The Great Dragons of the World prior to the Second Dance of Dragons:
The 'Great Dragons' of the world are the seven most famous, or infamous, dragons at any given time. Once declared, a Great Dragon remains so until their death. The concept was put forward by Aenys II Targaryen, as a way of ranking different Dragons as their numbers grew. It is a council of Maesters, scholars and royals that judge entry.
Below are the Great Dragons of the world circa 487AC.
Sintharia ‘the Suneater’: The first of the ‘Jaehaerian Dragons’, and earliest known of that particular line. The mighty she-dragon was the mount of Jaehaerys III Targaryen, and a noted hero of the War for the Dawn in her own right. Between the death of her first rider and the Second Dance, the Suneater only took female riders.
Nefarian ‘The Black’: An oddity amongst the Jaehaerian Dragons, Nefarian spent most of his time without a rider. He prefered living deep within the Mountains of the Vale, feasting on the hapless Mountain Clans that continuously tried to slay him.
Sabellian ‘the Splendid’: Considered one of the most beautiful creatures to ever live, Sabellian the Splendid had spent most of his life on Dragonstone, where the citizens of the island all but worshipped him. He was the first Dragon tamed by House Fyreblood.
Ebyssian, 'the Yellow Flame': The only Jaehaerian Dragon to actively be worshipped as a God, Ebyssian remains as he has done since the death of his first and only rider, Beyond-The-Wall.
Nalice ‘the Black Queen’: Originally hatched by Haegon I Targaryen, the Black Queen all but ruled the narrow sea during one hundred and fourteen years of life. Pirates were a distant memory, and remained so for at least a decade after her death. A common saying about the relationship between the Black Queen and her final rider, Daemon I Targaryen is: “Jeyne Blackwood might have been his wife, but Nalice was his Queen.”. It would be her only known offspring, Wrathion, that would eventually kill her in a fierce Dragon Duel above Stokeworth in 488AC.
Onyxia the Red: A dragon that loathed anyone that wasn’t a Targaryen, Onyxia was known to eat anyone that tried to tame her that wasn’t of the Royal line. Despite, or perhaps because of this, Onyxia is known to have laid many eggs, most of which hatched. She died in a dragon duel during the Second Dance.
Fahrad: Known for his fondness for whales. Fahrad has almost always been ridden by a Velaryon. He was unusually slender for a dragon, but equally unusually swift. He fell to a band of Dornishmen, loyal to Visenya I Targaryen, during the Second Dance of Dragons.