Monstrous Nightmare

## Appearence

### **Features**

Double Clawed Wings, Long Horns, Sharp Spines, Sharp Fangs, Talons, Sharp Claws, Snake Neck, Snake Tail, Barbels, Nose Horn

### **Color**

Many Different Colors (Red, Purple, Yellow, Magenta and some Blue and green varieties are common. Most have dark stripes that turn into spots through age)

### **Size**

Large: 61 feet (18.6 meters) long-Baby: 1'5 feet (45.7 cm) tall

-Titan Wing: 69 feet (21 meters) long

## Statistics

###   Stealth

9 (7)

The **Monstrous Nightmare** is one of the most aggressive, powerful, and stubborn breeds of dragon known to the Vikings. It is classified in the Stoker Class. Before the Red Death was discovered, it was considered the most formidable dragon species.

## Dragon Appearance

Monstrous Nightmares come in many different colors such as purple,
blue, scarlet, or green and possesses a long, snakelike neck and tail.
Unlike some other breeds of dragon, it has no forelegs, and its

ground-based locomotion is similar to that of Pterosaurs, except that it has a lower profile due to its sprawled wings; it can use its
claw-tipped wings to "crawl" along the floor. Their horns might be used
as a visual display and in defense, but the swept back position of the
horns means it is unlikely to use them in combat. Its stripe skin
patterns seem to mimic that of a tiger's. Find more information on this here.

In the Race to The Edge episode: Total Nightmare, the first Titan
Wing Monstrous Nightmare was seen. While aging, they can lose their
stripes to have black spots, possibly a mimic of the leopard. When they
are fully grown and gain barbels, at least, some of them change color
when they achieve Titan Wing age. Once they have reached this stage they
grow much longer, and may gain spots in more striking colors .

## Behavior and Training

By nature, the Monstrous Nightmare is fearless and proud. Nightmares

are some of the strongest dragons around and they know it. They are very aggressive. In battle, they are said to be the first to arrive and last
to leave.

Incendiary in temperament and short on patience, Monstrous
Nightmares would incinerate first and think second, according to
Dragonpedia.

The best way to earn the trust of a Monstrous Nightmare is simply
to show it the respect it deserves. Placing a gentle hand on its snout
and showing you are not a threat to it is the best way to go.

In *Heather Report Part II*, Snotlout revealed that the Monstrous Nightmare enjoys its horns being pinned to the ground and Astrid was able to tame one by doing so. This dragon later returned and saved her.

According to Gobber the Belch,
the best way to engage a Nightmare is to clamp its mouth shut, leaving

it unable to open its enormous jaws, much like a crocodile (however, the rest of the dragon is free to do whatever it wants).

Despite their name, Monstrous Nightmares are known to have a softer side. In *Dragons: Wild Skies*, their favorite food are scented flowers. In *DreamWorks Dragons: The Series*
Hookfang at least is known to be fond of eating rats so it is possible
that all Monstrous Nightmares like eating rats. At several points of *Dragons: Riders of Berk*, Hookfang
occasionally dozed off or was distracted by leaf, chasing a Gull, or
anything else, sometimes they don't even notice that an object as big as
a rider falling off them. Being a hot-headed, feisty dragon, they will
attack anyone in its way if spooked. Every time Monstrous Nightmares
attempt to fight off Toothless, they are blinded by their aggressiveness
that Night Furies are a far bigger threat than they think.

While other babies, which drool regularly, baby Nightmares are
much different as they slobber packs of punch that their kerosene gel
composition makes it akin to lighter fluid.

When born, baby Monstrous Nightmares hatch fast and fiery. They
are quick to be separated from the rest of the litter and assert their
independence within minutes of their birth, but this hasn't been
confirmed as shown on the Dragon Breeding Island when some baby

Nightmares were still with their parents. They were shown to be eager to join their parents when setting off the return migration to Berk but
like all the others baby dragons, they are unable to fly well due to
their small wing and the strong winds that are preventing them to take
off.

These dragons are wild, aggressive, stubborn, tenacious, and also mischievous.

