A Real Dragon: Tolkien’s commentary within the malicious hearts of his beasts

We’ve all heard Tolkien talk about dragons. We’ve read about them, watched, them, and (probably) love them. They are honestly probably the most prolific part of fantasy…for any author. But in case you have been under a rock, here’s an image:

With four legs and claws, a terribly long jaw and snake-like tongue. He had near-impenetrable armor, and yet was flexible and evasive when necessary. He may be winged, with gusts of wind strong enough to topple an army. And he could flatten even the largest men with his tail. Worse, he was full of true evil. Malice running through his veins, he was brought joy only by destruction and the sorrow of his foes. They may curse you and drag you under their spell even after you die, forcing one to succumb to the dark desires manifested in their hearts. Tolkienian dragons hoard, with no reason other than to steal away what is most valuable, and hide it in the darkness.

Now Tolkien gave his first big talk about dragons to a bunch of kids. And according to some more recent, and decidedly not Tolkienian commentary, Tolkien’s talk on these creatures came nearly exactly one year after the denouncement of the Treaty of Versailles by Germany. Because of that, people think there might be a connection between Tolkien’s dragon and human struggle, made even stronger by the simultaneous rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany. However, this was not the first travesty Tolkien lived through. The Great War, the Great Depression, and industrialization were still at the forefront of his mind at the time. It wasn’t human struggle and power that fueled those calamities, but rather a nationalistic drive. I believe that it was this nationalism, and all the horrors that came with it that Tolkien attempts to reflect in his dragon. While being a physical manifestation of the greatest errs of man, the dragon symbolizes the dangers Tolkien sees in the culmination of these flaws when men join together. That is why it is such a mental battle to slay one of these beasts, not just a physical one.

Dragons, at least Tolkien’s ones, are defined by the heroes that fight them. They are literally a projection screen of the greatest flaws and errs of the men they oppose. Tolkien himself points this out in writings like “The Dragon’s Visit” and his essay on Beowulf. Even if a dragon shows no malice, he cannot live amongst men. They are simply too afraid of what he represents.

Tolkien lived his life through some of the worst times of the last century. Through the Church, state, and his brothers, he saw how strong a nationalistic spirit can be. It can bring men to kill, to be killed, and to tear the world apart. The greed, of wanting you friends, your brethren, your faction, to win can supersede even the basic necessities of life. It is no surprise then that Tolkien created his dragon in this way.

So just remember: next time you feel the spirit of a team, and want to let out a battle cry like Vikings or a lion, you really have the spirit of a dragon.

- M. Harris