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12/12/2018 7:33:57 PM
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Why are dragons always so powerful in fictional media?
Bonjam everybody! This is Aifos coming to you alive from Ash Lake, where I am cowering in fear from that big scary hydra over there!
But you know, I noticed something..
From Ancalagon the Black in Tolken’s Legendarium, to Seath the Scaleless in Dark Souls, dragons consistently tend to be some of the strongest creatures within any media that features them.. And they consistently almost always fall.
In worlds with a lower “power level”, for pack of a better term, this makes sense. Dragons are pretty much giant flying flamethrowers, and that is absolutely devestating without the technology or magic to counter it, but many canons go out of their way to specifically make dragons a cut above whatever advanced tech or magic a fictional world might have. In Dark Souls, for instance, Dragons have might stone scales, that not only repel even the strongest of weapons, but grant immortality.
It’s something I’ve even done myself, with the few dragons appearing in my own writing usually be incredibly powerful creatures, able to take on fleets of heavily armed space ships.
And I’m simply curious, why are dragons always so powerful in media? Is it just because people like the image of dragons? Is there something in folklore that explains it? Perhaps I could just research this, but I thought a discussion might be more interesting!
[b][u]Tl;dr? Here’s my point![/u][/b]
Dragons! They’re usually pretty high up on the power scale (eh? Get it?) of any fictional world they appear in. Why is that, I’m curious?
Are there just some stories depicting them as godlike/demonic creatures I don’t know of? Do people just like dragons?
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13 RisposteDragons are usually implemented in three ways: A personification of wisdom. A personification of greed. A personification of power. Both wisdom and power are technically the same thing, depending on the story. They're also the two main drives for a dragon in a story, with greed acting as a minor feature these days. Also, fantasy stories (the genre that dragons are most well known for) have an inherent need for an immensely powerful being to act as an opponent, and a test of strength or wisdom, again depending on the story. This is sometimes a god, a dark lord, or a demon, but dragons are the most iconic, and thus the most preferable. However, yes, there is a "story" depicting them as godlike creatures. The Aztecs. In Aztec religion/culture there is a god called Quetzalcoatl - a giant, flying, feathered serpent. It was a creation god, a sky god and also associated with crops - particularly maize. Also, fun fact, Quetzalcoatl is one of the main inspirations behind the pokémon Rayquaza, the other being a Jewish mythological bird called Ziz, hence "dragon/flying" type. [spoiler]It's really weird that you put this post up in the same week I've been researching mesoamerican cultures lol.[/spoiler]
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In most cases where they're shown as powerful, it's because they are simultaneously BIG, have elemental capabilities, and most importantly are SMART.
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Fantasy? No logic? Answer: magic
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15 RisposteThey are dragons. What do you expect. Of course they are powerful. They are ancient, breath the elements, and command vast riches and powerful magic. Well at least ancient dragons. But if you look at the statistics for dragons in a game that inspired so much and has dragons in the name, only really the older ones are final boss material. Sure ancient and adult dragons are very powerful, but what about the babys? Younger dragons with less experience and power. But screw the young dragons we are here to talk about epic ancient dragons. Dragons are one of the most popular and coolest beasts in fantasy. They make up so many dramatic boss battles( and monologues) that it just wouldn’t make since if they were not powerful. But like all powerful and non powerful beings is dragons have weaknesses. Which is good for so many adventures across the multiverse but even better for storys. Not a thing should be all powerful and flawless, or thats just not good storytelling.
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1 Rispondidragons are the pinnacle of earth's great nature
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Traditionally they symbolize power and strength. Let’s take GOT for example Dang’s three are basically magic nukes. In Harry Potter they do their best to control them and rank breeds according to ferocity and it takes special training to handle them. If you have the money you can also use them to guard things (gringots the wizard bank has one.).
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Because they're more a symbol or personification of an idea or theme of power, might, menace, etc. And when a story character brings down a dragon, it works more as a metaphor of conquering something within themselves or something that acts as an obstacle.
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1 RispondiPresumably because they're so exotic, at least to us. So they have to seem a standout feature in the fiction. Also note how many of them play essential roles in their own mythoi (that's the plural form of 'mythos'), such as ASOIAF, TES, and aforementioned Dark Souls. That's because they're so unknown to us that we feel compelled to make them an even more interesting aspect of the worlds, and tie vital story elements to them. I was once told I should include dragons in my dark fantasy novels, because 'people like dragons'. They didn't play any role in the plot, though, and they're still not in there.
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Modificato da WILLtheKILLA5: 12/14/2018 5:29:28 PMSo like in Warcraft they where decently strong creatures that really liked to bang till the cataclysm, where they lost their powers and ability to reproduce. (No joke on that because that’s literally part of one dragons character) https://youtu.be/zpmTPqYMgy4 basically sums it up Meanwhile, in Fire Emblem they are basically either Humanities gods or your enemies god,(little g) or you are one in fates. But also you can bang some Dragon ladies in Awakening with Tiki and Nowi (if you pick Nowi expect the FBI) and have kids with them. Or in Fates YOU ARE the Dragon and everyone loves you and watch some Corrin pie.
