Dragon variations

[heidicvlach]

This post on mermaid variations got me thinking about dragon variations. The concept of a dragon is such universal imagination fuel, I'm sure there are more directions to worldbuild in.

The most common dragons are the serpentine/naga kind, and the dinosaur-like, bat-winged kind. Quetzalcoatl might be considered a feathered dragon, and I've seen artists drawing feathered dragons like six-limbed Archaeopteryx. General Earth consensus seems to be that dragons are markedly reptilian -- but feathered dragons do tie in well with the evolution of theropod dinosaurs into birds.

Has anyone found other interpretations of dragons? Insect-like dragons, maybe? I've seen a few designs of small dragons with insect wings, usually either a "dragon-fly" pun or a sort of dragon faerie. Are there mammalian dragons with more bat-like qualities than just the wings? Amphibious dragons like giant newts? Do sandworms count as worm-like wyrms? I'm wondering just how far the definition of "dragon" can stretch.

Comments

[nicki]

I'm not a huge dragon afficianado. The dragon in the Neverending Story (movie) looks rather mammilian (kind of a large elongated dog with wings. :P )

[heidicvlach]

I heard that the novel version of the Neverending Story was really ambiguous about what luckdragons look like. It really only said that the dragon had red eyes. Must have been interesting, trying to decide what to make the movie version's face look like.

[lea_hazel]

I seem to remember the book saying he had a doglike face and a mane like a lion, but white. Because of the red eyes, I always imagined he was albino, and others of his species looked different.

[senmut]

Dragon-flies in Xanth by Piers Anthony.

An honest to goodness serpent style wyrm in Phaze also by Anthony.

the Pernese dragons are more Occidental...large bodies, six limbs, huge wings....

I get that feeling about the Dragonlance dragons too.

Feathered serpents and the Occidental dragons and the Oriental dragons all play a part in Shadowrun, which made for a great game...three very different style dragons and the Role Playing rules for each....

[heidicvlach]

Ooh, I hadn't heard of Shadowrun, I'll just be Googling that all night. Do the dragon types all have elemental alignments?

[senmut]

It has been ages and a day since I was playing...I had one ally that was keeping a dragon on my good side, and I had barely walked away from another campaign with my character intact after a feathered serpent showed up...

[holyschist]

One of the reasons I love Toothless in the movie of How to Train Your Dragon is the strong axolotl influence (albeit with bigger, cuter eyes). Toothless is basically a giant flying newt with retractable teeth and the personality of a cat. ♥

[heidicvlach]

I hadn't noticed that Toothless looks like an axolotl, but y'know, that explains how he's so adorable!

[holyschist]

I know! Toothless = axolotl + wings + big adorable eyes. Perfectly designed for maximum cuteness.

[newredshoes]

Oh, that's so cool! When I saw the film, I was clapping my hands because they all looked like prehistoric fish to me. I know the axolotl exists now, though, and this is definitely a good thing.

[holyschist]

I know which fish you mean! Like axolotls, they have broad flat heads.