For centuries, dragons have formed part of the myths and legends of countries all over the world. From the legend of Saint George and the Dragon to the numerous dragons of Greek mythology and the depictions of dragons in Chinese folklore and culture. The nature of dragons means that they are extremely popular in modern entertainment. The movie industry has used dragons in action-adventure films since The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad in 1958. And the mythical creatures have once again become popular with the dragons Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion, which were raised by Daenerys and sent to battle in the hit TV show Game of Thrones.
In 2020, the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons had its best year ever in terms of sales, highlighting the huge popularity of dragons in the entertainment industry. The products and services of companies from other entertainment sectors can also benefit from being associated with dragons. For example, the iGaming industry has capitalized on the renewed popularity of dragons to create the innovative Dragon Jackpot roulette, which is a variation of roulette online that features a golden Chinese dragon to announce the Dragon Bonus game. Clearly, the huge popularity of dragons has contributed to the success of this roulette variation.
Dragons in TV shows and movies
The word dragon has origins in Latin (draconem) and Greek (drakon) which also translate as serpent or giant seafish. The lack of a precise definition means that writers and moviemakers can use all of their imagination in the creation of fearsome beasts. Dragons appear in many forms and this was certainly the case in the Star Wars spinoff, The Mandalorian, which follows the life of the eponymous bounty hunter. The series saw a completely different portrayal of the krayt dragons, which were reimagined as much larger and more powerful than in previous iterations.
The movie industry has always been creative in its portrayal of dragons. Monster Hunter, the 2020 release written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson and starring Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa, and Clifford “T. I.” Harris, featured a series of monsters, including a black dragon known as the Gore Magala,
Dragons in literature
J. R. R. Tolkien’s novels are probably the most well-known portrayals of dragons in literature and he used his creativity to devise many types of dragons. His 1937 novel The Hobbit featured the main protagonist, the Smaug, a fearsome dragon that used fire, gust, and body mass to wreak havoc as he warns: “My teeth are swords. My claws are spears. My wings are a HURRICANE!”
Tolkien based Smaug on Fafnir, a dragon of Norse mythology, and dragons were always a source of inspiration for him: “I desired dragons with a profound desire. Of course, I in my timid body did not wish to have them in the neighborhood. But the world that contained even the imagination of Fafnir was richer and more beautiful, at whatever cost of peril.” His 1954 epic novel The Lord of the Rings featured dragons such as Glaurung, the fire-breathing dragon, the winged dragon Ancalagon the Black, and Scatha, which is a type of long worm. Dragons are popular again thanks to the boom in fantasy movies. These fearsome creatures have a long history as part of the myths and legends of countries around the world and in literature. They are a constant source of inspiration for filmmakers looking for gruesome monsters as part of action-adventure storylines.