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1 RispondiDragons serve a couple of needs. 1. They were probably the explanation given to dinosaur fossils by ancient cultures. Which is why every human society has dragons....or something similar. 2. They are creatures that embody the power of natural (and magical) forces.
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1 RispondiProbably because dragons contain their own definition, much like goblins or trolls. You wouldn't make a goblin a supreme threat in and of itself, just as you wouldn't make a dragon a weak fledgling. They're meant to serve a role in the fiction they are in.
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The same reason the seas are usually depicted as deep and the skies are depicted as vast. They just are. And I’m sure there’s a controversial reason that mainstream scientists don’t want to admit but try to come up with bullshit pat answers to explain it away.
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2 RisposteConsidering there are plenty answers here that got me thinking... What's up with Chinese dragons? Why are they so different to the western depiction of them?
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1 RispondiModificato da Darth Turtle: 12/13/2018 9:54:21 PMBecause their -blam!-ing badass
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1 RispondiWell, there was this kid's show back in the early '90's. It featured a castle full of various lovable characters, including a dragon who had the mentality of a cheerful five-year-old, and was about as dangerous as a cupcake. So they're not ALL unstoppable fire breathing horrors.
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2 Risposte... I think it's probably because they're so big, and breathe fire that it seems dumb for them not to be extremely powerful... [spoiler]not included in the DLC[/spoiler]
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2 RisposteModificato da OdinsKnight101: 12/13/2018 7:20:54 PMHas -- Has Aifos evolved into offtopic? The name ''Dragon'' just speaks to me. In my opinion, I imagine one in a XpictureX Painting. A mighty dragon towering over a few knights, his mouth breathing fire that has yet to reach them and a stern gaze with the intent of a mighty beast. . . . Just so cool * -*
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15 RisposteBecause they breathe fire FFS
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1 Rispondi[quote]Historically, dragons are devestating to technology. Consider their lore; Flies over castle walls Burns entire towns to the ground Massive and 10x as strong as horse and oxen Beastly, primal, but oddly aware. Also, notice how dragons commonly hoard gold and valuables. See any comparison with ancient kings and emperors who held massive power? Some historians even claim western dragons were developed as a subtle satire of monarchs, a way to criticize their hreed and unchecked power without your head being lobbed off your shoulder. Hence, they must be powerful to mimic the power of kings. These examples go farther; Consider the dark ages, where the church was more powerful than the king. God was the ruler of rulers, which can represent why dragons are commonly a step below angels and god. Dragons are also common symbols of Satan, especially when they are cast in a sanctireligious light. So, really, the answer is simple and the most common one when it comes to historic literature. Politics.[/quote] ^Wyoming
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4 RisposteTolkien
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3 RisposteBigger = Stronk
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1 RispondiBeing powerful is one of the reasons of their existence
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1 RispondiModificato da LahDsai: 12/13/2018 1:39:38 AMIf they weren't powerful they wouldn't be a threat and we could ignore them. Also, dragons are more often than not associated with some form of magic. Breathing fire, impenetrable bodies, immortality, even flight to some extent (Asian dragons don't even have wings). In the west the dragon was associated with the serpent (ie: the devil) and as such were a symbol of ultimate evil. They're basically the embodiment of the seven deadly sins: [b][u]Envy:[/u][/b] kidnapping maidens, hoarding treasure, and jealousy guarding both [b][u]Greed:[/u][/b] they hoard treasure [b][u]Gluttony:[/u][/b] they often have insatiable appetites [b][u]Lust:[/u][/b] they sometimes require virgin sacrifices [b][u]Pride:[/u][/b] they're often portrayed as thinking themselves to be superior to other life (and their defeat is often a result of "pride comes before a fall") [b][u]Sloth:[/u][/b] they basically do two things, burninate and lounge around in their loot caves. It's also worth noting that they almost never do anything constructive with their strength, they just let it go to waste (unless they're being wrathful) [b][u]Wrath:[/u][/b] extremely violent and destructive Eastern dragons are often more benevolent, but no less powerful, and strongly associated with magic. Their bones are even said to have healing properties (dinosaur bones would be dug up and ground into medicine). They control the elements such as wind, rain, lightning, and floods. They can shapeshift (Tang Sanzang's [the monk] horse in [i]Journey to the West[/i] is actually a dragon prince) They are also incredibly wise. How could such creatures (benevolent or malevolent) not be powerful? As a result they have come to symbolize power and are the very embodiment of it.
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3 Risposte[quote]Dragons are pretty much giant flying flamethrowers[/quote] [i][b]Elon Musk wants to know your location.[/b][/i]
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Dragons are giant lizard dinosaur monsters that fly and breathe fire. Pretty -blam!-in obvious
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1 RispondiWhen I think of dragons in modern day I think of the final ending to Drakengard 1. Essentially a medieval fantasy dragon, and it's rider, travels to the modern universe to kill something called the queen beast. You do that to not only get killed by modern fighter jets only 5 minutes later with like 2 rockets. It turns from a killing machine in the original universe to something that's taken down almost immediately with modern technology. Since then I've always seen dragons to be pretty useless in a modern setting.
