MovieChat Forums > Dragonslayer (1981) Discussion > Is Vermithrax a dragon?

Is Vermithrax a dragon?

posted 11 years ago by Jan_El_Senor
6 replies | jump to latest

People are crying because Smaug in The Hobbit doesn't have separate front arms from his wings. Apparently this makes him a wyvern and not a dragon to some people. I liked this design because it reminded me of Vermithrax, who arguably set a standard for movie dragons. So, by this logic, Vermithrax would not be a dragon either. Did this ever come up regarding this movie, because it's ridiculous how often it comes up about Smaug on The Hobbit board....

"Don't conform, be like us...."

[–] bigyellowmutt 11 years ago

Vermithrax is a dragon, and Smaug as represented in the film is a dragon. They're also wyverns.

All wyverns are dragons, not all dragons are wyverns. Dragon is a term like "dog". There are lots of kinds of dogs, just as there are lots of dragons. Not all have wings, not all shoot fire, and before the middle ages they typically didnt have legs either.

If you want to get technical, Smaug as portrayed in the book is a European Fire Drake.

[–] bigyellowmutt 11 years ago

[–] Blueghost 10 years ago

In spite of what the Wizards of the Coast or the TSR folks a decade or two earlier may have told you, a "wyvern" is a dragon.

In gaming circles it was given its own genus because it made for more monster variety, and it seemed interesting to create a dragon-like thing / creature that had no arms as a species unto itself.

Otherwise it's the same thing in terms of European folklore, and the movies.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] 10 years ago

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[–] too_hats 9 years ago

I think it has more to do with the author JRR Tolkien saying that Smaug has 4 legs, and two wings, as well as he drew a freaking picture like that.

They changed Smaug in the movie. And I think there were plenty of other problems with him. It was a surprising down turn for Peter Jackson.