The source of Dragons

[galadriel'smaiden]

Didn't dragons die out by the third age?
I had read somewhere that had happened. Also, what about in North Wilderland, or the deserts to the south of Middle Earth...couldn't dragons still dwell there? I think it's a distinct possibility left up to the mind by Mr. Tolkein.

[Nimrothiel]

Alright, here's my viewpoint:

Morgoth couldn't create anything by himself, but he and the other Valar/Valier created ME through song with the unknown guidance of Eru. However, Aule created the dwarves, and Yavanna the two trees. Therefore, would Morgoth not have some power to create a form of life? Then too, it is said that when he began his own song to drown out the music of the other Valar/Valier, some voices became attuned to his. Assuming that said voices were Maiar; perhaps he later caused their spirits to inhabit the bodies of the great dragons, and then used some form of genetics to create the lesser dragons. Stem cells, that sort of thing; only he could create a clone with an individual personality and physical characteristics.

[NightKnight]

Morgoth couldn't create anything by himself, but he and the other Valar/Valier created ME through song with the unknown guidance of Eru. However, Aule created the dwarves, and Yavanna the two trees. Therefore, would Morgoth not have some power to create a form of life?

After Aulë created the dwarves, Ilúvatar says something about them not being to move unless he was thinking about them. But then he adopted them and gave them own life. The same might go for Morgoth, but I don't think it applies to the dragons, as they were able to move even after he was thrown out of the world. Another example of the move-when-someone-thinks-about-you thing is at the battle of Morannon. When Sauron discovers Frodo, all his thoughts go there and his servants stop moving.
As for Yavanna, I think plants are a bit different from creatures. Plus the fact that growing plants was her specialty.

[doug*platypus]

Stem cells, that sort of thing

Forgive me for using your example, Nimrothiel, but I have noticed this kind of thing happening all over the Downs, especially on this thread.

It is highly unlikely that dragon reproduction, or anything in the history Middle-Earth, Valinor, Númenor or Tol Eressëa involved something that Tolkien could not possibly have known about!!!

[Nimrothiel]

Just because he didn't know the name for it doesn't mean he couldn't use the general idea. However, I think he would have preferred that Glaurung's origin remain unknown. It just adds to the mystery of his work.
Note: Plants are still life, a dragon is just on a larger scale (no pun intended); okay, an extremely larger scale. Yeah, I got nothin'.