Hello, my fellow Furians, and welcome to another HTTYD lore article. Today we'll be talking about something that I've been wondering about for the last few years. I had meant to write this a while ago but just never got around to it.
Keep in mind that this could very well be wrong since there's just so many gaps and missing links concerning Gobber's past. But this is simply an observation I've noticed and just want to humbly share with the rest of you.
In the Riders of Berk episode "How to Pick Your Dragon", Stoick says this after Hiccup asks this question:
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Stoick: A friend, huh? Like me and Gobber?
Hiccup: Yeah, perfect. What did you do when you two met?
Stoick: That's my wife you're talking to, you one-legged lout!
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From this conversation, two clues can be ascertained. One, that the first time they met, Stoick had to tell him whose wife it was, when, if Gobber had been a native, he should have already known since weddings were community events. Two, Gobber was one-legged already when they had met.
And then there's the fact that that was their first meeting. If Gobber had been a Berkian native, then Stoick, the chief's son, would've known him almost from the beginning, despite them being 5 years apart.
What's interesting is that in the "Legend of the Bonenapper" short film, Gobber tells the gang of his misadventures in his younger days — exaggerated they may be. Throughout the entire franchise, most of his stories had him outside of Berk and around the Archipelago.
He may have been a wanderer who couldn't settle anywhere for long on account of him always being chased by the Bonenapper for the "treasure". He eventually settled on Berk, and after some decades, felt that he had finally escaped it, only for it to come again in the film. It's also noticeable that nobody believes Gobber when he says that the Bonenapper is after him (of course, it didn't help that Gobber always changes his stories the more he tells them).
Again, we have to take some of it with a few grains of salt on account of his history of telling tall tales. However, that doesn't take away the fact that Gobber and Stoick didn't know each other in their younger days. In "Cast Out" Gobber tells Hiccup about Alvin and Stoick's relationship as if he had heard it second-hand from either Stoick or somebody else, rather than as a bystander who witnessed those events with his own eyes.
Another theory could be that Gobber was Berkian but was gone a lot due to visiting external family or his family wanted to be away from the dragon raids until their son was older. Could be also that Gobber had the travel bug and enjoyed visiting other places. Who knows. 🤷♂️
What do you guys think? Think my theory is plausible? Let me know what ideas you may have about Gobber's origins.
Well met, fellow Dragonmarkers and Companions! I just wanted to come by and ask... who’s your favorite character in the Books?
Would you like to hear my favorite character?
Well... I’ll tell you...
Who is it?
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.
.
The Great Dragonsword — known to us as “Endeavor”!
“Foul!” you may howl. “That’s cheating! Endeavor isn’t a character, it’s an inanimate object!”
To which I can reply, “Ah, but he is! Just because it is an inanimate object, doesn’t mean that he isn’t a character.”
Plus, I’m an addict for personification like the Fat Consul was for nanodragons dipped in honey.
For while it may be a sword, this sword, like the Stormblade, has greatly influenced and transformed the history and the fates of the Archipelago. Indeed... just as it had influenced the lives of the first Three Hiccups, the Stormblade, in turn, has influenced the lives of Grimbeard the Ghastly and Alvin the Treacherous (and fatally, Hiccup the Second).
Since Book 2: “How to Be a Pirate”, I’ve felt almost as if I could FEEL the sword to be alive — to take on a life of its own.
If we were a fanciful people, we would say that the sword, indeed, is a living being — one that can living... breathing... speaking... thinking...
But we are not fanciful people... And that would be ridiculous...
Anyway, this is my favorite “character” — Endeavor the Dragonsword. I really wish we could’ve had stories written about these two swords and their origins and how they came to be.
So what about YOU? What’s YOUR favorite character?
Hello, my fellow Furians! Today, I have another Snotlout article after a long while. We will dive into this simple question:
Are Snotlout and Hiccup REALLY cousins in the Film Franchise?
The short answer is: NO, they're not.
But you're obviously here for the LONG answer, so let me list several reasons why they are not cousins in the film franchise:
One: in the Books, they were paternal cousins, and they don't even have the same surname in the films.
Two: they have never called each other cousins ONCE in the entire franchise. Not even once.
Three: DeBlois and the HTTYD Team, nor the actors, have ever mentioned, hinted, implied, stated, revealed, or proved that they were cousins.
Four: in the movie franchise, they have an enemies-to-friends relationship, rather than a familial one.
Five: If they were related by ANY stretch of the imagination, Snotlout would've competed for the title of Heir like in the Books, but he doesn't. He's simply pressured by Spitelout, his father, to best Hiccup so that his father can one-up Stoick (and so that he can fulfill his father's warped expectations of what a Jorgenson is).
