Every Type & Color Of Dragon In Fourth Wing Explained

The following contains spoilers for Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. With every new addition to the Fourth Wing canon, Rebecca Yarros dives deeper into the world of dragons, revealing new information about how much they influence their riders and the events of the series. Dragons and their powers are important details in the Empyrean world. Threshing Day changes what we knew about dragons, exploring the internal politics of the dragon community, and further distinguishing them in terms of color and temperament.

Books with human-dragon bonds are extremely popular in the fantasy space. Yarros is far from the first author to explore this dynamic, but she puts a unique twist on the genre in the Fourth Wing series. When readers were first introduced to Violet Sorrengail and her path to becoming a dragon rider at Basgiath War College, the world of dragons and their characteristics was still new. Now, the books have slowly pieced together a clear picture of who the different dragons are and their impact on the story, but there’s sure to be more to learn.

All 8 Dragon Colors In The Empyrean Series

The known colors of dragons are one of the most important things to remember in Fourth Wing. So far, readers have been introduced to seven adult colorways within the dragon community and one transitional stage of color: brown, orange, green, red, black, blue, idris, and the juvenile golden. Yarros effectively communicates the difference between each color, often using color theory to hint at the way color affects personality. Since dragons choose their riders on Threshing Day, young riders won’t know who they’ll be bonded to beforehand. However, in the Threshing Day book, it seems that the dragons might have bigger plans in place than previously known.

Brown

Brown dragons don’t have a known lineage they’re descended from, unlike other members of the species. The browns’ defining characteristic is that it is best not to show “trepidation.” For browns, showing any fear would be a mistake, and this aligns with the personalities of the riders browns bond with. A notable brown dragon is Ridoc’s Brown Swordtail, Aotrom. In Iron Flame, Aotrom is injured in the Battle of Basgiath, but survives. Of the other major characters in Fourth Wing, Garrick also has a brown: a Scorpiontail named Chadh. Lilith Sorrengail has a brown dragon named Aimsir.

Orange

Orange dragons come in a range of shades. They are descended from the Fhaicorain line. Oranges are the most unpredictable den of their kind, making them inherently dangerous. While historically associated with the Northern Esbens, their unpredictable nature leads them to shift their nesting grounds frequently within the same mountain range. Jack, Varrish, and Amber all bond with oranges.

One of the most interesting parts of Threshing Day is the reveal that Brennan didn’t want to bond with an orange dragon because he feared their unpredictable nature. Additionally, Threshing Day uses an orange dragon, Glane, who’s bonded to Imogen, to show that dragons sometimes lie about their ages and past riders in order to create stronger bonds and signets.

Green

Green dragons are of the Uaineloidsig Lineage. They exhibit high intelligence and demonstrate exceptional effectiveness as siege weapons. A tense moment in Fourth Wing is at the presentation when Violet locks eyes with two green dragons. She remembers from her reading and Professor Kaori’s teaching that, “To approach a green dragon, lower your eyes in supplication and wait for their approval.” There’s a strict procedure and sense of decorum in interacting with a green dragon.

It is also advised never to back down from a green dragon. A rider should indicate that they defer to the dragon, but once this relationship is established, a rider must be firm in their convictions. Notable characters who have green dragons include Rhiannon and Mira. Rhiannon has a Green Daggertail, Feirge, and Mira Sorrengail has a Green Clubtail, Teine. The two greens at the presentation approach Violet because they can smell Teine’s shrunken scales.

Red

It’s clear that Yarros chose to make the red dragons the most short-tempered and mercurial species for a reason, as most readers will associate the color with this personality. When approaching, it is advisable to do so from the left or front and to avoid direct eye contact. The line red dragons are descended from is unknown. While they’re known for violence, reds aren’t considered as changeable and difficult to read as oranges.

Notably, Dain Aetos’ dragon, Cath, is a Red Swordtail. Liam Mairi has a Red Daggertail. Sawyer has a Red Swordtail, Sliseag, and Sloane has a Red Daggertail, Thoirt. Felix, who helps Violet train her signet, has a Red Swordtail.

Black

Black is an extremely rare color of dragon in Fourth Wing. They are the rarest lineage of dragonkind. They are also the most intelligent. Codagh, who is Melgren’s black dragon, is the strongest of the black dragons, followed by Tairn, Violet’s dragon. Of the two dragons Violet bonds with, Tairn is the powerful, rare mate of Xaden’s Sgaeyl, as the pair have one of the strongest mate-bonds in the entire series. Violet and Xaden’s relationship blossoms from this dynamic.

Black dragons are descended from the Dubhmadinn line. Violet’s research tells her that a black dragon has not been born in the last century. However, during the events of Iron Flame, Tairn announces the birth of two more hatchlings. In Fourth Wing, the black dragons’ distinctive trait is that there is “no outsmarting” them.

Blue

Blue dragons come in a range of shades, from sapphire to navy. They are known for being massive, and their distinguishing trait is being the most ruthless den of dragonkind. They are descended from the Gormfaileas line. Xaden has a blue dragon, Sgaeyl. Both physically and mentally imposing, blues have a reputation for being one of the most difficult dragon lines to bond with, making it all the more impressive that Xaden and Sgaeyl find each other.

