Dragon-spell

Dragon-spells were spells of magic that were used by Dragons.The Hobbit, chapter XII: "Inside Information" Several forms of dragon-spells are seen in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, including dragon-talk and dragon-sickness or dragon-spiritConcerning ... 'The Hoard'.
Dragon-sickness was a nickname for an obsessive love of treasure, especially when that treasure had previously belonged to a dragon. It can cause someone to act out of character in a greedy and possessive way, for no real reason.
== History ==
Though it is untold when the usage of dragon-spells first became known to Elves, Men, and Dwarves, but it must have been after Glaurung's first appearance in Beleriand. It is probable that the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains found out about them before Elves and Men because they made Dwarf-masks that were said to be resistant to dragon-spells.The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", pg. 193
After the Battle of Tumhalad during the late First Age,The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion", pgs. 210-2 Glaurung became the first recorded dragon to make usage of a dragon-spell when, after sacking Nargothrond, he taunted Túrin to lift his helm's visor to look him the eyeUnfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, Part One: The First Age: Narn I Hîn Húrin, "Appendix", pg. 199-200 before putting a dragon-spell on him that froze him in place like stone. While under the dragon-spell, Túrin submitted to Glaurung's taunts and saw a reflection of himself as "misshapen by malice" which loathed as a result. In his "torment of mind" under Glaurung's eyes, Túrin was unable to do anything as Glaurung was able to signal the Orcs to herd their captives past him. Only when they were far out of hearing distance did Glaurung break part of his dragon-spell. According to Túrin's experience, the breaking of part of the dragon-spell felt as if he was slowly "waking from a hideous dream", except that Glaurung's voice never stopped haunting him forever afterwards. Nonetheless, though he recovered quickly to attempt his own attack, he was still subdued enough that Glaurung was able to coax him to flee to Dor-lómin, abandoning Finduilas and the other captives to their fate. Due to still being under the dragon-spell, Túrin "heard the cries of Finduilas" even as he kept seeing "in his mind" the house of Húrin being burned by Orcs and Morwen and Niënor being put to torment.The Children of Húrin, chapter XI: "The Fall of Nargothrond"
While in Dor-lómin, Túrin sought Brodda's hall where, after Aerin told him that Morwen and Niënor were not there, the dragon-spell "loosed its last threads", causing Túrin to hear Finduilas's cries a final time as he grew wrathful, killing Brodda and the other Easterlings in the hall. His wrath indirectly resulted in the deaths of Sador and Aerin.The Children of Húrin, chapter XII: "The Return of Túrin to Dor-Lómin"
The second recorded usage of a dragon-spell occurred shortly afterwards when Niënor walked up Amon Ethir only to meet the eyes of Glaurung who happened to have climbed the other side. After being put under the dragon-spell, Niënor revealed her identity as the daughter of Húrin, causing Glaurung to put another dragon-spell on her in which "a great darkness" full of emptiness engulfed her just as everything dimmed around her. The dragon-spell wiped Niënor's memory of everything that she knew, from talking to even walking. After an attack by Orc-hunters, Niënor fled into the Forest of Brethil.The Children of Húrin, chapter XIV: "The Journey of Morwen and Niënor to Nargothrond"
In the first day after being put under the dragon-spell, Niënor remembered only a shadow of fear and she did not know anything of her surroundings. Despite her memory loss, after she was found by Túrin and the Haladin and taken to the hunters' lodge, she was able to sense a connection to Túrin.The Children of Húrin, chapter XV: "Niënor in Brethil"
Later, when Glaurung was stabbed by Túrin with Gurthang, Niënor's felt the presence of the dragon-spell when she heard the dragon's cry. Just before Glaurung's death, he taunted her with her lost memory before he died, releasing the dragon-spell from her and restoring her memory though she still remembered everything that had happened to her while under the dragon-spell.The Children of Húrin, chapter XVII: "The Death of Glaurung"
Smaug, the strongest and greediest of the Great Dragons was attracted by the Dwarven King Thror's obscenely large gold hoard. He came down southwards to the Lonely Mountain, also known as Erebor, and leveled the town of Dale before killing or driving out the Dwarves into the Iron Hills. Even before the dragon came, King Thror had dragon-sickness. He prized a jewel, called the Arkenstone of Thráin with a greedy love. The Arkenstone was lost when he had to flee from Erebor when Smaug attacked. For over 150 years Smaug hoarded the treasure until he was slain by Bard, mere weeks before the Battle of Five Armies. Thorin II became the heir of Erebor and its treasure, after his father and grandfather died. After Thorin became King when Smaug died, he began to be affected by dragon-sickness, refusing to give away any of it, even a stolen necklace. When Thorin finally sees that he has succumbed to dragon-sickness, he rallied the Company to join the other factions in fighting against the Orcs.