Six: Snotlout is better at everything than Hiccup in the Books (aside from speaking Dragonese and is even at sword-fighting once Hiccup uses his left hand), while Hiccup trounces Snotlout in several things.
So yeah, they're not cousins. Of course, if I somehow missed something, please inform me if I am incorrect.
Of course, this doesn't stop people from automatically labeling him as Hiccup's cousin, simply because he was in the Books, and it's just easier to implement it in the story.
Heck, I've seen plenty of people who have them be maternal cousins instead of paternal cousins, hence the different surnames. Though bear in mind that, historically, Vikings were named by who their parents were (i.e. Ragnar Ragnarsson, Thor Bjarnson, Asgeirrsdottir, and in rare cases maternal names like Astridsson/Astridsdottir).
My Headcanon
Personally, though, I'm of the opinion that Book Snotlout and Movie Snotlout are two different characters despite their similarities.
As such, I have Snotlout and Hiccup be just good friends.
Snotlout got his name from Snotface Snotlout Haddock's middle name since Spitelout wanted Snotlout to be just like Snotface, whom he thought would replace Hiccup as the Heir. Snotlout admires him for being like the Great Viking Heroes and follows him and wants to be like him whenever he can. He often has to decide whether to follow Snotface or Hiccup — especially after Hiccup defeats the Red Death. And as time passes, it gets harder for him to choose.
Until one day, Snotlout decides to be his own man, without being influenced or pressured by his father or by Snotface, or even by Hiccup. He will stand on his own to feet and learn what path he wants to take and what man he wants to become.
See? EXCELLENT character development, if I do say so myself! 😁
What do you guys think? How do you view Hiccup and Snotlout's relationship, and how do you implement it in your headcanon?
Do Dagur and Heather Have Anglo-Saxon Ancestry? (HTTYD/RTTE Theory)
Hello, my fellow Furians! Here's another HTTYD article for you today!
In this article, we'll ask the question of why Heather doesn't look like the other Vikings and why her name isn't a Viking or Barbaric-Archipelago-ian like the others.
Here is my take on this.
(This is also major thanks to @valiantwarrior37 for helping me out concerning this and we had a lot of fun discussing this several years ago.)
My Theory and Headcanon:
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Their Physical Appearance:
Here's MY theory and headcanon for this question:
Heather — and possibly Dagur — have Anglo-Saxon blood!
If this is the first time you've heard of this, or if this sounds a bit "out there," then please hear me out!
Now, you're probably wondering, "Noctus, why do you think that Heather — and possibly Dagur — have Anglo-Saxon blood? They're BERSERKERS!"
AH! Well, I didn't say that they were FULL-BLOODED Anglo-Saxons, now, did I?
What I mean is that they're half Anglo-Saxon and half Viking. The Viking half from their father, and the Anglo-Saxon half from their mother. Or even a quarter Anglo-Saxon from their father's side (or mother's side), maybe?
Now, why do I think that?
Because we literally know nothing about their mother and very little about Osvald the Agreeable. We don't know what they looked like, how they met before Dagur and Heather were born, or if maybe the mom died and Osvald remarried—WE. KNOW. NOTHING!
Yes, Heather looks nothing like a Viking; that we can agree with. Neither does her name. My headcanon is that she takes it after their mother, or even grandmother, who's quite possibly Anglo-Saxon by blood. The reason why is probably the hair-color and Heather's physical appearance. It's very common in Anglo-Saxon women. Anglo-Saxons were well-known to have a lot of brunettes (though they did have blondes, too). Black-haired people as well. Even a few redheads, but those weren't as common as the Celtic and even Nordic peoples.
We must, of course, consider, that Dagur and Heather could be half-siblings, meaning that they could've had different mothers.
Now, we don't know what she looked like, nor what Osvald looked like. Osvald could've had red hair and green eyes, while the mother had black hair (or dark brown hair) and whatever-colored eyes she had (let's say, blue, for argument's sake). So Dagur looks like Osvald and Heather looks like the mother. Or Osvald could've had different eyes while the mother had the green eyes, so both kids have their mother's eyes, but Heather also has her mother's looks and hair.
If Osvald had black/dark brown hair and green eyes (which I doubt because Vikings don't really have that combination usually) and the mother had red hair and blue eyes, then Heather would have the form of her mother yet the hair and eyes of her father, and Dagur would have the form and eyes of his father, but the hair of his mother.
If Osvald had black/brown hair hair and blue (or brown) eyes, and the mother had red hair and green eyes, then Dagur would've had his mother's hair and eyes and the build and personality of his father while Heather had the form and eyes of her mother and the hair of her father. Actually, the OC that I made to be Dagur and Heather's mother has this combo (though, I'm not sure if I'm going to be keeping that look).
