The 4 Main Dragon Types
Dragons aren’t in every fantasy story, but they are certainly a fantasy staple.
They are written in so many ways, and among these different types dragons and dragon lore can vary drastically.
There are so many possibilities when it comes to writing these creatures! Let’s take a look at the 4 main classes of dragons and some of the stories they appear in.
Dragon Riders
These have become very popular in western fiction. In the DragonKeeper series dragons, or at least the friendly dragons, are almost like horses with wings. Still, Donita K. Paul manages to make them interesting and brings in a unique twist to her dragon lore. Whereas in the Inheritance Cycle the dragons that do have riders only have one dragon rider. They don’t like to carry anyone other than their rider, though they will if they so choose. Paolini also puts his own twist on dragon lore, keeping the dragon rider concept interesting.
Personally, I have always loved dragon rider stories. Some people think it’s a weak idea to have these powerful beasts willingly carrying around weaker, two-legged creatures. But that’s what makes it so fascinating. I used to daydream that I was flying over the city and country on the back of a dragon. Best thing ever. Many of the games I played with my siblings had to do with us being dragon riders. If our neighbors saw us running around our field and woods, roaring and… Well, they probably thought we were crazy. :)
Traditional Dragons
Here we have the treasure hording, village murdering, princess stealing, all-around classic dragons. Compared to the other classes of dragons, they are more like beasts than the intelligent creatures other types of dragons typically portray.
Smaug from The Hobbit would fall under this category, although he is intelligent and can speak. The way dragons are portrayed in Prince Caspian is very similar to the classic dragon as well. Traditional dragons usually find their place in fairy tales or fairy-tale-like stories. Sometimes they are no more than massive, murdering beasts, sometimes they can speak and reason.
There’s something captivating about the classic dragons. This type isn’t written as often anymore, which is a shame. When they are used they don’t typically make much of an appearance in the story. They’re more like a backdrop. If done right, these treasure hording and princess stealing dragons could make for one amazing story. I’d really like to see someone write an epic tale with the classic dragon in its focus.
Then you come upon the categories of dragons that aren’t seen as often in American culture.
Spirit Dragons
Long and serpent like dragons without wings. They typically have hair on their jaws, down the ridge of their back, and the tip of their tail. They reside in the ‘spirit’ or ‘ghost’ realm of stories. In some tales they are connected to specific things or people, and con only be seen at certain times.
The movie Spirited Away has a good example of a spirit dragon. Avatar: The Last Airbender has a dragon that might fall under this category. Avator Roku’s dragon is his spirit animal, and it now resides in the spirit realm. Though the race of dragons as a whole in in this story are not spirit dragons.
Some really cool things could be done with spirit dragons. I’m surprised I haven’t seen them in more novels. My brain is exploding with thoughts of what could be done with them. I have to say I’m surprised I haven’t seen more spirit dragons out there.
Weather Dragons
Like the Spirit Dragons, their appearance is of the more lithe eastern style, rather than the bulky western style.
The earth and sky is divided between dragons that are in charge of the weather for that area, or certain aspects of the weather world round. There wouldn’t be any weather without the dragons.
For example… actually, the only things I can think of off-hand are a few short, and fantastic, fantasy manga serializations I had the joy of stumbling upon, and a story I thought up a while back.
This is sad. We need more weather controlling dragons! They could make for some epic stories.
Dragons could be done in just about any way you want to write them. This is one reason why they are so fascinating. The possibilities are endless. You never know what you will find.
What style of dragon do you enjoy reading about the most? Do you not like dragons? And if you’ve written or are writing a story with dragons in it, how did you choose to write them?
*To get a good visual idea of different kinds of dragons, check out my Pinterest board The Land of Dragons.
Just B. Jordan is an award-winning author of fantasy and sci-fi. She graduated high school a year early and received her first publishing contract at the age of 18. To Ashes We Run is her most recent novel. Find it here.
Chris
I can think of what I’ll call “smart” or “intelligent” dragons. These do not really fall under the classic area, as they do not always guard treasure. Nor do they fall under the dragon rider moniker. They are characters in themselves and often play a significant role in the story. Examples include the “Dragons in Our Midst” series (and its sequel series’ “Oracles of Fire” and “Children of the Bard”) by Bryan Davis, where dragons are major characters (as well as becoming human for a short time as well). And there is another of Bryan Davis’ works, the “Dragons of Starlight” series (and its companion series “Tales of Starlight”). In this series, dragons are major players, but are more the “bad guys” (at least to start with. We shall see as I’ve just started book two of the “Dragons of Starlight” series). Those are probably the most original dragon representations that I’ve seen.
Just B. Jordan
I haven’t heard of those books before, but they sound very intriguing. I’ll have to give them a try! I love stories where dragons are more like characters instead of animals. :)