Difference between revisions of "Meraxes"

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[[File:Rhaenys riding Meraxes.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Rhaenys Targaryen]] riding Meraxes into battle]]
 
 
{{See homonyms | Meraxes (disambiguation)}}
 
{{See homonyms | Meraxes (disambiguation)}}
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{{Infobox character
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| Character_name= Meraxes
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| image        = [[File:Rhaenys Targaryen by Alexandra Boshevska.jpg|400px]]
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| image_caption = [[Rhaenys Targaryen]] and Meraxes, by [https://www.instagram.com/nidhogge_art/ Alexandra Boshevska]
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| Alias        =
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| Title        =
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| Allegiance = [[Rhaenys Targaryen]]
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| Race =
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| Culture =
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| Spouse =
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| Place_of_Birth=[[Dragonstone]]
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| Date_of_Birth = the [[Century of Blood]]{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest}}
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| Place_of_Death= [[Hellholt]]
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| Date_of_Death = {{Date|10}}
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| Books = ''[[The World of Ice & Fire]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[Fire & Blood]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[The Sons of the Dragon]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[The Princess and the Queen]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[A Game of Thrones]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[A Clash of Kings]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[A Dance with Dragons]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[The Winds of Winter]]'' (mentioned)
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}}
  
'''Meraxes''' was one of the great dragons used by [[Aegon I|Aegon the Conqueror]] and his sisters during the [[War of Conquest]]. The dragon was named for one of the old gods of [[Valyria]]. It was ridden by [[Rhaenys Targaryen]].<ref>[[A Clash of Kings]], [[A Clash of Kings-Chapter 12|Chapter 12]], Daenerys</ref>
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'''Meraxes''' was a [[dragon]] of [[House Targaryen]]. She was [[dragonrider|ridden]] by Queen [[Rhaenys Targaryen]] during [[Aegon's Conquest]], alongside King [[Aegon I Targaryen|Aegon the Conqueror]]'s [[Balerion]] and their sister Queen [[Visenya Targaryen|Visenya]]'s [[Vhagar]].{{Ref|aCoK|12}} Meraxes was [[named after|named]] for [[Meraxes (god)|one of the gods]] of Old [[Valyria]].{{Ref|aCoK|12}}{{Ref|ASOS|57}}
  
Its skull can be found within the Red Keep in [[King's Landing]]. It was larger than [[Vhaghar]] but smaller than [[Balerion]].<ref>[[A Game of Thrones]], [[A Game of Thrones-Chapter 13|Chapter 13]], Tyrion</ref> Meraxes could swallow horses whole.<ref>[[A Clash of Kings]], [[A Clash of Kings-Chapter 12|Chapter 12]], Daenerys</ref>
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==Description==
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:''See also: [[:Category:Images of Meraxes|Images of Meraxes]]''
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Meraxes was larger than [[Vhagar]] but smaller than [[Balerion]].{{ref|agot|13}} Meraxes could swallow horses whole.{{ref|acok|12}} Meraxes had golden eyes and silver scales.{{ref|twoiaf| The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest}}
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
During the battle that became known as the [[Field of Fire]], the only time in history that all three of the fabled Targaryen dragons took to the sky at the same time. Between [[Vhaghar]], Meraxes and [[Balerion]], they killed four thousand men, burning  them alive. King [[Mern Gardener|Mern]] died, with him [[House Gardener]]. The army was broken and Aegon I was victorious.<ref>[[A Game of Thrones]], [[A Game of Thrones-Chapter 13|Chapter 13]], Tyrion</ref>
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Meraxes was named for a [[Meraxes (god)|god]] of the [[Valyrian Freehold]].{{Ref|ACOK|12}} Her [[dragon egg|egg]] hatched on [[Dragonstone]] during the [[Century of Blood]].{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest}}
  