== Legacy ==
Sometime during the late Third Age or early Fourth Age, a poet from the Shire wrote a poem called The Hoard, with the titular hoard being based on the hoard of Nargothrond and the man, the dwarf, and the dragon being based on Túrin, Mîm, and Glaurung respectively.The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book, "Preface" Each character became consumed with dragon-sickness over the treasure hoard until they were in turn destroyed by someone even more greedier then the present owner.The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book, "The Hoard"
== In adaptations ==
=== The Hobbit film trilogy ===
In Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy, Thrór is partially blamed for the coming of Smaug, having become so greedy and overtaken with lust for gold that his massive hoard eventually draws the dragon to the Lonely Mountain. In deleted scenes from the first film, Elrond describes the gold-lust as a hereditary disease of Durin's line, and Thorin is shown worrying about whether he has inherited his grandfather's "sickness". In the second film, Thranduil, who has faced "the great serpents of the North", claims to have warned Thrór about the dangers of amassing so much gold, but the dwarf refused to listen; likewise, Balin warns Thorin that a "sickness" lies upon Thrór's hoard, and Balin fears it will drive Thorin mad as it did Thrór. Smaug, the strongest and greediest of the Great Dragons was attracted by the Dwarven King Thror's obscenely large gold hoard. He came down southwards to the Lonely Mountain, also known as Erebor, and leveled the town of Dale before killing or driving out the Dwarves into the Iron Hills. (Years later Smaug told Bilbo Baggins that although he would not part with a single coin from the treasure trove he had stolen, he laughingly admitted he would need wish to see Thorin Oakinshield with the Arkenstone just to see Oakinshield waste away from dragon-sickness).Even before the dragon came, King Thror had dragon-sickness. He prized a jewel, called the Arkenstone of Thráin with a greedy love. The Arkenstone was lost when he had to flee from Erebor when Smaug attacked. For over 170 years Smaug hoarded the treasure until he was slain by Bard, mere weeks before the Battle of the Five Armies. Thorin II became the heir of Erebor and its treasure, after his father and grandfather died. After Thorin became King when Smaug died, he began to be affected by Dragon fever, refusing to give away any of it, even the necklace of Girion. During the gold sickness, he trusted no one, [apart from Bilbo Baggins] and began to talk like Smaug; Bilbo gave the Arkenstone to the elf King Thranduil and to Bard the Bowman as a bargaining chip in return of the necklace of Girion for Thranduil (who rightly claimed it but had not been given him by Thror) and for Bard who claimed a section of the Dwarf treasure (which Thorin had promised to Lake Town in return for their help in defeating Smaug). Balin's words come back to haunt Thorin in the third film, when Thorin finally sees that he has succumbed to his grandfather's sickness; he watches a vison of Smaug swimming under the gold and then himself swollowed by the gold horde, before casting off his crown and rallying the Company to join the other factions in fighting against Azog's army in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
=== Other versions ===
In the Walt Disney cartoon series "Duck Tales" is the 5 part pilot epside "The Treasure of the Golden Suns" where Scrooge McDuck and a 400 year old Spanish seaman El Capitan are affected with dragon-sickness of Gold fever; only with the help of his family and friends does Scrooge rid himself of "Dragon-sickness" while EL Captian is last seen digging away at a buried valley of gold-which would take him another 400 years!
=== The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game ===
In an expansion called The Hobbit: On the Doorstep, there is a card that is labeled as Dragon-Spell.The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, The Hobbit: On the Doorstep
== References ==
Category:Concepts & principles
Category:Evil
Category:Magic