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IceWings, also known as ice dragons or arctic dragons to humans, are a Pyrrhian dragon tribe that resides in the Ice Kingdom, the "head" of the dragon-shaped Pyrrhia, which is known for its cold winds, freezing temperatures, and, formerly, the Great Ice Cliff (also known as the gift of defense), before it was destroyed by Queen Snowfall,[1] their current queen.

The IceWings supported Blaze during the War of SandWing Succession, joining her alliance with the promise of a large portion of land near the SandWings' northern border if Blaze won.[2]

Description[]

IceWing scales can range from silvery-gray[3] and white[4] to pale shades of blue[5] and purple,[6] intended to blend into their icy surroundings. Their coloring has been described as "silver like the moons," "pale blue like ice,"[7] "as pale as the moons,"[8] or "moon-white scales,"[9] and "like whiskers or tufts of fur."[10] IceWings have dark blue,[10] sky blue,[11] icy blue,[12] or stormy gray eyes,[13] with forked blue tongues and dark blue blood.[14][15]

IceWingz

Serrated IceWing claw by Joy Ang

The head of an IceWing is shaped like a diamond and is very narrow, with a ruff of extra horns behind their heads, with spikes continuing down their backs and tail. They are lean dragons with thin, whip-thin tails that have icicle-shaped spines, ending in very sharp tips. They have serrated claws for gripping the ice.[7] Some IceWings, such as Lynx, have dark freckles or markings on their faces and wings, although this is generally uncommon.[16]

When upset, some IceWings have been shown to ruffle up the spines around their necks.[17]

Diet[]

IceWings prefer to eat creatures that live in the Ice Kingdom, such as reindeer, whales, penguins, hawks, polar bears, seals, walruses, and fish.[12] IceWing meals have been described as containing "bowls of dripping meat."[18] They also consume scavengers, though not very often, as they are rare in the Ice Kingdom. Seals are common among the lower classes due to the gift of sustenance, holes in the ice found in three different villages the lower-born IceWings live, enchanted to always give the hunter a seal when they stick a talon in.[19] IceWings would also eat frozen berries and even have ice cream.[20][21] IceWings typically enjoy their food raw.[22]

For event feasts such as coronations, IceWings may consume elaborate courses, such as kelp and sedge salads, crab soup with moss, whale skin topped with polar bear meat, narwhal blubber seasoned with fulmar oil,[23] diced puffin breast and grated gannet stomach stew, scavenger liver, shark heart, shaved ice flavored with syrup, lemons, and frozen cream made from milk and melons.[24]

Abilities[]

IceWings can withstand subzero temperatures and very bright light.[25] They have serrated claws for gripping slippery ice, which were described as "ten times sharper than normal claws" and "like getting clawed four times with each claw instead of once" when used offensively.[26][27] They are also known for having sharper eyesight than the other Pyrrhian dragon tribes,[28] and their scales emit an icy-cold chill,[29] which can freeze tiny drops of water on their bodies.[30] They can also exhale a freezing weapon called frostbreath,[31] also known as "freezing death breath" by the dragonets of destiny.

They can handle flight distances well, but are weaker when subjected to heat.[32]

Frostbreath appears as a cloud of sparkling smoke,[29] and can cause limbs to fall clean off from frostbite.[33] Scars from frostbreath look like blackened blisters, as seen on Mayfly. The only known direct cure is the gift of healing, a set of narwhal horns enchanted by Queen Diamond to heal accidental frostbreath injuries. In other cases, fire, bags of hot rocks, hot mud, or related heat-emitting liquids are used to melt the ice.

Frostbreath

Fjord using frostbreath during combat with Clay in the SkyWing arena in The Dragonet Prophecy, by Mike Holmes.