It is strongly advised to avoid any encounter with a blue dragon and flee immediately. All known blue dragons possess an intimidating reputation. Aside from Sgaeyl, a small number of blue dragons serve on active duty, primarily stationed along the eastern Esben Mountains. As well as being ruthless, blues are known for not adhering to the established rules within the Empyrean. This aligns with Xaden and his intensity throughout the books.

Golden

The only known golden dragon in Fourth Wing was Andarna, Violet’s second dragon, whose name translates to “second honor.” Normally, dragons have a golden color as hatchlings until they enter the “Dreamless Sleep,” a critical period of adolescence for dragons. After the dreamless sleep, they develop their true color. While it’s eventually confirmed that only adolescent dragons are gold, it’s still an important phase of their development.

For a long time, it seemed that Andarna was rare for holding onto her golden color, until the characters realized she was so young and would eventually develop her true color. Violet remarks that she is the perfect miniature of a brown, while Sawyer speculates she is an orange. By Iron Flame, Andarna’s scales are a deep shade of black. However, it is later revealed that Andarna is not merely a black dragon, but an even rarer type of color-changing dragon with a self-camouflaging ability.

Idris

It is eventually discovered that Andarna is part of the idris line. Little is known about idris dragons, as they can change color and seem to forgo the war-like nature of the other dragon lines. Andarna is the dragon who not only reveals the existence of the idris line, but proves that golden dragons are really just juvenile dragons who will eventually settle on a shade and grow out of their feathertails.

All 6 Dragon Tail-Types In The Empyrean Series

Though Yarros gives readers plenty of details to explore when it comes to color type and lineage within the Empyrean world in the Fourth Wing books, it’s not just the color that audiences and characters have to contend with. Each dragon also has a tail-type, further distinguishing each dragon and highlighting new parts of their personalities. Since so much of Fourth Wing revolves around the war and violence, it’s not surprising that most of these tails are lethal weapons that make the dragons all the more impressive.

Morningstartail

Tairn is the only Morningstartail mentioned in the Empyrean series so far. His tail type makes him all the more remarkable as a rare black dragon. Ranked among the most lethal dragon breeds, Morningstartails combine the devastating bludgeoning power of a clubtail with the deadly, eviscerating spikes of a daggertail.

Tairn’s subspecies of dragon is an immense source of pride for him. In Iron Flame, when Violet remarks that he is impossible to impress, his response is to reiterate that he is a Black Morningstartail. It makes sense that Violet, as the protagonist, would bond with one of the rarest possible dragon breeds and combinations. However, it would be interesting to meet another Morningstartail as the series progresses.

Scorpiontail

Scorpiontail is a particularly vicious tail type in Fourth Wing. Their tails are tipped with venomous barbs, capable of delivering a deadly sting. The most notable Scorpiontail is Jack Barlowe’s orange dragon, Baide. Baide is unpredictable and aggressive, and after Jack is believed dead, she hides that he survived the rock slide. However, the bond between Baide and Jack turns out to be the most tragic. Jack breaks all the known laws of dragon-rider bonds and betrays Baide when he uses his venin power against her.

Daggertail

Daggertails are some of the most common dragons throughout the Fourth Wing books, but this doesn’t make them any less dangerous. Their tails are tipped with deadly, knifelike spikes, and blues are famous for their power to disembowel enemies if they have a daggertail. In the case of Sgaeyl, Xaden’s dragon, her Daggertail makes her the rarest of all blue dragons. Other major characters who are bonded to Daggertails are: Rhiannon, Amber, Brennan, Liam, Imogen, Sloane, Varr, and Varrish.

Clubtail

As the name suggests, Clubtail dragons have bludgeoning power as opposed to cutting. The tail culminates in a solid, club-like mass, capable of delivering devastating blows. The most notable character bonded to a Clubtail is Mira Sorrengail, whose dragon is Teine. Mira and Teine have a strong bond. In Threshing Day, the reader gets further insight into why Mira was so interested in bonding with a green Clubtail. Mira’s skill and strength of will as a rider and leader are connected to Teine’s breed and personality.

Swordtail

Like most of the names for the tail types, Swordtails tell the reader and characters exactly what they can do. Possessing long, razor-sharp edges, their tails are wielded with the precision of a blade. Swordtails tend to belong to larger dragons. For example, Dain Aetos’ dragon, Cath, is described as one of the biggest; further, Dain says Cath is a “nasty piece of work when he gets worked up.” He’s one of the strongest dragons in Fourth Wing. Both Ridoc and Sawyer’s dragons, Aotrom and Sliseag, are Swordtails.

Feathertail

Feathertails, the juvenile stage of all gold dragons, are carefully sheltered within the Vale, far from human contact. This seclusion has fostered the misconception that Feathertails constitute a distinct breed, incapable of forming bonds with riders due to an aversion to violence. Feathertails are incapable of forming traditional dragon-rider bonds. However, they possess a unique ability: the capacity to gift their powers to their human companions. This is often to their detriment, as the process of doing this can leave them depleted.

It’s eventually revealed when Andarna discovers more idris dragons like her that dragons have a choice of what type of tail they end up with. Other adult idris dragons decided to keep their feathertails as a demonstration of their choice not to participate in war or violence. As Andarna ages and learns more about her background, the reader will discover the secrets that the dragons of Fourth Wing are keeping, and how this will affect the battle with the Venin.

Publisher(s)

Red Tower Books

Publication Date

2023-04-05

ISBN#

9781649374042

Author(s)

Rebecca Yarros

Genre(s)

Fantasy, Romance