Any fan of the fantasy genre will look back at The Lord of the Rings as one of the best examples of high fantasy work. This is especially with the series’ complex take on language and culture, geography and history, as well as depictions of popular elements of fantasy such as orcs, elves, and even dragons!
Much to any fantasy fan’s surprise, dragons from The Lord of the Ringswere actually a part of what defined depictions of dragons throughout other fantasy settings. And quite unlike fire-breathing dragons that guarded treasures, dragons in The Lord of the Rings had a deeper role in the context of the overall background and setting. However, for anyone new to the franchise, just what should they know about these dragons?
10 Melkor’s Answer Against Powerful Elves
It wouldn’t be much of a surprise to Middle-earth fans that dragons came to be out of Melkor’s jealousy and dark desires. After seeing the sheer prowess of the Noldor in terms of the crafts, learning, and combat, Melkor realized his orcs wouldn’t be a match against them.
As such, he devised fire and sorcery to create new evil creatures to follow his bidding, namely dragons. Similar to other mythical creatures in the franchise, not much is known about their precise origins except for the fact that Melkor probably used fire and magic to create them. However, it’s projected that their first appearances were likely around the First Age.
9 The Love For Gold Is Real
A popular stereotype for dragons would probably be their love for hoarding treasure, and this stays true among the dragons of Middle-earth. They have a love for treasure that can be described as greed, with a particular obsession towards gold.
This is popularized further when Smaug chose the Lonely Mountain as his lair, precisely because he loved the fact that its mines housed coins upon coins of gold for him to guard. On top of their awesome physical and magical abilities, they can become extremely dangerous when threatened, especially when thieves try stealing some of the gold they have.
8 Intelligence And Magic Is A Deadly Combo
Unlike dragons of Dungeons and Dragons that may have the ability to cast actual spells, dragons of Middle-earth have minimal access to spells. However, the fact remains that they have some sort of magical potency due to their very nature. Aside from their cunning and intelligence, dragons possess the ability to hypnotize others.
Called the dragon-spell, anyone who meets the dragon’s gaze must answer it truthfully or risk being killed. Interestingly enough, some people have devised ways to avoid the spell to some capacity. For others, it’s to try and cover their answer via a riddle to not give any information the dragon could use.
7 Fire Breath Is A Special Feature
Unlike other dragons of popular culture, dragons of Middle-earth don’t necessarily breathe fire. In fact, fire-breathers belong to a special class of dragons called the Uruloki, or fire-drake. In terms of terminology, it’s unsure whether Uruloki only applies to ancient dragons that can breathe fire such as Glaurung, or if this extends to all dragons that have the same ability. Dragons who don’t breathe fire are simply called cold-drakes.
It’s said that an Uruloki’s fire can be strong enough to melt the Rings of Power. It’s also rumored that four of the Seven Rings of Power were actually destroyed by dragon-fire. However, it could be noted that dragon-fire isn’t strong enough to melt the One Ring.
6 Enter Glaurung, The Father Of Dragons
Of all of Melkor’s creations, it’s perhaps Glaurung, the Father of Dragons, that was the worst among the first arrivals of dragons. This wyrm is known not just for its intelligence and might, but also for its hypnotic gaze capable of enchanting even the most powerful of individuals. It’s Glaurung that became instrumental to the tragedy that befell the Children of Hurin.
For the most part, Glaurung laid waste to the Elven realm of Nargothrond, allowing him to corner Nienor of the House of Hador and make her an amnesiac. It’s this enchantment that made the amnesiac Nienor marry Turin, her own brother. Glaurung was eventually slain by Turin, but Turin himself and his siblings died of various reasons due to this affair.
5 Dragons Were Simply Wyrms Before The Winged Dragons
Unlike dragons of fiction, the first dragons in Middle-earth were actually simple wyrms - wingless dragons of massive power and might, often intelligent and capable of speech. It was during the War of Wrath, when Melkor’s forces and the Host of the West fought a fierce battle, that Melkor unleashed a new form of terror in Middle-earth: the winged dragons.
Of the first batch of winged dragons, it’s Ancalagon the Black, its leader, that became the most feared. In fact, such was his might that when Earendil the Mariner slew Ancalagon, the black dragon was so massive that its body crushed the towers of Thangorodrim, said to be the highest peak of Middle-earth.
4 Almost Driven To Extinction In The First Age
When the War of Wrath ended the First Age, it was noted that the fierce battle had resulted in the slaying of most dragons among Melkor’s forces. Few of them flew away from the conflict and survived the Second and Third Age, to various degrees.
Given the existence of Smaug and other dragons in the Third Age, it’s implied that some dragons survived and began to repopulate during the Second Age. Not much information about notable dragons is known in this era, however. Given that Melkor’s lieutenant Sauron rose to power and consolidated Melkor’s remaining forces at this time, it’s safe to assume that some dragons may have been under his command at the time. It’s also said that much of the other dragons began repopulating in the Withered Heath, near the Grey Mountains.
3 Rekindled Wrath In The Third Age
It was around the Third Age that the dragons of the Withered Heath suddenly started attacking both the Northmen and the Dwarves. In fact, this conflict contributed to the beginning of what’s known as the War of the Dwarves and Dragons, which took place between dragons and Durin’s Folk. This resulted in the death of King Dain I and forced Durin’s Folk back to the Lonely Mountain.
While there’s not much known history surrounding the origins of these events, others surmise that dragons began their wrathful resurgence when Sauron’s return marked the return of evil on Middle-earth.
2 Enter The Horror Of Smaug
Unfortunately for the dwarves among Durin’s Folk, their stay in Lonely Mountain would be short due to the arrival of Smaug. He’s said to be the strongest among dragons of the Third Age, and it’s his lust for the riches in the Lonely Mountain that had him lay waste to Erebor and Dale.
With the dwarves gone, Smaug stayed in the Lonely Mountain’s abandoned halls for years. While it’s perfectly possible to leave Smaug alone, Gandalf expressed concern that Sauron may use this dragon as his host. Thankfully, a chain of events would have Thorin and Company come to Lonely Mountain and eventually slay Smaug, making the Lonely Mountain safe once again for dwarves to enter and reside.
1 No More Powerful Dragons Beyond Smaug
Despite the sheer terror among the many powers that dragons have, it seems Smaug was the last of dragons that posed any significant threat on Middle-earth. This was confirmed when Gandal tells Frodo that, while dragons still exist, there’s no dragon with fire strong enough to melt the Rings of Power.
This revelation meant dragons may still roam Middle-earth, but none of them may grow powerful enough to become like Smaug and pose a threat to modern Middle-earth as they know it. More importantly, this meant none of them could become powerful enough that Sauron could use them for his plans.
More: LOTR: Why Does A Morgul Blade Turn People Into Wraiths?
