The Elder Night Light was an aging male Night Light who appears in the series Dragons: The Nine Realms. He was the leader of Thunder's clan. In the final battle against Jörmungandr, he was severely wounded and passed away, but not before giving his Alpha mode and title to Thunder.
Quick Answers
Who is the Elder Night Light in Dragons: The Nine Realms?
What is the role of the Elder Night Light in Thunder's clan?
What is the backstory of the Elder Night Light in the Hidden World?
How did Thunder and his family show respect to the Elder Night Light?
What event led to Thunder being separated from the Elder Night Light and his clan?
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Not much is known about Elder's early life, except that at some point, he was happily living with his clan in the Hidden World until his grandson got separated after being driven away by a Titan Wing Skrill.
The Snow Wraiths Attack[]
In "The Night Lights, Part 1", when the Elder Night Light walked out of his cave, Thunder and his family bowed down to him in respect and Thunder made the other riders bow too. When he saw Thunder, the Elder was relieved to see him safe and sound. However he wasn't too keen of Tom, becoming curious and skeptical of the human boy who looked after Thunder. Things got worse when Shadow took Tom's sword and accidentally sneezed a lightning blast into it, causing it channel it and blast the Elder, temporarily stunning him. This erupted into a misunderstanding, as the Thunder's parents attacked the other riders, with the Elder aggressively advancing towards Tom. However, Thunder protected him, and Shadow showed it was just an accident. Despite this, the Elder wanted Tom and the others to leave and for Thunder to stay behind.
After the riders left, two Snow Wraiths arrived and attacked the Night Lights, causing them all to retreat into their cave while Shadow escaped to the Ice Realm to get the riders' help. During the attack, the Elder somehow got one of the Snow Wraith's teeth.
In "The Night Lights, Part 2", when the riders return and find the Night Lights in the cave, the Elder isn't happy with them, thinking that they lead the Snow Wraiths to the clan, so he makes them leave hoping the Snow Wraiths will go away. When one of the Snow Wraiths returns and Thunder helps the riders escape, the Elder attacks the Snow Wraith to buy everyone time to escape. As Tom and Thunder lured the Snow Wraith to a trap, the Elder followed and witnessed how they brought it down but was also confused by Tom's dance.
However, when the second Snow Wraith arrived and knocked out Thunder, the Elder was willing to work together with Tom to save both their families from the two dragons. Together with Thunder, both Night Lights concentrated their lightning into Tom's sword and defeated the Snow Wraiths, forcing them to leave. Once the battle was done, the Elder and Tom thanked each other for saving their friends and families. He allowed Thunder and his siblings to say goodbye to everyone.
Having witnessed Thunder's bond with Tom firsthand, the Elder allowed Thunder to go back with his human rider Thunder still wanted to go with Tom, but the Elder wouldn't allow it until he noticed how Thunder and Tom looked sad without each other being together. So, he allowed Thunder to go back with Tom, and in the end, he was happy to see Thunder happily reunited with his human best friend.
Jörmungandr Attack[]
In "Ragnarok: Part 1", the King's Realm was attacked by Jörmungandr, and the Elder Night Light, Mother Night Light and Father Night Light defended their home, but the Mother and Father were gassed with its toxic breath, while the Elder Night Light sustained several deep bite wounds around his body but managed to fend off Jörmungandr and protect their realm. D'Angelo treated him and the Mother and Father as best he could.
In "Ragnarok: Part 2", the Elder arrived to aid Tom and Thunder in their battle against the Jörmungandr, displaying his Alpha mode for the first time, and leading the wild dragons that the riders had brought into battle, but when Jörmungandr unleashed its fiery breath at Tom and Thunder, the Elder took the full force and fell onto the ground. In his final moments, he transferred his Alpha mode and title to Thunder before he passed away moments later.
Physical Appearance[]
Like his species, the Elder has a piebald complexion. He is mostly black, with white scales extending from beneath his chin to the tip of his tail, and, like Thunder, he has white feet but black claws. One of his most recognizable features is a black V-shaped line on his throat. His four pairs of ear nubs and the light gray brow-like marks that ring his face indicate his advanced age. He has two pairs of small tail fins in the middle of his tail, as well as a dual tail fin with a dorsal fin at the end. His wings are much narrower than a Night Fury or a Light Fury and are tattered around the edges. He is also much larger than the other members of his family. He seems to have a nick in his left ear nub.
When his Alpha mode is engaged, his whole body glows transparent blue.
Personality[]
The Elder Night Light is a proud and intelligent creature, serving as the leader of his clan. However, compared to Thunder and other members of his clan, he is less curious, more serious, and harbors a deep mistrust of strangers, whether they are humans or other dragons. Unlike Thunder's siblings and parents, who are more open to giving strangers a chance, the Elder Night Light is cautious and hesitant to trust outsiders in his territory or anywhere else. Despite this, he rules his clan with fairness and understanding, and always prioritizes their protection.