The problem with this though is that I doubt that Osvald has black/dark brown hair and whatever-colored-eyes-that-aren't-green because look at this:
And this:
These are concept artwork of Osvald the Agreeable. The problem though is that none of these look like Osvald in the Race to the Edge series in this shot:
Look at this guy! Oswald in RTTE looks taller and, while buff-looking, isn't a rounded square block. To be fair, though, RTTE is a product of Netflix, not Cartoon Network, so it make sense that the designs for Osvald would be different.
Also, I really wouldn't be surprised if he has red hair and green eyes. Or red hair and blue eyes.
If any of you are experts in genetics, please clear this up for me.
Please?
Anyway, comment on these two questions:
1) What do you think Oswald looks like?
2) What do you think Oswald's wife looks like?
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Heather's Name:
Okay, back to Heather and Dagur — but mostly Heather.
Another possible proof to my headcanon as to why Heather may be half (or quarter) Anglo-Saxon is. . . well, her name. Heather is a Middle-English name used between the 1100s-1400s — though that's most likely its peak period. It wouldn't be surprising if it was used as early as the Anglo-Saxon period. It was used by the Anglo-Saxons (particularly the Northumbrians), the Anglo-Normans, and the Scottish later in the medieval period. So if her mother gave her daughter the name Heather, then she, or Heather's grandmother, would probably most likely be Anglo-Saxon, as Heather is an Anglo-Saxon name, more or less. Keep in mind that Heather is merely an Anglicized version of the name. Her mother, if she was Anglo-Saxon, would've said the name in her Anglo-Saxon language, but when she named her, her mother would've used the Norse language, so it could easily be Lynga or Lyngja or Lynghild or Lyngrid — Lyng meaning "heather" in Old Norse; another possibility is Erika, which can translate into "heather" in some languages. Quite possibly Middle-English as well.
Another possibility — but less likely — is that Heather might've inherited the name from her mother or her grandmother (depending on who was full-blooded Anglo-Saxon). It may have been that her grandmother was the Anglo-Saxon and not her mother. Honestly, we don't know. Dagur says himself that Heather and he are the only family each other's got, which means that everyone in the Berserk family has . . . retired! We know almost nothing of their family and we don't know what any of them look like.
Heck, Dagur and Heather could've been half-siblings for all we know — Oswald's first wife having Dagur and the Anglo-Saxon gal having Heather. We simply don't know.
Ugh! The possibilities are ENDLESS!!!
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Conclusion:
So regardless whether Dagur and Heather's mother was red-haired and green-eyed, or red-haired and blue-eyed, or black-haired and green-eyed, or black-haired and blue-eyed, or whatever hair/eye combo you want to give her, it can literally be any of these combos because we don't know what Oswald and his wife look like. If she has red hair and blue or green eyes, she may be Scottish or Irish (or maybe one of those few Anglo-Saxon ladies that's a red-head). Or she may be Anglo-Saxon. Or she may just be 100% Norse and Heather is simply an Anglicized version of her Viking name that means "heather". After all, Hiksti means "hiccup" in Icelandic, which is the closest form of Old Norse that we can sadly get.
If anyone can correct me on this, please let me know. I'd be interested to know if there's an Old Norse word for "hiccup".
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this article. Thank you for your time.
So, in conclusion, my theory and headcanon is that Heather and Dagur's mother is Anglo-Saxon and that they're half-bloods -- which can explain her appearance and name. It doesn't go against the canon, but it also can't be confirmed either. Though you can't confirm anything concerning Heather, Dagur, and their family because their family is practically "retired" in Valhalla having a grand ole time partying and feasting and fighting people every day for eternity. lol XD
Regardless if she's half Anglo-Saxon, half Irish, half Scottish, or just 100% Norse with an Anglicized version of what would've been her Nordic name, this is just my nest egg on the matter. I hope you enjoyed it.
So please tell me your thoughts, my fellow Furians! Who do you think Heather is? Do you agree with my headcanon that she's part Anglo-Saxon? Or do you think that she's Irish? Scottish? Or just 100% Norse?
Also, what do you think their parents looked like, and what did Dagur and Heather inherit genetically from them? Or do you think that Dagur and Heather are half-siblings?
I can't wait to hear your thoughts!
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you've enjoyed picking apart this question as much as I have.
Farewell and happy flying to you all, my fellow Furians!
The Story Behind the Portraits (A HTTYD/Riders of Berk Theory)
Hello, my fellow Furians! And welcome to another HTTYD article!
Today, we’ll be diving into the background and mystery behind the Portraits of the Chieftains and their Heirs!
This is a continuation, sequel, and expansion of my original post here.