==References and Notes==
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At some point, Meraxes was claimed by [[Rhaenys Targaryen]]. Rhaenys first rode Meraxes, demonstrating she was a [[dragonrider]], some time before she married her brother, [[Aegon I Targaryen|Aegon]]. Rhaenys loved to fly, spending more time on dragonback than her brother and sister combined, and was once heard to say that she meant to fly Meraxes across the [[Sunset Sea]] to see what lay upon its western shores.{{Ref|twoiaf| The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest}}
{{references|2}}
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===Aegon's Conquest===
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[[File:Rhaenys riding Meraxes.jpg|thumb|right|400px|[[Rhaenys Targaryen]] riding Meraxes into battle, ©HBO]]
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After Aegon [[Aegon's Landing|landed]] on [[Westeros]] and began his [[Aegon's Conquest|conquest]], he dispatched his sisters to secure the submission of the nearest castles. [[Rosby]] yielded to Rhaenys and Meraxes without a fight. Afterwards, Rhaenys and Meraxes accompanied [[Orys Baratheon]] on his mission to subdue [[Argilac Durrandon]], the last [[Storm King]]. At the Battle of the [[Last Storm]], the wind and rain forced them to stay grounded, but even on the ground Meraxes slew many, engulfing Argilac's vanguard and the knights of his personal guard in [[dragonflame]]. Afterwards, Rhaenys flew Meraxes into the castle of [[Storm's End]] to parley with Argilac's daughter [[Argella Durrandon|Argella]].{{ref|twoiaf| The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest}}
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After the stormlanders submitted, Rhaenys flew Meraxes to [[Stoney Sept]], to link up with her siblings, their dragons, and Aegon's army. They advanced south, where all three dragons took part in the decisive [[Field of Fire]] &ndash; the only battle in which all three of the Targaryen dragons took to the sky at the same time during Aegon's Conquest. Together, Meraxes, [[Vhagar]], and [[Balerion]] killed four thousand men, burning them alive. King [[Mern IX Gardener]] died, and with him [[House Gardener]]. The army was broken, and House Targaryen was victorious.{{Ref|twoiaf| The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest}}{{Ref|aGoT|13}}
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Rhaenys next flew Meraxes to the [[Trident]] in the [[riverlands]], where she met with her brother and sister and their dragons, to face [[King in the North]] [[Torrhen Stark]]. [[Brandon Snow]], the [[bastard]] brother of Torrhen, offered to sneak into the Targaryen camp at night to slay the dragons, but the northern king refused the attempt, and instead sent his brother as an envoy, eventually bending the knee to the Targaryens.{{Ref|twoiaf| The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest}}
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Afterwards, Rhaenys flew Meraxes to [[Dorne]], to demand their submission. She did not find an easy conquest, as every castle she encountered was empty and abandoned, with only women and children and old men left in the towns and villages. Finally, she and Meraxes arrived in [[Sunspear]], where only the eighty-year-old [[Meria Martell]], [[Princess of Dorne]], remained. Meria told Rhaenys to inform Aegon that Dorne would neither fight nor kneel, and would have no king. Rhaenys warned Meria that the Targaryens would return, and departed Sunspear, leaving Dorne the only unconquered kingdom.{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest}}
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===The First Dornish War===
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[[File:Death of Meraxes.jpg|thumb|right|400px|The death of Meraxes, as depicted by Chase Stone in ''[[The World of Ice & Fire]]'']]
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The [[First Dornish War]] began in {{date|4}}, when Aegon decided to conquer the kingdom at last. Queen Rhaenys led the first assault on Dorne, seizing Dornish seats as she approached Sunspear, and burning the [[Planky Town]] on Meraxes. In {{date|10}} at [[Hellholt]], an iron bolt from a [[w:Scorpio (weapon)|scorpion]] went through Meraxes's eye, and the dragon and Rhaenys fell from the sky. In Meraxes's death throes, she destroyed the castle's highest tower and part of the curtain wall. It is not certain whether Rhaenys outlived Meraxes. There are those who say that Rhaenys lost her seat and fell to her death, while others claim that she was crushed to death beneath Meraxes in the castle yard.{{ref|twoiaf| Dorne: Dorne Against the Dragons}}
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===Legacy===
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Following the deaths of Rhaenys and Meraxes, Visenya and Aegon burned every Dornish stronghold at least once (except [[Sunspear]] and its [[shadow city]]), during a two-year period known as the [[Dragon's Wroth]]. Meraxes's skull was later returned to Aegon by a peace delegation.{{ref|twoiaf| Dorne: Dorne Against the Dragons}}
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Along with eighteen{{Ref|aGoT|13}} other Targaryen [[Dragon skulls (Targaryen)|dragon skulls]], Meraxes's skull hung on a wall in the [[Red Keep]]'s throne room.{{Ref|aGoT|3}}{{Ref|aGoT|12}}  After [[Robert's Rebellion]], King [[Robert I Baratheon]] had the skulls removed from the throne room, and stored them in a dank cellar. In {{date|284}}, when [[Tyrion Lannister]] visited the capital for the wedding of his sister [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]] to Robert, he observed the skulls in the cellar, including Meraxes's.{{Ref|aGoT|13}} In {{date|298}}, [[Arya Stark]] encountered the dragon skulls while passing through the Red Keep cellars.{{ref|agot|32}}{{ref|agot|50}}
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In {{date|299}}, [[Daenerys Targaryen]] had the three [[ships]] sent to her by [[Illyrio Mopatis]] renamed [[Vhagar (ship)|Vhagar]], [[Meraxes (ship)|Meraxes]], and [[Balerion (ship)|Balerion]], to tell the world that the [[dragons]] had returned.{{ref|acok|63}}
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==Known dragonriders of Meraxes==
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* [[Rhaenys Targaryen]]
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==References==
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{{references}}
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{{Dragons}}
  
