Quote:
Originally Posted by The Sixth Wizard
There's a few problems in your post Alfrin:
An overly twisted dragon cannot fly all that well (at least not in take-off). I think Smaug was a mix of the two styles, wyvern and lizard.
Water I believe was used more as a fear element and to douse fires on the houses, not against Smaug. Dragon fire must not have been self-renew, because otherwise Beleriand would still be burning!  At least the villagers thought water was a good tool, so it must have helped somewhat.
As for the boats, it is expressly stated that everyone had evacuated via boat, and this is Lake Town we're talking about, boats were how they got around and did business, every family must have had at least one. |
When I said twisted I meant like a snake can coil around on itself in a ring or wrap itslef around a branch; as the body took fligh it would uncoil (much as how a snake when it starts moving uncoils itlsef
By the fire being "self renewing" I meant self renewing
inside the (living) dragon. If something was set on fire by a dragon it could of course be put out; all I meant was that I don't think that if you squirt wather down a dragons throat it keeps him from breathing fire (i.e. you can't put out a dragon's pilot light except by killing the dragon or destroying the organ (whatever it is). Given that I'm not sure why Smaug would be afraid of water (or did you mean something by fear element I'm not getting) Falling into the lake, sure, assuming that Smaug can't swim (he was already mortally wounded when he hit the lake so the question of wether he would have had a problme if he had hit it while still heathy is in my opinon still open. Some snakes can swim so maybe snaky dragons can, too) The only reason I can think of that water might worry Smaug would be that if enough water was sprayed on his belly the gunk/slime that holds the jewels in place might dissolve and his whole belly would again be vulnerable. However the men of Laketown would not know this and so could not have prepared water for this. In fact if the last time anyone saw smaugh was when he sacked Dale (before killing off the dwarves) he may not have had the jewel armor yet (no hoard to make it from)
I concede that smaug might not need tribute food and might destroy esgaroth to the ground and take its gold (though if he was smart he would realize that as long as there are still people there more gold will come in. Destroy everthing and you can sack only once, destroy a little and you can sack again and again) but still he may have to much malice in him to think that far ahead. Likewise I was not aware they said that there boats enough for all so I retract that part.