This Is How Writers Can Keep Their Dragons Authentic (2024)

In fantasy TV and books, the dragon is one of the most common symbols. But how do you use the symbol of the dragon without overusing it as a trope? In fantasy, dragons span from TV to movies to video games to books and tend to have a lot of old and tired tropes.

I would argue that in my observation, fantasy writers love using dragons the most as tropes. From Eragon to A Song of Ice and Fire to the Age of Fires series and the Chronicles of Dragon series, dragons have occupied many book covers and have been used either as a centrepiece or plot development tool of many different books.

So without question, the fantasy world is oversaturated with dragons, and it’s not like these are bad books or series, but there’s just too many of them out there that gets redundant.

TV Tropes brilliantly describes the many tropes used with dragons:

We have armoured dragons where dragons have removable armour that’s not part of their anatomy. We have dragons that breathe fire and vomit a substance used as a weapon. We have dragons that act like cats, dinosaurs, nice dragons, and mean dragons. We have dragons that are foes of knights and we have someone who rules the world on the rider of a dragon. We have knights that act like dragons.

We have dragons that are wise, who are Gods, dragons who love princesses, princesses who are kidnapped by dragons. We have heroes or villains that transform into dragons. We have immortal dragons that are a wise sage. We have huge dragons with a lot of scales. We have the “weredragon” — humans who are sometimes dragons and sometimes humans.

So yes, dragons are overused and have various tropes, but they are used for a reason in fantasy. They’re fascinating. They’re compelling.

It’s not that people shouldn’t use dragons, but they should use dragons right. Nicola at Thoughts on Fantasy puts the idea perfectly:

“The question is, when there are so many dragons out there, how do fantasy authors make their dragons feel fresh and interesting? How do they avoid presenting a beast that’s just a forgettable, tired…

This Is How Writers Can Keep Their Dragons Authentic (2024)

FAQs

Does dragon help you write a book? ›

While it may not help you write a better novel, it will certainly reduce the time it takes to complete your writing project and that alone makes it worth considering.

How do you describe a dragon? ›

dragon, in the mythologies, legends, and folktales of various cultures, a large lizard- or serpent-like creature, conceived in some traditions as evil and in others as beneficent. In medieval Europe, dragons were usually depicted with wings and a barbed tail and as breathing fire.

Are dragons a cliche in fantasy? ›

These scaly, fire breathing creatures are one of the biggest cliches in the fantasy genre. But the problem is, we still like dragons.

What is the theme of the dragon short story? ›

The plot of this Bradbury tale involves two knights who set out to slay a dragon, described as terrifying and dangerous. The outcome is that the dragon in question is really a steam train and the one eye of the dragon is the train's headlight. The theme is the danger to society of misusing modern technology.

What is the story behind dragons? ›

Ancient dragons

In Mesopotamian myths, the god Marduk battled with the dragon Tiamat for supremacy over human beings. And in the Zoroastrian tradition of Iran, dragons were known as “azi” or “serpents,” and had important roles in scriptures, mostly as demonic creatures “who swallowed horses, who swallowed men…

Why are dragons important in literature? ›

Answer and Explanation: In Western literature, dragons are traditionally set up as symbols of greed and corrupted power. They are prideful, covetous, and will gladly kill anyone who tries to steal from them. They are also often used as a punishment for others' greed, such as in The Hobbit.

Does Dragon read text? ›

Unlike Playback, Dragon does not record your dictation and save it. Dragon simply reads editable text, like a Microsoft Word document or an email message. In previous Dragon versions, the Read That feature was called Text-to-speech. Optional?

Is the dragon book outdated? ›

It is not just heavy, it is mostly outdated and irrelevant. It's fairly heavy in lexing and parsing theory, especially around finite automata, pushdown automata, etc. It's the kind of book you might want to read if you're reimplementing yacc.

What are 3 adjectives to describe a dragon? ›

These dragon vocabulary cards consist of a range of adjectives to describe a dragon that your pupils can use when they come to do their own creative writing. On these cards you'll find a range of adjectives like “terrifying,” “aggressive,” and “fierce.” They'll help to bring your children's creative writing to life!

What is the deeper meaning of dragon? ›

It is a symbol of power, strength, good luck, protection, wisdom, and knowledge. Dragons are often seen as protectors of the innocent, and they are often used as symbols of hope and renewal.

What is dragon slang for? ›

(derogatory) A fierce and unpleasant woman; a harridan. She's a bit of a dragon.

Are dragons real or fantasy? ›

It sounds really cool, but it just doesn't exist anywhere in nature, and there's nothing to suggest it ever did. There are fossils of extinct creatures that look similar to the dragons that ancient legends describe, but they lack the real defining characteristics of dragons.

Are dragons considered magical? ›

A dragon is a magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in Western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as winged, horned, and capable of breathing fire.

What do dragons symbolize in fantasy? ›

For over a thousand years, dragons have commonly appeared in English literature as forces of nature, villainous figures within the worlds of various works, and symbols of both great power and great evil.

What is a simple sentence for dragon? ›

His face slowly changed into the shape of a dragon spitting flames of fire at her. Down in the great hall the gwerbret was pacing, leaning hard on his stick, back and forth by the dragon hearth.

What do dragons symbolize in stories? ›

Together, they form one of the most powerful monsters dating back to antiquity. The dragon is a symbol of evil, in both the chivalric and Christian traditions. In the Orient, it symbolizes supernatural power, wisdom, strength, and hidden knowledge. In most traditions, it is the embodiment of chaos and untamed nature.

What is a dragon script? ›

According to Skyrim's Dragon Language lore, The Dragon Alphabet is the alphabet used for the Dragon Language. Text written in the Dragon Alphabet is found on walls in ancient dungeons and on burial grounds in the form of Word Walls.

Where do dragons appear in literature? ›

Epic of Gilgamesh (2150-1400 BCE): Humbaba, a dragon slain by Gilgamesh. Book of Job (5th century BC?): leviathan (chapter 41). Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica (3rd century BC): the dragon guarding the golden fleece (Book 2), and the dragon whose teeth can be sown like seed to make an army grow (Book 3).

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