Comics
Miles: So what kind of dragon do you want for your tattoo?
Kevin: I dunno. Just a dragon.
Miles: But there's so many kinds! The Western fire breathing dragon, the Chinese lung dragons, the European wyvern, Quetzalcoatl from Aztec mythology. Can't forget the Nordic wyrm or the Greek hydra... not to mention the African rainbow serpent. Then there's the cockatrice. Oh! And the basilisk, but it's kind of a stretch to count that as a dragon...
Kevin: Okay! Sheesh! Stop trying to make dragons nerdy!
Miles: I've got bad news for you, friend.
Films
"Slaying dragons is a western concept. In the east, they are sacred. Divine creatures who brought wisdom, strength, even redemption."
— Dr. Ilene Chen, Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Folklore
But the worm got fat an' grewed an' grewed,
An' grewed an aaful size;
He'd greet big teeth, a greet big gob,
An greet big goggly eyes.
An' when at neets he craaled aboot
Te pick up bits o' news,
If he felt dry upon the road,
He'd milk a dozen coos.
This feorful worm would often feed
On caalves an' lambs an' sheep,
An' swally little bairns alive
When they laid doon te sleep.
An when he'd eaten aall he cud
An' he had had he's fill,
He craaled away an' lapped he's tail
Ten times roond Pensha Hill.
An' grewed an aaful size;
He'd greet big teeth, a greet big gob,
An greet big goggly eyes.
An' when at neets he craaled aboot
Te pick up bits o' news,
If he felt dry upon the road,
He'd milk a dozen coos.
This feorful worm would often feed
On caalves an' lambs an' sheep,
An' swally little bairns alive
When they laid doon te sleep.
An when he'd eaten aall he cud
An' he had had he's fill,
He craaled away an' lapped he's tail
Ten times roond Pensha Hill.
—The ballad of
The Lambton Worm, as written in the traditional Northumbrian English
The Lambton Worm, as written in the traditional Northumbrian EnglishOne night while the brethren were lying asleep,
A great dragon came up from under the deep.
He thundered and light'nend and made a great din,
And awakened St. Brendan and all of his kin.
The dragon came on with his mouth open wide,
We threw in a cross and the great dragon died.
We skinned him and cooked him and feasted a while,
As we sailed to St. Brendan's fair isle.
A great dragon came up from under the deep.
He thundered and light'nend and made a great din,
And awakened St. Brendan and all of his kin.
The dragon came on with his mouth open wide,
We threw in a cross and the great dragon died.
We skinned him and cooked him and feasted a while,
As we sailed to St. Brendan's fair isle.
—"St. Brendan's Isle", traditional Irish song
Literature
I've only met the dragon twice, and both visits are hard to remember. There was something disorienting about the experience, like looking through an unfocused lens and trying to trace a path you followed in a dream. Dragons don't fit in our world, or maybe it's more accurate to say that we don't fit in theirs. According to Arachne, dragons exist outside time as we perceive it, only touching our timeline at points of their choosing. To them, our world is like a story in a book: they can flip between pages as they choose, and if they decide to leave, we have exactly as much ability to stop them as a fictional character has to stop you from closing the book and putting it on the shelf.
— Alex Verus, Marked
A massive black shape shouldered its way through the tunnel like a man pushing through a tight doorway. It turned blazing eyes on Lindon: they were inky pools of darkness, those eyes, with a circle of furious red where the iris should be.
The skin of the creature's reptilian head was cracked and leathery, pure black, and clusters of blazing embers burned on its back.
By the light it carried with it, Lindon saw the creature clearly. "Is this... is this what a dragon looks like?" Lindon whispered.
"A dragon? No, no, I said it was a descendant of dragons." Eithan threw out a hand in presentation. "Orthos is clearly a magnificent turtle."
The skin of the creature's reptilian head was cracked and leathery, pure black, and clusters of blazing embers burned on its back.
