“The landscape of Middle-earth England was both geographical and mystical. The hidden history reveals, for example, their belief in the existence of dragons. A creature of fantasy to us, the dragon is shown to embody philosophical views for them about the dark side of wealth, and the inevitable life-cycle of civilizations. Dealing death to dragons turns out to be a deep and subtle element of their understanding of life.”
―Brian Bates, The Real Middle Earth, Magic and Mysteries in the Dark Age

Image: Conversations with Smaug by J.R.R Tolkien