We know very little about Berkian history aside from the fact that Berk has been around for 7 generations (8 if you include the Gang... maybe?) and that Berk celebrated their 400th Anniversary (more on that in my previous article here).
Other events and people in Berkian history that were mentioned were the Dragon Wars (for 300 years), the Berserker Wars (during Stoick’s father’s and grandfather’s time), the skirmishes with the Outcasts, the Rise of Alvin the Treacherous, even about the fame of Hamish the First. There are mentions of other noteworthy people that were part of Berk’s history (at least, I assume they’re part of Berkian history since Fishlegs mentions them), but to regale you of them when I haven’t watched the series in a while isn’t worth it.
However, there is one glaring absence among the row of portraits on the wall: there is no portrait of Hamish the Second and his son. Why?
Let us go through the events of the Riders of Berk episode “Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Man” to find out, since that is where we will receive the story of Hiccup the Second.
We know that Hamish the First was a famous chieftain in Berkian history, said by Fishlegs to have been: “the most successful and wealthiest chieftain in Berk’s history, who amassed a fabulous and massive treasury.”
However, there may be some conflict over who was actually Hamish the First, since according to the Wiki, the blonde Viking is NOT Hamish the First, but actually the first portrait on the wall, the dark-haired Viking, and that Hamish the Second was named after him.
Of course, I’m not sure if the animation error is true or not. If Hamish the First, according to the Wiki, truly was the first chieftain to take his portrait in this, then it doesn’t make sense that Hamish the Second would put the treasury spanning from the First Chieftain into a secret place several generations later. But could it be that his (the first chieftain’s) son is really Hamish the Second?
I don’t know. It’s difficult to tell. I’ll leave that to you guys, and I’ll think about it a little more. I might even write another article about this apparent discrepancy.
While it may be a stretch, it's possible that Hamish the Second switched the portraits and that the first chieftain’s portrait was actually the portrait posing as the two Hamishes (the blonds) while the true portrait of the Hamishes was put into the First Chieftain’s portrait spot.
Anyway, back to Hamish the Second’s background.
After leaving behind a literal golden and colorful legacy, Hamish the First stepped down (or died), leaving Hamish the Second to succeed him as the 5th-Generation Chieftain of Berk. After that, he hid the majority of his father’s treasure hoards and created the labyrinth and riddles for the next “hiccup” to find in the future. We don’t know the later events or accomplishments of his reign — or anything else about him, for that matter — before the succession of either Stoick’s grandfather or father.
But here’s where it’s gets even more hazy.
The Case of the Missing Portraits
If you count all of the portraits in total, there are only SIX of them, including Hiccup’s portrait! We’re missing Hamish the Second’s portrait with his son.
Where is it? What happened to it? Why is it missing?!
In the intro to the HTTYD 1 film, Hiccup stated that they have lived on Berk for “seven generations,” so whether you include his own generation as the 7th generation, or if the 7th generation is Stoick’s generation while Hiccup’s generation is the 8th is its own topic altogether.
Though you could argue that only Hamish the Second's portrait is missing, since if you HAD included that, it would've been 7 generations of portraits, including Hiccup's portrait with Stoick, and, even IF Hiccup was the 8th generation instead of the 7th, there wouldn't be an 8th portrait until the coming-of-age of Hiccup's OWN children.
We get an interesting hint by Fishlegs as they observe the line of portraits:
So according to him, Hiccup is one of the “few” who wasn’t killed by their successors — which usually implies that regicide was somewhat commonplace. Of course, “few” could just imply more than 3-4 individuals, and it’s possible that only a few in their history were actually killed by their successor.
Another theory is that Fishlegs is talking about successors and predecessors in general throughout the Archipelago in all of Viking history.
It’s not really stated what “the elite few” is referencing, whether it’s concerning the Berkian chieftain bloodline, or is including the chieftain bloodlines of other Tribes as well.
What do you guys think?
At any rate, let’s start with Hamish the Second.
Hamish the Second
Hamish the Second is definitely a curious individual in Berkian history, shown to be a nod to Grimbeard the Ghastly's son, Hiccup the Second, in the Books. Both are friends to dragons, both were Runts, both loved their fathers despite their grievances, and both their fathers were successful pirates who collecting a massive hoard of treasures.
Since after his father's death, Hamish the Second, being a brilliant engineer and nasty trapper and riddler, used his (presumedly) secret relationship with dragons to build a massive complex to hide his father's treasure (most likely due to the infighting over the said treasure, as was seen in HTTYD Book 2) and protect it from thieves and raiders.
That was his first job and project as the 5th(?) Chieftain of Berk.
So, if Hamish II became the next Chief, what happened to him and why isn't there a portrait of himself with his own son?