Frostbreath forms ice crystals where it makes contact with dirt,[34] forms tiny chunks of ice when used on rain,[35] and can be used to extinguish fires.[36] An IceWing can be prevented from using their frostbreath for a short time by raising their body temperature either via a warm environment[37] or manually heating them up (hot metal, fire, etc.), similar to the limits on MudWings' fire-breathing abilities but reversed.[3] Fjord's scales have been seen "melting" while in the arena, which perhaps indicates that IceWings' scales cannot withstand the heat.[5] A dragon affected by frostbreath will first feel freezing pain, shocking the affected area into paralysis, and is quite painful for the first few seconds until the area becomes numb. Victims of frostbreath will sometimes lose consciousness,[38] which can be treated with water and hot coals.[39] SkyWings who hatch with firescales cannot be hurt by frostbreath, though an impacted area may be numb for some time.[40]

Battlewinner freeze

Frostbreath taking over Battlewinner's body, in The Dark Secret by Mike Holmes.

A fire-breathing dragon can survive having frostbreath shot down their throat for a short time, but the only known way to survive a long period of time after sustaining internal frostbreath injuries is by staying immersed in lava.[41] Internal frostbreath injuries can eventually overwhelm a dragon if they leave the lava,[42] which is shown in Battlewinner's case.

As described in Moon Rising, IceWings have sharp, glittering, and bright minds that are hard to read. Groups of IceWings will "reflect" off of one another and become even more difficult to read.[43]

Animus magic[]

IceWings were once known for having more animus dragons than any other tribe, as well as having magic the longest.[44] These dragons were carefully bred into the royal family and monitored extremely cautiously, with strict rules for the use of their powers to keep their soul from turning evil. IceWing animus dragons were only permitted to use their power once,[45] for the benefit of the tribe, at the gifting ceremony on their seventh hatching day.[45] Some animus IceWings went against the rules, such as Queen Diamond who used her power four times — once for her normal animus gift, the gift of healing, another on Hope to come back to the Ice Kingdom, again for the gift of vengeance (the Diamond Caves), and once to enchant the IceWing crown to make the wearer hate NightWings as much as she had. IceWings host a test similar to the SeaWings' Talons of Power ceremony[event 1] to find animus dragons.[46]

The IceWing's line of animus dragons ended when Arctic, the last known IceWing animus, ran away with Foeslayer to the Night Kingdom, leading the IceWings to believe that the NightWings stole their precious magic.[47]

