Here There Be Dragons

It seems fitting to end this satirical blog series with a post on perhaps the most iconic fantasy trope—a true staple of the genre. (If something bigger than a staple were used to staple papers together, I’m sure this trope would undoubtedly be referred to as such.)

I’m talking, if course, about dragons.

Those ancient, winged, fire-breathing serpents (of varying sizes, colored scales, and temperament) seem to find themselves in nearly every fantasy story in some fashion or another. Even if they’re only mentioned in passing by a character telling tales of days when dragons flew through the skies and claimed the heavens above and the craggy mountains as their own.

Either dragons are found terrorizing villages and razing towns and burning cities to the ground, sleeping on mounds of Dwarven gold that they’ve jealously hoarded for themselves, guarding princesses locked away in tall towers, or they’re soaring through the skies with dragon riders on their backs, fighting great aeronautic battles with other dragons and dragon riders… these are the stereotypical fantasy dragons.

Now, I ask you: Do you really think I’m going to poke fun at literary behemoths with those fearsome descriptions? Do you really think I want to invoke a dragon’s ire?

By no means! My goodness, I’ll poke fun at dark lords and many other fearsome foes, but I draw the line at dragons. I have some common sense, you know.

That being said, I would like to write a few words on behalf of the dragons getting lumped in rather unfairly with their more bloodthirsty kin…

Some dragons swim through the waters below, they don’t fly through the skies above. Other dragons protect cities, towns, and villages instead of burning them down. Some have discovered the secret to being content and want nothing to do with Dwarven gold. Others steer clear of politics and royalty altogether. Still others want nothing to do with aeronautical battles but advocate for peace among all living things.

Fantasy stories would do well to show dragons in more than just the light of fire-breathing anarchy, chaos, and destruction. Fantasy stories would do well to show dragons as gentle, thoughtful, and kind too.

For if all dragons are ever known by are their violent kith and kin, how will young dragons ever know that they can rise above, soaring through pages of stories in ways far better than their literary predecessors?

How will any of us? The stories we read shape us and mold us. So too do the characters upon which such stories are centered.

With that, I’ll leave you. This Poking Fun at Fantasy Tropes series is all said and done, thanks for reading, I hope you’ve enjoyed them – I’ve certainly had great fun in writing these satirical posts.

What’s next?

Who knows, maybe I’ll finally sit down and write a fantasy story or two. Or twenty-two. In one sprawling series. I might even use some of these classic tropes in some fashion or other.

Until next time,

Al