October is a month for spooky and frightening creatures. On that note, I wanted to feature a dragon that encompasses villainy and terrifying evil. The great black dragon Shruikan from Christopher Paolini's Inheritance cycle took the stand for this month of darkness.
Shruikan is a giant black dragon with rage in his heart. He is the dragon of the evil King Galbatorix, who used dark magic to force the great dragon to bond with him. This forced magic created an unnatural connection between them. I would imagine, every day Shruikan lives is filled with agony and pain as he is forced to obey Galbatorix. The dark magic also made him grow much more rapidly than a normal dragon.
This giant black dragon lives to kill and destroy, but his terrible actions are not really his own, due to the evil king's control over him. Throughout the book series, Eragon and Saphira have to discover a way to defeat this giant tyrant. The more they learn about his true fate, the more they fear the true villain, Galbatorix himself.
How do you compete with a human who can control a dragon of death? Well, that is part of why I would implore you to read the books. The lore for the world of Eragon is incredible and particularly the history of the dragons and the interesting truth about their crystal hearts and the power of true names. It's a fun, terrifying, and amazing world to behold.
Shruikan was one of the first true dragon villains I ever discovered in a book. My heart broke for him by the end of the series. But, maybe it's just me. I do love all dragons, even the nasty ones.
(Images do not belong to me. They belong to the artists who made them as fanart.)
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