By the light it carried with it, Lindon saw the creature clearly. "Is this... is this what a dragon looks like?" Lindon whispered.
"A dragon? No, no, I said it was a descendant of dragons." Eithan threw out a hand in presentation. "Orthos is clearly a magnificent turtle."
— Cradle Series book 3: Blackflame
"Every time you mention Barashin dragons, it confirms my suspicion that they must be extremely tiresome people."
—Narax, an Elcenian dragon, Elcenia
Real Chinese dragons are nothing like their literary depictions. Real Chinese dragons have faces that could launch a thousand traumas. They're fire-breathing lightning-swilling centipedes with mouths full of knives. Mile-long Komodo dragons with scales and an attitude like a lungful of acid.
Primordial monsters. Lovecraft's Elder Things squeezed through a lizard-shaped mold. Pre-pre-B.C. shit.
And one of them is now dangling over my head.
Primordial monsters. Lovecraft's Elder Things squeezed through a lizard-shaped mold. Pre-pre-B.C. shit.
And one of them is now dangling over my head.
—Food Of The Gods by Cassandra Khaw
Luckdragons are among the strangest animals in Fantastica. They bear no resemblance to ordinary dragons, which look like loathsome snakes and live in deep caves, diffusing a noxious stench and guarding some real or imaginary treasure. Such spawn of chaos are usually wicked or ill-tempered. They have batlike wings, with which they can rise clumsily and noisily into the air, and they breathe fire and smoke. Luckdragons are creatures of air, warmth, and pure joy. Despite their great size, they are as light as a summer cloud, and consequently need no wings for flying. They swim in the air of heaven as fish swim in water. Seen from the earth, they look like slow lightning flashes. The most amazing thing about them is their song; their voice sounds like the golden note of a large bell, and when they speak softly the bell seems to be ringing in the distance. Anyone who hears this sound will remember it as long as he lives and tell his grandchildren about it.
—The Neverending Story: Chapter 4, "Ygramul the Many"
DRAGONS are very large scaly beings with wings and long spiky tails, capable of breathing fire through their mouths. They can be almost any colour or combination of colours, though green, red, and black are preferred. They are always very old. Most of them seem to have flown to Fantasyland aeons ago across the void. This migration was almost certainly to get away from our world, where people would insist that they were dangerous MONSTERS that had to be exterminated.
Dragons, as all Fantasyland knows, are no such thing. They quite like people, provided you can get their attention. They are very wise and can do MAGIC of a type not known to other MAGIC USERS. But they do not have human emotions. This can cause misunderstandings, if Tourists are trying to make friends with them. Female Tourists are best at this. Dragons seem to be in tune with the female mind. A friendly Dragon will airlift female Tourists to the OFFSHORE ISLAND where most Dragons live. A male Tourist will have to wait to meet Dragons until he has been through the CAVERNS that lead to the Hidden VALLEY, where Dragons also live; or until the Dragons have joined the forces of GOOD for the Final CONFRONTATION. Even then, the relationship is likely to be a bit edgy. This is because Dragons can, if they want, eat people.
Dragons, as all Fantasyland knows, are no such thing. They quite like people, provided you can get their attention. They are very wise and can do MAGIC of a type not known to other MAGIC USERS. But they do not have human emotions. This can cause misunderstandings, if Tourists are trying to make friends with them. Female Tourists are best at this. Dragons seem to be in tune with the female mind. A friendly Dragon will airlift female Tourists to the OFFSHORE ISLAND where most Dragons live. A male Tourist will have to wait to meet Dragons until he has been through the CAVERNS that lead to the Hidden VALLEY, where Dragons also live; or until the Dragons have joined the forces of GOOD for the Final CONFRONTATION. Even then, the relationship is likely to be a bit edgy. This is because Dragons can, if they want, eat people.
