Dragons are a staple creature in countless fantasy novels. They are great at being either companions or enemies, or they can simply fill out the fantasy world. There are so many things that dragons add to the fantasy genre. They are fascinating creatures that make the genre that much more exciting. Check out the fantasy dragon art from various books and movies below and decide for yourself if dragons are the best fantasy creature.
Fantasy Dragon Art from the Movie Reign of Fire
The first fantasy dragon art for us to investigate is the image above. Though the dragon is the focus of the image, there is so much to see in the background of the image, as well. This dragon comes from the film Reign of Fire, a story in which dragons have become the dominant species on Earth, starting to form in the tunnels of London. If you are unfamiliar with this film, it takes place in an alternate reality London in the year 2020. Dragons have been awoken by tunnel workers and they have taken over the world.Â
The dragons in this film are vicious and merciless. They are aggressive and will kill humans in an instant without a second thought. These dragons are responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs, so that should give you an idea of how deadly they are.
Throughout the course of the film, there are dragons of various sizes and abilities. All of them can fly and breathe fire, as is common for fantasy dragons, but some of them have other powers, as well. Some of these dragons are highly intelligent and able to outsmart the strongest military forces in the world. They are cunning and motivated to survive, no matter the cost. Many of these dragons also have supernatural tracking abilities, and they are able to trace humans and their movements. This gives them a great advantage over the humans who try to hunt them. Reign of Fire is a great film for dragon lovers, and it has produced some incredible fantasy dragon art.
Kvothe and the Draccus from Patrick Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Chronicles
The dragon in this fantasy dragon art is not actually a dragon at all. It is a Draccus. These creatures have many similarities to those of dragons, but they are also quite different. In The Kingkiller Chronicles, Kvothe encounters a Draccus in the forest. He does not know much about the creatures, but he assumes that he does not need to fear them. However, he learns that this particular Draccus has become addicted to a drug called denner resin, and it makes him highly unpredictable. Though they are usually quite tame herbivores, the denner resin leads this one to behave much more aggressively.Â
In the image above, we see the Draccus facing Kvothe as he approaches him in his habitat. Though the Draccus is large and intimidating, they are generally creatures that keep to themselves. They breathe fire, much like other fantasy dragons, but they typically do not seek to harm or kill humans or other creatures. The dragons we know and love are much more vicious and deadly than the peaceful Draccus, unless they are tempted with denner resin.Â
Smaug from The Hobbit
The next fantasy dragon art pictured here is Smaug from The Hobbit. There are not many dragons in Middle Earth, in fact, Smaug is the last great dragon of Middle Earth. He may not cause the same amount of destruction as some other fantasy dragons, but that does not mean that he is not just as deadly. Smaug is a huge dragon, though sources differ on how large he actually is. Estimates range from 59 feet to 427 feet long. This is a big range, so it is hard to know exactly how big he is. Just know that he is an enormous dragon. The image above gives a good estimate as to how large this creature truly is. However, he is not the largest dragon to ever exist in Middle Earth. That title goes to Ancalagon.Â
Smaug has many abilities that are important to a fantasy dragon such as the ability to fly and to breathe searing hot flames. He is able to melt anything he touches with his body, as well. He is quite agile and quick, something that is difficult for a creature of his size. Unlike many other fantasy dragons, Smaug is incredibly intelligent and able to fool humans, hobbits, and other creatures. He is greedy and arrogant and cares for riches above all else.
Physically, Smaug is covered in gold and red scales with enormous wings and a long, thick tail. His only weakness is his soft underbelly. Though he slept on a bed of gold coins to protect his weak spots, he was eventually able to be defeated with an arrow shot into his belly. As he was the last great dragon of Middle Earth, Smaug’s death marked the extinction of dragons in that fantasy world.Â
Hungarian Horntail from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Though dragons are not an every day occurrence in Harry Potter, they still play a significant role when they do appear. Through the series, there are various dragons that the characters are forced to reckon with in many different ways. In this case, the Hungarian Horntail that we see above was part of the first task of the Triwizard Cup. Harry himself faced this dragon, acquired the golden egg, and moved on to the next task. In the fantasy dragon art above, we can see how tiny Harry appears next to this dragon. He is minuscule in comparison to this miraculous creature.
Hungarian Horntails are massive and terrifying. They have black scales and they appear very much like a giant lizard. These dragons can grow to be upwards of 50 feet long, and they are incredibly dangerous. The Hungarian Horntail is covered in spikes and its flame is so hot that it can turn stone red hot in a matter of seconds.
The Hungarian Horntail, of course, comes from Hungary. It is well known in the magical beasts community as the most dangerous dragon in existence. Its flight abilities exceed that of most other dragons. In the Triwizard tournament, Harry Potter was barely able to escape the dragon on his Firebolt broomstick, which is known for being able to go from 0 to 150 miles per hour in a matter of seconds. This is extraordinarily fast and makes the Hungarian horntail a vicious enemy, and not one that anyone should want to face.Â
Fantasy Dragon Art: Conclusion
I hope this article has provided you with some cool fantasy dragon art that inspires you.
And if you have your own art that you want to be featured in this list or you want us to feature some other fantasy dragon, leave a message in the comments below!
Lastly, if you want to see more original fantasy art on this website, check out:
