If Smaug, as an adolescent, easily conquered an entire dwarven people in their fortified mountain (by himself) I think it also really speaks to how powerful a fully grown dragon would be. Regarding his potential, I think that might be part of the point. Dragons represent greed and pride. They seem to have no real desire to rule, or conquer beyond acquiring a horde. Once done they are bound to it for fear of losing it. Great video as always!
It could be argued that the only reason Smaug was able to conquer the Dwarves in their fortified hold was BECAUSE he was an adolescent dragon, small enough still to squeeze his way into their tunnels and route them. Perhaps a fully grown drake would have found itself merely stuck on the outside, unable to penetrate the mighty fortress of Durin's folk. That argument would probably hold up about as well against scrutiny as the great stone fortifications would against a full-grown and irate dragon deadset on aquiring a shiny new horde, but I figured it was at least some food for thought. Your point certainly holds true.
It's definitely more of a frightening creature if it snuck into their tunnels young, hunted them and devoured them at first stealthily and incrementally to eventually become a massive old tyrant over their desolated kingdom and treasure. I am a fan of Tolkien since childhood but i never imagined Smaug that way or associated the name with that idea, but you know, it makes sense. It even gives his pride and greed and the dwarves passion a greater pathos.
Kinda sucks that he gets one shot by a mystical arrow (not even made to specifically kill dragons in the original story), a bit anticlimactic but it does suit the theme that for all his might and tyranny Smaug was laid low by the humblest and unexpected of things. Good thing we have Glaurung's more colorful history as comparison to how much damage a dragon could have done.
Maybe not... Dragons are not "wonder-weapon" (nothing is), yes, they are extremely powerful, but still can be killed and were killed by elves. There is counter for every threat, some anti-dragon weapons and tactics to utilize them effectively. We don't have the details, but probably the ancient elves knew how to deal with dragons. To support this idea: Morgoth never used dragons as some ultimate weapon, like "release the dragon and watch him lay waste to the enemy", no, dragons were always supported by other monsters, orcs etc. They were more akin to tanks, then to atom bomb: great weapon, but only as long as it's part of an army and used in the right way. The main problem of the Dwarves of The Lonely Mountain was that they had no idea how to counter Smaug and had no time to think about something. Also, their city was indeed fortified, but fortified against human-like enemies, dragon is a very unique and special threat that demands special defenses against and Dwarves had none of those.
Cranking them out lately! You're adventures into the world of Tolkien are as close to getting more from the source as I've ever come across. Your own creativity and love for his work shine in every video. Thanks for the constant entertainment!! And I love all the artwork you find to share too!!
@@tolkienuntangled its clear smaug is young, he's arrogant, impulsive and thinks he is the best, yet he cannot understand his own flaws. i also highly suspect that sauron may have some unseen hand in giving Smaug the very location of the dwarf gates which not in the movie but in the books are hidden to all who look upon them except during the light of the moon, which also included Erabor's main gates and hidden enterences and Sauron very much knew this since he would have tortured such information out of Celebrimbor the Jewel-Shaper when he was captured for his deception of creating the 3 elven rings in secret. it is logical that sauron whispered this knowledge to Smaug which is why Smaug seemed to know of Sauron's growing presence in the darkness. i doubt sauron sent him. this is also probably why Sauron also sent his army to the lonely mountain when they encountered the army of humans and elves and the army of the dwarves Celebrimbor being the legendary Jewel-Shaper also if i remember correctly was the one to create and give the dwarves the magics and knowldge to hide the doors until revealed by the light of the moon using crystalized mithril that looked like normal stone until it was exposed to moonlight.
The Hobbit as a trilogy was entirely a Jackson thing, and not a very good thing at that. He created too much that wasn't supposed to be there and other things were drawn out too long. Two maybe? But three was just greed.
I really don't find it disappointing to think of Smaug as a young and relatively small dragon. To me, that just makes his conquest of Erebor all the more impressive. It also leaves us with the ability to imagine how things might have gone if Smaug had had greater self-control and bided his time before letting loose on Lake-town. If he had just let that cup go, he could have waited and grown, and possibly become an even greater existential threat than Sauron-I know I'm really speculating there, but that's kind of my point. Part of the magic of Tolkien's stories is the parts of them he _didn't_ tell, and this is just one more corner of the Legendarium where we get to insert our own imaginations.
Him being young and a remnant of the war with the dwarves recontextualizes the occupation of Erebor too. It's not some random cruelty, he's exercising what he sees as his birthright. And then feeling awfully proud of himself for succeeding at that.
I love that, you get it. It's like music, the negative space is just as, or more important as anything else (as it gives us rhythm). He was a master of mystery. I still wonder what would happen if smaug ate Bilbo ring and all. Very curious how that would play out.
I love the idea of Smaug as the young scion of an ancient immortal race, desperate to live up to the standards of his ancestors but ultimately limited by his own pride and the diminishing of Middle-earth. He's almost like the Elves when you frame it that way, only without the final refuge of Valinor to absolve his fears.
He may have also been corrupted by the 7th Dwarven ring of power’s augmenting a Dwarf’s greed and reverberated into the ArchenStone HeartOfMountain it’s evil Sauronic influenced tainting may have corrupted Thorin when he was near Bilbo (who was hiding the ArchenStone in his coat/persons).
Smaug was always my favorite villain in Middle Earth, as, despite being a giant dragon, his personality is the most “realistic” of ME villains. He doesn’t come off as a barbaric high fantasy monster or Dark Lord. Smaug just comes off as a real world psychopath in a Wyrm’s body. He’s cruel, greedy, petty, vein, and enjoys playing with his victims. His dialogue is flowery and more like a comic book villain than a high fantasy one. He just seems different than most characters from the franchise. He’s also one of the few big bads to have a (somewhat) realistic motivation. He’s obsessed with money and being wealthy, and due to his species natural power he understandably view’s humility as a punchline.
I do love dragons. Tolkiens in particular are just so incredibly epic and terrifying. Smaug is the one thing the hobbit movies have going for them. Great video Rainbow Dave!
A Dragon is never “full grown”: he grows as he eats. The more he eats, the bigger it gets. Smaug ate lots of Dwarves when he got to Erebor, so he must have grown a bit while he slept for the following decades.
I agree he was young not only based off of what he said but there was fine details in the Hobbit movie. When he invaded he broke the gates down and waltzed in and his talons were a bit bigger than a dwarf. Then later on when he's older and bigger and he is covered in gold. He is too big to use the gate and breaks over half of entrance to get out because his size has almost quadrupled.
I know Smaug is evil - but when I first encountered him in 1963, aged 8, I rather liked him, even though I didn't want him to win. Then aged 15 I discovered Chrysophylax, whom I thought was wonderful - and I thoroughly approved of good master Aegidius not being too greedy - and also being soft-hearted enough to let him go at the end. I never had any doubt that Smaug and Chrysophylax were related - their vanity was wonderful!😄😍
I think you're right, Smaug is not ancient. As such, he must have a mother who may very well be alive in the north. But I don't imagine that there's any strong family ties between Tolkien dragons, so I doubt Smaug's relatives (if he had any) would come to avenge him. His mother may have simply laid eggs and left them to themselves, much like irl serpents, and couldn't care less what happened to her offspring.
I always imagined smaug was like the dragon equivalent of aragorn. The last dying embers of genetic magnificence. His mother and siblings may be jus regular cold drakes and he got the genetic lottery.
So Smaug was the last WINGED, FIRE BREATHING dragon. Meaning there can be unwinged dragons, similar to their "old man" (Glaurung) and non fire breathing ones, like the Ice drake that caused Thorin's bloodline so much grief befor Smaug.
Smaug is known as "The Last of the Great Fire Drakes". But the word Last can also be interpreted as the finale, the apex, or the zenith -- the endgame of a goal. This is my theory: since he was hatched around the time of a Dwarven-Dragon war, could it be that he had been bred by the dragons to ba an end-all, be-all, super-dragon? Given that dragons and dwarves are both capable of living for centuries I don't think it's that far-feched. He was able to purge the Lonely Mountain of it's inhabitants as a still pretty young dragon, one whose scales by his own admission were still soft, which I think speaks volumes about his power. In this light, Smaug was conceived for a war that ended before he could take any real part in it. He feels cheated from the glory and infamy and treasures he should've gotten had the war continued. So when he hears the dwarf survivors and their descendants have struck prosperity under the Lonely Mountain, he sets off to finish the fight and claim the "birthright" he believes he deserves. He succeeds in doing so, and wastes the rest of his days basking in his achievement, only to be cut down in the prime of his life by his own arrogance. Again, this is just my own crackpot theory and I don't really have any hard evidence to back it up, but I think it adds another layer to the Tragedy of Smaug.
there is no lines that smaug was the last dragon, the oppesit, Gandalf states that "there is no dragon alive today with the heat or fire to destroy the one ring" directly saying there is dragons, just not with a big firecapasity
I love how you call him a “mean spirited bully.” I think you somed it up perfectly, the dragon is pretty much a temperamental teenager! I love the process you went through, thanks for the great video about one of literature’s most terrifying dragons! And angry, self centered teenager or not I’m sure we can all agree that it’s a good thing he wasn’t around for the War of the Ring!
Incredible video as always. It’s reassuring to know others are as obsessed with Tolkien as I am. Love the deep diving and joy in your voice when reading the script. It’s always great hearing you speak with such passion and elation. Be well and may the seas be good to you friend.
Thank you for the quick turnaround on the last couple of videos! It saves me from experiencing withdrawal symptoms until my next RD Tolkien lore fix 😅 I am so excited for the Children of Hurin series!! This was super interesting and entertaining,your content just makes me feel good and wholesome and intellectually stimulated. Big love to you, Dave 🌈
Seems across all fantasy the weakness of dragons, regardless age, is Arrogance. IMO that’s not a good indicator of age. If anything it gets worse with age
New subscriber... and Tolkien fan since the 1980s. This is the best assessment of Smaug I've seen... and I completely agree with Tolkien's own suggestion of the continued existence of dragons... today we call them billionaires and capitalists, and the vast majority of them resemble Smaug greatly in psychology.
When I read The Hobbit, that was about 20 years ago, I got the impression that Smaug was a young dragon and not an ancient one. I also remember either by mention or implication that he was the last dragon. The problem with Tolkien was that he kept changing things. If he had today's technology with computers he would have been able to revisit his past writings and revise them. BUT, in my "book" whatever is published as a book by the author that is canonical. Letters and what have you, dont count. Unless it was a specific addendum.
I love and appreciate your Tolkien content so much. This was a wonderful dive into Smaug. I remember when I was a young child reading Smaug's character as young and impetuous.
Still one of my favorite characters in the legendarium, actually. I also like Darth Vader 🤷♀And also the one character I really enjoyed in the abominable Hobbit movies.
I know that's not what "young" means in this case, but I kinda like the idea of a two or three metre long, small Smaug creeping through Erebor's hallways silently, stealthily picking on one dwarf after another, like some sort of retilian Xenomorph.
It’s interesting to think of a scenario where Bilbo had actually befriended the dragon instead of threatening to kill him. What a boon that would have been. A missed opportunity in my opinion.
I wish we got to see something like Smaug facing off against Durins Bane. Imagine if Smaug coveted the mithril in Moria and disturbed the Balrog upon arrival.
This was a great take on the character! It very much speaks to how Smaug’s actions show a lack of perceiving any sort of bigger picture. A perception that generally accompanies deathless beings, even those with evil designs, who have passed through the annals of time. Smaug is reckless and almost like a spoiled young adult in demeanor. Out of curiosity Dave, do you have any thoughts on his design becoming more Wyvern like in the PJ films? While I think his features overall were great, it was the only thing that took me out of the character design.
Great video and I really like the artwork too! I did not see the Hobbit movies, but one of my favourite parts of the book is the conversation Bilbo has with Smaug. 🐉
Imo it makes perfect sense and I like the idea more, that he is a bratty young drake the way he behaves like a arrogant teenie, because of how proud he is that he conquered the whole of the mountain by himself at relatively speaking very young age.
Although you don’t say it exactly, as a psychologist, I will say it: he’s a typical teenager. I recognize that such a term can be strictly tied to one’s years alive as just in the teens, there is an identity of teenager ms that fits Smaug’s personality to a tee: he has a fully grown body, believes he is both omnipotent and omniscient, but his downfall is that he is neither and cannot yet see it. Big question. I’ve been working my way through your absolute treasure of archived videos and am enamored by your depth of knowledge, story telling ability, and well crafted videos. Thank you! But, my question is this: what is the meaning of your sign off? Something akin to Naviah Melanien. Because neither me nor RUclips’s auto closed captioning can spell, all of the Elvish translators I have found have let me down on the translation. Thanks for help with that sign off and this erudite conjecturing on Smaug’s age and how it helps understand him.
Interesting theory: the description of a mean spirited bully, greedy, boastful, impulsive, vain, curious, and arrogant describes dwarves at their worst. What if Smaug is one of the Dwarven Kings who took a ring of power and this is the result when it accentuate all the evil tendencies of dwarves?
Love the video. As a young dragon, tremendous physical strength, but ego unchecked by intelligence and wisdom of an ancient dragon. A beautifully flawed villan.
I always figured Smaug was so arrogant bc he succeeded where Glaurung failed, his debut. It seems to be a common theme among dragons that they become overconfident and impatient while waiting to mature and want to prove themselves by endeavoring to conquer whatever nearby free peoples or gold (often both) is nearby.
Looking back, I think Tolkien's line about "rich folk that have more than they can enjoy" had a disproportionate impact on the social attitudes that I developed while growing up.
Yeh there definitely comes a point when you have to say 'there is no more enjoyment to be had from your wealth except the wealth itself'. On a more practical level I think it's absurd that the tax rate stops at around 50% and that the super wealthy have legal means to drop the amount. It my opinion, there comes a point where there can be no argument that the person earned that income through any personal achievements (basically no matter how smart, lucky, creative, hard working etc. etc. you're not worth 1000's of times more than a blue collar worker) and that amount of money can't be used personally and is simply going to be used for investments which make it harder for others to succeed (investing in shares, gold, property, jewellery, cars, art etc. simply drives up the price of those items putting them further out of reach of normal people). Personally I think the tax rate should increase to 99% and it should be based on the previous years taxable income and the proceeding years expected expenditure.
since there is vauge how old Smaug was i find it atleast possible that he is one of the dragons that did consume or destroy one of the dwarven rings of power. He is surly from that region...he claims he is young when he takes erebor so no he is not ancient but im willing to stretch a "young" dragons lifespan atleast a couple of hundred of years...but no he is not from the first age.
I think cold drake means they can't breath anything and just got strength and the like. Meanwhile Smaug is one of if not the last dragon able to use his dragon breath.
These videos are like my own LOTR movie series to scratch that itch that I’ve wanted since I first read the books as a kid. Congrats!! I think the interpretation as Smaug being a failed player in the series is really cool. I wonder if there are any ties to Gandalf pulling strings to get that even to happen to avoid Smaug helping Sauron
Gandalf's main motivation for helping the dwarves get the mountain back is to ensure that Smaug gets dealt with before he becomes a potential real problem later on down the line. Gandalf is well aware of the origin of dragons and what they're designed for, and he was removing the potentially most powerful player in the game before said game even started.
I thought Morgoth couldn't truly create life because he didn't have the flame imperishable, so his dragons were basically just vessels filled with dark spirits. How could dragons reproduce if they're not actually alive?
Meme 1st... Ancalagon The Black: "Smaug the hatchling, Smaug the tiny, Smaug the weak, flee worm - before you become a real wyrm's dinner." Now that that's out of the way.... IMO the death of Smaug was like the sinking of the German ships carrying heavy water for Hitler's nuclear program - a minimal to moderate threat *now*, stopped *before* it could become a city destroying threat to *everyone* later. And for the last line, he wasn't thinking of Komodo dragons, but something somewhat larger on a (in his time) unexplored south pacific island. (They still had "Terra Incognita" in his day, although it was shrinking fast)
A lot of artists have issues viewing their works after it was released, having second thoughts about many things they've created and think they should be altered. Tolkien suffered from this phenomenon very much in his later years. In most cases I feel that his original thoughts as have been put onto the page in his main works: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion(yes, I know it was published after his death, however very much written by him) are actually much better than the various retcons we see in other works like in the Unfinished Tales, Peoples of Middle Earth or his various letters. There is beauty in imperfection and I feel that towards the end of his life Tolkien tried to 'fix' parts of his work that he didn't like and fell into the trap of 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'. Smaug is a great example of this. Being the last of his kind makes his story that much more powerful and meaningful. Whereas having dragons continue to exist like before even though the entire world changed, being the first age of men(the fourth age) where magic has almost completely gone from middle earth, feel incredibly awkward, weak and inconsistent. Perhaps other dragons, like the cold and lizard(non flying) dragons still exist but when it comes to the fire breathers, Smaug was a fitting end to their kind. It's sad, yes, but Tolkien's stories are full of sadness. It's part of what makes them so powerful and beloved. It's what mortality being the gift of men was all about.
One thing I never understood about the dwarves is why they never did much with themselves. They were industrious, clever, hard working, united (more or less), great smiths, wealthy, resource rich, long life etc. etc. Why did they not use their amazing resources and wealth to build army destroying weaponry in mass quantities. They didn't really have internal conflict and they had all these resources sitting around, not to mention their long life spans lending itself to planning ahead. Why did they not have mountains lined with massive ballista? Why did they not have handheld auto loading crossbows? Why did they not have an elite group of soldiers (perhaps of elvish background) equiped with mithril (if enough exists anyway)? Why did they not have a mercenary army of men on horseback equipped with top quality armour and weaponry? It's like they just dug this stuff up and said... 'let's not do anything with it or ourselves and wait until some great power swoops in and takes it'. I bet Smaug and the Balrog would have thought twice about attacking them if there were dozens of ballista firing 100-200kg bolts of f-you, not to mention an impressive mercenary army and elite squad of elves in mithril running around. They should have been comparable to the numenoreans but more technology advanced.
Just to point out-ur last point started out about whether he was the last GREAT dragon(flying or fire breathing, or whatever), but u ended it without making that point, u just ended it by pointing out that he wasn’t the LAST dragon of ALL, which I kinda already mentioned was not the case. Going by what tolkien actually said there, it almost sounds like Smaug WAS the last “great” dragon, which I’m guessing means flying fire drake?
Smaug was childish, lacked wisdom or guile that Glaurung had (could manipulate men, was probably equal to Sauron in power), was probably a teenager (in dragon years) when he attacked the dwarves. Probably grew in the Lonely Mountains... and then was slayed by Bard when he got too cocky. I just felt he lacked the maturity of a full-grown drake... like Ancalagon, who was leading the dragons against the Valar. Smaug... even his name, appears 'small' and contemptuous for the author, least from my readings. It's like something sneaking in your house and then becoming somewhat of a nuisance... that's Smaug. Bit like a snake or an animal or roach... with the ability to hurt/kill... utter contempt for this character. Even how he is slain, by a man, who spots a weakness of something arrogant, which then falls from the sky. Sorta like the author brought him back down to earth... flew high enough Smaug... time to crash... with that one single arrow. House is cleaned up once he perishes.
Smaugs "Tunnel & Hole" name could be a reference to Tolkien's love of Beowulf; in particular to the Dragon of that story, being hidden in a tunnel before being awoken by a thief stealing a prized cup!😂 🐉
I now have new head-canon. It is now my belief that location has to do with what kind of dragon is born. Frosty mountain? Cold drake. Warm, sunny area? Fire dragon. That being said, I now also believe that the cold drake that killed Thorins great-granddaddy, was Smaugs father. His egg being created after the war. Whilst an egg, he was moved south, where he was born a fire dragon. He might have even been raised with a specific hatred of dwarves, hence why he takes their stronghold, and stays. The last revenge of the dragon war. He might have even been named for his mission from his father. A reminder of why he exists.
Here's a question with regard to Smaug's size versus his age. Dragons don't stop growing the way humans do (I wish I could remember where I read that to cite it). They grow slowly, but continue growing all through their lives. There's thought that they may eventually grow too big to fly or even move, but that would be truly huge since Ancalagon, despite his enormous size, seems to have been spry enough to be--shall we say--a real nuisance? Regardless, such was the size of Thror's halls it would have been centuries before Smaug got too big for them.
The ending of dragons would only happen if humans no longer felt greed or pride, fully realised our individual potential and no longer needed them as the symbols they are (Asian dragons wouldn't be included as they represent the expression of vitality and power). I'm sure Tolkien was well aware of the link between the darker side of human nature and European dragons. I'm curious what the humans were up to at the time dragons began to thrive in Middle Earth. Probably something bad, while the dwarves were no doubt accumulating hoards.
Well you just singlehandedly made Smaug a more interesting character if he was that young and small and managed to take a mountain kingdom for himself by squeezing through the passages and as said in the story he also burned the surrounding forest to distract the dwarves on the night of his attack. Man imagine the horror stories of the dwarves trapped in Erebor with him. Pretty sure that would match the dwarves that fell to Durin's Bane
The second to the last paragraph on page 20 of my copy says this: "...'Five feet high the door and three may walk abreast' say the runes, but Smaug could not creep into a hole that size, not even when he was a young dragon, certainly not after devouring so many of the dwarves and men of Dale." This is a reference to the secret door in the mountainside and the passage down to the treasure hoard, of course. It also suggests Smaug was not insignificant in size when he first came to Erebor. Further reading will reveal this on pages 23 and 24 of my copy: "...There was a most specially greedy, strong and wicked worm called Smaug. One day he flew up into the air and came south. The first we heard of it was a noise like a hurricane coming from the North, and the pine-trees on the Mountain creaking and cracking in the wind... The river rushed up in steam and a fog fell on Dale, and in the fog the dragon came on them and destroyed most of the warriors..." This also suggests that Smaug was not at all small.
Most people are “creative” only in the avenues society allows them. Almost all new writers gravitate towards traditional genres. True genius lies in making a genre yourself like Tolkien or George Lucas did.
I waited quite a while before I watched this video. When I was a teenager in the 1980s, I commissioned a chainsaw sculpture of Smaug. I still have it. Your analysis is well reasoned but it is also somewhat limited (though, as always, well researched and very entertaining). I see Smaug as more of a tragic figure; he is a representation of the end of an evolutionary thread that had to play its way out for the Fourth Age to emerge. He just doesn't belong in the world anymore. When faced with that realization, one can either be arrogant and brazen or lost and terrified. I would choose arrogant and brazen, too. As a teenager, I believed Smaug deserved better than what Tolkien created for him ... and I still do. He's not a greedy self-centered adolescent. He's the last of his kind (or very close to it) without a mate, family, friends, or a future. He is the end of a species.
Your assessment of age can’t be correct. Smaug’s scales were fully hardened at the time of his attack on Dale and The Lonely Mountain. Girion hit him with a black arrow, but did not pierce him. He only managed to loosen a single scale and leave an opening for Bard to exploit many years later.
I found this to be a very interesting talk on Smaug the dragon. I read my Mum's copy of the Hobbit a few years ago and found him to be a very scary character and felt worried for Bilbo during their meeting
Dragons are like lizards in a way . Lizards Love to be warm . Lizard Pets must have a heated plate or rock to lie on . Lizards LOVE to do this . Dragons are like that with Gold.
It's so interesting to look at characters so mysterious, I love how little Tolkien described characters history, it let's fans theorize and no matter how you interpret it's clearly opinions and keeps the discussion going. I wouldn't mind a video based on all the named dragons, Tolkien's dragons seem to be the most inspiration taken for dungeons and dragons dragons, except I don't believe Tolkien ever had a good dragon, because they're creatures of darkness.
Rainbow Dave: I’m sure you already know this but at 6:51 you *rolled* your “R” … *CONGRATULATIONS* 🎉 on that & hitting 100k subs! Also, another excellent video; thank you Sir!
An alternate take on *Gostir*, it translates to Dread-Glance, Dragon-Name. Is it possible that it is the Elven term for 'Dragon-Name,' as the term Dragon-Name is hyphenated and Dragon is not in the possessive.
I wonder at what point the dragons started caring about amassing treasure to sit on, it’s been awhile but I don’t recall the first age dragons being that way
Again, welcome back brother! I must say, you sound almost disappointed that Smaug didn't reach his full potential! 🤣😂 I need to read Tolkien's book of letters. I feel like I'm missing out on sooo much material! Can't wait for your next video! Live long and Prosper brother! 🖖😁🤘🇨🇦
If Smaug, as an adolescent, easily conquered an entire dwarven people in their fortified mountain (by himself) I think it also really speaks to how powerful a fully grown dragon would be.
Regarding his potential, I think that might be part of the point. Dragons represent greed and pride. They seem to have no real desire to rule, or conquer beyond acquiring a horde. Once done they are bound to it for fear of losing it.
Great video as always!
It could be argued that the only reason Smaug was able to conquer the Dwarves in their fortified hold was BECAUSE he was an adolescent dragon, small enough still to squeeze his way into their tunnels and route them. Perhaps a fully grown drake would have found itself merely stuck on the outside, unable to penetrate the mighty fortress of Durin's folk.
That argument would probably hold up about as well against scrutiny as the great stone fortifications would against a full-grown and irate dragon deadset on aquiring a shiny new horde, but I figured it was at least some food for thought.
Your point certainly holds true.
Great points!
It's definitely more of a frightening creature if it snuck into their tunnels young, hunted them and devoured them at first stealthily and incrementally to eventually become a massive old tyrant over their desolated kingdom and treasure. I am a fan of Tolkien since childhood but i never imagined Smaug that way or associated the name with that idea, but you know, it makes sense. It even gives his pride and greed and the dwarves passion a greater pathos.
Kinda sucks that he gets one shot by a mystical arrow (not even made to specifically kill dragons in the original story), a bit anticlimactic but it does suit the theme that for all his might and tyranny Smaug was laid low by the humblest and unexpected of things.
Good thing we have Glaurung's more colorful history as comparison to how much damage a dragon could have done.
Maybe not...
Dragons are not "wonder-weapon" (nothing is), yes, they are extremely powerful, but still can be killed and were killed by elves. There is counter for every threat, some anti-dragon weapons and tactics to utilize them effectively. We don't have the details, but probably the ancient elves knew how to deal with dragons. To support this idea: Morgoth never used dragons as some ultimate weapon, like "release the dragon and watch him lay waste to the enemy", no, dragons were always supported by other monsters, orcs etc. They were more akin to tanks, then to atom bomb: great weapon, but only as long as it's part of an army and used in the right way.
The main problem of the Dwarves of The Lonely Mountain was that they had no idea how to counter Smaug and had no time to think about something. Also, their city was indeed fortified, but fortified against human-like enemies, dragon is a very unique and special threat that demands special defenses against and Dwarves had none of those.
Like many reptiles he may also have indeterminate growth which means that he gets bigger the older he gets
Only if he bathed and scrubs in gold to keep any fungal infections or parasites at bay.
@@letsomethingshine as a reptile owner-can confirm. My lizards are only worthy of bathing in gold. (At least in their eyes🙄)
Squeezing through the entrance of his cave like a fat cat through a cat door....
Cranking them out lately! You're adventures into the world of Tolkien are as close to getting more from the source as I've ever come across. Your own creativity and love for his work shine in every video. Thanks for the constant entertainment!! And I love all the artwork you find to share too!!
Your*
Thanks very much! Glad you’re enjoying the channel.
@@tolkienuntangled its clear smaug is young, he's arrogant, impulsive and thinks he is the best, yet he cannot understand his own flaws. i also highly suspect that sauron may have some unseen hand in giving Smaug the very location of the dwarf gates which not in the movie but in the books are hidden to all who look upon them except during the light of the moon, which also included Erabor's main gates and hidden enterences and Sauron very much knew this since he would have tortured such information out of Celebrimbor the Jewel-Shaper when he was captured for his deception of creating the 3 elven rings in secret. it is logical that sauron whispered this knowledge to Smaug which is why Smaug seemed to know of Sauron's growing presence in the darkness. i doubt sauron sent him. this is also probably why Sauron also sent his army to the lonely mountain when they encountered the army of humans and elves and the army of the dwarves Celebrimbor being the legendary Jewel-Shaper also if i remember correctly was the one to create and give the dwarves the magics and knowldge to hide the doors until revealed by the light of the moon using crystalized mithril that looked like normal stone until it was exposed to moonlight.
Agreed.
@@the4thamigolm
Smaug, to me, was the best thing about the Hobbit trilogy. Benedict played him wonderfully..... Glad you're back on your weekly schedule 😊.
Absolutely awesome and terrifying!
Benedict was amazing in his role. As usual
The Hobbit as a trilogy was entirely a Jackson thing, and not a very good thing at that. He created too much that wasn't supposed to be there and other things were drawn out too long. Two maybe? But three was just greed.
@@TCK-9 You realise that was the studio behind it forcing his hand, right?
I really don't find it disappointing to think of Smaug as a young and relatively small dragon. To me, that just makes his conquest of Erebor all the more impressive. It also leaves us with the ability to imagine how things might have gone if Smaug had had greater self-control and bided his time before letting loose on Lake-town. If he had just let that cup go, he could have waited and grown, and possibly become an even greater existential threat than Sauron-I know I'm really speculating there, but that's kind of my point. Part of the magic of Tolkien's stories is the parts of them he _didn't_ tell, and this is just one more corner of the Legendarium where we get to insert our own imaginations.
Him being young and a remnant of the war with the dwarves recontextualizes the occupation of Erebor too. It's not some random cruelty, he's exercising what he sees as his birthright. And then feeling awfully proud of himself for succeeding at that.
Great points!
It just helps us understand the difference between the age of Margot h and the third
I love that, you get it. It's like music, the negative space is just as, or more important as anything else (as it gives us rhythm). He was a master of mystery. I still wonder what would happen if smaug ate Bilbo ring and all. Very curious how that would play out.
@willdemi5618 not being silly, but if that had happened, after digestion, Smaug would have the one ring 😉
I love the idea of Smaug as the young scion of an ancient immortal race, desperate to live up to the standards of his ancestors but ultimately limited by his own pride and the diminishing of Middle-earth. He's almost like the Elves when you frame it that way, only without the final refuge of Valinor to absolve his fears.
He may have also been corrupted by the 7th Dwarven ring of power’s augmenting a Dwarf’s greed and reverberated into the ArchenStone HeartOfMountain it’s evil Sauronic influenced tainting may have corrupted Thorin when he was near Bilbo (who was hiding the ArchenStone in his coat/persons).
Smaug was always my favorite villain in Middle Earth, as, despite being a giant dragon, his personality is the most “realistic” of ME villains. He doesn’t come off as a barbaric high fantasy monster or Dark Lord. Smaug just comes off as a real world psychopath in a Wyrm’s body. He’s cruel, greedy, petty, vein, and enjoys playing with his victims. His dialogue is flowery and more like a comic book villain than a high fantasy one. He just seems different than most characters from the franchise.
He’s also one of the few big bads to have a (somewhat) realistic motivation. He’s obsessed with money and being wealthy, and due to his species natural power he understandably view’s humility as a punchline.
Smaug’s name is so fitting considering how smug he is.
I do love dragons. Tolkiens in particular are just so incredibly epic and terrifying. Smaug is the one thing the hobbit movies have going for them. Great video Rainbow Dave!
Thanks!
A Dragon is never “full grown”: he grows as he eats. The more he eats, the bigger it gets. Smaug ate lots of Dwarves when he got to Erebor, so he must have grown a bit while he slept for the following decades.
Not just Dwarves but Humans as well.
I agree he was young not only based off of what he said but there was fine details in the Hobbit movie. When he invaded he broke the gates down and waltzed in and his talons were a bit bigger than a dwarf. Then later on when he's older and bigger and he is covered in gold. He is too big to use the gate and breaks over half of entrance to get out because his size has almost quadrupled.
I know Smaug is evil - but when I first encountered him in 1963, aged 8, I rather liked him, even though I didn't want him to win. Then aged 15 I discovered Chrysophylax, whom I thought was wonderful - and I thoroughly approved of good master Aegidius not being too greedy - and also being soft-hearted enough to let him go at the end.
I never had any doubt that Smaug and Chrysophylax were related - their vanity was wonderful!😄😍
I think you're right, Smaug is not ancient. As such, he must have a mother who may very well be alive in the north. But I don't imagine that there's any strong family ties between Tolkien dragons, so I doubt Smaug's relatives (if he had any) would come to avenge him. His mother may have simply laid eggs and left them to themselves, much like irl serpents, and couldn't care less what happened to her offspring.
I always imagined smaug was like the dragon equivalent of aragorn. The last dying embers of genetic magnificence. His mother and siblings may be jus regular cold drakes and he got the genetic lottery.
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So Smaug was the last WINGED, FIRE BREATHING dragon.
Meaning there can be unwinged dragons, similar to their "old man" (Glaurung) and non fire breathing ones, like the Ice drake that caused Thorin's bloodline so much grief befor Smaug.
Smaug is known as "The Last of the Great Fire Drakes". But the word Last can also be interpreted as the finale, the apex, or the zenith -- the endgame of a goal.
This is my theory: since he was hatched around the time of a Dwarven-Dragon war, could it be that he had been bred by the dragons to ba an end-all, be-all, super-dragon? Given that dragons and dwarves are both capable of living for centuries I don't think it's that far-feched. He was able to purge the Lonely Mountain of it's inhabitants as a still pretty young dragon, one whose scales by his own admission were still soft, which I think speaks volumes about his power.
In this light, Smaug was conceived for a war that ended before he could take any real part in it. He feels cheated from the glory and infamy and treasures he should've gotten had the war continued. So when he hears the dwarf survivors and their descendants have struck prosperity under the Lonely Mountain, he sets off to finish the fight and claim the "birthright" he believes he deserves. He succeeds in doing so, and wastes the rest of his days basking in his achievement, only to be cut down in the prime of his life by his own arrogance.
Again, this is just my own crackpot theory and I don't really have any hard evidence to back it up, but I think it adds another layer to the Tragedy of Smaug.
there is no lines that smaug was the last dragon, the oppesit, Gandalf states that "there is no dragon alive today with the heat or fire to destroy the one ring" directly saying there is dragons, just not with a big firecapasity
I love how you call him a “mean spirited bully.” I think you somed it up perfectly, the dragon is pretty much a temperamental teenager! I love the process you went through, thanks for the great video about one of literature’s most terrifying dragons! And angry, self centered teenager or not I’m sure we can all agree that it’s a good thing he wasn’t around for the War of the Ring!
i WOULD'VE LiKED TO SEE iF HE WAZ AROUND 4 THE WAR ACTUALLY
[NOT YELLiNG, JUZT LiKE TYPiNG iN CAPZ]
A great start to a good day. I love dragons. Smaug is quite a fascinating one. Thank you for your hard work, Dave. I look forward to the next one.
Incredible video as always. It’s reassuring to know others are as obsessed with Tolkien as I am. Love the deep diving and joy in your voice when reading the script. It’s always great hearing you speak with such passion and elation.
Be well and may the seas be good to you friend.
Thanks very much!
Thank you for the quick turnaround on the last couple of videos! It saves me from experiencing withdrawal symptoms until my next RD Tolkien lore fix 😅 I am so excited for the Children of Hurin series!! This was super interesting and entertaining,your content just makes me feel good and wholesome and intellectually stimulated.
Big love to you, Dave 🌈
This is a great video because it fleshes out Smaug in a way I had never thought of before. These perspectives change the way I read the stories.
Seems across all fantasy the weakness of dragons, regardless age, is Arrogance. IMO that’s not a good indicator of age. If anything it gets worse with age
New subscriber... and Tolkien fan since the 1980s. This is the best assessment of Smaug I've seen... and I completely agree with Tolkien's own suggestion of the continued existence of dragons... today we call them billionaires and capitalists, and the vast majority of them resemble Smaug greatly in psychology.
When I read The Hobbit, that was about 20 years ago, I got the impression that Smaug was a young dragon and not an ancient one. I also remember either by mention or implication that he was the last dragon. The problem with Tolkien was that he kept changing things. If he had today's technology with computers he would have been able to revisit his past writings and revise them. BUT, in my "book" whatever is published as a book by the author that is canonical. Letters and what have you, dont count. Unless it was a specific addendum.
I think he was the last dragon to be able to destroy the rings of power not sure about the one ring tho
I love and appreciate your Tolkien content so much. This was a wonderful dive into Smaug. I remember when I was a young child reading Smaug's character as young and impetuous.
So a cute Baby dragon came to the lonely Mountain and the Dwarfs: Awwwwww🥰🥰🥰🥰
"Can we keep him???? PLEASE!!!"
Still one of my favorite characters in the legendarium, actually. I also like Darth Vader 🤷♀And also the one character I really enjoyed in the abominable Hobbit movies.
I know that's not what "young" means in this case, but I kinda like the idea of a two or three metre long, small Smaug creeping through Erebor's hallways silently, stealthily picking on one dwarf after another, like some sort of retilian Xenomorph.
I've always considered smaug young and boastful. He became his own undoing
It’s interesting to think of a scenario where Bilbo had actually befriended the dragon instead of threatening to kill him. What a boon that would have been. A missed opportunity in my opinion.
I wish we got to see something like Smaug facing off against Durins Bane. Imagine if Smaug coveted the mithril in Moria and disturbed the Balrog upon arrival.
This was a great take on the character! It very much speaks to how Smaug’s actions show a lack of perceiving any sort of bigger picture. A perception that generally accompanies deathless beings, even those with evil designs, who have passed through the annals of time. Smaug is reckless and almost like a spoiled young adult in demeanor.
Out of curiosity Dave, do you have any thoughts on his design becoming more Wyvern like in the PJ films? While I think his features overall were great, it was the only thing that took me out of the character design.
What did smaug eat while guarding the treasure in the lonely mountain? I've always wondered that
Smaug's actual parents were two Kaiju's. Godzilla & Rodan had a brief affair and laid an egg. They later sent him to a prestigious boarding school. 😅
you should do a video about the physical appearance of the silmarillion characters(or any tolkien characters), descriptions are hard to find
02:06 “If we’re willing to go all the way down the HOBBIT HOLE”
😅
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Great video and I really like the artwork too! I did not see the Hobbit movies, but one of my favourite parts of the book is the conversation Bilbo has with Smaug. 🐉
Imo it makes perfect sense and I like the idea more, that he is a bratty young drake the way he behaves like a arrogant teenie, because of how proud he is that he conquered the whole of the mountain by himself at relatively speaking very young age.
I never thought he was ancient, that "young and tender" line pretty much told me all I needed to know
As you are a dragon yourself, you obviously have more insight re Smaug than those of us who are human or elf. Or Ent lol
Although you don’t say it exactly, as a psychologist, I will say it: he’s a typical teenager. I recognize that such a term can be strictly tied to one’s years alive as just in the teens, there is an identity of teenager ms that fits Smaug’s personality to a tee: he has a fully grown body, believes he is both omnipotent and omniscient, but his downfall is that he is neither and cannot yet see it.
Big question. I’ve been working my way through your absolute treasure of archived videos and am enamored by your depth of knowledge, story telling ability, and well crafted videos. Thank you! But, my question is this: what is the meaning of your sign off? Something akin to Naviah Melanien. Because neither me nor RUclips’s auto closed captioning can spell, all of the Elvish translators I have found have let me down on the translation.
Thanks for help with that sign off and this erudite conjecturing on Smaug’s age and how it helps understand him.
Very interesting thoughts.
At the end of each video I say ‘navaer melyn nin’, which is Sindarin for ‘farewell my friends’.
This is interesting considering it's Morgoth's spirit which animates and compels his creations to act the way they do. Says a lot about the guy...
He did always feel like a spoiled child who was always told whatever he wanted to hear, to a point where he believed it himself
Smaug admits in the story that when he took the lonely mountain he was young
Interesting theory: the description of a mean spirited bully, greedy, boastful, impulsive, vain, curious, and arrogant describes dwarves at their worst. What if Smaug is one of the Dwarven Kings who took a ring of power and this is the result when it accentuate all the evil tendencies of dwarves?
I imagine Smaug grew up hearing stories of the dragons of the grey mountains and þought "I can do that too!"
Love the video. As a young dragon, tremendous physical strength, but ego unchecked by intelligence and wisdom of an ancient dragon. A beautifully flawed villan.
Amazing analysis, I'm complete sold! :)
Thank you Dave
BTW, congrats on the 100K subs! IMHO you deserve so much more
Thank you very much!
I always figured Smaug was so arrogant bc he succeeded where Glaurung failed, his debut. It seems to be a common theme among dragons that they become overconfident and impatient while waiting to mature and want to prove themselves by endeavoring to conquer whatever nearby free peoples or gold (often both) is nearby.
Today is the only time I can recall that a day was made brighter by a bit of smaug in the air. 🤓 Thank you!
In some stories about dragons....they can be asexual creatures...not requiring a partner for conception
This is the most amazingly well researched video that perhaps I've ever seen. Amazing!
Looking back, I think Tolkien's line about "rich folk that have more than they can enjoy" had a disproportionate impact on the social attitudes that I developed while growing up.
