116
votes
Accepted
Why does Smaug have 4 legs in the 1st movie but only 2 legs in the 2nd?
Blame Benedict Cumberbatch, from MTV news:
"Originally, the dragon we envisioned was bigger. The idea was to get the fear through his bulk. In fact, if you go back and look at the first film and ...
- 10.4k
113
votes
Why doesn't Smaug die in the 2nd Hobbit film if it was titled the 'Desolation of Smaug'?
It means "the desolation caused by Smaug".
In the book, this is the description given to the barren area around the Mountain, specifically to the south and west. (The map displays north to ...
- 65.4k
53
votes
Was Smaug sealed inside the Lonely Mountain?
In the book, as well as the movie, there was a main entrance to Erebor—the Front Gate, where the dragon had come in to begin with. When the dwarves first discuss the mission with Bilbo, Thorin ...
- 20.4k
52
votes
Why doesn't Smaug die in the 2nd Hobbit film if it was titled the 'Desolation of Smaug'?
The Desolation of Smaug does not mean the Destruction of Smaug.
Dictionary Definition
Definition of desolation
the action of desolating
the pitiful desolation and slaughter of World War I — D. F. ...
- 38.8k
44
votes
Why does Smaug have 4 legs in the 1st movie but only 2 legs in the 2nd?
TL;DR
This answer starts by clarifying some terms, then goes through some background information and ends up answering the question. The overall answer was improved considering the discussions in the ...
- 1,153
37
votes
What was Thorin's plan if Bilbo hadn't woken up Smaug?
Depending on the time you look at Thorin may or may not have had much of a plan. In the early meetings with Gandalf, Thorin suggests storming the mountain by force, routing the Dragon and reclaiming ...
- 77.5k
34
votes
Accepted
Is Smaug a reptile?
Although Tolkien never makes any outright claims to Smaug being reptilian he does make a few statements about Smaug being a Lizard or lizard-like
“Oh yes, very much so. Except no, Fafnir was a ...
- 77.5k
19
votes
What was Thorin's plan if Bilbo hadn't woken up Smaug?
Thorin had no realistic plan at the outset but that didn't seem to matter to him. He was the rightful King Under The Mountain and he was going to reclaim his kingdom or die trying. Warriors do not ...
- 703
19
votes
How old is Smaug, the dragon, in The Hobbit?
Tolkien doesn't give many statements that allow us to pinpoint Smaug's age, but we can cross-reference what is said in The Hobbit with other sources and make a reasonable guess.
First of all, to ...
17
votes
Accepted
Would Gandalf have been allowed to fight Smaug?
Probably.
The prohibition on the Istari:
"Their emissaries [the Istari/Wizards] were forbidden to reveal themselves in forms of majesty, or to seek to rule the wills of Men or Elves by open ...
- 5,934
12
votes
Accepted
How did Gandalf expect the dwarves to kill Smaug?
Gandalf likely didn't have a specific plan in mind
He certainly wanted Smaug dead, but his version of the story suggests he was just following his gut, and things just kind of worked out for him1. The ...
- 164k
12
votes
Why does Smaug have 4 legs in the 1st movie but only 2 legs in the 2nd?
I do not know the easons why Smaug was depicted as having only two legs in the second and third Hobbit movies.
But if being faithful to the book is considered desirable in the Hobbit movies, ...
- 42.2k
11
votes
Why does Smaug have 4 legs in the 1st movie but only 2 legs in the 2nd?
I would like to complete the other answers with quotes from the book Smaug: Unleashing the Dragon made by Weta Workshop:
SIX LIMBS OR FOUR?
For Peter, it is never too late to have a good idea. ...
- 534
9
votes
Would Gandalf have been allowed to fight Smaug?
Gandalf fought the Balrog because no other could have; it would have been devastating for the Fellowship to potentially be defeated so early in its journey.
Smaug doesn't represent the same kind of ...
- 91
9
votes
Accepted
Why was Smaug able to take over Erebor with such ease?
