Dragon (Arda)

Dragons also known as the Great Worms were creatures mostly seen in northern Middle-earth in the late First Age. They were greedy, cunning, seductive, and malicious servants of Morgoth.

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.

It may be that dragons could sport horns.

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.

Means of locomotion

Some dragons (Glaurung) crawled like snakes, yet had four legs, like a Tetrapodophis. These must have been the most common type of dragons in the late 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 Urulokë, 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.

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

Individual dragons

• Glaurung — Father of Dragons, slain by 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 — first and mightiest of the Winged-dragons, slain by Eärendil in the War of Wrath.
• Scatha — 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 — the last great dragon of Middle-earth, slain by Bard of Esgaroth. A winged Urulokë.
• Gostir — was one of the Dragons of Morgoth only known by name.
• An unnamed dragon appears in Hobbit verse, said to have had red eyes, black wings and teeth like knives.

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 breathe fire.

Dragons also feature in Letters from Father Christmas. In 1927 several were revealed to be living on the moon. The Man-in-the-Moon is said to keep them under control with ice-based magic. In 1932 Father Christmas discovered a number of ancient pictures of them in caves beneath the North Pole.