Yeh there definitely comes a point when you have to say 'there is no more enjoyment to be had from your wealth except the wealth itself'.
On a more practical level I think it's absurd that the tax rate stops at around 50% and that the super wealthy have legal means to drop the amount.
It my opinion, there comes a point where there can be no argument that the person earned that income through any personal achievements (basically no matter how smart, lucky, creative, hard working etc. etc. you're not worth 1000's of times more than a blue collar worker) and that amount of money can't be used personally and is simply going to be used for investments which make it harder for others to succeed (investing in shares, gold, property, jewellery, cars, art etc. simply drives up the price of those items putting them further out of reach of normal people).
Personally I think the tax rate should increase to 99% and it should be based on the previous years taxable income and the proceeding years expected expenditure.
since there is vauge how old Smaug was i find it atleast possible that he is one of the dragons that did consume or destroy one of the dwarven rings of power. He is surly from that region...he claims he is young when he takes erebor so no he is not ancient but im willing to stretch a "young" dragons lifespan atleast a couple of hundred of years...but no he is not from the first age.
Your British accent makes your videos even more inmersive, pal!
Brilliant video, Dave!
Thanks for changing my head canon about the fire dragon's extinction in middle-earth.
I prefer a fourth age with dragons!
Near the beginning it sounds like you call him Smaug: The Cheapest of Calamities. As threatening titles go it leaves a wee bit to be desired.
I think cold drake means they can't breath anything and just got strength and the like. Meanwhile Smaug is one of if not the last dragon able to use his dragon breath.
These videos are like my own LOTR movie series to scratch that itch that I’ve wanted since I first read the books as a kid. Congrats!!
I think the interpretation as Smaug being a failed player in the series is really cool. I wonder if there are any ties to Gandalf pulling strings to get that even to happen to avoid Smaug helping Sauron
Yes. It is stated by Gandalf that he fears the two joining forces.
Gandalf's main motivation for helping the dwarves get the mountain back is to ensure that Smaug gets dealt with before he becomes a potential real problem later on down the line.
Gandalf is well aware of the origin of dragons and what they're designed for, and he was removing the potentially most powerful player in the game before said game even started.
I thought Morgoth couldn't truly create life because he didn't have the flame imperishable, so his dragons were basically just vessels filled with dark spirits. How could dragons reproduce if they're not actually alive?
The passion of this guy explaining ❤
Cranking out videos!!!!! The GOAT!!
Meme 1st... Ancalagon The Black: "Smaug the hatchling, Smaug the tiny, Smaug the weak, flee worm - before you become a real wyrm's dinner."
Now that that's out of the way.... IMO the death of Smaug was like the sinking of the German ships carrying heavy water for Hitler's nuclear program - a minimal to moderate threat *now*, stopped *before* it could become a city destroying threat to *everyone* later.
And for the last line, he wasn't thinking of Komodo dragons, but something somewhat larger on a (in his time) unexplored south pacific island. (They still had "Terra Incognita" in his day, although it was shrinking fast)
A lot of artists have issues viewing their works after it was released, having second thoughts about many things they've created and think they should be altered. Tolkien suffered from this phenomenon very much in his later years. In most cases I feel that his original thoughts as have been put onto the page in his main works: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion(yes, I know it was published after his death, however very much written by him) are actually much better than the various retcons we see in other works like in the Unfinished Tales, Peoples of Middle Earth or his various letters. There is beauty in imperfection and I feel that towards the end of his life Tolkien tried to 'fix' parts of his work that he didn't like and fell into the trap of 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'.
Smaug is a great example of this. Being the last of his kind makes his story that much more powerful and meaningful. Whereas having dragons continue to exist like before even though the entire world changed, being the first age of men(the fourth age) where magic has almost completely gone from middle earth, feel incredibly awkward, weak and inconsistent. Perhaps other dragons, like the cold and lizard(non flying) dragons still exist but when it comes to the fire breathers, Smaug was a fitting end to their kind. It's sad, yes, but Tolkien's stories are full of sadness. It's part of what makes them so powerful and beloved. It's what mortality being the gift of men was all about.
One thing I never understood about the dwarves is why they never did much with themselves.
They were industrious, clever, hard working, united (more or less), great smiths, wealthy, resource rich, long life etc. etc.
Why did they not use their amazing resources and wealth to build army destroying weaponry in mass quantities.
They didn't really have internal conflict and they had all these resources sitting around, not to mention their long life spans lending itself to planning ahead.
Why did they not have mountains lined with massive ballista?
Why did they not have handheld auto loading crossbows?
Why did they not have an elite group of soldiers (perhaps of elvish background) equiped with mithril (if enough exists anyway)?
Why did they not have a mercenary army of men on horseback equipped with top quality armour and weaponry?
It's like they just dug this stuff up and said... 'let's not do anything with it or ourselves and wait until some great power swoops in and takes it'.
I bet Smaug and the Balrog would have thought twice about attacking them if there were dozens of ballista firing 100-200kg bolts of f-you, not to mention an impressive mercenary army and elite squad of elves in mithril running around.
They should have been comparable to the numenoreans but more technology advanced.
Yeah I like the idea of smaugs being basically a teenager. it make his death less anti climatic if he not some old terror.
Just to point out-ur last point started out about whether he was the last GREAT dragon(flying or fire breathing, or whatever), but u ended it without making that point, u just ended it by pointing out that he wasn’t the LAST dragon of ALL, which I kinda already mentioned was not the case. Going by what tolkien actually said there, it almost sounds like Smaug WAS the last “great” dragon, which I’m guessing means flying fire drake?
Smaug was childish, lacked wisdom or guile that Glaurung had (could manipulate men, was probably equal to Sauron in power), was probably a teenager (in dragon years) when he attacked the dwarves. Probably grew in the Lonely Mountains... and then was slayed by Bard when he got too cocky. I just felt he lacked the maturity of a full-grown drake... like Ancalagon, who was leading the dragons against the Valar.
Smaug... even his name, appears 'small' and contemptuous for the author, least from my readings. It's like something sneaking in your house and then becoming somewhat of a nuisance... that's Smaug. Bit like a snake or an animal or roach... with the ability to hurt/kill... utter contempt for this character. Even how he is slain, by a man, who spots a weakness of something arrogant, which then falls from the sky.
Sorta like the author brought him back down to earth... flew high enough Smaug... time to crash... with that one single arrow. House is cleaned up once he perishes.
Smaugs "Tunnel & Hole" name could be a reference to Tolkien's love of Beowulf; in particular to the Dragon of that story, being hidden in a tunnel before being awoken by a thief stealing a prized cup!😂 🐉
I now have new head-canon.
It is now my belief that location has to do with what kind of dragon is born. Frosty mountain? Cold drake. Warm, sunny area? Fire dragon.
That being said, I now also believe that the cold drake that killed Thorins great-granddaddy, was Smaugs father. His egg being created after the war. Whilst an egg, he was moved south, where he was born a fire dragon. He might have even been raised with a specific hatred of dwarves, hence why he takes their stronghold, and stays. The last revenge of the dragon war.
