Has the show (or the books, for that matter) ever addressed the fact that Dany’s dragons aren’t. Dragons, that is. They are wyverns. Dragons have 4 legs. We know that Westeros has the concept because a dragon (or a representation of one) is in the opening credits.
Sure, they’re big, scaly flying things that breathe fire. But they aren’t dragons!
Or have I just not been paying attention for the last 10 years and this is something that was addressed in Season 1, Episode 2 or such? Wouldn’t be the first time…
If a giant fire-breathing creature wants me to call it a dragon, I’m calling it a dragon. Plus remember this is not set on Earth. So earthly terminology need necessarily not apply.
The word “Wyvern” is a ‘modern’ invention, not attested before the seventeenth century (source Wikipedia and M-W) so I find, Martin’s or the showrunners’ choice of the older all inclusive meaning of dragon a more natural representation of the …
Just kidding, except for the initial fact.
Are they described in the books as four legged or four limbed?
I don’t remember. But what bugs me is the four-legged, two-winged beastie in the opening credits. If all the flying, scaly things on the show have only two legs, then why couldn’t the Art Department get it right for the credits?
In the books House Vyrwel of Darkdel has a wyvern as its sigil and there is a place called Wyvern Point in distant Sothoryos so the concept exists in the universe. According to GRRM the difference between them is that wyverns don’t breath fire.
For what it’s worth, in D&D, there are two separate creatures called “wyvern” and “dragon” (well, actually more than two, since there are different kinds of dragon, too), but the creature type of wyverns is still “dragon”. The four-legs-and-two-wings sort with a breath weapon are sometimes called “true dragons”, to distinguish them from the lesser dragons like wyverns.
Maester: “Your Grace, the Citadel regrets to inform you that your so-called dragons are in fact wyverns, therefore invalidating your claim to the Iron Throne.”
I haven’t read the books, but I’ve read wiki articles based on the books. And I believe one of them said, “Dragons have two legs, but because it had been centuries since any were seen, people had forgotten what they looked like and sometimes drew them with four legs.”
So maybe the opening credits are a realistic depiction of how the average person of Westeros would ignorantly depict a dragon.
Scroll down to the comments section of this link. GRRM says:
"According to the rules of heraldry, dragons have four legs and wyverns two, yes. But have you ever seen a heraldic “seahorse?” Heralds didn’t know crap about biology.
Now, there are no actual dragons, to be sure. But there are bats, and there are birds, and once upon a time there were pterodactyls. Those are the models to use when designing a dragon. No beast in nature has four legs AND wings.
Besides, the best dragon ever shown on film, Vermithrax Perjorative, has two legs and two wings.
There are, in fact, beasts in nature with four legs and two wings. They’re even reptiles. They don’t actually fly, only glide, but they’re a heck of a lot closer to flying than they are to breathing fire.
And I believe one of them said, “Dragons have two legs, but because it had been centuries since any were seen, people had forgotten what they looked like and sometimes drew them with four legs.”