Animus Gifts

  • The gift of compromise: This gift is a scepter, carved from dark blue rock and set with little diamonds, which reminds Snowfall of NightWings.[48] It is unknown what its purpose is.
  • The gift of defense: The Great Ice Cliff, a wall on the border of the Ice Kingdom that shoots icicle spears at anyone who is not an IceWing. This feature was first seen when one of Blaze's soldiers attempted to cross it. IceWing hybrids can also cross the cliff, as stated by Typhoon, a SeaWing-IceWing hybrid. Queen Snowfall intends to tear it down after punching a hole in it at the end of The Dangerous Gift, and it is currently under destruction as of A Guide to the Dragon World.[49]
  • The gift of diplomacy: Three bracelets that allow the wearer to safely cross the Great Ice Cliff despite their tribe and keep the wearer warm in the Ice Kingdom, as well as a heated dome near the SandWing border, so they do not need to wear the bracelet; created by Penguin.[50] These bracelets were stolen by NightWings, however, and have been lost for about two thousand years. The NightWings of Prudence's time suspected there to be a fourth bracelet that the IceWings were keeping hidden.
  • The gift of elegance: An enchantment on the IceWing palace that makes the inner walls mimic the weather outside.[50]
  • The gift of healing: Queen Diamond's first official tribe gift. She enchanted a set of narwhal horns to cure any IceWings of frostbreath wounds.[45] Snowfall thinks that the inspiration for the gift was that Diamond herself was hit by frostbreath when she was a dragonet.[50]
  • The gift of light: A tree made of ice, the Moon Globe Tree, enchanted and hand-carved by Frostbite. The tree grows moon globes which, once picked from the branches, hover over the shoulder of the dragon who picked them and cast a soft glow. They also have different brightness settings that can be changed by rotating the globe. Glory wanted a cutting to grow in the rainforest.
  • The gift of order: A wall that shows every IceWing aristocrat's name and their current ranking. The names can be slid around like abacus beads if the IceWing rises or falls in rank. Dead IceWing names can be scratched out. There are Circles for each rank, with two different systems for adults and dragonets. There is an alcove in the wall set aside for the IceWing queen,[51] and the queen must consider that all IceWings on the Gift of Order are important to the Kingdom. The queen must also reorder the ranks of the dragons in the IceWing palace every night. It was destroyed at the end of The Dangerous Gift by Snowfall, although a piece of it was given to Jade Mountain Academy for future study.[49]
  • The gift of splendor: The main IceWing palace, enchanted by animus twins to grow from the ground and never be cracked, melted, or harmed in any way from the outside.[49]
  • The gift of stealth: A pair of pale silver wristbands set with diamonds that can make one or more dragons invisible.[52] While dragons are invisible, they must turn visible again before adding more dragons to the invisible group. Dragons in the invisibility circle are only able to be heard by each other. Snowfall uses it to disguise her army when she first meets the dragons from Pantala, then later to catch Crystal and Sky, on two separate occasions. They were given to Sundew when she left with the stealth group for Pantala.
  • The gift of strength: A delicate and elegant tiara, which is smaller than the IceWing crown, and gives immense strength to the wearer. Snowfall used it in The Dangerous Gift to destroy part of the Great Ice Cliff and the entirety of the gift of order.
  • The gift of subsistence: Three ice holes on the outskirts of the Ice Kingdom where if a dragon sticks his or her claws into it they will always catch a seal. Winter thinks it is narrow-minded because it is built only for the lower ranks; any dragon who cared about their ranking would not accept food which came so easily.[53] It was created by Caribou after Snowstorm showed her how the outer villages of the Ice Kingdom lived.[19]
  • The gift of understanding: Only part of this gift is available in the Forbidden Treasury, a piece of unwearable silver.[54] It is unknown what its purpose is. The gift is connected to a story Tui has not finished yet.[event 2]
  • The gift of vengeance: The Diamond Caves were Queen Diamond's second animus gift, enchanted so that anyone who touches Hope (a NightWing locked inside with animus-touched shackles) with a diamond-tipped spear can kill her (used for the Diamond Trial). The shackles that bound her were enchanted to refreeze her and revive her each time she was killed. The only way to remove the shackles was to breathe frostbreath on them (Queen Diamond added this to the enchantment in case the IceWing tribe needed Foeslayer as a bargaining chip, but thought that no IceWing would ever even think of freeing her). Together, they were created because Queen Diamond was not satisfied with killing Foeslayer just once, and instead wanted her to suffer for all eternity.
  • The gift of vision: The gift of vision is an animus-touched ring created by the IceWing animus, Opal. It is enchanted and only shows up for certain queens who are not ready to rule or need to be taught a lesson to become more open-minded. The wearer cannot take this ring off until they have fully learned their lesson. It allows the wearer to see visions through other dragons while the wearer themselves is sleeping, which makes them more open-minded towards other dragons' situations and circumstances. It is a silver ring with a big opal gem in the middle, and it cannot be destroyed. This is shown when Snowfall tried to ask Luna for assistance to burn off the ring with her flamesilk, or when she was slamming it on the rock.

