• Welcome to the Fantasy Writing Forums. Register Now to join us!

Do you consider dragons cliché?

Are dragons cliché?

  • Yes

    Votes: 6 15.4%
  • No

    Votes: 33 84.6%

  • Total voters
    39

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
All I can say is in every story I've ever conceived, the question I have every time is "Where do I put the dragon?" And I've never had a problem finding an answer that I felt was awesome.
 

D. Gray Warrior

Troubadour
They are clichéd, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing or that you shouldn't use them.

I've been toying with using African dragons. They look serpentine, but usually have two to four legs. Only those with four legs can fly.

Unlike European dragons, they generally live peacefully alongside humans and eat elephants almost exclusively, but may eat other things if there are no elephants and they are desperately hungry.

They have a special stone within their brains that allows them to fly as well as giving them magical powers.
 

Galdrafodr

Acolyte
It depends on how they're used in my opinion. For example, Smaug from The Hobbit is probably considered by some to be cliche as it involves a dragon hoarding wealth and sleeping for long periods of time inside of a mountain. In other words, the typical fantasy/D&D type of dragon. Some people consider that type to be overused but it's also very recognizable to the average fantasy reader and they'll understand exactly what you're writing about.

Dragons are a part of different mythologies around the world. The standard fantasy dragon isn't the same as Chinese or Native American dragons, opening up a number of possibilities to write about. This thread alone shows great examples of different types of dragons.
 

MauEvig

Minstrel
Quite possible that the different types are different species of dragon with different behavioral patterns. If we look at big cats for example, lions and tigers are closely related, but tigers are solitary while lions live in prides. I think the same could be said of dragons theoretically. This could be why attitudes toward dragons could be different around the world. While some may see them as symbols of wisdom and luck, others might see them in a dangerous and fearful light as creatures of destruction, mayhem and greed.
To Comment on D Gray Warrior I like the idea of the African dragons. I'd like to see how that's integrated. I have to admit the Lion King and Black Panther have both got me interested in African cultures.
 
Top