Editing Dragons

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{{race infobox
| name=Dragons
| image=[[File:J.R.R. Tolkien - Dragon.jpg|250px]]
| caption="Dragon" by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]
| pronun=
| othernames="Great worms"
| origin=Created by [[Morgoth]] in [[Angband]]
| location=[[Angband]], [[Nargothrond]], [[Grey Mountains]], [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]], [[Withered Heath]], [[Northern Waste]]
| affiliation=[[Morgoth]], [[Sauron]] (partially)
| rivalry=
| language=Various Mannish and Elvish tongues<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "[[Letter to Leila Keene and Pat Kirke]]" ([[Letters not published in "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien"|letter]]); quoted in {{PM|II}}, "Note on an unpublished letter", pp. 72-73</ref>
| people=[[Fire-drakes]], [[Cold-drakes]], [[Long-worms]]
| members=[[Glaurung]], [[Ancalagon]], [[Scatha]], [[Smaug]],
| lifespan="Long and slow"<ref>{{S|13}}</ref>
| distinctions=
| height=
| hair=
| skin=
| clothing=
| weapons=
}}
<center>{{quote|Never laugh at live '''dragons'''.|[[Bilbo Baggins]]<ref> {{H|Inside}}</ref>}}</center>

'''Dragons''' also known as the '''Great Worms''' were evil creatures seen mostly in the northern [[Middle-earth]]. They were greedy, cunning, seductive and malicious, probably a creation by [[Morgoth]] out of fire and sorcery sometime in the [[First Age]].

==History==
[[File:Ted Nasmith - Scouring the Mountain.jpg|thumb|left|[[Ted Nasmith]] - ''Scouring the Mountain'']]
===The origin and early history of dragons===
Seeing the strength of the [[Noldor]] in battle, Melkor realized that [[orcs]] alone were not sufficient to defeat his enemies. He therefore began to breed a new race of monsters: the dragons.<ref>{{GA|115}}</ref><ref group=note>How this was done is unclear.</ref>

The Father of Dragons was [[Glaurung]], a mighty wyrm with a fearful intelligence and a powerful hypnotic gaze. Glaurung played an integral part in the fate of the Children of [[Húrin]]. Among his many crimes were the destruction of the Elf-realm of [[Nargothrond]] and a spell cast upon [[Nienor]] which stripped her of her memory. This eventually led her to a disastrous reunion and marriage to her long-lost brother [[Túrin]]. When Nienor learned the truth of Glaurung's plot, she flung herself to her death. Glaurung was finally slain by Túrin, who afterward committed suicide in reaction to Glaurung's plot.

At the [[Fall of Gondolin]], Morgoth's foul host included dragons, "''many and terrible''".<ref>{{S|23}}</ref>

During the [[War of Wrath]], Morgoth unleashed a new terror upon Middle-earth – the winged dragons. Chief among these was [[Ancalagon]] the Black. Eventually slain by [[Eärendil]] the Mariner, Ancalagon's fall crushed the towers of [[Thangorodrim]]. Many of the dragons were destroyed in the War of Wrath but some fled and survived into the later [[Ages]].

===Dragons after the First Age===
It would appear that the dragons fled to the [[Northern Waste]], far from the lands of [[Men]] and [[Elves]]. Over the centuries, the race of dragons continued to breed and repopulate, particularly in the [[Withered Heath]], an area in between two spurs of the [[Grey Mountains]].

In the late [[Third Age]] the dragons of the Withered Heath, stirred by the [[Necromancer|return of Evil]], began to harass the [[Northmen]] and [[War of the Dwarves and Dragons|make war]] with the [[Dwarves]] around the year {{TA|2570}} ([[Dáin I]] and [[Frór]] of [[Durin's Folk]] were killed by a great cold-drake in {{TA|2589|n}}).<ref>{{App|B2}}</ref><ref name=Durin>{{App|A3}}</ref> It was perhaps in these wars that dragons swallowed four of the [[Seven Rings|Seven Dwarf-rings]], possibly directed by the returned Sauron himself.<ref name=Shadow>{{FR|Shadow}}</ref>

The most fearsome dragon of the Third Age was [[Smaug]], who laid waste to the Dwarf-realm of [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]] and the nearby town of [[Dale]]. This devastated the area and sent Durin's Folk into exile. Smaug remained in the abandoned halls of the Lonely Mountain for many years until the coming of [[Thorin and Company]] and their "burglar", the [[Hobbits|Hobbit]] [[Bilbo Baggins]]. This began a chain of events that led to Smaug's death at the hands of [[Bard]] the Bowman.

