grow continuously as they age. Balerion the Black Dread continued to grow more massive until its eventual death when it was too bloated to effectively take flight. This is proven further by the dragons in House of the Dragon, as Vhagar is both the oldest and most massive dragon alive. Still, it’s not entirely consistent, and there are other factors at play that determine size. Syrax is at least a decade older than dragons like Sunfyre, Moondancer, and Vermax, yet she doesn’t seem to have grown much larger.
As mentioned, House of the Dragon adds several dragon scenes for Syrax, given that Rhaenyra is the show’s main character. In the book, however, Syrax essentially remains in the dragonpits of King’s Landing and later Dragonstone for the majority of its life. It’s mentioned that when the Dance begins, Syrax has barely been ridden in recent years, and her growth has been stunted. More actively ridden dragons could feasibly catch up in size, which is probably why Seasmoke appears much larger despite being around the same age.
Syrax Not Growing Is Simply Easier In Terms Of CGI
The Show Could Be Saving Money By Reusing VFX Models
In terms of House of the Dragon as a whole, dragon designs, sizes, and scaling are iffy at best. There are many inconsistencies, and often, the size of the dragon fits the needs of the scene. As for Syrax, it’s likely that Rhaenyra’s dragon remaining around the same size is easier and cheaper for the show’s budget, given that VFX models can be reused rather than require constant changes. After all, Syrax is one of the most prominently used dragons in the TV series, and it, along with Caraxes, is the most consistent looking.
House of the Dragon season 2 has had far more dragon content than season 1 or any season of Game of Thrones. While inconsistencies may be jarring for those with keen attention to detail, they’re undoubtedly passable for the volume of beautiful dragon scenes. Rhaenyra’s dragon at least has a narrative reason from the text to explain its stunted growth. The dragon scenes may not always be what readers are hoping for, but cuts need to be made for HBO to deliver an end product that’s as visually impressive as the show offers.
How Powerful Is Syrax Compared To Other Dragons? Could She Beat Any?
Syrax Is On The Lower End Of Dragon Power In The Dance
Rhaenyra seems to think Syrax may have some speed working to its advantage, but she’s never done battle against another dragon, so she can’t say for sure. Syrax is far from the biggest dragon in Game of Thrones history or even the most enormous in the Dance. They would be beaten easily if it came to a one-on-one battle against Vhagar, Vermithor, or Caraxes, all of whom have a size advantage and significant battle experience. Given Seasmoke’s experience and seemingly considerable size advantage, Syrax probably loses that battle as well.
There are still a handful of dragons left, however. If Rhaenyra and Syrax ever wanted to kill their sons, they’d probably be able to defeat Jacaerys and Vermax. Moondancer and Sunfyre could be around the same size and would be a toss-up, but Syrax certainly has a chance. As for Silverwing and Dreamfyre (Helaena’s dragon, which hasn’t appeared on-screen), both are older but not known for being fighters, so it’s hard to say how they’d compare. Hopefully, House of the Dragon will answer some of these questions.