Society[]

IceWings appear to be fairly sophisticated, strict, and believe themselves superior in comparison to the other tribes, being the only Pyrrhian dragons to have a hierarchy. They are very prideful, and often perceived as rude and arrogant by dragons of other tribes.[55] There are strict IceWing codes of behavior: most IceWings agree that the only way to make dragonets strong is to expose all of their weaknesses, and that shame and fear are powerful weapons in teaching. If everyone is disappointed in a dragonet, the consensus is that they will work harder to prove themselves.[56] Most dragonets are seasoned warriors in the Ice Kingdom.[57]

Even in times of general peace, IceWings still had minor skirmishes with SandWings and SkyWings.[58]

Royal IceWings are typically not affectionate, as Winter mentioned that hugging their family members would be considered undignified.[59] The lines of guards that attend the IceWing queen are perfectly coiled,[60] and IceWings are noble to their queen's orders.[61] It is painful to hold the IceWing guard stance for too long,[60] but Winter practiced for hours to get the pose perfectly right: his wings folded exactly so, his tail in the right position, his snout up and shoulders back.[60]

The IceWing queen, according to the ancient traditions of the tribe, was required to assess and adjust the gift of order each night.[62] She also has a council of powerful IceWings to guide and support her.[63] Most queens are killed in royal challenges in a battlefield, an arena, or before the entire court in a bloodstained throne room.[64]

Royal IceWings in the time of Darkstalker stored the frozen heads of deceased royal family members on walls in the palace and slid the deceased's corpses into the ocean.[65] This tradition is no longer practiced.[event 3]

IceWings living in villages outside the palace are less obsessed with status and Circles.[66] The outer villages are made of ice structures and are named hyphenated phrases.[67] In the outer villages, scrolls are typically written on sealskin and are circulated between IceWing villages by wandering librarians. They often have revered storytellers, or bards, who memorize stories that they sing or recite. Stories include tales of the Great Ice Dragon and histories of the IceWing tribe and their heroes. Dragonets are chosen to be their village's bard based on memory and performance skill. Caribou claimed that it is every young dragon's dream to be their village's bard.[68]

IceWings have a mythological figure called the Great Ice Dragon, whom they swear by the teeth of.[43] They also swear by snow monsters[69] and believe in spirits under the ice.[70]

IceWings can have pets such as arctic foxes.[71]

IceWings have parties, talent shows, and competitions frequently and are always working hard to make something wonderful to share with the rest of the tribe. These include recipes, scrolls, songs, and jewelry.[72]

Many IceWings polish their scales to maintain a clean look. This can be done via rolling in snow or swimming in cold water.

Circle rankings[]

Before the reign of Queen Snowfall, the aristocracy and nobility of the IceWing tribe were divided into seven ranks of status, known as Circles. The First Circle was the top, highest, or best, while the Seventh Circle was the bottom, lowest, or worst. IceWings below the age of seven were ranked as dragonets and graduated to the adult rankings on their seventh hatching day.[73] A dragonet's ranking on their seventh hatching day determined the course of the rest of their life, and if a dragonet reached their seventh hatching day in the Seventh Circle, they were stationed to an arctic outpost for the rest of their lives.[74] In families in the Ice Kingdom, the highest-ranked parent chose the names for their dragonets, regardless of gender, and were then approved by the queen.[75]

Ranking wall adjustment GN

Tundra adjusting Winter's rank on the ranking wall from Winter Turning (graphic novel), by Mike Holmes.

This system was managed via the gift of order and consisted of a wall of ice showing the rankings of every noble and dragonet. The queen was required to adjust these rankings daily. Some noble dragons wore accessories to indicate their rankings, such as a necklace with circles on it.[76]

IceWing dragonets raised their ranking through hunting, training, performing traditional IceWing customs, and passing tests given by their guardians.[77] In the dragonet rankings, each hunt was still a chance to prove themselves and increase their rank.[77] The highest-ranked dragonets were more respected. When a dragonet reached their seventh hatching day in the First or Second Circle, they would be housed in the queen's palace and allowed to provide input on important matters. When an adult went into Third Circle or lower, they could have lost their right to live in the palace.[78] If an IceWing died or was exiled, their names were slashed through on the gift of order, as shown in Hailstorm's case. If a dragonet went down in the rankings, their parents would too.[78]

The gift of order has since been destroyed by Queen Snowfall.[79] She is also working on destroying the gift of defense so that IceWings can become more open-minded to other tribes willing to help them during crises.