Well, we simply don't know, unfortunately. There are some theories and plausibilities that could explain its disappearance.
1. Hamish, much like his Book counterpart, perished at a young age — most likely as the victim of what Fishlegs mentioned as "being one of those killed by their successor."
2. Hamish could've died as a result of an accident, disease, injuries, battle, or even a shipwreck or a storm.
3. Hamish's secret of befriending dragons could've been discovered and was either killed or exiled for "betraying Berk". (Of course, this is assuming that Berk hadn't tamed dragons back then since Hamish the First obviously had time to raid and pillage to get this massive hoard of treasure without much problems with dragon raids. And the flashback with Stoick and Hiccup in HTTYD 2 and HTTYD 3 seem to support that.)
4. Hamish could've been killed or forced to leave due to people seeking his father's treasure.
5. Hamish could've had a son but, like Thugheart from the Books, decided to overthrow Hamish II and got rid of him.
6. Hamish, not wanting to endanger his dragon friends, pulled a Valka-move and either made it look like dragons killed him, or, like what Hiccup tried to do in HTTYD 1, decided to quietly leave Berk without telling anyone.
There might be more, but those are the main ones.
Heck, perhaps even one of these two portraits IS Hamish the Second and his son, presumedly Stoick's grandfather. Who knows? 🤷♂️
At any rate, for any or a combination of these reasons, this resulted in a tragic early death before having an heir, or he did have an heir but died before his son came of-age, thus the portrait couldn't be made.
Considering Hamish the Second is based off of Hiccup the Second from the Books, let's just assume the chieftainship was left vacant after his disappearance, for whatever reason it may be.
Of course, if this is true, does this simply mean that the portraits got switched? If so, then we can continue with the theory that a relative of Hamish the Second, Stoick's grandfather or father, became the new Chief of Berk — assuming there wasn't an upstart before that who tried to take advantage and take the throne for himself.
This would effectively make Stoick's family a new dynasty, even if they're part of the same family. Assuming that they're not just a family of Vikings that the residents voted in and that the official line of Berk ended with Hamish the Second.
If it's TRUE that the Hamishes WERE, in fact, the FIRST and SECOND Chiefs of Berk, then that would change things a bit.
For instance, if we were to be loyal to the Books, after the deaths of Grimbeard and Hiccup the Second, and the disownment and exile of Thugheart, Chucklehead would become the new Chieftain of Berk.
Meaning that after Hamish the First's death, and Hamish the Second's early death/disappearance, Chucklehead would be the next Chieftain of Berk.
And if you look at the portraits, the one on the right looks like what Chucklehead would look like, doesn't he? 👀
Conclusion
To conclude with this rather long article, regardless of Hamish the Second's fate, or what timeline he truly hails from, he left a seat vacant, and the absence of his theoretical portrait of himself and his heir is likely due to his early death or disappearance, or, if he HAD an heir, or contenders, they might've dealt with him and got rid of the portrait.
The only reason why I didn't mention the possibility of his secret — that of his friendship with dragons — being found out, and that's what caused his downfall, is that if that had been the case, then why didn't they destroy the portrait of Hamish the First and Hamish the Second as well?
If the Hamishes were the First- and Second-Generation Chieftains, then the next chieftain would've been [insert Viking] (I'm going with "Chucklehead").
If not, and it was during Stoick's grandfather's or father's time, then it's possible that Stoick's grandfather and father were part of the continuation of the dynasty left vacant by Hamish the Second. Assuming they're not a new dynasty altogether, which is unlikely.
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Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this article. If you have any thoughts about this mystery, or about Berkian history, please feel free to give your thoughts.
Thank you for reading. I hope you have a good weekend.
Hello, everyone! Today we'll dive into another HTTYD 3 topic that's been on my mind for a while now.
It's after I saw this ax.
Like, this seriously surprised me when I first watched this. I was already used to her usual ax, so I thought it'd just be her ax — a gift from Hiccup after losing her other one at the end of RTTE — that she normally fights with, like here. 👇🏻
In the beginning, when the Riders go for one of their many raids to free dragons, we see Astrid fighting with her normal ax.
But in much of the film, we see her using the ax that suspiciously looks like Stoick's ax.
At first, I had thought she was using Hunter axes, but she's been using that ax throughout her fights with the remnants of Drago's minions.
Another example is the scene down below, during their final battle against their foes, we see Astrid with that ax again.
This is seriously making me think that this is Stoick's ax that she inherited, having switched her old ax for his! 👀 Which would be so cool and so touchingly wholesome. 😭
Of course, another option is that she just has another ax on standby made in likeness of Stoick's ax thanks to Gobber. 🤷♂️
But I actually really like the idea of Astrid inheriting the ax of her father-in-law. I think it's super wholesome. 🥰😭
What do you guys think? Do you find the theory plausible?
