Here Be Dragons

Dragons are interesting creatures when it comes to anthropomorphic fiction. Really, of all the anthro beasts available, dragons are perhaps one of the most common to see in fiction, even if those stories have no other talking animals outside of the dragon. They hold a ready spot in fantasy and fairy tales and are easily accepted as sages, monsters, and even sidekicks to the heroes. In rare instances, they even get to be heroes themselves! If anyone would like to see probably the best and most renowned book series with dragon characters, you don’t need to look any further than the “Dragonriders of Pern” series by Anne McAffrey.

However, and this may seem like an odd question, but: What exactly IS an anthropomorphic dragon?

I don’t think there’s any doubt that dragons are highly anthropomorphized. They’re known for telling riddles, hoarding treasure, and kidnapping beautiful women. Even at their most monstrous, dragons are still considered beasts under the domain of good or evil. It’s extremely rare for a dragon in literature to be treated like wild cattle, without any real rhyme or reason for what it does. With that in mind, though, there are also clearly different ‘levels’ of anthropomorphic dragons.

In recent years, the Dungeons and Dragons franchise has popularized a race called ‘Dragonborn’, who are basically wingless human-dragon hybrids. They look like the dragons in that universe, having scale patterns and most facial features to match, but they’re also still clearly human-like by standing upright and with plantigrade feet. They speak and move not unlike humans do and are regarded as odd in that universe, but not unheard of. Despite the name given, I think we could easily get away with calling this race an anthropomorphic dragon race.

Definitely an awesome race, but I wish they didn't always look so angry...

Then there are the more direct anthro dragons, seen less in every day literature and much more in proper furry literature. These dragons are essentially like D&D’s Dragonborn race, but they have wings, tails of varying lengths, and usually look a little less monstrous by design. Of course, they stand upright and have hands designed for manipulating objects, and their height varies. While these dragons ARE uncommon to see in everyday media, they’re still around in some places. One of my most favorite examples is Llewellyn, from the Ozy & Millie comic strip, and Lazarus, a dragon from SEGA’s Shining Wind series. When it comes to purely written and published works, however, I’m afraid I can’t think of any off the top of my head.

The real question here is: who's playing black?

When we look at these characters, I’m wondering, is it fair to call them ‘anthro’ dragons? Dragons are already plenty anthropomorphized in terms of speech and personality, and all these types of characters are adding to the human element is an opportunity for them to wear more clothes. I’ve seen some folks calling these types of characters ‘dragonkin’, but I think that just makes them feel like an entirely different race. Oddly enough, I feel the most comfortable just calling these characters ‘dragons’. Dragons are so varied in design already, and I feel like there’s little confusion about the animals anthro dragons are based upon if you were to present them to folks who know little of anthropomorphic characters.

What do you readers think? How would you name a difference between anthro and normal dragons? Dragonkin, dragonborn, dragonmen… no change in terminology at all?

Also, if anyone out there has any mainstream literature with such dragons featured prominently, please share it in the comments below! I’d love to get a better look at how these characters are dealt with in writing, and books about dragons are just fun in general.

One of the many reasons raccoons have short lifespans.

Until next time, happy reading, all!

-Chammy

Currently Reading:

The Unlikely Ones by Mary Brown