List of dragons in literature


This is a list of dragons in literature. For fictional dragons in other media, see the list of dragons in popular culture. For dragons from legends and mythology, see the list of dragons in mythology and folklore.

Before 1900

Antiquity (until fifth century AD)

Middle Ages

Beowulf : The unnamed dragon from the end of the Old English epic, which dies by the combined efforts of Wiglaf and Beowulf.Life of Efflamm : The dragon defeated by Efflam and Arthur.

Early modern period

Nineteenth century

Twentieth century

By publication date of first installment in a series.

1900s

1910s

1920s

  • E. Nesbit, The Last of the Dragons : the last dragon on earth, who is tired of being expected to fight a prince for a princess, and becomes the princess's pet instead. Drinks petrol and, at his own request, is eventually transformed by the king into the first aeroplane.

1930s

  • C. S. Lewis, The Pilgrim's Regress : the cold Northern dragon, slain by John, and the hot Southern dragon, slain by Vertue. The Northern dragon is so greedy that his anxiety for his gold hardly lets him sleep. He recalls eating his wife, saying, "worm grows not to dragon till he eats worm", a loose translation of the Latin saying, Serpens, nisi serpentem comederit, non fit draco. The Guide explains that dragons always live alone because they have become dragons by eating their own kind. Lewis reiterates the notion of cannibalistic dragons in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
  • J. R. R. Tolkien, world of Middle-earth :
  • *Glaurung is described as the Father of Dragons in Tolkien's legendarium, and the first of the Urulóki, the Fire-drakes of Angband.
  • *Ancalagon the Black, who is the largest dragon of Middle-Earth
  • *Scatha the Worm
  • *Smaug the Golden : Smaug is a classic, European-type dragon; deeply magical, hoards treasure and burns innocent towns. Contrary to most old folklore and literature, J. R. R. Tolkien's dragons are very intelligent and can cast spells over mortals. See also dragons listed at Dragon (Middle-earth).

1940s

1950s

  • Robert A. Heinlein, Between Planets : the sentient inhabitants of Venus are huge flightless dragons, who are described as highly intelligent with an enormous aptitude for scientific research, who are very warm and friendly to humans. Since humans can't pronounce their real names, they habitually take - while conversing with humans via a special device - the name of a prominent past human scientist.
  • C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, one of the Chronicles of Narnia: The unnamed elderly dragon who dies, and then Eustace Scrubb, who becomes a dragon by magic when he greedily sleeps on the dragon's hoard. Eustace actually eats much of the dead dragon by instinct; Lewis explains that dragons like to eat other dragons, and are therefore usually alone, echoing his thoughts on dragons in The Pilgrim's Regress.
  • Ray Bradbury, "The Dragon" : set simultaneously in the recent and distant past, the short story features a pair of knights setting out to fight what they think is a dragon. After they are killed by it, it is revealed that the "Dragon" is actually a steam train.

1960s

  • Michael Ende, Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver : Nepomuk, half-dragon by birth – his mother was a hippopotamus –, kind and helpful, later on warden of the Magnetic Cliffs. Frau Mahlzahn : A pure-blood dragon and the main villainess of the story. Very knowledgeable, runs a school for human children in Sorrowland, likes to torment lesser beings with her power.
  • Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin, The Ice Dragon, one of the books in The Saga of Noggin the Nog: an ice dragon whom Noggin intends to fight, but instead helps.
  • Ursula K. Le Guin, world of Earthsea : the portrayal of dragons undergoes significant changes from book to book. In the original, they resemble Smaug, with unbounded greed for hoards of precious jewelry; later, they grow in stature and nobility, to become virtual demi-gods who speak the "Language of Creation" as their mother tongue. Later still, it is revealed that they share an ancestry with humanity, and that some rare humans can change into dragons at will. In contrast to the dragons of C.S. Lewis's fiction, the dragons of Earthsea do not eat each other. Like Tolkien's Smaug, they are susceptible to drowning.
  • * Kalessin the creator of the world of Earthsea.
  • * Orm, the great dragon who slew and was slain by the legendary Warrior Mage Erreth-Akbe.
  • * Orm Embar, Orm's descendant, who died battling the evil magician Cob on the eastern shores.
  • * Yevaud
  • * Orm Irian and Tehanu, each of whom was a dragon in human form who acted as a diplomat between her races.
  • * Various additional dragons
  • Ruth Manning-Sanders, A Book of Dragons : 14 fairy tales about dragons.
  • Anne McCaffrey, Dragonriders of Pern series : The Dragons of Pern. Dragons in Pern are ridden by "dragonriders" to protect the planet from a deadly threat, the Thread. The dragons include Faranth, Mnementh, Ramoth, and Ruth.
  • Clifford D. Simak, The Goblin Reservation : A beautiful dragon from a previous universe plays a key role in the novel's unexpected denouement.

1970s

1980s

1990s

Twenty-first century

Arranged by publication date of the first installment in a series.

2000s

2010s

2020s

  • Rebecca Yarros, The Empyrean Series. A series focusing on a military school with a branch of Dragon Riders.
  • Eoin Colfer: Highfire, also titled ''The Last Dragon on Earth''