Changes: Dragons

Revision as of 18:37, 21 June 2007

"Never laugh at live dragons."

—Bilbo Baggins

Dragons were mighty reptilian creatures, which the first Dark Lord Morgoth created during the First Age of Middle-Earth. They were immortal, powerful, cunning, and may possibly have been Maiar. The Withered Heath was a known breeding ground for Dragons. The first Dragon ever seen in Middle-Earth was Glaurung, who was known as the Father of Dragons. Dragons are sometimes referred to as great worms or drakes.

Dragons lived through-out the first, second, and third ages of Middle-earth and may have lived longer.There is an Inn in The Shire called The Green dragon, and a type of flower called a Snap Dragon. For Bilbo Baggins 111 birthday, Gandalf made a special dragon firework.

Types of Dragons

The taxonomic system for dragons in Middle-Earth is based on two factors: means of locomotion, and Fire breathing.

Urulóki (Urulokë, Fire-drakes) - Fire-breathing dragons.
Cold-drake - Dragons who could not breathe fire.
Wingless dragons - Dragon with no wings that walked on four legs.
Winged dragons - Dragons that had four legs but also had wings enabling them to fly.

Characteristics

Other then being long-lived, powerful, and cunning, dragons also shared subtle intelligence, great physical strength, and a love of treasure (especially gold). Dragons live long and slow lives. They also had a hypnotic power called "dragon-spell", when a dragon questions you under the influence of this spell it is best not to directly give it the information it wanted while also not denying it an answer. Therefore, it is best to be vague and to speak in riddles when speaking to a dragon – as apparently, dragons find it hard to resist wasting time with riddles.

Dragons have strong scales, which can resist most weapons, though young dragons have to grow into their armoury. Mithril is said to be as strong as dragon scales, though lighter in weight.

Dragon Fire was hot enough to melt the Rings of Power, indeed four of the seven rings gifted to the Dwarves were consumed by dragon fire. However, dragon fire was not powerful enough to destroy the One Ring, though one of the great dragons of old might have been able to accomplish this feat.

Nammed Dragons

File:Smaug-Hobbitgame.jpg

The dragon Smaug in his lair in the Lonely Mountain

Non-Canonical Dragons

When the licensing right for games made from Tolkien’s novels was possessed by Iron Crown Enterprises, they expanded the selection of named dragons considerably in both their Middle-earth Role Playing game and middle-earth trading card game The Wizards.

EA Games created the character of "Drogoth the dragon lord" as a hero for the Goblin faction for their game The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II.

In the Peter Jackson film adaptations, the Fell beasts looks very dragon-like, though in the books the Fell beast is more pterosaur-like.

External links

Encyclopedia of Arda article on Middle-earth's dragons

Races of Arda

Free Peoples of the World:

Servants of the Shadow:

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 ==Characteristics==
+[[Image:GLAURUNG.jpg|thumb|right|Glaurung, Father of Dragons]]
-Other then being immortal, powerful, and cunning, dragons also shared subtle intelligence, great physical strength, and a love of treasure (especially [[gold]]). They also had a [[Wikipedia:Hypnosis |hypnotic]] power called "dragon-spell", when a dragon questions you under the influence of this spell it is best not to directly give it the information it wanted while also not denying it an answer. Therefore, it is best to be vague and to speak in riddles when speaking to a dragon – as apparently, dragons find it hard to resist wasting time with riddles.
+Other then being long-lived, powerful, and cunning, dragons also shared subtle intelligence, great physical strength, and a love of treasure (especially [[gold]]). Dragons live long and slow lives. They also had a [[Wikipedia:Hypnosis |hypnotic]] power called "dragon-spell", when a dragon questions you under the influence of this spell it is best not to directly give it the information it wanted while also not denying it an answer. Therefore, it is best to be vague and to speak in riddles when speaking to a dragon – as apparently, dragons find it hard to resist wasting time with riddles.
+Dragons have strong scales, which can resist most weapons, though young dragons have to grow into their armoury. [[Mithril]] is said to be as strong as dragon scales, though lighter in weight.
 Dragon Fire was hot enough to melt the [[Rings of Power]], indeed four of the [[seven rings]] gifted to the [[Dwarves]] were consumed by dragon fire. However, dragon fire was not powerful enough to destroy the [[One Ring]], though one of the great dragons of old might have been able to accomplish this feat.