<P> Beowulf scholar J.R.R. Tolkien considered the dragon in Beowulf to be one of only two real dragons in northern European literature, writing of it, "dragons, real dragons, essential both to the machinery and the ideas of a poem or tale, are actually rare . In northern literature there are only two that are significant...we have but the dragon of the Völsungs, Fáfnir, and Beowulf's bane ." Furthermore, Tolkien believes the Beowulf poet emphasizes the monsters Beowulf fights in the poem and claims the dragon is as much of a plot device as anything . Tolkien expands on Beowulf's dragon in his own fiction, which indicates the lasting impact of the Beowulf poem . Within the plot structure, however, the dragon functions differently in Beowulf than in Tolkien's fiction . The dragon fight ends Beowulf, while Tolkien uses the dragon motif (and the dragon's love for treasure) to trigger a chain of events in The Hobbit . </P> <P> The Beowulf dragon is the earliest example in literature of the typical European dragon and first incidence of a fire - breathing dragon . The Beowulf dragon is described with Old English terms such as draca (dragon), and wyrm (reptile, or serpent), and as a creature with a venomous bite . Also, the Beowulf poet created a dragon with specific traits: a nocturnal, treasure - hoarding, inquisitive, vengeful, fire - breathing creature . </P> <P> The fire is likely symbolic of the hellfire of the devil, reminiscent of the monster in the Book of Job . In the Septuagint Bible, Job's monster is characterized as a draco, and identified with the devil . Job's dragon would have been accessible to the author of Beowulf, as a Christian symbol of evil, the "great monstrous adversary of God, man and beast alike ." </P> <P> A study of German and Norse texts reveals three typical narratives for the dragonslayer: a fight for the treasure, a battle to save the slayer's people, or a fight to free a woman . The characteristics of Beowulf's dragon appear to be specific to the poem, and the poet may have melded together dragon motifs to create a dragon with specific traits that weave together the complicated plot of the narrative . </P>

Who is the father of the dragon in beowulf