He might have even been named for his mission from his father. A reminder of why he exists.
Here's a question with regard to Smaug's size versus his age. Dragons don't stop growing the way humans do (I wish I could remember where I read that to cite it). They grow slowly, but continue growing all through their lives. There's thought that they may eventually grow too big to fly or even move, but that would be truly huge since Ancalagon, despite his enormous size, seems to have been spry enough to be--shall we say--a real nuisance? Regardless, such was the size of Thror's halls it would have been centuries before Smaug got too big for them.
Tolkien states this near the end of Farmer Giles of Ham. Perhaps you read it there.
The ending of dragons would only happen if humans no longer felt greed or pride, fully realised our individual potential and no longer needed them as the symbols they are (Asian dragons wouldn't be included as they represent the expression of vitality and power).
I'm sure Tolkien was well aware of the link between the darker side of human nature and European dragons.
I'm curious what the humans were up to at the time dragons began to thrive in Middle Earth. Probably something bad, while the dwarves were no doubt accumulating hoards.
Fascinating subject for a video - and a hearty congratulations on reaching 100K!! Far overdue if you ask me, and extremely well deserved 🤗
Thanks very much!
Well you just singlehandedly made Smaug a more interesting character if he was that young and small and managed to take a mountain kingdom for himself by squeezing through the passages and as said in the story he also burned the surrounding forest to distract the dwarves on the night of his attack.
Man imagine the horror stories of the dwarves trapped in Erebor with him.
Pretty sure that would match the dwarves that fell to Durin's Bane
19:15 Billionaires today complaining about taxes while working class people can't afford rent and groceries. 🤔🧐
The second to the last paragraph on page 20 of my copy says this:
"...'Five feet high the door and three may walk abreast' say the runes, but Smaug could not creep into a hole that size, not even when he was a young dragon, certainly not after devouring so many of the dwarves and men of Dale."
This is a reference to the secret door in the mountainside and the passage down to the treasure hoard, of course.
It also suggests Smaug was not insignificant in size when he first came to Erebor.
Further reading will reveal this on pages 23 and 24 of my copy:
"...There was a most specially greedy, strong and wicked worm called Smaug. One day he flew up into the air and came south. The first we heard of it was a noise like a hurricane coming from the North, and the pine-trees on the Mountain creaking and cracking in the wind... The river rushed up in steam and a fog fell on Dale, and in the fog the dragon came on them and destroyed most of the warriors..."
This also suggests that Smaug was not at all small.
Most people are “creative” only in the avenues society allows them. Almost all new writers gravitate towards traditional genres. True genius lies in making a genre yourself like Tolkien or George Lucas did.
5:24 One, possibly two. "Lhamthanc" (forked tongue) is mentioned alongside "Gostir," as a "serpent-name."
How underwhelming...a terrible force is, in the final analysis, nothing more than a spoiled punk kid.
So interesting that JRRT might have a theme of the dragons acting up in their youth.
I waited quite a while before I watched this video. When I was a teenager in the 1980s, I commissioned a chainsaw sculpture of Smaug. I still have it. Your analysis is well reasoned but it is also somewhat limited (though, as always, well researched and very entertaining). I see Smaug as more of a tragic figure; he is a representation of the end of an evolutionary thread that had to play its way out for the Fourth Age to emerge. He just doesn't belong in the world anymore. When faced with that realization, one can either be arrogant and brazen or lost and terrified. I would choose arrogant and brazen, too. As a teenager, I believed Smaug deserved better than what Tolkien created for him ... and I still do. He's not a greedy self-centered adolescent. He's the last of his kind (or very close to it) without a mate, family, friends, or a future. He is the end of a species.
Your assessment of age can’t be correct. Smaug’s scales were fully hardened at the time of his attack on Dale and The Lonely Mountain. Girion hit him with a black arrow, but did not pierce him. He only managed to loosen a single scale and leave an opening for Bard to exploit many years later.
I appreciate the honesty and creativity of the analysis. Nice detail.
I don’t remember where I read it, and it’s probably non-canon, but supposedly Urgost was smaugs old man
Gostier sounds so similar to Godzilla lol which one is coming in first? Or the Japanese borrowed from Me Tolkein as well? 🤪
I found this to be a very interesting talk on Smaug the dragon. I read my Mum's copy of the Hobbit a few years ago and found him to be a very scary character and felt worried for Bilbo during their meeting
Dragons are like lizards in a way . Lizards Love to be warm . Lizard Pets must have a heated plate or rock to lie on . Lizards LOVE to do this . Dragons are like that with Gold.
It's so interesting to look at characters so mysterious, I love how little Tolkien described characters history, it let's fans theorize and no matter how you interpret it's clearly opinions and keeps the discussion going. I wouldn't mind a video based on all the named dragons, Tolkien's dragons seem to be the most inspiration taken for dungeons and dragons dragons, except I don't believe Tolkien ever had a good dragon, because they're creatures of darkness.
FYI reptiles have been known to change sex because of environment-lack of males. Take care.
Rainbow Dave, you are a dream. You are what my internal lotr monologue sounds like, personified as your own being. Thank you for doing you
Aww thanks very much!
@@tolkienuntangled I phrased it a bit strange! Just appreciate the lore and ever present clear poetic wisdom 🙏 big love
If read in a correct English way i.e. "au" in Smaug a a long "o", it sounds "Smog", which is close to Polish word for dragon - "smok".
Rainbow Dave: I’m sure you already know this but at 6:51 you *rolled* your “R” … *CONGRATULATIONS* 🎉 on that & hitting 100k subs! Also, another excellent video; thank you Sir!
Thanks very much! Yeah, I seem to have willed myself into half rolling my R’s 😄
An alternate take on *Gostir*, it translates to Dread-Glance, Dragon-Name. Is it possible that it is the Elven term for 'Dragon-Name,' as the term Dragon-Name is hyphenated and Dragon is not in the possessive.
Maybe Smaug was the last of the living great wurms but great wurms can be born of lesser drakes, rarely at any time.
Smaug comes from burning fossil fuels. J.R. was ahead of his time!
I wonder at what point the dragons started caring about amassing treasure to sit on, it’s been awhile but I don’t recall the first age dragons being that way
nice one for smaug.. and congratulations on your 100k buddy!!
Thanks very much!
I thought that Morgoth could only corrupt creatures, because he coveted Eru's ability to do so. If this is true, then what creature did corrupt.
It's 5 am in the morning where I live in Northern California . So I'm having this video with breakfast 😂
I never once thought Smaug was from the First Age so it surprises me that some did, or do think that.
Again, welcome back brother! I must say, you sound almost disappointed that Smaug didn't reach his full potential! 🤣😂 I need to read Tolkien's book of letters. I feel like I'm missing out on sooo much material! Can't wait for your next video! Live long and Prosper brother! 🖖😁🤘🇨🇦
Smugan sounds like smuggle.
Smaug smugglet himself into Mountain 🤣