Tabletop Games
"Ne'er seen one, though oi've 'erd tell of 'em. Me Gran' swore that he'd seen one wing'n o'er the fields one night. Twas bigger than Jakob's barn, w' eyes like two bonfires. Swooped down 'en gulped a 'ole cow like twas a bit o' sweet pastry, it did. Or so Gran' said, liked his drink, did Gran'."
—Gebhard, Peasant, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Old World Bestiary — A Compendium of Creatures Fair and Foul
"It was the largest living creature I've ever encountered and I've traveled farther than most men can dream. It was all muscle and scale; none of its mass was given over to fat in any way that I could discern. It moved with such deadly grace that, even though Varek's final valiant attack had deeply wounded it, it still slid across the floor of the cavern in a smooth undulation that knew no pause. Its leathern wings were held fast against its body in the close confines of the cave, though they flexed a little when it reared to face us. Its claws were longer than a man is tall, the smallest of its teeth the length of a forearm. Its tail was a razored weapon of flesh and serrated bone. I could smell the stink of Warpstone on its breath, the whole of its lair reeked of it. Its eyes glowed with madness and hatred. Every instinct that I possessed told me to flee screaming, away from it. Had I not the misfortune of once facing a Greater Daemon of Chaos, I would've sworn to Sigmar that it was the most frightening creature I've ever fought. As it is, it came in a very close second."
—Felix Jaeger from My Travels With Gotrek, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Old World Bestiary — A Compendium of Creatures Fair and Foul
Video Games
"Personality-wise, dragons are nothing more than giant, scaly, fire-breathing cats."
— From the Dwarf Fortress forums
Moraelyn asked with a smile, "All right then, I've always wanted to know this — considering the shape of your mouth and teeth, how do dragons manage to speak the humanoid languages so clearly?"
Akatosh paused, and then carefully responded, "Why, in much the same way that we can fly, even though our wings are not naturally strong enough to support such heavy torsos."
Akatosh paused, and then carefully responded, "Why, in much the same way that we can fly, even though our wings are not naturally strong enough to support such heavy torsos."
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, King Edward Part XII.
Nobody knows where Blood Dragons come from, but it's a firm middle finger at humanity that adds a rung to the top of the food chain just outside our reach. These mysterious, almost alien beasts are heavily armored, their blood is a mutagen, they have excellent hearing, and they shoot fire from their eyes. I mean, sure, the Dragons are nearly blind, but what do they care? They shoot fire. From their eyes!
"Ah! I heard about you, <player>! I lead the Elite Four! You can call me Lance the dragon trainer! You know that dragons are mythical Pokémon! They're hard to catch and raise, but their powers are superior! They're virtually indestructible! Well, are you ready to lose? Your League challenge ends with me, <player>!"
—Lance, Pokémon Red and Blue
Webcomics
"We like to keep a low profile. Best not to draw attention to ourselves, unlike those [common dragons]. And where are they now, eh?"
—Kos, a Rogat Orjak, quoted in Hardwick & Little's Bestiary, Gunnerkrigg Court
Charizard: You'll be a Fire/Flying type when you grow up just like everyone else in this family.
Charmander: Oh ok. (beat panel) Wait, I thought you were a Dragon-type?
Charizard: Nope. Fire/Flying.
Charmander: But the whole way... I thought we were because of how—
Charizard: Nope. Fire. And. Flying. Welcome to life, son. It's disappointing.
(several more beat panels)
Charmander: Wait, but... Dragonite is a Dragon-type and we're not??
Charizard: DO YOU THINK QUESTIONS WILL CHANGE THINGS?
Charmander: Oh ok. (beat panel) Wait, I thought you were a Dragon-type?
Charizard: Nope. Fire/Flying.
Charmander: But the whole way... I thought we were because of how—
Charizard: Nope. Fire. And. Flying. Welcome to life, son. It's disappointing.
(several more beat panels)
Charmander: Wait, but... Dragonite is a Dragon-type and we're not??