It was revealed in the episode Total Nightmare, that female Monstrous Nightmares are able to call males that aren't her mate, but another individual of their kind. As Hookfang was shown to
help a female dragon of his kind to defend her eggs from Titan Wing

Monstrous Nightmare (the first titan wing ever to be seen outside of the Rise of Berk game). Males Monstrous Nightmares shows to be determined
to answer this distressed call .

Their mating habits are similar to a lion's, as seen in Total
Nightmare; rival Monstrous Nightmares who are fighting for a mate will
want to destroy the predecessor's eggs, much like a new alpha male
wanting to destroy the previous alpha's cubs.

These dragons are also extremely territorial, protecting their young and helping other individuals of the same kind. In Total Nightmare, Hookfang was helped a female dragon take care of her eggs. He also pit himself
against a larger, stronger Titan Nightmare which was attacking them in
order to dominate over it and protect the eggs.

The Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare
has shown to be fiercer and much more aggressive compared to average
Monstrous Nightmares. They will fight for dominance over a female

Monstrous Nightmare to have their own family, such as male lions do with a pride. They will even destroy her first eggs to have their own eggs
with the female.

Monstrous Nightmare can also store and heat fish by sticking them
to its spines. The Nightmare can then engulf itself in flames and cook
the fish, sort of like a barbecue.

If Monstrous Nightmares get a toothache, they would act strange,
for example they won't eat for a few days. The dragon would then become
agitated, act aggressive and then they will fire uncontrollably. As
shown by Hookfang, tamed Monstrous Nightmares can also reject their
owners and companions.

## Abilities

Monstrous Nightmares was one of the most formidable dragons for being one of the strongest.

### Firepower

Monstrous Nightmares breathe an organic Kerosene Gel, which can be
hotter than a usual flame and more powerful as well. Their fire is hot
enough to burn down a tree in a few seconds.

Its signature attack is known as the "Fire Jacket" or "Fire Burst". This ability makes it engulf itself in flames (according to Snotlout,
by igniting the spit it coats itself in prematurely), resulting in an
intimidating, offensive and defensive maneuver similar in appearance to
napalm or other gel-based incendiaries. They are able set any part of
their body on fire as shown they can do even on their horns.

The natural form of the Monstrous Nightmare's kerosene gel was
shown to be green in color. The gel is also slimy, being easy to rub
against a platform. The gel is highly flammable and is one of the tools
to efficiently penetrate the Death Song's amber substance.

### Senses

The Monstrous Nightmare has also been observed to have a
well-developed sense of smell, as Hookfang was able to find Snotlout's
scent in 'Defiant One' over a day as he was separated from the ocean.
However, it is unknown how strong is their sense of smell exactly.

### Strength and Combat

Monstrous Nightmares are among the most physically powerful dragons
as they can send heavy Vikings far distance by using their tail and can
send a Gronckles flying with extra heavy weight Viking riding on them,
by hitting with their wing. Their neck muscles are very strong, as they
are able to carry heavy Vikings on their necks, sometimes with an extra

weight of a teen Viking with no sign of any struggle with a weapon. With one leg can easily crushed "The Mangler".

They are quite powerful fighters as they can show off their
combat ability to try to fight off a Night Fury just like how Hookfang
has demonstrated to fight against Toothless twice (though he was
unsuccessful).

### Speed and Agility

Nightmares have been shown to be quite fast, both on land, in water

and in the air. Hookfang was able to catch up with Toothless in Thawfest, though it is very well possible that this was the result of Snotlout's

training, and that a wild Nightmare isn't capable of this. Nightmares on land have been observed as fast runners while in a straight line,
although they have trouble making turns. They are agile and fast fliers
as they are able to go around trees and able to dodge many arrows, as
demonstrated by Hookfang and Fanghook.

### Swimming

Monstrous Nightmares have also been observed to be fast and agile
swimmers, as Hookfang proved. It's unknown how long they can stay

underwater, but it is possible Hookfang would have been able to hold his breath longer if he hadn't been burdened by Snotlout.