At first, the Elder had a great mistrust of humans and attacked those who hurt him, whether or not it was intentional. He would even directly blame anyone who puts him and his clan in danger, even though they were not directly responsible, or they inadvertently caused the danger. This was shown when he accused Tom of bringing the two Snow Wraiths to their home, unintentionally putting him and his clan in danger. But after witnessing Thunder and Tom's deep friendship, and Tom's determination to assist him in saving his clan from the Snow Wraiths, the Elder began to trust Tom and his friends, even allowing Tom to ride him, and ultimately permitting Thunder to stay with his human best friend.
The Elder's desire to protect his home is strong, as he went up against Jörmungandr, the ultimate predator to all dragons, and came out barely as the victor. He is a natural leader amongst other dragons, as he led them momentarily into battle before being blasted by Jörmungandr to save Thunder and Tom.
Relationships[]
Tom Kullersen[]
The Elder meeting Tom
At first, the Elder was very curious at Tom for looking after Thunder. However, he became distrustful of the boy after he accidentally hits the dragon with his lightning sword, which was actually caused by Shadow, and even blaming Tom for bringing the Snow Wraiths into their home, which put his clan in danger. But after seeing Tom and Thunder's close bond and determination, and how Tom was willing to save the Elder's clan, he allows Tom to ride him, and together, they won against the Snow Wraiths, thus saving his clan and earning his trust. Even though he originally wanted Thunder to stay with them, he noticed how sad Tom was without him, so he allowed Thunder to stay with Tom so they would both remain happy together.
Thunder[]
Thunder and the Elder happily reunited
Thunder greatly loves and respects him and was very happy to be reunited with him. The Elder became distrustful of Tom and his friends after an accident with his lightning sword which was caused by Shadow. Thus, he forced Thunder to stay with his family and the Clan. However, after seeing how well Thunder cooperated with Tom and his friends, and how they defeated the Snow Wraiths, the Elder was very thankful to the kids for helping him save his clan. In the end, as they were about to leave, he saw how sad Thunder was without Tom in his life, so he allowed Thunder to go back with him to see them both being happy together.
Thunder grieves for the Elder's passing.
In Ragnarok Part 1, he was badly injured after fending off Jörmungandr and saving the King's Realm. In Part 2, after protecting his grandson from being attack by Jörmungandr, Thunder was devastated. Knowing that his time has come, the Elder passed his Alpha mode and title on to Thunder, showing how much he loves and trusts his grandson, having witnessed his relationship with Tom before passing away. With the Elder's final gift, Thunder was able to defeat Jörmungandr, avenging his grandfather and taking over as King.
Father Night Light[]
Father Night Light worried about the Elder
The Father Night Light greatly respects the Elder, as he bowed down to him when he exited the cave. Also, he is shown to care about the Elder as seen when Shadow channeled his lighting into Tom's sword, which ended up stunning the Elder, causing the Father to panic and check on him, then trying to protect him by hitting Tom away. The Elder Night Light also cares for the Father Night Light, as when the Snow Wraiths and Jörmungandr attacked the Kings Realm, the Elder did everything he could to protect the Father and the other Night Lights.
D'Angelo[]
D'Angelo caring for the Elder
After Jörmungandr attacked the Kings Realm and was chased off by the Elder, but not before badly wounding him, D'Angelo took it upon himself to make sure the Elder Night Light managed to get better. He even made sure Shadow, Goggles and Splattertail didn't bother the Elder while he was recuperating, knowing the old dragon needed his rest to get better.
Appearances[]
| The Nine Realms, Season 4 | |||||||||
| 1. "Cold Open": | Absent | 4. "The Decoy": | Absent | ||||||
| 2. "Uncharted Territory": | Absent | 5. "The Night Lights, Part 1": | Appears | ||||||
| 3. "Journey to the Snowcano": | Absent | 6. "The Night Lights, Part 2": | Appears | ||||||
| The Nine Realms, Season 8 | |||||||||
| 1. "How to Train Jörmungandr": | Absent | 4. "Of Gods and Monsters": | Absent | ||||||
| 2. "The Great Foster Fake-Out": | Absent | 5. "Ragnarok: Part 1": | Appears | ||||||
| 3. "Science vs. Nature": | Absent | 6. "Ragnarok: Part 2": | Appears | ||||||
Trivia[]
- It is possible that the Elder Night Light is the father of Thunder's Father, as the Father Night Light was worried when the Elder was accidentally stunned by Shadow's blast and tried protecting him.
- The Elder's death is similar to Stoick's death, in which both died sacrificing themselves to save a family member, which also resulted in them taking their place as a leader. Since the Elder transferred his Alpha mode and title to Thunder before his passing, it can be theorized that he was the previous King of the Nine Realms.
| Preceded by: Incumbent |
Alpha Dragon |
Succeeded by: Thunder |
