Dragons

Dragons were ancient, intelligent, powerful creatures that lived on Middle-earth. Their exact origin is unknown through the fire-drakes are the creations of Melkor in some sense.

History
Dragons lived throughout the ages of Middle-earth and may have lived longer. They were originally bred by Melkor during the First Age to serve as gigantic shock troops and mobile artillery. The first dragon ever seen in Middle-earth was Glaurung the Father of Dragons, who the Dark Lord used to great effect during the fourth and fifth battles in the War of the Jewels. Like most of the creatures made or twisted by Melkor, they were capable of reproducing naturally. Dragons were sometimes referred to as serpents, great Worms, or simply Drakes, with the first two specifying the Wingless Dragons.

The dragons of the Second Age and Third Age were a blight upon the Dwarves and all those who hoarded treasure. However, they seemed to act independently and out of greed, rather than a desire to do evil. Neither Smaug the Terrible nor Scatha of the Long-worms were apparently working together with the Dark Powers, but still Gandalf the Grey believed that Sauron might find a way to ensnare the Dragon of Erebor and feared the result of such an alliance.

It is presumed that, after the death of Smaug in the Third Age, the great dragons had become extinct. According to Gandalf, the fire-drake race survived until at least just before the War of the Ring, and some lesser kin survived even after the war. It may have been possible that some races of dragon still existed throughout the Fourth Age.

Origins

 * One theory is that Dragons were simply beasts physically enhanced by Melkor, such as corrupted eagles, is a very popular theory, but there are issues with this line of thought.[10] Randall Johnson has written that: "Dragons understand many tongues, and they are known for speaking in riddles. Dragons are very intelligent, able to lead armies into battle. Dragons are able to petrify and hypnotize with but a glance of their eyes. Dragons cast spells and curses. Some Dragons breathe fire. These properties and powers are not characteristic of simple beasts". Another problem is, of course, that dragons did not originally have wings.


 * Another is that they were sparks of the spirit of Melkor has merit. According to this theory, the Dark Lord bred monstrous reptiles and poured a portion of his own spirit into them, giving them semi-independent wills and consciousnesses.


 * Another is that they were part of Yavanna's creation; born to be part of Arda's ecosystems just as other animals, or were specifically created to serve as guardians who would protect the harmony and peace of nature like the Eagles. These beasts were then later (or even before the spread of their races across Arda) altered and corrupted by the Dark Lord and adopted into his forces. Gigantic reptilian races such as dinosaurs, Megalanias, Titanoboas, and the Fell Beasts might or might not have shared their origins with dragons according to this theory. This fits with the origin of Orcs, which are descended from corrupted Elves as well as the assertion that only Eru was capable of creating life.


 * Another is that they were simply embodied Maiar, as the Balrogs were. This theory avoids many of the problems of the previous ideas on draconic origins. According to this theory, dragons are Maiar, ancient spirits in the form of gigantic, serpentine monsters. The fact that Maiar had the ability to take on corporeal forms has been established previously: Melkor's deadly allies, the Balrogs, were Maiar in the raiment of fire and shroud. The Wizards were Maiar in the apparent form of Men.


 * Lastly, there is a theory that dragons are actually descendants of embodied Maiar and beasts (more likely monsters or Nameless Things) much like Ungoliant procreates with spiders. This theory is generally considered to have great strength by Middle-earth experts.[11] Johnson writes: "[this] theory contends that at some point in time, a Maia, according to the bidding of Melkor, assumed a bodily form genetically compatible with an existing reptile. Recall that Sauron himself took the form of a serpent. 'Then Sauron shifted shape, from wolf to serpent, and from monster to his own accustomed form.' (The Silmarillion, pg. 212) This serpent-Maia mated with the reptile, procreating the first Dragon, Glaurung. Glaurung then mated either with other existing reptiles or with other serpent-Maiar in order to reproduce. Eventually, the Dragons became a self-sustainable race."