.png){kind=logo}
Image via New Line Cinema
Sign in to your Collider account
Author J. R. R. Tolkien wrote an enormous mythology known collectively as "Middle-Earth," in which Tolkien invented languages, and spent a significant portion of his life writing about mythology, legends, and thousands upon thousands of years of history for his fictional universe. But this is a fantasy universe, so this means there's so much more than just people walking the surface of Arda. Indeed, there are elves, dwarves, and even darker beasts that crawl in the shadows and hunt the forces of good. Among these beings are the dragons. Dragons are quite rare in Middle-Earth, and only four have been named in the mythology.
Yet, each of these dragons has met a pretty grisly demise, having been slain by a select few individuals throughout the history. Obviously, killing these creatures is no easy task, and their rarity makes them sort of important in the legends. From troubled heroes to warriors of legendary prowess, the following is a list of every figure in Middle-Earth, living or dead, who was able to slay a dragon.
4 Túrin Turambar
Killed Glaurung in FA 499
Image via Ted Nasmith/HarperCollinsThe first known dragon slayer in Middle-Earth is a figure known as Túrin Turambar, a human of the Edain. Born in Dor-lómin, Túrin became famous for being one of the greatest heroes of the First Age, and for being the first human to ever kill a dragon. The dragon in question was Glaurung, one of, if not the oldest dragon in Arda. Glaurung was more of a long-worm than a dragon, as he didn't actually have any wings. Glaurung wreaked havoc on the free peoples of Middle-Earth throughout the First Age, eventually burning the forest of Brethil to a crisp.
Túrin, along with two others, set out to ambush Glaurung at the gorge known as Cabed-en-Aras. One of Túrin's companions was unknowingly slain by Glaurung after his movements dislodged a massive boulder, which toppled into the ravine, crushing the man. Túrin, enraged, took his famous black sword, Gurthang, and climbed the ravine, stabbing Glaurung straight in the belly. However, Glaurung sort of got the last laugh, because his blood actually burned Túrin, knocking him unconscious. Still, Túrin survived (although not much later by his own hand), and would later be immortalized in the legends of Middle-Earth for his heroic deeds.
3 Eärendil
Killed Ancalagon the Black in FA 510
Eärendil is a half-elf, meaning his parentage is a mix of the Edain humans and the Ñoldor elves. Due to his lineage, he was able to choose between mortality and immortality, a rare privilege granted to very few. He chose immortality, embracing his elven side. He is more than just a figure of legend, however. He is also the one who slew Morgoth's greatest and most calamitous dragon, Ancalagon the Black, an immense reptile of unfathomable size. During the War of Wrath, Eärendil sailed on the ship Vingilot alongside Thorondor and the rest of the Great Eagles. They faced off against Ancalagon, in a confrontation that would ultimately lead to the dragon's demise.
It's not super clear how exactly it happened, but what is known is that Eärendil struck down Ancalagon the Black during the battle. Ancalagon was so large that when he fell from the sky, he landed on top of the volcano Thangorodrim, completely flattening it. This would be one of the many events that would destabilize the continent of Beleriand, later sinking it into the sea. Eärendil survived for many thousands of years, embracing his immortality, but being sent to guard the Sun and Moon in the sky. Notably, he is also the father of Elrond Half-elven, who is played by Hugo Weaving in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Eärendil is practically a household name in the culture of the elves, one that comes up a lot in the movies, as well.
2 Fram, Son of Frumgar
Killed Scatha in TA 2000
Image via Warner Bros. "Fram" might be a bit of a silly-sounding name, but his deeds are not ones to be ignored. Fram, Son of Frumgar, was a human of the Éothéod, a race which would later come to be known as the Rohirrim. He belonged to the House of Eorl, from which the modern kings of Rohan are descended, making him a distant relative of King Théoden (Bernard Hill). Fram's life isn't heavily elaborated on, or at least not as much as the previous entries on this list, but he did earn a place in the history books for the fact that he killed Scatha, a long-worm who spent much of his time hiding in the Grey Mountains, North of Mirkwood.
While the circumstances surrounding the slaying are unknown, it has been stated that Fram killed Scatha and claiming the dragon's treasure hoard. This spawned a conflict with the dwarves who lived in the mountains, as the gold once belonged to them. Fram's fate thereafter is uncertain, but it is believed by many that the dwarves may have killed him. Scatha is a dragon who isn't written about very much, but it's still pretty clear that Fram is a testament to the undying spirit and strength of the Rohirrim.
1 Bard the Bowman
Killed Smaug the Terrible in TA 2941
Image via New Line CinemaBard the Bowman (Luke Evans) is the only dragon slayer in Middle-Earth to actually appear on screen thus far. A human from Esgaroth, also known as Lake-Town, he was renowned for being one of the finest archers of the Third Age. He is also the most recent dragon slayer, famously bringing an end to the reign of Smaug the Terrible, a firedrake from the North. Smaug attained his title due to how he destroyed the dwarven kingdom of Erebor, taking up residence under the Lonely Mountain and driving the dwarves out into the wild. This is where the events of The Hobbit trilogy come in, where a hobbit is whisked away by a wizard and 13 dwarves on a quest to reclaim Erebor and slay the dragon.
The one who actually slays the dragon is not one of the party at all, but Bard, a friendly Lake-Towner who meets the companions as they enter Esgaroth. After Smaug unleashes Hell on Esgaroth, burning the town to the ground (or... water?), Bard grabs a mythical black arrow, one of the only things that can pierce Smaug's mighty armour. In one shot, he looses the arrow straight into a weak point in Smaug's scales, with the arrow hitting the beast's heart, ending his life instantly. Smaug crashed to the lake below, where his corpse sank into the Long Lake. Bard stands as a typical Tolkien story of heroism in the most unassuming of places, as Bard typically made his living as a boatman, not as an archer, despite his immense skill.
English (US) ·