Was Smaug hibernating for those 171 years?

[Gamil Zirak]

What exactly was Smaug doing in the roughly 171 years between taking over the Lonely Mountains and his death in Dale? Was he hybernating? Do dragons even do that? There really isn't much mention of him, and the people of Dale don't really acknowledge that he is still ransacking their town. Was he asleep from 2770 to 2941 (specifically from the day he ate his last Dwarve to the day Bilbo ventures into his chamber)? Is that what a dragons does? Takes over a mountain full of gold and then sleeps on it forever.

 

[Turgon]

Smaug always reminds of a cat for some reason - there's something very feline about him... I don't suppose he did much after settling into his new lair - he just lay on his golden bed, played with his shiny treasure, coughed up hairballs and maybe popped out for the occasional snack - sheep for the most part, and maidens when he could get them - of course they were becoming more and more scarce as time went by.
By the way Dale was destroyed soon after Erebor, I think you're confusing it with Esgaroth!?

 

[Gamil Zirak]

You are quite right Turgon. Esgaroth is the town I refer to above.

 

[Turgon]

Just flicked through my copy of The Hobbit the closest I could come to an answer is this...

After that there were no dwarves left alive inside, and he took all their wealth for himself. Probably, for that is the dragon's way, he has it all piled up in a great heap far inside, and sleeps on it for a bed. Later he used to crawl out of the great gate and come by night to Dale, and carry away people, especially maidens, to eat, until Dale was ruined, and all the people were dead or gone. What goes on there now I don't know for certain, but I don't suppose any one lives nearer to the Mountain than the far edge of the Long Lake now-a-days.

So I think the answer to your question is probably yes, Shiloh. Though maybe one of our resident dragon experts could tell you more. Hehe! I was right about the maidens though!

 

[Beleg Strongbow]

What a boring and uneventful life!! It rpoves money isn't everything. Or gold!!

 

[Turgon]

But Beleg - the maidens...think of the maidens!

 

[Beleg Strongbow]

ahh yes the maidens!!

 

[Rangerdave]

Maidens Good
Dragons Bad
Short Stumpy Grey Beards in Mountain Good
Battle of Five Armies Bad

Make up mind already

RD confused

 

[Úlairi]

I read the post RD about my plucked chicken! I had the biggest laugh of my life, you nearly killed me I didn't post back as I was laughing too much. As for Smaug, he got his teeth around some pretty good chicks!

 

[Elias]

Smaug was just sitting on "his" treasor and sleeping. He didn't need food because he ate all those dwarfes, but when his peace was disturbt he get angry and hungry at the same time.

Well like Turgon said he started to sleep after Dale was fully destroied and all the people were gone. (He was too lazy to go any further)

 

[Úlairi]

Smaug had it all, the women, the food, the gold, the fun. Gee, I'm getting pretty jealous of him know!

 

[Chymaera]

Originally posted by Ulairi
Smaug had it all, the women, the food, the gold, the fun. Gee, I'm getting pretty jealous of him know!

Smaug had it all right up till he caught that arrow in his bald spot

 

[Ice Man]

Was Smaug the last dragon to live in Middle Earth?

 

[Úlairi]

Yes Smaug the Golden was the very last of his kind, poor Smaug. As for getting it in his bald spot, I congratulate Bard, as he stopped me getting jealous of Smaug by killing him. Go Bard.

 

[chrysophalax]

RRRRRRRRR, Ulairi! Death to Bard! He may have been the last of the Great Worms, but he was NOT the last dragon!

 

[Úlairi]

Show me the proof chyrosophalax and I'll believe you!

 

[Gamil Zirak]

In Letter 144 JRRT wrote:

Dragons. They had not stopped; since they were active in far later times, close to our own. Have I said anything to suggest the final ending of dragons? If so it should be altered. The only passage I can think of is Vol. I p. 70 : 'there is not now any dragon left on earth in which the old fire is hot enough'. But that implies, I think, that there are still dragons, if not of full primeval stature.

That looks like proof to me.

 

[Úlairi]

Originally posted by shiloh53


That looks like proof to me.

Well, well, well. Thankyou for that shiloh53, I stand corrected! I must gain a copy of the Letters of JRRT.

 

[Ice Man]

How long could Smaug go without eating?
What if he simply decided to fly west to Valinor, would he ever make it?

 

[Úlairi]

If he even tried to go to Valinor, it would be impossible, because it is outside the Circles of the World, Arcanjo. And if Smaug could make it outside the Circles of the World (which is impossible), then the Valar would make fried dragon of him before he even got there.