Instead, the creature he discovers appears to be a Common or Garden Dragon. In the confusion, Hiccup grabs a small green dragon in the dark, rather than one of the Monstrous Nightmare species which is the birthright of chiefs. The dragons wake up, giving chase to the boys. As a dragon enthusiast, Hiccup alone seems disturbed by the danger of this mission.Īs Hiccup expects, the mission goes awry. Their teacher, Gobber the Belch, places Hiccup in charge of the mission, which the other boys protest. For their official initiation into the Hooligan Tribe, the Novice boys must each steal a hibernating dragon from their lair and train it to obey their commands. Hiccup is heir to the tribe, but most of the other young boys in the village consider Hiccup incompetent and weak. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is the son of Chief Stoick the Vast, who leads the Hairy Hooligan Tribe of the Island of Berk. This guide refers to the Kindle edition published in 2014. Cowell’s popular series integrates details from Viking culture and Norse mythology to create a realistic world for Hiccup and his protective dragon friend, Toothless. Between the 8th and 11th centuries, the Vikings embarked on intercontinental voyages, trading, pirating, and settling throughout Europe.

Historically, the region was well-traversed by the Vikings, tribes of seafaring Scandinavian warriors.

She imagined that dragons lived there and quickly became fascinated with mythical creatures. Some key differences among the novels and films include an antagonism between the Viking tribes and the dragons permanent injuries to both Hiccup and Toothless Toothless’s size, color, and dragon breed the character of Astrid, Hiccup’s rival turned love interest and Hiccup’s role as a “dragon whisperer.”Ĭowell, though born in London, spent her childhood holidays on a remote, uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland. The animated films, though based on Cowell’s novels, deviate from the original story to offer audiences heightened drama and an action-propelled narrative.

How to train your dragon book 1