Nine of the ten dragon tribes are ruled by queens, in a primarily hereditary monarchy, with SilkWings being the only exception with the SilkWing Assembly. Only a female member of the royal family may be queen, and therefore the sole rulers of their kingdom. Other royals include kings, princes, and princesses.
Click here for a list of all known dragon royalty.
Royal Challenges[]
Pyrrhia[]
On Pyrrhia, most of the tribes have royal challenges consisting of a challenge battle to the death.[1] Only daughters, sisters, nieces, and granddaughters of the queen may issue a challenge for her throne (cousins become ex-queens). Females married into the royal family cannot issue a challenge.[2] The queen selects the location for the challenge[3] and must die in it for the challenger to become queen.[4] A queen may die without one of these challenges taking place. This can result in her daughter becoming the new queen,[5] a sister becoming queen,[6] the queen selecting an heir to rule after her,[7] or, more rarely, the daughters or heirs may fight for the throne. In one known case, this conflict led to the War of SandWing Succession.[8]
The SandWings also have the Eye of Onyx, an animus-touched necklace enchanted to select the most worthy candidate for queen (regardless of royal bloodline).[9] This does not seem to be the method of choice for selecting a new queen.[10] It is in SandWing tradition to place the Eye of Onyx in its place on the wall in the SandWing stronghold's courtyard, where the place of the challenge is.[11]
RainWing Royal Challenge[]
The RainWings have a unique royal challenge among the Pyrrhian tribes, as their royal challenge does not involve violence or death. They partake in an activity or a series of activities, chosen by the current queen(s). The dragon to win the majority of the activities will become queen.[12] The tradition was started by an unknown queen in order to stop the bloodshed of strong royal dragons.[13]
| List of possible challenges |
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Fruit-gathering trial: Dragons compete to collect as many varieties of fruit as they can within a time limit. Treetop race: Dragons race three laps around the village, using a small platform to mark the start and end. Storytelling challenge: Whichever dragon can tell the longest story without their listeners falling asleep wins. Venom-targeting match: Dragons are judged based on distance and accuracy. Meal-preparation contest: Dragons are given ingredients to cook the tastiest meal they can. Flower hunt: Dragons must search the Arboretum for a specific flower. Camouflage competition: Dragons take turns hiding and searching, and are judged based on time taken to find the other. Sloth-taming challenge: Dragons are introduced to a sloth and must convince it to climb onto their neck. |
Pantala[]
Rather than challenging for the throne, HiveWing queens would choose their successors.[14] This was also true for the SilkWing queens before the Tree Wars.[15]
Royal Positions[]
Queen[]
Queens are the monarchs of their tribes. They have full control over the economic, military, and social aspects of their kingdoms. Because queens are generally limited by bloodlines, they are not always the fittest dragons for the position. Many queens control how many eggs they lay to ensure that they have heirs, but not too many.[16] Some have been known to kill their daughters, nieces, sisters, and other female family members close to them to keep the number of potential challengers down.[17] Queens typically rule until an elderly age, as they often die in their sleep from a heart attack.[18] Tradition says that no one should challenge a new queen during the first month of her reign.[19] After becoming ruler, it is each new Pyrrhian queen's responsibility to make a diplomatic visit to each of her fellow queens' kingdoms.[20]
In Ex-Queen Wasp's and Queen Glory's case, a queen may temporarily or permanently rule more than one tribe.[21][22]
You can view a list of all known queens here.
You can view a list of ex-queens (queens who lost their positions while alive) here.
King[]
Kings are the husbands of the queens. They have less power compared to the queens and are often placed as generals or advisors. They have as much power as their queen grants them,[23] and may be looked upon to lead in times when the queen is incapacitated for any reason.[24] A queen may kill,[25] banish, or temporarily banish her king, as they are not vital to the functioning of a kingdom.[23] The queen's husband does not have to be called king.[26]
Darkstalker is the only known exception, as he briefly ruled the NightWings without a queen.
You can view a list of all known kings here.
Princess[]
Princesses are female dragons who are daughters, granddaughters, sisters, or nieces of the queen. They are capable of becoming the next queen of their tribe. They may spend their time being prepared for this job through lessons such as special diplomacy classes, extra policy sessions with the queen, advanced etiquette courses, and sometimes lessons to improve handwriting.[27] Many are ambitious or pressured to ambition by their families.
You can view a list of all known princesses here.
Prince[]
Princes are male dragonets or dragons who are sons, brothers, grandsons, or nephews of the queen. They are regarded as royalty and will often be given jobs within the palace, such as being advisors, treasurers, or lead a wing of the queen's army.[27] They are regarded as less important than female dragonets and may be ignored,[28] and also live ordinary lives.[27] Princes may be forbidden from having dragonets, to prevent unplanned or too many heirs.[29]
You can view a list of all known princes here.
Trivia[]
- MudWing queens are not at risk of being challenged by their sisters due to their strong sibling bond.[30]
- Royal bloodlines will often contain powerful dragons, such as animus dragons because they have been selectively bred into the royal family.[31]
- The SeaWing royal family is known to have a specific pattern of spirals under their wings.[32]
- Although likely a simplification, in dialogue exclusive to the graphic novel version of The Lost Heir, Starflight says that only sisters and daughters can issue a challenge for the throne.[33] In addition, in The Dragonet Prophecy, Clay mentions that only a queen's daughters or sisters could challenge the queen for the throne.[34]
- Cousins to the queen can also become queen, if there are no other heirs after a queen's death.[35]
- Queens can step down from their throne without a challenge.[36]
- The SilkWings are the only tribe that is not currently ruled by any queen. They are instead ruled by the SilkWing Assembly.[37]
- On the Scholastic Reads podcast episode Making Magic with Wings of Fire (released July 27, 2017), Tui admitted she made the dragons be ruled by queens because she felt that there were too many kings in fantasy media.
References[]
- ↑ The Hidden Kingdom, page 221-222
- ↑ Winter Turning, page 2
- ↑ Escaping Peril, page 225
- ↑ The Brightest Night, page 287
- ↑ The Lost Heir, page 116
- ↑ A Guide to the Dragon World, page 25
- ↑ The Dangerous Gift, page 33-35
- ↑ The Hidden Kingdom, page 97
- ↑ The Brightest Night, page 298
- ↑ Darkness of Dragons, page 164
- ↑ Darkness of Dragons, page 165
- ↑ The Hidden Kingdom, page 223
- ↑ A Guide to the Dragon World, page 73
- ↑ The Hive Queen, page 181
- ↑ A Guide to the Dragon World, page 190
- ↑ The Winglets Quartet: Deserter, page 88-89
- ↑ Escaping Peril, prologue
- ↑ The Dangerous Gift, page 264
- ↑ The Dangerous Gift, page 33-34
- ↑ The Dangerous Gift, page 171
- ↑ The Dark Secret, page 275
- ↑ Dragon guides/Third arc
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 The Winglets Quartet: Deserter, page 101
- ↑ Talons of Power, prologue
- ↑ A Guide to the Dragon World, page 172
- ↑ Darkstalker, page 62
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Darkstalker, page 21
- ↑ Moon Rising, page 7
- ↑ Darkness of Dragons, prologue
- ↑ The Brightest Night, page 244
- ↑ Winter Turning, page 97
- ↑ The Lost Heir, page 52
- ↑ The Lost Heir (graphic novel), page 136
- ↑ The Dragonet Prophecy, page 7
- ↑ The Lost Heir, page 210
- ↑ The Dangerous Gift, page 310
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, epilogue