Which dragon appears in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit?

Smaug is the dragon who appears in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.

Smaug occupies the Lonely Mountain after driving out the Dwarves of Erebor and takes possession of their treasure. Thorin Oakenshield and his company set out to reclaim the mountain, with Bilbo Baggins serving as their burglar. Bilbo’s conversation with Smaug reveals the dragon’s pride, intelligence, and vulnerability.

Smaug’s weakness is a bare patch in the jewel-like armor formed by the treasure he has accumulated around himself. Bilbo notices the detail, and the information eventually reaches Bard of Lake-town. Bard uses a black arrow to kill Smaug when the dragon attacks Lake-town.

Smaug is sometimes confused with Tolkien’s earlier dragons, including Glaurung and Ancalagon the Black, who belong to the mythology of the First Age. Smaug is the central dragon of The Hobbit and is especially associated with Erebor, treasure, and fire.