Anybody for Dragon Chow? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Gurthang · 11-22-2004, 10:13 AM

So then, what did they eat? They probably hybernated like dragons would have, but they would still need energy to function. In the case of Durin's Bane, it would only have had orcs to eat. Unless it ate rocks.

Also, it would seem to me that they would need a lot of energy to produce their clothing of fire. They weren't burning themselves, so they had to be emitting a flamable sustance from their bodies. Continually producing any substance takes enormous quantities of energy, so it would make sense that they had to consume a lot because they burned off a lot.

Bêthberry · 11-22-2004, 11:14 AM

I suggest carbohydrates, which, in humans at least, produce gas, which, in condensed and high quantities, is highly combustible. I bet they 'bulk up' before they flame up.

Lalwendë · 11-22-2004, 01:17 PM

I imagine a Dragon to be quite like a cat; sleeping for 20 hours a day, occasionally waking up and letting fly in a great spurt of fury and rage, charging about the place with its Dragon tail fluffed up angrily. Every so often he might eat a few fair maidens or foolish knights in armour, and maybe enjoy the odd turn at despoiling the local landscape.

Although:

Quote:

I suggest carbohydrates, which, in humans at least, produce gas, which, in condensed and high quantities, is highly combustible. I bet they 'bulk up' before they flame up.

Now I can't get the idea of some fantastical reptile 'Thunderpants' out of my mind.

Balrogs maybe would consume the souls of orcs

obloquy · 11-22-2004, 03:21 PM

Balrogs were spirits of fire. The fire they produced is to be considered metaphysical and thus not a product of physical combustion.

Selmo · 11-23-2004, 04:33 AM

Didn't Bilbo observe a faint glow around the sleeping Smaug?

I think this gives us a clue about dragon energy sources. The glow was from burning hydrogen.
Dragon wings are too small to lift their great bulk. In order to fly, dragons must be lighter-than-air creatures. The gas that provided the flame in the early, non-flying dragons also provided the flight capabilities in the later, more evolved, Great Dragons. The slow combustion of hydrogen via a catalyst would also provide energy for metabolism.
The hydrogen is generated in one of the dragon's multiple stomachs by the action of gastric acids on certain minerals, so, apart from rare forays to obtain protiens and vitamins, dragons eat rocks.

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Rimbaud · 11-23-2004, 04:40 AM

But I'll post anyway. On the dietary habits of fictional creatures. :/

I had always thought of dragons as snake-like, having a very slow digestive process, that allowed them to last for a considerable period on one meal. Multiply this by the vast life-span of a dragon, and a hugely sedentary/hibernatory lifestyle, and it only requires one set of pillaging and festing every so often to be more than enough. Add to this the occasional unwise forays of treasure-seekers, and you had a fairly robust diet, for a slow-lived creature.

Balrogs, on the other hand, had to eat plenty, to support those huge, somewhat redundant, wings. The clue is given later in the book - shadows and dust. So think of a Balrog as like a modern Dyson, with a little more flame.

Mithalwen · 11-23-2004, 02:47 PM

Actually this relates to a question I have pondered from time to time, could you starve an elf to death (don't try this at home children)? I mean I know they can be slain (although it takes more to kill an elf than a man) and die of grief but surely at some point their bodies must give out? Or could Maedhros have stayed on that rock forever? I know Legolas received all the sustenance he needed from Lembas and was less affected by other physical hardships but is the hardiness of the elves relative or absolute?

11-22-2004, 10:13 AM	#1
Gurthang Sword of Spirit Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Oh, I'm around. Posts: 1,401	So then, what did they eat? They probably hybernated like dragons would have, but they would still need energy to function. In the case of Durin's Bane, it would only have had orcs to eat. Unless it ate rocks. Also, it would seem to me that they would need a lot of energy to produce their clothing of fire. They weren't burning themselves, so they had to be emitting a flamable sustance from their bodies. Continually producing any substance takes enormous quantities of energy, so it would make sense that they had to consume a lot because they burned off a lot. __________________ I'm on a Mission from God.

11-22-2004, 11:14 AM	#2
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 6,003	I suggest carbohydrates, which, in humans at least, produce gas, which, in condensed and high quantities, is highly combustible. I bet they 'bulk up' before they flame up. __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.

11-23-2004, 04:40 AM	#6
Rimbaud The Perilous Poet Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Heart of the matter Posts: 1,062	This is a very silly topic But I'll post anyway. On the dietary habits of fictional creatures. :/ I had always thought of dragons as snake-like, having a very slow digestive process, that allowed them to last for a considerable period on one meal. Multiply this by the vast life-span of a dragon, and a hugely sedentary/hibernatory lifestyle, and it only requires one set of pillaging and festing every so often to be more than enough. Add to this the occasional unwise forays of treasure-seekers, and you had a fairly robust diet, for a slow-lived creature. Balrogs, on the other hand, had to eat plenty, to support those huge, somewhat redundant, wings. The clue is given later in the book - shadows and dust. So think of a Balrog as like a modern Dyson, with a little more flame. __________________ And all the rest is literature Last edited by Rimbaud; 11-30-2004 at 10:50 AM.

11-23-2004, 02:47 PM	#7
Mithalwen Pilgrim Soul Join Date: May 2004 Location: watching the wonga-wonga birds circle... Posts: 9,461	Actually this relates to a question I have pondered from time to time, could you starve an elf to death (don't try this at home children)? I mean I know they can be slain (although it takes more to kill an elf than a man) and die of grief but surely at some point their bodies must give out? Or could Maedhros have stayed on that rock forever? I know Legolas received all the sustenance he needed from Lembas and was less affected by other physical hardships but is the hardiness of the elves relative or absolute? __________________ “But Finrod walks with Finarfin his father beneath the trees in Eldamar.” Christopher Tolkien, Requiescat in pace

11-22-2004, 03:21 PM	#4
obloquy Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: WA Posts: 941	Balrogs were spirits of fire. The fire they produced is to be considered metaphysical and thus not a product of physical combustion.

11-23-2004, 04:33 AM	#5
Selmo Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: The Shire (Staffordshire), United Kingdom Posts: 273	Didn't Bilbo observe a faint glow around the sleeping Smaug? I think this gives us a clue about dragon energy sources. The glow was from burning hydrogen. Dragon wings are too small to lift their great bulk. In order to fly, dragons must be lighter-than-air creatures. The gas that provided the flame in the early, non-flying dragons also provided the flight capabilities in the later, more evolved, Great Dragons. The slow combustion of hydrogen via a catalyst would also provide energy for metabolism. The hydrogen is generated in one of the dragon's multiple stomachs by the action of gastric acids on certain minerals, so, apart from rare forays to obtain protiens and vitamins, dragons eat rocks. .