• CannedTuna@sh.itjust.works
    511·
    11 个月前

    “…and because they burn villages and homes, eat livestock and people. Do you really have to ask why we should kill the terrifying man eating beast?”

      • chillhelm@lemmy.world
        6·
        11 个月前

        No. Metal Dragons are so GOOD so LOUD at all times that the resulting tyranny is as bad as a chromatic dragons. You stole a loaf of bread because you’re starving? Still theft, you die.

        • nxdefiant@startrek.website
          2·
          11 个月前

          silver dragon: This is NOT a “human costume”, this is my PERSONA. YES, I’m going to wear it to the restaurant, what’s the problem?!

      • CannedTuna@sh.itjust.works
        1·
        11 个月前

        I mean sure as far D&D goes. But generally speaking dragons are giant, scary, flying, firebreathing, winged monstrosities with lots of scary sharp teeth and claws.

  • Alteon@lemmy.world
    502·
    11 个月前

    I have a very strong feeling we’re about to have a lot of dragonslayers coming back into popularity within the next few years.

  • Ð Greıt Þu̇mpkin@lemm.ee
    251·
    11 个月前

    I think those tropes were mostly accidents actually, in medieval times you’d slay a dragon because it was literally a demon from hell, like that’s literally where fire breath comes from, because their mouth is a direct portal to hell and opening it can unleash the fires of hell.

    Tolkien is probably one of the first authors to portray the Dragon’s horde in a context of a sign of the Dragon’s immoral character, as opposed to an incidental that made for a good source of loot for the hero to get a cool new toy from, and even then that’s how most narratives involving dragon’s hordes treat the actual horde, the horde itself, given back to the people or not, is not especially relevant except for a few choice items which the hero takes a shining to and keeps, it’ll happen in D&D just cause.

    • DigitalTraveler42@lemmy.worldEnglish
      284·
      11 个月前

      Just to point out, belief and depictions of dragons transcend European literature and mythology, so limiting dragons to European medieval depictions and Tolkien means ignoring other cultural depictions.

      Overall Smaug was based on elements of Beowulf’s Bane and Norse mythology’s Fafnir, and Fafnir is considered Norse symbolic for greed.

      • Ð Greıt Þu̇mpkin@lemm.ee
        16·
        11 个月前

        Yeah but we’re talking about a euro-centered perspective anyways since it’s a knight out to slay the dragon and not an emperor seeking council of their dragon ancestors or Quetzalcoatl being Quetzalcoatl as usual

        • samus12345@lemmy.worldEnglish
          5·
          11 个月前

          Yeah, although Western and Eastern mythological giant flying reptiles are both called “dragons,” they’re very different creatures.

      • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
        41·
        11 个月前

        I assumed from the talk of a king and knight that these were euro dragons

    • qarbone@lemmy.worldEnglish
      15·
      11 个月前

      I believe the spelling for the mass of treasure is “hoard” as opposed to the mass of bodies, “horde”.

  • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
    15·
    11 个月前

    I would’ve assumed because they’re big, dangerous, unpredictable animals. Like killing wolves or something.