Bilbo Baggins confronts Smaug beneath the Lonely Mountain in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Smaug is a powerful dragon who has occupied Erebor and its treasure since driving out the Dwarves.
Bilbo enters the mountain as part of Thorin Oakenshield’s quest to reclaim the Dwarves’ homeland. He speaks with Smaug rather than immediately fighting him, using riddling names and cautious conversation to learn about the dragon’s character and defenses. During this encounter, Bilbo notices a vulnerable, unprotected place on Smaug’s underside.
That information reaches Bard of Lake-town, who uses the Black Arrow to kill Smaug when the dragon attacks the town. Smaug is distinct from Glaurung and Ancalagon, dragons belonging to earlier First Age stories in Tolkien’s mythology. His conversation with Bilbo is one of the best-known scenes in The Hobbit.