![]() In the top image (theatrical) we can clearly see two immense forelegs stomping around and trampling dwarves, whilst on the bottom image (extended), the shot has been altered to replace those legs with claws attached to a wingspan. Let’s have a look at this shot in the two versions of the film: Peter Jackson solves this (partially) by altering one, single shot for the extended edition. There seems to be some kind of discrepancy here, no? Smaug has only two legs and what appear to be claws at the points where the wings bend a little.īut having already seen ‘An Unexpected Journey’ many many times (hopefully), the keenest of viewers might ask then why we get a prologue in which Smaug clearly seems to use a set of forelegs to burst his way into Erebor. ![]() Let’s have a look at two shots from both examples:ĭarkness and smoke do much to conceal the overall appearance of the dragon, but it’s simply unmistakable. Here is where things start to diverge a bit.Įver since the release of both ‘The Desolation of Smaug’ main trailer and the extended edition of ‘An Unexpected Journey’, it seems clear that Smaug’s forelegs are absent – indeed turning him into a wyvern-like creature. ![]() In the prologue to ‘An Unexpected Journey’, we even see Smaug’s legs grabbing hold of the gates of Erebor as he storms through, stomping dwarves along the way. The man himself even provided his own illustrations for this creature, clearly outlining the four-legs feature. Tolkien clearly states that Smaug was one of the last great dragons to come out of the North. Unlike dragons, wyverns often have only two hind legs – using claws attached to their wings to make their way on ground.Īpart from a whole lot of differences currently not relevant to the scope of this article, you need only keep in mind that dragons have four legs in total – whilst wyverns have only two. Wyverns are (or were) described in Medieval literature as being these serpent-like creatures with wings, often having spiked tails and mainly used in heraldic emblems Even I, up to a couple of weeks ago, thought that the two creatures were basically the same – thinking that the two words were simply describing the same being. ![]() My suspicions first arose when the second trailer of ‘The Desolation of Smaug’ was released in October, noticing that the last shot of Smaug throwing fire to the screen had no forelegs – unlike what we had clearly seen in the prologue to ‘An Unexpected Journey’.īut first let’s give a quick introduction to the technical terms in dragonology …Īt first glance, they look exactly the same. I’ve just acquired (and seen) the Extended Edition to ‘An Unexpected Journey’ (to which I’ll be adding a review very soon) and noticed something particular about Smaug’s design. Nothing beats the wickedness of Fáfnir from the Volsunga Saga nor the gold-hoarding dragon from Beowulf not to mention Tolkien’s own array of scaly beasts mainly from ‘The Silmarillion’ and ‘The Hobbit’.Ī couple of things come to mind as to the reason for this slightly complex, but highly fascinating (to me) discussion. Modern-day narratives seem to place these beings on the good side, and whilst still intriguing, I rather prefer the good-old evil and nasty creatures from European literature. They’re simply the most fascinating creatures in any mythology or fantasy story – capable of breathing fire and roaming the skies (among other things). From the depths of the Misty Mountains to the forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the island kingdom of Númenor, to the farthest reaches of the map, The Rings of Power promises to condense the extended works of Tolkien in a condensed but all-encompassing TV show format.I love dragons. Beginning in a time of peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of familiar and new characters as they confront the long-feared reemergence of evil in Middle-earth. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power will explore a time in the franchise where kingdoms rose and fell, where The One Ring itself was forged and tells the tale of the rise of the greatest foe in the Lord of the Rings Franchise, the Dark Lord Sauron. Set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power brings to screens the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history for the very first time. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
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