### Climbing

Monstrous Nightmares are excellent climbers on chains and many
different types of terrain shown to be able to climb mountains and
Viking catapult towers as shown in the first film. They can also climb
against stone/metal walls while running quickly.

### Intelligence

Monstrous Nightmares have shown to have great intelligence, if they
get the good respect that they deserve from their owners, they can learn
great skills over a day as demonstrated by Fanghook. But if they don't
get sufficient respect from their owners they will show sometimes to
prank them and unexpectedly outsmart them, just like how Hookfang has
demonstrated many times on Snotlout. Wild Monstrous Nightmares may be
quite intellect as they could understand conversations well enough to
return to save Vikings they have been befriend too or they can
understand they could be no threat as Hiccup have shown Hookfang in the
Kill Ring.

### Wing Blast

They have a hidden ability that Astrid discovered is known as a Wing Blast, when she temporarily became Hookfang's rider in A Tale of Two Dragons. They use their large, powerful wings to create a blast of wind that is so strong, it can even blow a fully-grown Hideous Zippleback to the ground.

### Endurance and Stamina

Monstrous Nightmares have high stamina and endurance, as was proven
multiple times in the series. In the first film, a Nightmare took hit
after hit from Stoick during a raid either with his large hammer or his
bare hands and Hookfang was mostly unharmed out of his fight with
Toothless. In 'Defiant One', a Nightmare was hit by an arrow fired by
some Outcast soldiers, yet wasn't harmed in the slightest. Though,
admittedly, arrows are not a very powerful weapon to use against
dragons.

### Titan Wing

A titan wing Monstrous Nightmare has enhanced physical attributes and abilities that make them stronger in strength and bulk. Also, their
range of fire is increased so targets can be hit at a further distance.

Titan wings are able to toss away heavy dragons with its head without struggle over their body or even knocking a dragon off
in the air by using their tail. They have a durable body, which can
take average blasts from different dragons, or even smashing into trees
and other terrain by traveling in great speed. They have higher stamina
and speed than a regular Monstrous Nightmare.

## Physical Weaponry

As eggs, heat is produced probably from the outer shell, as the egg
is described as flaming. This will protect them from predators, and
could also make blisters to the human skin when touched.

Monstrous Nightmares, in terms of physical weaponry, are
supposedly one of the best armed dragons known to Vikings. Their jaws
are full of long, sharp teeth or fangs which are said to be slightly
venomous in the books. It is unknown if this is true for their movie
counterparts as well but according to the Dragonpedia said that baby
Monstrous Nightmares have venom until possible grown adults lose this
ability. These jaws can also open wide enough to swallow a full grown
Viking whole, as shown in the featurette of the HTTYD film. Their long
two finger curved claws on both wings have also been to be used as
weapons that have shown to be quite powerful, they even have sharp long
curved talons. They have been observed to use their tail as a club. They
have long sharp spines cover their back. Although their horns could be a
potential weapon, they haven't been seen using them in any known media
until it shows that from Hookfang use this against Titan Monstrous

Nightmare like male bucks will use against each other. They can even use their large wings as weapons such as offensive and defensive.

## Weakness

The true weakness of this dragon is losing their flame as well as
their fire burst from hypothermia that could make this dragon become
very weak and they can easily die from this. According to Fishlegs
they can loose their Fire Burst from old age, exhaustion or
injuries. Symptoms include flaky skin, pale coloration and inability to

light up. Although Hookfang shown to be able to still fly high, but can lose their altitudes
showing off difficulties as they can fly slower. Their other weakness is
tying up their snout that they won't be able to use their Fire Burst
but they are able to still fight back.

Also, Titan Monstrous Nightmares are unable to maneuver as
quickly as younger ones and have difficulty making sharp turns while
flying. Their size hinders their mobility of flying and they can be
taken down by younger Nightmares.

