From tyrannical Smaug to charming Falkor, dragons have entranced readers for centuries. Literary dragons are so popular, in fact, that author Donita K. Paul launched “Appreciate a Dragon Day” in 2004 to celebrate the mythical creatures.
In honor of the holiday (yep, it’s today), we rounded up 10 of our favorite dragons from literature. Check out our choices above, then tell us your favorites in the comments!
1 of 10
![]()
Smaug from The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
2 of 10
![]()
Ruth from The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey
3 of 10
![]()
Temeraire from His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novak
4 of 10
![]()
Drogon, Rhaegal & Viserion from A Dance of Dragons by George R.R. Martin
5 of 10
![]()
Falkor from The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
6 of 10
![]()
Saphira from Eragon by Christopher Paolini
7 of 10
![]()
Norbert(a) from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
8 of 10
![]()
Eustace Scrubb from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (His time as a dragon may have been temporary, but it was unforgettable.)
9 of 10
![]()
Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
10 of 10
![]()
Puff from Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton, illustrated by Eric Puybaret