Although Smaug was the greatest of the dragons of his day,<ref name=Durin/> he seems not to have been the last of his kind as [[Gandalf]] told [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] that "''there is not now any dragon left on earth in which the old fire is hot enough'' [to melt the Rings of Power]",<ref name=Shadow/> indicating the presence of other, lesser dragons, weak enough for them to pose no significant threat under Sauron's command. <ref>{{L|144}}</ref>

==Characteristics==
The dragons were huge and longeval, with their lives spanning centuries. They shared a greed of treasure (especially gold), subtle intelligence, immense cunning, great physical strength, and their eyes and words had a hypnotic power called "dragon-spell". Those clever enough to avoid the spell never give direct information, but talked vaguely in riddles, since plainly refusing an answer would invite an immediate attack.

Apparently, dragons came from eggs.<ref>{{UT|9b}}: [[Glóin]]: "dragonet new from the shell"</ref>

It may be that dragons could sport horns.<ref>{{FR|Earendil}} where [[Eärendil]] wielded a [[bows|bow]] "made of dragon-horn"</ref>

While dragons were armoured with iron scales, they had a soft spot underneath, in the region of the chest, which could be pierced by blades or darts.<ref>{{TT|Choices}}: "But Shelob was not as dragons are, no softer spot had she save only her eyes."</ref><ref>{{H|12}}: "dragons were softer underneath, especially in the region of the - er - chest".</ref>
===Means of locomotion===
Some dragons ([[Glaurung]]) crawled like snakes, yet had four legs, like a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrapodophis Tetrapodophis]<ref>{{CH|14}}</ref><ref>{{S|20}}'</ref>. These must have been the most common type of dragons in the First Age, since the winged fire-dragons only first appeared during the [[War of Wrath]], while the winged [[Cold-drakes]] are only reported in ''[[Turambar and the Foalókë]]''. These (such as [[Ancalagon]] and [[Smaug]]) could both walk on four legs and fly using wings. Breeds of wingless dragons did survive into later Ages.

===Fire breathing===
The ''[[Urulóki]]'' (singular ''Urulok&euml;'', Fire-drakes) could breathe fire. It is not entirely clear whether the term "Urulóki" referred only to the first dragons such as Glaurung that could breathe fire but were wingless, or to any dragon that could breathe fire, and thus include Smaug.

Dragon-fire (of the Urulóki) was hot enough to melt [[Rings of Power]]: four of the [[Seven Rings]] of the Dwarves were consumed by Dragon-fire, although it was not powerful enough to destroy the One Ring itself.<ref name=Shadow/>

The dragons who could not breathe fire were known as [[Cold-drakes]]. Those were found mainly in [[Ered Mithrin]].

== Individual dragons ==
[[Image:John Howe - Smaug.jpg|thumb|[[John Howe]] - ''Smaug'']]
* [[Glaurung]] &mdash; Father of Dragons, slain by [[Túrin|Túrin Turambar]]. First of the Uruloki, the Fire-drakes of Angband.  He had four legs and could breathe fire, but didn't have wings.
* [[Ancalagon]] the Black &mdash; first and mightiest of the Winged-dragons, slain by [[Eärendil]] in the [[War of Wrath]].
* [[Scatha]] &mdash; Slain by Fram of the [[Éothéod]]. Apparently a cold-drake.  Described as a "long-worm", although this imprecise term seems to be more of an expression rather than a separate taxonomic group.  
* [[Smaug]] &mdash; the last great dragon of [[Middle-earth]], slain by [[Bard]] of [[Lake-town|Esgaroth]]. A winged Urulokë.
* [[Gostir]] &mdash; was one of the Dragons of Morgoth only known by name.
* An unnamed dragon appears in [[Hobbits|Hobbit]] verse, said to have had red eyes, black wings and teeth like knives.<ref>{{AB|Hoard}}</ref>

==Etymology and names==
''Dragon'' is derived from French; ''drake'' is an English word, from [[Old English]] ''draca'' (derived from Latin).<ref>{{HM|LT2}}, "Short Glossary of Obsolete, Archaic, and Rare Words", p. 350</ref>

The dragons were known by many different names: drakes, [[worms]], [[long-worms]], [[serpents]].