Diamond Trial[]

The Diamond Trial, also known as the gift of vengeance, was a way for IceWing dragonets to increase their Circle ranking in the tribe, generally as a last-minute effort to switch the places of two dragonets (the topmost and bottommost positions). It involved entering the Diamond Caves with narwhal horn spears, meant to touch a frozen NightWing - Hope. When she is thawed, both contestants must battle her. Hope is then frozen and resurrected again after she is killed, leaving the two dragonets to fight to the death. However, the trial was rigged- only one of the dragonets, the one the IceWings wanted to win, was given information about the trial and how the spears actually worked.

The trial became defunct when Winter secretly freed Hope during the events of Winter Turning.

Names[]

Before Queen Snowfall, IceWing names were chosen by the family member with the highest Circle rank and the names had to be approved by the queen.[75] It is unknown if this naming convention is still practiced. They can be named after ice formations like Glacier and Icicle, arctic animals (terrestrial or aquatic) such as Lynx, Narwhal, and Ermine, words for "white" in various languages such as Alba and Hvitur, polar landscapes such as Tundra, polar weather such as Hailstorm, and after mountains such as Changbai. They can also be named after blue and white gemstones such as Crystal, Diamond, and Opal, as well as cold seasons like Winter.

Click here for a list of known IceWings.

Animus dragons[]

Students at Jade Mountain[]

Trivia[]

