Dragon Rider

Sorrel is the second of the three protagonists and Firedrake’s closest friend. She is a young brownie girl, about the size of a small child with “spotted sulfur-yellow fur and bright cat-like eyes” (2). Ben claims she vaguely resembles a giant squirrel. Like all brownies, she is short tempered and loves eating mushrooms and uses mushroom names as exclamations and insults. Brownies are often companions to dragons, who love their singing and are amused by their sharp-tongued wit.

Even among brownies, Sorrel is short-tempered. She is slow to trust and often grumpy. She would prefer to stay in her safe cave but insists on joining Firedrake on his journey out of a desire to help and keep him out of trouble. She initially objects to Ben’s inclusion on their journey, though she eventually trusts him. Sorrel’s suspicious nature and instincts prove correct in the case of Twigleg. However, her friendship with Firedrake contributes to the theme of The Power of Friendship, particularly in her determination to stay with him despite the danger and her own inclination to hide. Sorrel demonstrates some growth of character in her increasing willingness to trust humans—not only Ben, but also Professor Greenbloom and his family.

Ben is the third protagonist of the novel, who shares the hero’s role in the quest narrative. At the beginning of the novel, Ben is an orphaned boy living in an abandoned warehouse. When Firedrake and Sorrel first encounter him, Ben demonstrates bravery and empathy. He does not run or scream when he sees the dragon for the first time, and he accepts Firedrake’s presence with surprising calm. He also offers to help Firedrake and Sorrel stay hidden from other humans without asking for anything in return or worrying about his own safety.

After joining Firedrake and Sorrel, Ben learns that he may be part of a prophecy about the return of a mythic dragon rider. Though he is skeptical, he does fulfill the elements of the prophecy by becoming a “true dragon rider” (317) and helping the dragons find the Rim of Heaven and defeat Nettlebrand.

Ben is a human parallel to Firedrake. He is brave, trusting, and friendly. He accepts others without judging them by their species even if they are unfamiliar to him. He makes peace with creatures Sorrel argues with and befriends everyone he meets. This includes Twigleg, with whom Ben forges a bond, showing the homunculus such trust and kindness that it inspires Twigleg’s rebellion, demonstrating The Power of Friendship.

Ben is a traditional hero for a children’s quest narrative because he is adventurous. He is charmed by the idea of traveling to the Himalayas to search for the Rim of Heaven and does not balk at the distance, hardship, or dangers along the way. Being an orphan is also part of the children’s hero archetype. Like Harry Potter, Ben has no ties to keep him from going on the quest. In fact, his life may be worse if he doesn’t go. Ben longs for a family, which contributes to the theme of The Need for Home and leads him to joining the Greenbloom family at the end of the novel.

Nettlebrand, the primary antagonist of the novel, is a dragon-like monster created by the 15th-century alchemist, Petrosius Henbane. Nettlebrand resembles a dragon, but he is much larger and stronger, with gold armored scales and red eyes. His heart is a casket that contains the toad from which he was created. Nettlebrand was created to hunt silver dragons because his creator wanted dragon horns for his alchemical experiments. Nettlebrand hunted the dragons almost to extinction, after which he ate the alchemist out of boredom.

Nettlebrand represents human’s destructive power. Like Frankenstein’s monster, he is created by a scientist who does not understand the consequences of his actions. As a human-created monster, Nettlebrand has no purpose once his maker is gone. He was created to be a killer, and the isolation and purposelessness make him “wild and savage” (81). He is arrogant, short-tempered, and violent, with an inherent drive for destruction.

When the novel begins, Nettlebrand still wants to hunt the silver dragons. He commands a flock of ravens to spy for him and has two servants, Twigleg and Gravelbeard. Nettlebrand is a flat character, with little nuance and no character growth throughout the narrative. Instead, he plays the role of the villain who is inherently evil, possessing no redeeming qualities. He represents humans’ destructive power since he was created to hunt a rare species for his maker’s personal gain. In keeping with the classic good versus evil conflict of fairy tales and children’s literature, the protagonists successfully defeat him in a final confrontation.

Twigleg is a homunculus, an artificially created enchanted being. He was created by the same alchemist who created Nettlebrand. Twigleg has red hair and spindly limbs and is small enough to ride on Ben’s head. He is Nettlebrand’s only remaining homunculus servant, as Nettlebrand ate Twigleg’s 11 brothers centuries ago. He works as Nettlebrand’s armor-polisher and entertains him with stories until he is sent to spy on Firedrake and his companions. Though the novel does not use the word “enslavement,” Twigleg is in essence enslaved, controlled through threats and fear. He submits to servitude out of a sense of self-preservation rather than loyalty.

While spying on Firedrake’s group, Twigleg is struck by Ben’s kindness and feels ashamed for his betrayal. Eventually, he betrays Nettlebrand, saving the group from his wrath. Twigleg becomes attached to Ben, calling him “young master” and defying Nettlebrand to save Ben’s life. Twigleg is a parallel for Smeagol in Lord of the Rings, a servile helper torn between loyalties, who sometimes helps and sometimes harms his companions. He is pessimistic and fearful, always assuming the worst. However, he demonstrates tremendous character growth throughout the narrative, becoming brave, clever, and loyal to his new friends. Much of this growth is inspired by his friendship with Ben, which contributes to the theme of The Power of Friendship.

Gravelbeard is a mountain dwarf and Nettlebrand’s second minion. Unlike Twigleg, he initially works for Nettlebrand voluntarily, providing Nettlebrand with information about Firedrake because he hopes to be rewarded with one of Nettlebrand’s gold scales. He is then forced into the role of armor-polisher after Nettlebrand sends Twigleg to spy on Firedrake’s group. Gravelbeard is small, an excellent climber, and obsessed with treasure such as precious stones and gold. He is almost entirely motivated by greed and is willing to do Nettlebrand’s bidding so long as he believes he will be rewarded for it. However, when it becomes clear that Nettlebrand never intended to reward him, Gravelbeard escapes. His self-interest comes into play again when he is inspired by the beauty of the dragons’ cave in the Rim of Heaven. He offers to wake the petrified dragons in exchange for being allowed to stay there. Gravelbeard claims that he is no longer motivated by greed though he still hopes to gather some precious stones for himself. This may indicate that letting him in endangers the dragons, or it implies that taking things from the environment is not harmful if done on a small scale.

The Graytails are a family of rats who help Firedrake and the others over the course of the novel. First, Rosa Graytail warns the silver dragons about the encroaching humans in the first three chapters. She also gives Firedrake advice and tells him how to find her cousin, Gilbert. Second, Gilbert Graytail, a white rat in the city, gives the group a map and directions to the Himalayas. Lastly, Lola Graytail, an ace pilot and surveyor in the Himalayas, becomes instrumental to their success. She leads the group to the monastery, helps them distract Nettlebrand and find the hidden cave, and aids in Nettlebrand’s defeat. All three Graytails, especially Lola, are important examples of the size difference motif, demonstrating the power of small creatures to fight great evil.