 
[[Category:Dragons]]
 
[[Category:Dragons]]
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[[Category:Casualties of the First Dornish War]]
 
[[fr:Meraxès]]
 
[[fr:Meraxès]]
 
[[es:Meraxes]]
 
[[es:Meraxes]]
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[[zh:米拉西斯]]
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[[ru:Мераксес]]

Revision as of 01:35, 16 March 2019

Meraxes
Rhaenys Targaryen by Alexandra Boshevska.jpg

Allegiance Rhaenys Targaryen
Born the Century of Blood[1]
Dragonstone
Died 10 AC
Hellholt
Books

Meraxes was a dragon of House Targaryen. She was ridden by Queen Rhaenys Targaryen during Aegon's Conquest, alongside King Aegon the Conqueror's Balerion and their sister Queen Visenya's Vhagar.[2] Meraxes was named for one of the gods of Old Valyria.[2][3]

Description

See also: Images of Meraxes

Meraxes was larger than Vhagar but smaller than Balerion.[4] Meraxes could swallow horses whole.[2] Meraxes had golden eyes and silver scales.[1]

History

Meraxes was named for a god of the Valyrian Freehold.[2] Her egg hatched on Dragonstone during the Century of Blood.[1]

At some point, Meraxes was claimed by Rhaenys Targaryen. Rhaenys first rode Meraxes, demonstrating she was a dragonrider, some time before she married her brother, Aegon. Rhaenys loved to fly, spending more time on dragonback than her brother and sister combined, and was once heard to say that she meant to fly Meraxes across the Sunset Sea to see what lay upon its western shores.[1]

Aegon's Conquest

Rhaenys Targaryen riding Meraxes into battle, ©HBO

After Aegon landed on Westeros and began his conquest, he dispatched his sisters to secure the submission of the nearest castles. Rosby yielded to Rhaenys and Meraxes without a fight. Afterwards, Rhaenys and Meraxes accompanied Orys Baratheon on his mission to subdue Argilac Durrandon, the last Storm King. At the Battle of the Last Storm, the wind and rain forced them to stay grounded, but even on the ground Meraxes slew many, engulfing Argilac's vanguard and the knights of his personal guard in dragonflame. Afterwards, Rhaenys flew Meraxes into the castle of Storm's End to parley with Argilac's daughter Argella.[1]