The Mystery Behind Astrid's Wolf-Pelt Cloak (HTTYD 3)
Hello, my fellow Furians! Welcome to another HTTYD article! This is one of my older ideas, but again, I just plumb forgot and it was just left sitting there collecting dust. 😅
Today, I want to talk to you about a realization and possible revelation that just has me in fits of excitement! When I watched the end of HTTYD 3 with Hiccstrid's wedding and their cloaks, I never thought much about it. However, when I watched the RTTE Season 2's 4th episode "Bad Moon Rising," I suddenly connected the two dots.
Take a look!
I paused and thought about it for a bit, and then I realized that... wait, wolf. Wolf pelt. A pelt that comes from a wolf. Wait... did the wolf pelt come from THIS wolf?! 😲🤯
I mean, it could be possible, right?
I could totally see Snotlout killing the wolf and gaining a nice pelt from it for his troubles, and then 3 or so years later, when Hiccstrid have their wedding, he gifts it to Astrid as a wedding gift. Or maybe he gifts it to her as a reconciliation gift after having stepped on her wrath one too many times. 😅 Such a time could've been after Season 5's episode "Snotlout's Angels."
Of course, this could just all be an uncanny coincidence, and this is a completely different pelt that had absolutely nothing to do with Snotlout's wolf, and that he either still has it, or Tuffnut has it as an apology gift for the... prank and making him think that he was turning into a Lycanwing.
But hey, I personally support this headcanon. What about you guys?
Let me know what you guys think! I'm always open to other interpretations. It's why theories and headcanons exist.
Thank you for reading this article! See you next time!
Is There a Dragon Flyer "Elite"? (RTTE Headcanon/Theory)
Hello, everyone! Welcome to another HTTYD post! Sorry for the hiatus, but I'm back with another article of lore on the Dragon Flyers. Please enjoy!
This article is a continuation of my previous post on this topic (here) about dragonskin uses. And this will start my other articles about Hierarchy and Ranks.
Today's topic will discuss if these skins provide an established hierarchy of elitism in these Flyers (and Hunters) — particularly the Malevolent Twelve, a squadron of Flyers personally led and taught by Krogan who defeated the Dragon Riders in Season 5's episodes "Dawn of Destruction" and "Wings of War".
This is probably just me, but I have a headcanon that there's an elite among the Dragon Flyers under Krogan's command. Of course, naturally, there'll always be an elite group — "veterans," in other words — in every organization or unit. Doesn't matter if it's a small unit, a military or business organization, or anything else. The same with the Dragon Hunters and the Dragon Flyers.
In fact, Viggo even talked to Ryker about moving the "elite guard" (of Hunters or more possibly the Grimborn Family's personal guards) to prepare for the Riders' attack on their secret base in Season 4's episode "Twintuition".
But back to the Flyers. I've noticed something very interesting. As you know from both the picture earlier above (the top photo), and down below, you'll see that the only Flyers that are often seen with Krogan are these guys. Particularly this guy below that's standing next to Krogan in Season 6's episode "Chain of Command".
Of course, since this is DreamWorks Dragons, and since there isn't any rhyme or reason when it comes to the minion character design, I may be just imagining things and that them being near Krogan is just a coincidence.
However, as I've stated in my previous article, when it comes to the Flyers with the Zippleback skins and the gold dragonskins, respectively, they look to be more seasoned and ruthless compared to the Flyers with the poorly tanned Nightmare skins (or whatever those skins are), who often look nervous or act like they just graduated from Dragon Flyer Cadet Academy. 😂
In the Season 6 episode "Darkest Night", one of Stoick's main attackers is this guy in a gold-dragon-skin outfit, and also the Flyer with a similar outfit but different dragon (compare to the Flyer above) who tag-team to grievously wound Stoick.
(You'll find him again in later photos)
It's possible that these two were part of the "Deadly Dozen" from Dawn of Destruction and Wings of War, since it's likely that Krogan or Johann would've sent some of their best Flyers to take out an important figure, especially since Johann would've known about Stoick's legendary martial prowess and would've most likely not wanted to take any chances. Taking out Stoick would've stalled Berk's capability to continue their fight against the Hunters.
in "Dawn of Destruction", this Gold-skin Flyer was able keep up with Astrid and was able to hit her if it hadn't been for Hiccup's trap.
