There is nothing better than the thrill of the hunt. It gets your blood pumping and your adrenaline pounding. You’re tossed off the precipice between life and death as you fight for your life against a giant, fire-breathing dragon—at least, that’s what I imagine it’d be like. The friendly, helpful dragons are gone, and in their place are murderous creatures who won’t go down without a fight. These are the scaly beasts of legend, and they’d sooner snatch you up in their teeth and claws than let you ride on their backs.
What is Classic Dragon Fantasy?
Classic dragon fantasy explores the terror imposed by the dragons of yore. These ruthless, treasure-hoarding guardians typically act as an obstacle that the protagonist must overcome to achieve their goal. That obstacle can be anything from the dragon blocking their path, guarding a treasure that the protagonist is seeking, or keeping the princess that needs saving a hostage. These dragons also tend to be mentioned frequently in their stories but don’t have as much physical page time as the dragons in neo dragon fantasy. They’re the monsters waiting for the protagonist in the dark, and they only show up on the page when the protagonist encounters them in battle.
Common Tropes
Classic dragon fantasy tends to be a bit more traditional than neo dragon fantasy when it comes to common tropes. There isn’t as much wiggle room in what you can do with these dragons in comparison to modern dragons. That doesn’t mean this subgenre is any less impactful. In fact, it might be more impactful if you want to mix the two together and have good dragons that help the protagonist, and bad dragons that try to thwart the protagonist at every turn.
- Hoards/Guards Treasure: These dragons are notorious for their hoards of treasure. They secret themselves away in caves or under mountains and spend their time lounging on top of their piles of gold. Since they’re surrounded by treasure, there is almost always something specific that they’re guarding that the protagonist needs. Sometimes they just need to be slain because they’re picking off the livestock/villagers or terrorizing a nearby town. Now, treasure doesn’t always have to be gold, it can also take the form of a princess they’re guarding who’s locked in a tower.
- Acts as an obstacle: In these stories, the dragon is set before the protagonist as an obstacle that they must overcome. Sometimes they only have to find a way around the dragon, but more often than not, they have to defeat the dragon to claim whatever it is they seek. This obstacle can be anywhere within the story. Maybe it happens right in the middle of the story, the climax reaching its peak. Or perhaps it’s in the beginning and it sets their story in motion, or maybe it’s the climactic last obstacle the protagonist has to deal with before their story concludes. The protagonist may or may not know that it’s something they have to take on, but it happens regardless.
- Only one dragon: While this is a trope that can be seen in neo dragon fantasy as well, it’s a little different in classic dragon fantasy. Only having one dragon is seen as a good thing. It means that all the other dragons were killed at some point, or, the story will only focus on the one dragon that is stopping the protagonist from reaching their goal. Regardless of the reason, no one in the story will be happy to find the last dragon egg or try to revive the dragon population.
Why I Like Classic Dragon Fantasy
I’ve talked about how much I love dragon fantasy and even though the protagonist isn’t making friends with dragons in classic dragon fantasy, it doesn’t mean I love it any less. There is something so satisfying about seeing the protagonist overcome obstacles, and it’s even more rewarding when that obstacle is a giant, fire breathing dragon. It’s something that shouldn’t be possible because dragons are massive, their scales are practically impenetrable, and usually their hoards are surrounded by the weapons and bones of people who have come before and failed. Yet, these protagonists are doing everything they can to win the fight against these impossible foes–and somehow, they come out victorious.
Why YOU Should Explore Classic Dragon Fantasy
This kind of goes hand in hand with why I love this genre, but use this to give your protagonist an almost impassable obstacle. Makes them struggle to get to their goal. Obviously, this can be done other ways, but why wouldn’t you want to use a fire breathing dragon as the final boss? Make it big, make it strong, and give your protagonist a near defeat that keeps your readers on the edges of their seats.
- Save the princess (or prince): The most beautiful princess (or prince) is stuck in a tower that’s being guarded by a fire breathing dragon, and your protagonist gets to be the one to save them and live happily ever after. Make the journey long and arduous so that your protagonist’s victory is even sweeter at the end. Or perhaps that prince(ss) is the person who will save the entire kingdom from utter ruin, and your protagonist is the one that gets to help them. Maybe the dragon has been trapped for years, or maybe it’s only been a few days, but let your protagonist give that dragon hell.
- Medieval knights: The majority of these stories take place in medieval europe, which means knights in shining armor. Maybe your knight has magic, or maybe they’re the best sword fighter in the entire kingdom. Perhaps they’re even a rookie trying to prove their worth by taking down the dragon that’s terrorizing the villages. Whatever way you choose to go, knights are a favorite choice for this genre.
- One-on-one battles: Maybe your protagonist shows up to fight the dragon with an entire army, but they’re more than likely going to face that battle alone. Give your reader the performance of a lifetime as your protagonist has to duck and dodge and weave through plumes of dragon fire to find that one tiny spot where the dragon is weakest. Maybe they get close enough to stab it, maybe magic is involved, or maybe they use an arrow. Let them use their surroundings and find a way to trap the dragon or have them get lucky and accidently kill the dragon.
Classic Dragon Fantasy That We Love
This style of dragon is right up my alley! I love the traditional take on the dragon as an unstoppable symbol, something that simply cannot be ended by any conventional means. One of my favorite examples comes in The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne. This Viking fantasy saga takes many of the elements of Norse mythology and brings them to the page, including a plethora of slain and imprisoned gods from an ancient Ragnarok-esque battle. One of these is Lik-Rifa, a dragon goddess bent to cruelty and power. Her existence is central to the plot, as her dragonborn children seek to free her so that her reign of terror may begin again!
Everyone say it with me. Shrek is love! Shrek is life! Shrek is by the loosest definition a tale of classic dragon fantasy! Dragon may have been charmed over to the side of good, but her roots lie in the classic dragon tropes. While we’ve all probably seen the movie series that launched Shrek as the cultural beacon of an entire generation (maybe more), we might not all realize that it started as a book. It’s a short, fun read, so go! Read it!
The book George and the Dragon, with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman and retold by Margaret Hodges, is an exceptional dragon fantasy book that skillfully combines vivid artwork with a timeless narrative. It is THE classic tale, retold over and over again (but now with gorgeous illustrations). Hodges’ retelling is engaging and accessible for even young readers. Young readers are introduced to the legendary Saint George and his battle with the dragon while learning about virtues like bravery and honor.
My absolute favorite classic dragon story is none other than The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. You can’t go wrong with Smaug the Magnificent. This story is about a hobbit who goes on an adventure and ends up turning the tides of history in more ways than one. And of course, a dragon that’s guarding the treasure in the dwarven kingdom they’re trying to win back. Smaug is the epitome of a treasure hoarding, fire breathing dragon and is a great obstacle that the dwarves must defeat to win back the mountain home that was stolen from them.