After the stormlanders submitted, Rhaenys flew Meraxes to Stoney Sept, to link up with her siblings, their dragons, and Aegon's army. They advanced south, where all three dragons took part in the decisive Field of Fire – the only battle in which all three of the Targaryen dragons took to the sky at the same time during Aegon's Conquest. Together, Meraxes, Vhagar, and Balerion killed four thousand men, burning them alive. King Mern IX Gardener died, and with him House Gardener. The army was broken, and House Targaryen was victorious.[1][4]

Rhaenys next flew Meraxes to the Trident in the riverlands, where she met with her brother and sister and their dragons, to face King in the North Torrhen Stark. Brandon Snow, the bastard brother of Torrhen, offered to sneak into the Targaryen camp at night to slay the dragons, but the northern king refused the attempt, and instead sent his brother as an envoy, eventually bending the knee to the Targaryens.[1]

Afterwards, Rhaenys flew Meraxes to Dorne, to demand their submission. She did not find an easy conquest, as every castle she encountered was empty and abandoned, with only women and children and old men left in the towns and villages. Finally, she and Meraxes arrived in Sunspear, where only the eighty-year-old Meria Martell, Princess of Dorne, remained. Meria told Rhaenys to inform Aegon that Dorne would neither fight nor kneel, and would have no king. Rhaenys warned Meria that the Targaryens would return, and departed Sunspear, leaving Dorne the only unconquered kingdom.[1]

The First Dornish War

The death of Meraxes, as depicted by Chase Stone in The World of Ice & Fire

The First Dornish War began in 4 AC, when Aegon decided to conquer the kingdom at last. Queen Rhaenys led the first assault on Dorne, seizing Dornish seats as she approached Sunspear, and burning the Planky Town on Meraxes. In 10 AC at Hellholt, an iron bolt from a scorpion went through Meraxes's eye, and the dragon and Rhaenys fell from the sky. In Meraxes's death throes, she destroyed the castle's highest tower and part of the curtain wall. It is not certain whether Rhaenys outlived Meraxes. There are those who say that Rhaenys lost her seat and fell to her death, while others claim that she was crushed to death beneath Meraxes in the castle yard.[5]

Legacy

Following the deaths of Rhaenys and Meraxes, Visenya and Aegon burned every Dornish stronghold at least once (except Sunspear and its shadow city), during a two-year period known as the Dragon's Wroth. Meraxes's skull was later returned to Aegon by a peace delegation.[5]

Along with eighteen[4] other Targaryen dragon skulls, Meraxes's skull hung on a wall in the Red Keep's throne room.[6][7] After Robert's Rebellion, King Robert I Baratheon had the skulls removed from the throne room, and stored them in a dank cellar. In 284 AC, when Tyrion Lannister visited the capital for the wedding of his sister Cersei to Robert, he observed the skulls in the cellar, including Meraxes's.[4] In 298 AC, Arya Stark encountered the dragon skulls while passing through the Red Keep cellars.[8][9]

In 299 AC, Daenerys Targaryen had the three ships sent to her by Illyrio Mopatis renamed Vhagar, Meraxes, and Balerion, to tell the world that the dragons had returned.[10]

Known dragonriders of Meraxes

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 The World of Ice & Fire, The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 12, Daenerys I.
  3. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 57, Daenerys V.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 13, Tyrion II.
  5. 5.0 5.1 The World of Ice & Fire, Dorne: Dorne Against the Dragons.
  6. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 3, Daenerys I.
  7. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 12, Eddard II.
  8. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 32, Arya III.
  9. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 50, Arya IV.
  10. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 63, Daenerys V.