Words denoting "dragon" in [[Quenya]] are ''[[lókë]]'' and ''[[angulóke]]''. [[Sindarin]] has ''[[lhûg]]'' and ''[[amlug]]''.

In [[Gnomish]], "dragon" is ''fuithlug'' ("a dragon who guards treasure"), ''lingwir'' or ''ulug'' (plural ''ulûgin''; "she dragon" is ''uluch'', ''uluchnir'' or ''ulugwin'').<ref>{{PE|11}}, pp. 36, 54, 74</ref>

==Other versions of the legendarium==
In the early [[The Book of Lost Tales|Lost Tale]] of "[[Turambar and the Foalókë]]", a legend among [[Men]] exists concerning dragons. Whoever tastes the heart of a dragon and can withstand its poisonous blood "would know all tongues of Gods or Men, of birds or beasts, and his ears would catch whispers of the Valar or of Melko".<ref>{{LT2|II}}, p. 85</ref>

In the "[[The Fall of Gondolin (chapter)|Fall of Gondolin]]" it is told that Melko forged mechanical [[Iron Dragons]] to carry the armies of [[Orcs]] into the city.<ref name=Gondolin>{{LT2|III}}</ref>{{rp|169}} However, along the battle there are many mentions of fire-drakes and beasts of unclear nature that resemble actual dragons, like the creature of fire with [[Balrogs]] in its back.<ref name=Gondolin>{{LT2|III}}</ref>{{rp|181}}

==Other fiction==
A dragon named [[Chrysophylax]] appears in [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s story ''[[Farmer Giles of Ham]]''.

In the story ''[[Roverandom]]'', white dragons are among the creatures living on the moon. A dragon, called the Great White Dragon, attacks Rover and the moon-dog, and is said to be the origin of all white dragons. In Merlin's time, this dragon had been to the earth, and fought with the Red Dragon in Caerdragon. The Great White Dragon has wings and can breath fire.<ref>{{HM|R}}, "[Chapter] 2"</ref>

==Portrayal in adaptations==
<center><gallery perrow=4>
File:SBG - Cave Drake.png|<center>''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]''
File:Jeff Murchie - Dragon.png|<center>''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]''
</gallery></center>
===Portrayal in games===
'''1982-97: ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'':'''
:Apart from the type of dragons created by Tolkien, additional races include ''Rain-drakes'', ''Light-drakes'', ''Ash Drakes'' and several others.<ref>{{ICE|2012}}</ref>

'''2001-: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]'':'''
:The ''Dragon'', which can have the ability to breathe fire and fly, is a powerful enemy of the Good players.<ref>[http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod1080191 Dragon] at [http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/home.jsp Games-Workshop.com] (accessed 23 September 2011)</ref> The game also includes the subterranean ''Cave Drake'', a large but agile monster and natural enemy of the Dwarves.<ref>''[[White Dwarf]]'', issue 371 (November 2010), p. 42</ref>

'''2007-: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:''Dragon-kind'' includes several varieties: ''Cold-'', ''Fire-'' and ''Shadow-drakes'', ''Fire-worms'', ''Rock-worms'', and many more. Related beasts include the ''salamander'', a weaker and simpler breed of dragons, the pygmy-sized ''dragonet'', and the turtle-like ''avanc''.<ref>"[http://lorebook.lotro.com/wiki/Category:Dragon-kind Dragon-kind]" at [http://lorebook.lotro.com/wiki/Lorebook_home Lord of the Rings Online: Lorebook] (accessed 28 October 2010)</ref>

==See also==
* [[:Category:Images of Dragons|Images of Dragons]]
* [[Fell beasts]]

==External links==
*[http://cogitemusaccurate.blogspot.com/2013/02/concerning-origin-of-dragons.html Concerning the Origin of Dragons] by Randall Johnson 
*[http://middle-earth.xenite.org/2014/04/15/what-happened-to-the-other-dragons-of-middle-earth/ What Happened to the Other Dragons of Middle-earth?] by [[Michael Martinez]]
*[http://johngarth.wordpress.com/2015/01/18/dragon-scale-why-its-impossible-to-size-up-tolkiens-middle-earth/ Dragon scale: Why it’s impossible to size up Tolkien’s Middle-earth] by [[John Garth]]
{{references|note}}

[[Category:Dragons|*]]
[[Category:Servants of Melkor]]
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]
[[de:Drachen]]
[[fr:encyclo:biologie:faune:dragons]]
[[fi:Lohikäärmeet]]

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