In the source novel, we see most of the Dwarf warriors killed in three separate engagements. Smaug has nearly total air superiority and is well able to use the nearby environment to create ambushes, ...
- 702k
7
votes
Was Smaug awake when Bilbo entered Erebor?
It's pretty unambiguous in the book that Smaug was asleep (my emphasis):
It was at this point that Bilbo stopped. ... after a short halt go on he did; and you can picture him coming to the end of the ...
- 42k
5
votes
Accepted
Was Sauron aware of the prophecy that Smaug would be killed and that the Dwarves would reclaim Erebor?
What you seem to be calling a "prophecy" is not much more than an old song of Lake-town. While it does talk of the return of Thror to his realm under the Mountain, it is not necessarily prophesying a ...
- 77.5k
4
votes
Was Smaug awake when Bilbo entered Erebor?
According to the film's director, Peter Jackson, Smaug wasn't sleeping sleeping, he was just cat-napping. Bilbo moving the cup (and causing the dragon's head to become slightly uncovered) was ...
- 702k
4
votes
Accepted
Did Smaug have the power to destroy Barad-dûr?
Probably Not.
Smaug might be capable of destroying Dol Guldor but not The Black Tower of Baradur . This because this tower was made from the power of the Ring and the Ring Must be destroyed to ...
- 316
4
votes
Is Smaug a reptile?
Merriam Webster defines a reptile as:
1 :an animal that crawls or moves on its belly (such as a snake) or on small short legs (such as a lizard)
2 :any of a class (Reptilia) of cold-blooded, air-...
- 4,786
4
votes
Accepted
How old is Smaug, the dragon, in The Hobbit?
Not much is said explicitly about Smaug's age in Tolkien's writings. So pinpointing his age with precision is going to be impossible. However, we can draw some inferences about his approximate age.
...
- 98.6k
2
votes
Why did Dale have anti-dragon defences?
A close look at the weapon's base reveals that the wind lance could probably rotate about 270 degrees along the vertical axis. So it could be aimed and fired at targets on ground as well.
- 21
2
votes
How much gold did Smaug possess in his hoard?
Basing Erebor on an actual world economy of the present, particularly California seems more sensible then trying to estimate wealth based on dragon size and piles of treasure. The fact that always ...
- 21
1
vote
What was Thorin's plan if Bilbo hadn't woken up Smaug?
There was a lot of enthusiasm but no real plan at that point. To make a plan, you need to scout the situation, create a few alternatives and pick up the best. Then follow the plan.
They failed at step ...
- 5,096
1
vote
How old is Smaug, the dragon, in The Hobbit?
It is not known.
Tolkien did not write any passage (that has been published to date) which specifically states “Smaug was born on [such-and-such date] in [some place name]”. However, it is made ...
- 21k
1
vote
Why model Smaug after a cat?
I do not have any direct source for this, only common sense.
You see, the truth is that the Rankin Bass version of Smaug looks a lot more like a tiger than a house cat. Those who assume the influence ...
1
vote
Was Smaug woken up by a nut hitting the mountain?
It has been about 20 years since I read the book, and I may be confusing it with the excellent stage play of the Hobbit I saw by Christine Anketell in Australia in 2000 which used a full cast of ...
- 11
1
vote
Could the gold actually kill Smaug?
Assuming we believe it makes sense for the gold to neatly fall around Smaug and cover him (which is addressed by the other answers), the problem in the plan is that the pool of gold with Smaug inside ...
- 111
1
vote
How was Smaug's treasure actually divided?
The answer is...we don't know. As already mentioned in other answers, Bard got 1/14th of the gold and silver (which was an awful lot), and Dain apparently kept the rest.
There was, of course, no ...
- 3,896
1
vote
How was Smaug's treasure actually divided?
Dain was going to give Bilbo his 1/14 share even after the deal for the Arkenstone but Bilbo agreed only to two small chests (one filled with silver the other with gold) because Bilbo really didn’t ...
- 49
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