## Known Monstrous Nightmares

* Monstrous Nightmare (see Book of Dragons)
* Hookfang
* Fanghook
* Hookfang's Mate
* Hookfang's Offspring
* Monstrous Nightmare (character)
* Girl Hookfang
* Hookfire, Fangmaster and Hookblazefang
* Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare
* Valka's Mercy
* Scooter Flame

## *How To Train Your Dragon*

One was used as the last initiation test for the young Vikings (this
being before the Vikings befriended the dragons). While in the books,
they are described as being the size of a leopard, in the film they are
portrayed as much larger. Despite their vicious nature and fierce combat
 abilities, a powerful warrior like Stoick the Vast can defeat in few
hits and shown that a Night Fury can defeat it through a brief but brutal fight.

## *Dragons: Riders/Defenders of Berk*

According to Bork and the Book of Dragons, when a Monstrous Nightmare loses it's ability to flame-on due to
exhaustion and old age, they would die. The only way to restore its
flame-on ability was to either eat the fire combs of Fireworms or be injected with the venom of the Fireworm queen. In "Race to Fireworm Island", Hiccup, Snotlout and the others learned of this when Hookfang became sick and were forced to go to Fireworm Island to find a remedy.

## Background Information

"*No dragon is more ferocious, or feared than the Monstrous* Nightmare. This gigantic dragon has a long, snakelike neck and tail, and
is covered in red scales and long sharp spines. The Nightmare's
gigantic head and mouth can swallow Vikings whole. It is highly
aggressive, and will never run from a fight. Its fire is thick and
sticky, clinging to walls and running down hills like a flaming river.
The Nightmare also has a nasty habit of setting itself on fire.

According to the trivia track on the Blu-Ray version of the movie, a Nightmare measures 69 feet in length.

"This red-and-black creature with a huge wing span produces a kerosene gel fire. *“He is the most dragony of the dragons,”* Sanders says, “but the thing that we like is that he is the most showy. We always felt he was the Mick Jagger of dragons. He’s a natural-born performer
who comes out engulfed in flames because they can set themselves on
fire.

## Trivia

* In the Live Spectacular, the Monstrous Nightmare looks more like a traditional European Dragon, having four legs and two wings as opposed to the two hind legs and walking on its wings.
* Some Monstrous Nightmares are shown to have tines on their horns like deer. The number of tines could indicate the age of the dragon. Hookfang does not have any tines on his horns, so he could still be a young adult Nightmare. Instead of getting tines for age, they get barbels on their chin.
	+ In the concept art, it is shown that Monstrous Nightmares have barbels at least three through five but a bit longer then the counterparts from the franchise. So older Monstrous Nightmares barbels might grow longer when aging.
* Monstrous Nightmares have a tendency to spit fire at times, unintentionally, like coughing, sneezing or laughing although most species shoot fire, or their ranged weaponry when coughing, or sneezing.
	+ In a similar manner, Monstrous Nightmares will unintentionally set its scales on fire while shedding them. This can be troublesome if a Monstrous Nightmare is flying above a village, the scales will become flaming missiles!
* Monstrous Nightmares are said to grow to 70 ft long. Hookfang, however, is only 61 ft long with a wingspan of 68 ft. This means Hookfang is either young, small for his species, its an error or 70 ft is the maximum length for the species and most of them grow don't grow that long. This would explain why Fanghook is much smaller then Hookfang.
	+ In the first film when Stoick and his army enter the Hell of Gate their was one Monstrous Nightmare in the fog that was far bigger than their ships and his kind. Though it could been the shadow figure that could made this dragon seem to be much bigger or this could be the largest Monstrous Nightmare seen possible was killed by Stoick and his men.
* In Rise of Berk, Monstrous Nightmares have three finger claws instead of two when turned into a titan.
* Dragons: Race to the Edge shows Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmares to be bigger and a darker color but without an extra claw finger.
* In the Book of Dragons short they are shown to have prehensile tongues as one was able to grab its food. That could make sense as Hookfang often has his tongue sticking out.
* Monstrous Nightmares seem to be much longer than their wings are wide.
* Monstrous Nightmare is the third species to be seen in their titan wing form outside of the Rise of Berk game. The first being the Gronckle in the Book of Dragons short, and the second is the Screaming Death.
* Monstrous Nightmares are based off the book Devilish Dervishes.