  • IceWings have accents that are different from any other dragon tribe. This accent is described as "high-pitched with a tinge of deep in certain words."[citation needed]
  • IceWings may use fruit juice to make popsicles.[event 4]
  • There have been legends of animus IceWings that have gone mad from overuse of magic.[45]
  • IceWings have a specific sleeping schedule.[80]
  • When Winter was in the Rainforest Kingdom, he disliked the many colors there.[81] This shows that IceWings may be chromophobic (fear or dislike of many bright colors). However, this may be one of Winter's specific traits and is not a general feature of IceWings.
  • When the gift of order was first introduced in Winter Turning, Winter described the names as "the queen and her chosen advisors could slide them around like beads on an abacus".[82] This implies that IceWings know what abacuses are.
  • IceWings have trouble smelling things properly in more crowded environments like forests or towns.[55] This may be due to how they are hatched in tundras, where many of the common scents are covered by the scent of snow and the small variety of animals that live there.
  • IceWings can use their polished scales to make mirror signals by reflecting sunlight.[83]
  • IceWing are described to have "silvery scales like the moon";[84] however, there are three moons in the dragon world, not just one.[85]
  • There is an old IceWing tale that eating a shark heart can give a dragon strength; however, Glacier noted that many IceWings would get sick from eating it.[24]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. The Dangerous Gift, page 259
  2. The Hidden Kingdom, page 115
  3. 3.0 3.1 The Dragonet Prophecy, prologue
  4. The Poison Jungle, page 296
  5. 5.0 5.1 The Dragonet Prophecy, page 154
  6. Winter Turning, page 141
  7. 7.0 7.1 Dragon guides
  8. Darkstalker, page 14
  9. Darkstalker, page 174
  10. 10.0 10.1 The Dangerous Gift, page 44
  11. Winter Turning, page 191
  12. 12.0 12.1 A Guide to the Dragon World, page 135
  13. Winter Turning, page 252
  14. Moon Rising, page 276
  15. The Dragonet Prophecy, page 230
  16. Winter Turning, page 259
  17. Darkness of Dragons, page 191
  18. Winter Turning, page 4
  19. 19.0 19.1 A Guide to the Dragon World, page 151
  20. The Dangerous Gift, page 217
  21. The Dangerous Gift, page 305
  22. Winter Turning, page 154
  23. A Guide to the Dragon World, page 146
  24. 24.0 24.1 A Guide to the Dragon World, page 147
  25. Dragon guides
  26. The Dragonet Prophecy, page 168
  27. The Dark Secret, prologue
  28. The Dangerous Gift, page 83
  29. 29.0 29.1 The Dragonet Prophecy, page 157
  30. Darkstalker, page 148
  31. Dragon guides
  32. Darkness of Dragons, page 289
  33. The Dragonet Prophecy, page 272–273
  34. The Dragonet Prophecy, page 272
  35. Winter Turning, page 18
  36. Moon Rising, page 181
  37. Winter Turning, page 90
  38. Darkness of Dragons, page 146
  39. Darkness of Dragons, page 147
  40. Escaping Peril, page 125
  41. The Dark Secret, page 168
  42. The Dark Secret, page 263
  43. 43.0 43.1 Moon Rising, page 226
  44. Darkstalker, page 124
  45. 45.0 45.1 45.2 45.3 Darkstalker, prologue
  46. Darkstalker, page 116
  47. Winter Turning, page 37
  48. The Dangerous Gift, page 50
  49. 49.0 49.1 49.2 A Guide to the Dragon World, page 143
  50. 50.0 50.1 50.2 A Guide to the Dragon World, page 144
  51. The Dangerous Gift, page 19
  52. A Guide to the Dragon World, page 145
  53. Winter Turning, page 243
  54. The Dangerous Gift, page 52
  55. 55.0 55.1 Winter Turning, prologue
  56. Winter Turning, page 7
  57. Winter Turning, page 66
  58. The Winglets Quartet: Deserter, page 103
  59. Winter Turning, page 45
  60. 60.0 60.1 60.2 Winter Turning, page 58
  61. Winter Turning, page 92
  62. The Dangerous Gift, page 18
  63. The Dangerous Gift, page 29
  64. The Dangerous Gift, page 47
  65. The Winglets Quartet: Runaway, page 140
  66. Darkness of Dragons, page 367
  67. The Dangerous Gift, page 59
  68. A Guide to the Dragon World, page 148
  69. Moon Rising, page 289
  70. The Dangerous Gift, page 33
  71. A Guide to the Dragon World, page 140
  72. A Guide to the Dragon World, page 141
  73. Winter Turning, page 8
  74. Winter Turning, page 25
  75. 75.0 75.1 Darkstalker, page 15
  76. Winter Turning, page 240
  77. 77.0 77.1 Winter Turning, page 3
  78. 78.0 78.1 Winter Turning, page 249
  79. The Dangerous Gift, page 303
  80. The Winglets Quartet: Runaway, page 146
  81. Winter Turning, page 27
  82. Winter Turning, page 246
  83. Winter Turning, page 131
  84. Dragon guides
  85. The Brightest Night, page 237
  1. Stated by Tuisource 
  2. Stated by Tuisource 
  3. Stated by Tuisource (13:50)
  4. Stated by Tuisource 
IceWings
Queens

Present: GlacierSnowfall
Historical: Diamond

Royalty
(Present)

CrystalHailstormIcicleMinkNarwhalPermafrostTundraWinter

Royalty
(Historical)

ArcticCaribouFrostbiteOpalPenguinSnowfox

Jade Mountain

AlbaChangbaiErmineIcicleWinter

Other Dragons

CirrusCaribouCaribouCaribouCaribouCaribouCaribouFjordHviturIglooIvoryLynxSnowflakeSnowstormSnowstormSnowstormPolar Bear

Hybrids

DarkstalkerWhiteoutEclipseFierceclawsShadowhunterTyphoon

Kingdom

Notable Features: Great Ice CliffMoon Globe TreeIceWing palaceDiamond Caves
Villages: Among-the-EvergreensHamlet-That-Worships-the-Whales-Who-Sing-at-NightVillage-of-the-Plentiful-SealsWe-Remember-and-Venerate-CaribouWhere-No-Dragon-Goes-HungryWhere-the-Terns-FlyWhere-the-Whales-Leap-at-Dawn

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