Power Of Dragon Research Paper

Nathan Dennis
Miller
English 12
3 January 2017
The Power of a Dragon
“My armor is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath death!” (― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit) These words were the beginnings of an old era starting anew; this was the rebirth of the ancient dragon. Many say that Smaug was the last of the ancient dragons. Dragons throughout time have been seen as the greatest foe a hero could face. Then, during the 1800’s dragons lost their power and turned into something like the 1999 show “Dragon Tales.” They were small, kind creatures that would rather have tea with you then burn you to a crisp. From the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Hobbit” Smaug,
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. After his father's death on February 15, 1896 he moved to England with his mother Mabel. Their he was introduced to many forms of literature including ,Icelandic and Scandinavian, because of myths and poems from these cultures he began to fall in love with dragons. When he was only 7 years old he started on a book all about dragons. It is unknown whether the book was named or even finished but this book started him on a new path.

Many years later he continued writing books about dragons. At the time this world he had made had no name but later on it would be named middle earth and he starts writing about this world about 1914-1915. He thought that a dragon was the ultimate foe a hero could face, and it is quite understandable as to why he thought this. Dragons are creatures of unruly strength, and cunning, as both occupying sky and land. This could be why so many of his early writings had dragons.

Dragons had been popular throughout ancient mythology, and go back as far as any writings go. One of the oldest if not the oldest mention of a dragon, starts in Babylon around the third century A.D. when the universe was formed by slaying a dragon. The classical stories are filled with dragons and great serpents from all corners of the world. Even the Bible has mentions of dragons, including the Leviathan, which was a visual of Satan himself, and it would eat the souls of the damned at the final
With the strength given by the Beowulf dragon, and the intellect given by Fafnir, Smaug was born almost a century ago. As said by Tolkien Smaug had an overwhelming personality and each aspect of the dragons can be seen. One example of the Beowulf dragon is when it is sleeping on a pile of gold and a thief comes and takes a golden cup that wakes it up. Does that sound familiar at all, think of Bilbo Baggins he did just that. One example of Fafnir’s influence is when he asks Sigurd his name and Sigurd doesn’t say. Smaug does this same exact thing although Bilbo does not say his name he does give away more than he should have said. “I come from under the hill, and under the hills and over the hills my paths led. And through the air, I am he that walks unseen. I am the clue-finder, the web-cutter, the stinging fly. I was chosen for the lucky number. I am he that buries his friends alive and drowns them and draws them alive again from the water. I came from the end of a bag, but no bag went over me. I am the friend of bears and the guest of eagles. I am Ringwinner and Luckwearer; and I am