Wyvern
© 2013 Christopher Burdett
Okay... I have a beef with Wyverns. Actually, I have a beef with people and their limited perspective on monsters, names, and history. Wyverns have traditionally been portrayed as reptilian creatures able to fly which have four limbs... AND a BARBED TAIL. They may or may not breath fire but they are also associated with a poisonous bite and/or stinging tail. Okay... NOW, a Dragon is a reptilian creature that often can fly, has anywhere between 0-6 limbs, might have any kind breath weapon that you can think of. To be honest, if I draw a tree with a clown nose on it and call it a Dragon... it's a Dragon. That goes for if I call it a goblin, a monkey, a person, or a car... I can call anything that I create anything I want... and the discussion ends there. That goes for anyone. If I call something a Dragon, telling me that it is a Wyvern will get you on my bad side instantly. Dragons have been portrayed with only four limbs for a long time and from an naturalistic and anatomical perspective, it is a more believable arrangement. There are no reptiles, amphibians, birds, or mammals with six limbs. Of the three flying animals in the history of the world, birds, bats and pteranodons all had only 4 limbs. SO, if I draw a reptile with 4 limbs and call it a Dragon, it is a Dragon... if I draw a reptile with 4 limbs and a stinger tail... THEN, and ONLY THEN can we call it a Wyvern. To be honest, I don't see the need to have Wyverns accept to classify a sub species of Dragon. Dragon is a big word and encompasses a lot.
This concluded my third pass through the Monster Manual! I have already begun my fourth pass and will be bringing you that soon! I will be updating all the links below to include all the monsters so far and will have a recap of them all for you next week... RAWR!
My first 100 original Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual redesigns (A - Z): Aerial Servant, Ankheg, Ant (Giant), Ape (Carnivorous), Ape (Gorilla), Axe Beak, Axe Beak (version 2), Baboon, Badger, Barracuda, Basilisk, Baluchitherium, Bear (Black), Bear (Brown), Bear (Cave), Beaver (Giant), Beetle (Giant) - Bombardier, Beetle (Giant) - Boring, Beetle (Giant) - Fire, Beetle (Giant) - Rhinoceros, Beetle (Giant) - Stag, Beetle (Giant) - Water, Beholder, Black Pudding, Blink Dog, Boar (Giant), Boar (Warthog), Boar (Wild), Brain Mole, Brownie, Bugbear, Buffalo, Bulette, Carrion Crawler, Catoblepas, Cerebral Parasite, Chimera, Cockatrice, Coutal, Crab (Giant), Demon Type III (Glabrezu), Demon (Juiblex), Demon (Manes), Devil (Ice), Dragon (Red), Elemental (Earth), Ettin, Eye of the Deep, Flightless Bird, Frog (Giant), Fungi (Violet), Giant (Hill), Goblin, Golem (Flesh), Hobgoblin, Homunculus, Hydra, Imp, Intellect Devourer, Ixitxachitl, Jackal, Jacklewere, Jaguar, Ki-Rin, Kobold, Lich, Lizard (Giant), Lizardman, Manticore, Mind Flayer, Minotaur, Naga, Neo-Otygugh, Nixie, Ochre Jelly, Ogre, Owlbear, Peryton, Pixie, Purple Worm, Quasit, Ram (Giant), Roper, Rust Monster, Sahuagin, Salamander, Shambling Mound, Treant, Troglodyte, Troll, Umber Hulk, Unicorn, Vampire, Wasp (Giant), Wight, Wyvern, Xorn, Yeti, and Zombie.
That is all for another exciting week on the blog, see you back here on Monday! Until then...
For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com
So one could say that all wyverns are dragons, but not all dragon's are wyverns?
ReplyDeleteThe "all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares" school of monster classification. I like it.
DeleteI am saying that the name game is unnecessary. If it is a distinctly DIFFERENT creature then yes, give it a name. But if it a creature we have have in out various cultures for centuries it is very foolish to now show up and try to smash every slight variation into it own little compartment and name. Dragons have had no wings, wings and no legs, wings and legs, wings and arms and legs... they are all dragons. The intent is the creator's choice and if they call it a dragon then it is a dragon. It is not for us to classify. Traditionally the Wyvern was portraying a specific monster with specific traits and abilities - like the barbed tail and venomous bite.
DeleteI like that I can spot what critters you used for reference (or at least I think I can). I see bits of crocodile, vulture, and bat. Am I close?
ReplyDeleteAnd I completely agree with your stance on calling it what you will. I recently read a nerd-out rant on the Skyrim wiki that "dragons" in the game are actually all wyverns. But Dragonborn sounds so much cooler than Wyvernborn. ;)
I pulled this creature out of my head and was not looking at anything directly. Using the tool box of reference I already digested. I had a very specific look I wanted to get and so I worked from the head.
DeleteAgain, such a HUGE waste of time and energy... not only is someone ranting on the internet that dragons in a video game are wyvern but the creator ALREADY called them dragons... SOOOOOO they are DRAGONS. The intent is the creators. It is not for anyone else to determine. I mentioned above about it all being a name game and I stand behind it. I might have to do a longer post about all this.
I have always agreed with the wyverns are dragons; rhombi are squares analogy, but I completely overlooked the barbed tail bit. Previously I had only considered the wing/arm combination wyverns had.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I will point out a wyvern, and I still insist that the Skyrim "dragons" are wyverns, because I like being technical. But at the same time they're dragons, not only because wyverns are dragons, but also because Bethesda says so.
If the creators of Skyrim call them dragons... Who are any of us to say differently. They could have been purple cubes with carrot taped on one side and if they called them a dragon... then they are dragons.
DeleteAs I have mentioned above, dragons have historically been portrayed as having no limbs, just wings, just arms and legs, wings and legs, wings and arms and legs, etc... these are all dragons. The movie DRAGON SLAYER has a wing/leg dragon. At one point in Dungeons & Dragons all the dragons have the wing/leg configuration. Game of Thrones has wing/leg dragons. This is a more anatomical and believable configuration for the animal/monster that we think of as a dragon.
Are we to go to Asia and tell the Japanese and Chinese that their depictions of dragons are wrong and that those are more of a Wyrm or some other name? They call them dragons... they are dragons.
Exactly. In the end it's all about what the creators say. When I say something like, "technically that's a wyvern," it's really tongue-in-cheek. I sort of unknowingly wrote my previous post like that. Why people rant on about proper naming of such creatures is beyond me. Like you said it isn't really up to them.
DeleteWell said! :)
Delete