#chrysophylax

[godzilla-reads]

Best Tolkien Dragon

Glaurung

Ancalagon the Black

Scatha

Smaug

Chrysophylax (not Middle Earth, but still)

Voting ended onApr 19, 2023

[circuitdraws]

"The mare sniffed. She could not imagine Farmer Giles going down alone into a dragon's den for any money on earth. But Chrysophylax was quite prepared to believe it, with Tailbiter looking so bright and sharp and all." - Farmer Giles of Ham, J.R.R. Tolkien

Made this piece as a final project for my college literature class last semester! Thought I'd share it because I really enjoyed reading Farmer Giles of Ham as well as drawing this.

greyscale version ^

[tolkienianos]

But the old fool was not as foolish as he looked, and he kept his eye on the dragon, even while he was trying to mount. The mare, however, had other ideas, and she kicked and shied when Giles tried to get up. The dragon became impatient and made ready to spring.

`Excuse me!' said he. ‘Haven't you dropped something?'

An ancient trick, but it succeeded; for Giles had indeed dropped something. When he fell he had dropped Caudimordax (or vulgarly Tailbiter), and there it lay by the wayside. He stooped to pick it up; and the dragon sprang. But not as quick as Tailbiter. As soon as it was in the farmer's hand, it leaped forward with a flash, straight at the dragon's eyes.

‘Hey!' said the dragon, and stopped very short. `What have you got there?'

‘Only Tailbiter, that was given to men by the Ring' said Giles.

‘My mistake!' said the dragon. 'I beg your pardon.' He lay and grovelled, and Farmer Giles began to feel more comfortable. ‘I don't think you have treated me fair.'

‘How not?' said Giles. `And anyway why should I?'

'You have concealed your honourable name and pretended that our meeting was by chance; yet you are plainly a knight of high lineage. It used, sir, to be the custom of knights to issue a challenge in such cases, after a proper exchange of titles and credentials.'

‘Maybe it used, and maybe it still is,' said Giles, beginning to feel pleased with himself. A man who has a large and imperial dragon grovelling before him may be excused if he feels somewhat uplifted. `But you are making more mistakes than one, old worm. I am no knight. I am Farmer Aegidius of Ham, I am; and I can't abide trespassers. I've shot giants with my blunderbuss before now, for doing less damage than you have. And I issued no challenge neither.'

The dragon was disturbed. `Curse that giant for a liar,' he thought. `I have been sadly misled. And now what on earth does one do with a bold farmer and a sword so bright and aggressive?' He could recall no precedent for such a situation. `Chrysophylax is my name,' said he, `Chrysophylax the Rich. What can I do for your honour?' he added ingratiatingly, with one eye on the sword, and hoping to escape battle.

‘You can take yourself off, you horny old varmint,' said Giles, also hoping to escape battle. `I only want to be shut of you. Go right away from here, and get back to your own dirty, den!' He stepped towards Chrysophylax, waving his arms as if he was scaring crows.

Farmer Giles of Ham - J.R.R. Tolkien Art Credits

[tolkienianos]

Without warning or formality he swooped out to give battle. Down he came upon them with a rush and a roar. Far from his home he had not shown himself over bold, in spite of his ancient and imperial lineage. But now he was filled with a great wrath; for he was fighting at his own gate, as, it were, and with all his treasure to defend. He came round a shoulder of the mountain like a ton of thunderbolts, with a noise like a gale and a gust of red lightning.

The argument concerning precedence stopped short. All the horses shied to one side or the other, and some of the knights fell off; the ponies and the baggage and the servants turned and ran at once. They had no doubt as to the order of precedence.

Suddenly there came a rush of smoke that smothered them all, and right in the midst of it the dragon crashed into the head of the line. Several knights were killed before they could even issue their formal challenge to battle, and several others were bowled over, horses and all. As for the remainder, their steeds took charge of them, and turned round and fled, carrying their masters off, whether they wished it or no: most of them wished it indeed.

Farmer Giles of Ham - J.R.R. Tolkien Art Credits

[gilgalahad]

Chrysophylax by Pauline Baynes

[tough-chick-in-distress]

I'm reading "Farmer Giles of Ham" and there is a dragon in it, Chrysophylax. I thought: "Oh, man, another dragon. I will hear him in Ben's voice, won't I? Dammit!" But then I kept reading and the dragon begun to speak like Martin in "Easy target" you know why? Because the bloody dragon licked his own lips.

[fire-breathers-blog]

Chrysophylax Dives was the name of the dragon who decided to invade the Middle Kingdom where Farmer Giles of Ham lived. Of ancient and imperial lineage, Chrysophylax was rich, cunning, inquisitive, greedy, well-armored, but not overly bold. He lived in the mountains in a lair with brazen doors set upon great pillars