Charizard: DO YOU THINK QUESTIONS WILL CHANGE THINGS?
— Lil' Char and the Gang, "The Harsh Truth"
Web Original
Now, the Tarasque is a classic medieval dragon, which means it looks nothing like any self-respecting dragon should and is instead a chimeric mashup of half-dozen wildly incongruous animal characteristics barely masquerading as a functional life-form.
Overly Sarcastic Productions, "Miscellaneous Myths: The Tarasque"
Dragons! You know the ones — big, scaly, firebreathing, sometimes not any of those things.
Overly Sarcastic Productions, "Trope Talk: Dragons"
A dragon isn't a specific kind of creature. It's a category, like "fairy" or "demon", with a few central characteristics and popular trends but no strict morphological definition. This is why I never see the point of people arguing about dragon taxonomy. It's way too late to be arguing about that now! We've already been calling all of these things dragons for thousands of years! Anyway, this built-in versatility, plus the inherent power behind the trope, is a big part of why dragons are so popular, and because of that, they're really weighty. A dragon in your story isn't just a dragon. It's got the full weight of thousands of years of power-based tropes behind it: An ultimate enemy, a divine protector, a monster to slay, a curse to dispel, a treasure to win, a village to save, there's always something in the implications that makes them automatically important. Dragons are the iconic fantasy creature because they represent the full spectrum of what you can do with fantasy: Magic, curses, good versus evil, treasure, battle, heroic rescues, riding a motherfucking dragon because hell yeah! Dragons aren't rigidly defined, which means they have near limitless potential, which makes them the perfect symbol built on exploring the unrealistic and the fantastical. Dragons are awesome because... dragons have always been awesome, in the most literal sense — awe-inspiring. Like I said, their defining characteristic is power. If you make a dragon, you're echoing sources from all over the world and from every period of history reiterating that. It's trope subversive just to make a dragon small and cute, because it's so built-in that they have to be huge and dangerous. And even if the dragon is dealing with a bunch of other similarly huge and dangerous things, it's dragon-ness alone will elevate it and make it stand out from the crowd.
Overly Sarcastic Productions, "Trope Talk: Dragons"
Other/Unsourced
There are some evils possessed of infinite patience and guile. Dragons are such a force.
"Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons.
For thou are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
... Err, a little more ketchup please ... the whole bottle?
Never mind, just pass the cow."
For thou are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
... Err, a little more ketchup please ... the whole bottle?
Never mind, just pass the cow."
St. George: We heard there was a dragon operating in this neighborhood. We just want to know if you've seen him.
Knave: Sure, I've seen him.
St. George: Could you describe him for me?
Knave: What's to describe? You see one dragon, you seen 'em all!
St. George: Would you try to remember, Sir? Just for the record. We just want to get the facts, Sir.
Knave: Well, he was, you know, he had orange polka dots...
St. George: Yes, Sir.
Knave: Purple feet, breathing fire and smoke...
St. George: Mmm-hmm.
Knave: And one big bloodshot eye right in the middle of his forehead and, uh, like that.
St. George: Notice anything unusual about him?
Knave: No, he's just your run-of-the-mill dragon, you know..
Knave: Sure, I've seen him.
St. George: Could you describe him for me?
Knave: What's to describe? You see one dragon, you seen 'em all!
St. George: Would you try to remember, Sir? Just for the record. We just want to get the facts, Sir.
Knave: Well, he was, you know, he had orange polka dots...
St. George: Yes, Sir.
Knave: Purple feet, breathing fire and smoke...
St. George: Mmm-hmm.
Knave: And one big bloodshot eye right in the middle of his forehead and, uh, like that.
St. George: Notice anything unusual about him?
Knave: No, he's just your run-of-the-mill dragon, you know..
Dragons always attracted me as a mythological element. They seemed to be able to comprise human malice and bestiality together so extraordinarily well, and also a sort of malicious wisdom and shrewdness — terrifying creatures!