And let us not forget the infamous Mr. "Murderous Pile of Yak Dung", the Gold-skin Flyer that the Gang captured and interrogated in the Season 6 episode "Guardians of Vanaheim". Even while held captive, "Yak-dung" not only tries to recruit the Twins and use them to help him escape, but takes his chance to break free and steal the Dragon Eye Lens that Fishlegs and the Twins were turning Osvald's hut upside-down and inside-out to find, before leaving to escape the island. That is, if he hadn't fatally run into a pack of very hungry Grim Gnashers. RIP. His sacrifice will be remembered. 💀
"Krogan's Best"
In the Season 5 episode "Dawn of Destruction", we are met with a squadron of 12 Flyers who commence a surprise early-morning raid on the Dragon Riders' main base and quickly neutralize the Riders and forcing them to make a tactical retreat.
These Flyers are well-trained, well-armed, and well-coordinated, able to work together to out-maneuver the Riders and corner them. It's obvious that Krogan trained them in air-to-air combat for this very purpose.
In this very same episode, Ruffnut and Tuffnut even commented after nearly getting roasted by a passing Flyer protecting his wingman's six:
|| Tuffnut: Hey, not for nothing, but these guys are pretty good! ||
|| Ruffnut: They're are kicking our butts! ||
And Snotlout even warns Hiccup that:
|| Those Flyers are all over the place and well-trained. ||
In "Wings of War, Part 1", after getting harassed and pursued by those Flyers from Caldera Cay (DOTW's home), Snotlout and Tuffnut say this about the Flyers:
|| Snotlout: Whoa! Oh, man, those guys are good! ||
|| Tuffnut: I'd like to train with their trainer. ||
In the same episode, talking about that particular team of Flyers — whom I'd like to call "Krogan's Disciples" and "The Malevolent Twelve" or "The Deadly Dozen" — that were chasing the Gang from Dragon's Edge, Krogan himself told Viggo:
||"Those are 12 of my most fearless and gifted warriors. I doubt they'll have much of an issue."||
The Flyers which made up those 12 elites are those with Zippleback and the gold-scaled dragonskins. So it's very much possible that these skins are only given to elites, of a sort.
Furthermore, most of the Flyers I saw in those shots had Nightmare dragonskin skirts (kilts? lol). The Flyers with the gold-scaled dragonskin shirts seem to have vambraces made of Gronkle dragonskin, based on the coloring. Don't quote me on that, since I could be wrong. Since these dragons are hard to kill, that would definitely make them skilled dragon slayers.
Also, speaking of which, there was at least ONE Flyer amongst the "Deadly Dozen," wearing Nightmare(?) skins and a Nadder wing skirt, and flying a green Singetail. You can find him if you squint in "Wings of War, Part 1".
I've edited the shots to make them more easier to see, but please forgive me for the blurry close-up shots. Nothing I can do to prevent that unless somebody has a better photo editing software than I do (I use Canva).
You see him again, here, with the others when they hit the fog bank, which covers the length of the Inner Isles.
(That alone makes me wanna do an article that goes in depth into the reason the Inner Isles in Berk seem to have a different climate from the rest of the archipelago.)
Here's a clearer shot from "Chain of Command", in S6. Considering that he's wearing the same garb and riding the same colored Singetail, he could be the same guy. However, with DreamWorks Dragons being DreamWorks Dragons, who enjoy making clones of the minions, we can only guess. 🤷♂️
Not gonna lie, though: that's a really nice getup. 👀
Flyer Leader: Krogan's Right-Hand!
In several episodes, but most memorably in "Family Matters," one notable Flyer stands out from the others: the Flyer Leader.
As far as elites go, he's probably as far up as one can go outside of Krogan's position as Headmaster of the "Flyer Warthunder". He's his right-hand man. His leftenant/lieutenant. His chief subordinate.
Sadly, we don't know anything about his past or about his history with Krogan and the Flyers. 😔 (I should just go and write a fanfic and create my own lore for the Flyer Leader at this point. 🤩) However, at some point, after passing his training as a Flyer, I assume he became a direct disciple under Krogan in the same way Krogan was under Drago, and he was competent enough to be entrusted with various administrative and martial tasks and to lead warthunders out for certain missions whenever Krogan either wasn't available or couldn't be bothered to do it himself.
As seen in every episode he's been in, the Flyer Leader is shown to be a capable and reliable man to whom Krogan can leave things without much thought. This is amazing considering Krogan isn't the type who shares power with anyone but himself — as evidenced by his treatment towards Viggo and Johann. Though it probably helps that, so far as we know, the Flyer Leader isn't interested in more power and authority and is content being the Chief Lieutenant. (Though it would be pretty interesting if he is capable due to his ambition to aim higher and eventually replace Krogan as Chief of the Flyers.)
Anyway, the Flyer Leader is, aside from Krogan, the head honcho of the Flyers, and, as such, has much field command whenever Krogan's not around. He's Krogan's representative, almost (if Krogan was interested in allowing that).
