What Really Happened To The Dragons In The Lord Of The Rings – TheShockNews

“The Lord of the Rings” is full of creatures of all sorts. Ents, Eagles, Oliphaunts, Wargs, and even the Watcher within the Water all have their place within the story. However what about dragons? The place do they arrive into Tolkien’s canon, and the place do they stand after the One Ring is forged into the hearth?

The best reply is that, nicely, we simply don’t know. Tolkien doesn’t give a definitive decision to the dragon query. That mentioned, the 2 most well-known and concerned of the fire-breathing dragons, or “Urulókë” in Elvish, exist originally and finish of his tales, virtually bookending the narrative and exhibiting that their race can go the gap, even when they usually are saved off-screen.

Let’s check out what we do know in regards to the historical past of dragons and see if we are able to come to a comparatively passable reply about what finally occurred to them throughout and after “The Lord of the Rings.”

The historical past of dragons begins 1 / 4 of a millennium into the First Age of Center-earth historical past. At this level, the dragon Glaurung emerges from the then-Darkish Lord Morgoth’s stronghold. Glaurung known as “The Father of Dragons,” and “The Silmarillion” says that on the time, “He was but younger and scarce half-grown, for lengthy and gradual is the lifetime of the dragons.” Glaurung is initially defeated however finally turns into a fearsome commander in Morgoth’s armies, inflicting dying and destruction all over the place he goes earlier than he’s killed in single fight by the Human hero Túrin Turambar.

All through the First Age, the earliest dragons (together with Glaurung) should not winged. They’re earth-borne demons till the Struggle of Wrath (the age-ending battle the place Morgoth is defeated). Throughout that struggle, “The Silmarillion” says winged dragons seem for the primary time, led by Ancalagon the Black, who’s described because the “best of the winged dragons of Morgoth.” Regardless of his measurement, Ancalagon is killed within the preventing, this time by Elrond’s dad, Eärendil. Lots of Ancalagon’s fellow dragons don’t survive the battle, both, and the rest flee.

After the Struggle of Wrath, the Second Age of Center-earth historical past begins. “The Silmarillion” explains that originally of this era, “Males dwelt in darkness and have been troubled by many evil issues that Morgoth had devised within the days of his dominion: demons, and dragons, and misshapen beasts, and the unclean Orcs which can be mockeries of the Youngsters of Ilúvatar. And the lot of Males was sad.”

Whereas the particular timing and method of their migration isn’t clear, sooner or later alongside the way in which, many dragons seem to have moved to the bitter, barren northern areas of Center-earth. No less than, that is the realm the place all of their remaining exercise takes place. That mentioned, that is the a part of the story the place the information turns into extra sparse. As an example, in “The Fellowship of the Ring,” Gandalf signifies that Sauron has gathered all the Dwarven rings that haven’t already been destroyed by dragon hearth (one of many few issues scorching sufficient to soften most Rings of Energy). Working backwards, we are able to then assume that dragons have destroyed a few of the rings, which suggests sooner or later they have been attacking Dwarves after these trinkets have been made midway by means of the three,500-year-long age. Regardless of oblique hints like these, for many of the Second Age and the following, the dragons keep beneath the radar.

As soon as we get towards the top of the three,000-year-long Third Age that follows, extra dragons pop up. The appendices to “The Return of the King” say round two millennia into that age, an historic Rohirric king named Fram defeats a dragon with the badass title Scatha. It provides that across the 2,570th 12 months of the age, “Dragons reappear within the far North and start to afflict the Dwarves.” 20 years later, the Dwarven King Dáin I is killed by a dragon. Then, 2 hundred years after their re-appearance, Smaug flies south to the Lonely Mountain, and the remaining is historical past.

Okay, so there are many indicators of dragons earlier than “The Lord of the Rings.” As soon as Bard fells Smaug along with his well-known black arrow, although, it appears to place the kibosh on dragon historical past. Are they accomplished at that time? Was Smaug the final of his form? No and no.

In “The Hobbit” e book, Thorin describes the state of affairs to Bilbo, saying, “There have been a lot of dragons within the North in these days, and gold was most likely getting scarce up there, with the dwarves flying south or getting killed, and all the overall waste and destruction that dragons make going from dangerous to worse.” He then clarifies, “There was a most specifically grasping, sturdy and depraved worm referred to as Smaug.” So, by this time, there are nonetheless a number of dragons round. Smaug is just one of many largest and baddest of the lot.

Half a century later, Gandalf refers to dragons once more — within the current tense. In “The Fellowship of the Ring” e book, the Wizard says, “It has been mentioned that dragon-fire might soften and devour the Rings of Energy, however there may be not now any dragon left on earth wherein the previous hearth is scorching sufficient.” The wording clearly implies that there are some dragons round — they’re simply not up for ring-melting.

So, let’s recap. Dragons seem early in Center-earth historical past and are steadily concerned in the course of the First Age. Half-way by means of the Second Age, they go quiet, mendacity low for a number of thousand years, till they re-emerge and begin traumatizing the Dwarves 2,500 years into the Third Age. They keep tangentially concerned within the northern Center-earth historic narrative for the following 5 hundred years and, presumably, are nonetheless kicking round their northern stomping grounds when the story ends. So, the following time you’re requested what occurred to the dragons in “The Lord of the Rings,” the reply is easy: they’re most likely nonetheless there.