The fact that Krogan was confident enough to entrust the all-important task of protecting the Singetail Rookery from any intruders once again proves, in my opinion, how adept the Flyer Leader is and how much Krogan trusts him enough to leave this vital facility to him.
And he's not stupid. Even when the Riders were able to free the Singetails captured in Deathsong amber, the Singetails, in order to protect the eggs, didn't leave as expected, unexpectedly giving the Flyer Leader extra pieces to drive the Riders into a corner. And instead of attacking them, knowing that doing so in cramped quarters and risking attacks from the Singetails due to the rookery being in the cave labyrinth, he instead orders word to be sent to Krogan about the incident and to focus everything he has onto the cave entrance and pin the Riders there until help arrives.
Little did he know that the Riders (thanks to Fishlegs impromptu problem solving) did something completely unexpected and did something that no-one could've thought that they would dare to do: lure a Cavern Crasher — an egg-eating dragon — into the Singetail Rookery and cause a disturbance that would cause a panic, allowing them to escape.
Honestly, if they hadn't done that, I think he would've been able to either capture them or kill them. The Riders themselves, before Fishlegs came with his crazy plan, were beginning to doubt they'd be able to break out before reinforcements arrived.
He is sadly left behind in a cocoon of amber. How tragic. 😔🙏🏻😂
I kinda find it ironic how he lost because of plot armor. I mean, when you watch the episode, you notice that he was given everything he needed to make sure that the Rookery stayed in their hands: About 100 or so Hunter grunts to do the patrols, guard-duty, and menial tasks such as taking care of the dragons; a squadron of Dragon Flyers, assumedly all elites from his own squad (so probably between 4-8 Flyers, certainly no more than 12); no more than 5 or so catapults and ballistae; presumedly several trap devices like net ballistae or whatever; and I'm assuming he has a reserve force of men at hand to rotate shifts and replace any troops that are injured, killed, or absent. So around 100-200 men, give or take a hundred. This is a LARGE GROUP to be commanding and organizing.
I don't care what the episode showed, you'd need that much personnel, if not more, just to do patrols, manage the dragons, man the catapults and traps, etc, etc, AND have a reserve to use to rotate shifts — this is an important base, after all! It's a BIG JOB!
That being said, I could be overestimating the numbers here a bit based on my assumption that they'd need that much personnel to deal with the Riders AND any Singetails they capture and guarding the two Deathsongs and Singetail eggs as well. With that being the case, I will minus this and assume that he has, at minimum, no less than 100 men, split into companies of 50 men so that they can rotate around the clock.
Regardless of the actual numbers, the fact that he was given a lot of resources, and still lost due to an unexpected wild card the Riders played on him is just bad luck.
Personally, I don't think that Krogan would let him live for having failed his expectations and mission so thoroughly. They basically lost their source of Singetails and the island is now useless and can't be used further.
However, that being said, perhaps after hearing the explanation, and not wanting to lose a valuable fighter, he could've just let him live but demoted him, since after this, we no longer see him again, and Krogan takes over direct command in the finale episode.
Or heck, maybe the Flyer Leader deserted, knowing what his fate would be, and didn't want to be there for Krogan to find.
I'm considering the possibility that losing his Singetail Rookery didn't waylay Krogan that much, since he had a bunch of Flyers scout out and attack the Sentinals and the Riders for the next two episodes. And in the final two, it appears that Krogan came with a force no greater than 50 Flyers, including himself. I don't know if he already had this force gathered up some time before "Family Matters," or if he had another Rookery(ies) besides the one handled by the Flyer Leader.
If that's the case, then it could be likely that Honcho is doing swell but demoted. But since we know that Krogan dislikes failure, much like Drago does and — like master, like apprentice — punishes his failure with DEATH.
For more on the Flyer Leader and his possible fate after "Family Matters", click the link to my old article here.
What's also interesting is that the Flyer Leader is also the one who led that certain "Elite Dozen" team that pursued the Gang in "Dawn of Destruction" and "Wings of War, Parts 1 and 2" as well.
Personally, I love this character, and I personally wish he showed up in more episodes. He was quite the competent minor villain who was able to corner and pressure the Riders more than a few times. (He certainly did a better job than Savage and Vorg did.😤)
Conclusion:
So I conclude this article by stating that I believe that those 12 Flyers — and any other Flyers with the same garb — are elites due to the garb they wear and experience in combat. They're also, presumedly, among the most fanatical and ruthless of Krogan's Flyers (though the same could be said for all of the Flyers, as a whole). Plus, they were the ones who gave the Gang the most trouble with their excellent training, coordination, and teamwork.
What do you guys think? What are your thoughts on this? I'm curious.
Anyway, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this article! See you in the next one!
