Fungi are organisms seen and mentioned primarily in the background of the DreamWorks Dragons Franchise.
For the fungi that produce fruiting bodies generally termed 'mushrooms', please visit the Mushroom page.
To keep organization on the How to Train Your Dragon Wiki, fungi will be classed under 'Plants', though, in fact, fungi belong to their own Kingdom classification.
Description[]
“ | Mushrooms are fungi, so they can live in different environments than plants. All living things need water, air, and resources to survive. Mushrooms cannot capture sunlight like plants, so they can thrive in dark and dank areas. Mushrooms have roots that extend deep into the soil. These roots absorb mineral nutrients from the ground. They're so beautiful. And their bioluminiscent glow... a glorious evolution for this fungi. [src] | ” |
— Valka |
Fungi (Kingdom Fungi) are organisms that many be single-celled, but are more often multicellular. Despite many species' somewhat plant-like appearance, fungi do not photosynthesize. Like plants, however, they do have a cell wall.
There is a wide diversity in the Fungi Kingdom. Yeast are single-celled fungi, invisible to the naked eye. Others can be quite vast, having large underground networks of hyphae and only a small visible mushroom on the surface. For the most part, fungi are decomposers and an important part of the ecosystem. However, some fungi can be the cause of disease in humans and other animals.
In Hidden World, an immense underground cave system introduced in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, there are a large number of bioluminescent fungi lighting up the location. Though most likely these fungi are not meant to portray actual or specific species, there does exist bioluminescent fungi in reality, though none glow to the brightness seen in the movie. Most glowing fungi belong to the Order Agaricales and live in temperate to tropical regions in the world. Vikings of mainland Europe may have encountered species such as Mycena haematopus, Panellus stipticus, and Armillaria gallica, among others.
Function[]
In both the Franchise and in real life, many fungi can be eaten and used as a food source. In the Franchise, this includes dragons. However, in real life, many fungi can also be toxic and extreme care must be taken to differentiate edible from non-edible fungi. Still other fungi are used to culture and ferment other food items, providing unique flavors and nutritional properties, and also acting as a preservative.
In real life, Vikings often had a special wooden spoon used to stir mead and other spirits with, that, unbeknownst to them, had yeast living on it from batch to batch and allowing their brews to be inoculated to ferment.
In the Franchise, truffles, corn, and Dragon Nip are asked for in a Farm Job to make a "specially formulated treat to keep a dragon's wings healthy." This implies dragons eat truffles, and can also be used medicinally, at least in School of Dragons. Fungi is also used medicinally in real life in herbal medicine, but more notably as a source of antibiotics to fight bacterial diseases in humans and animals.
In How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World, fungi serve as a light source in the caverns of the 'Hidden World'.
Appearances[]
Dragons: Race to the Edge[]
Season 5[]
Many examples of bread molds are seen in the episode "Snuffnut", when Ruffnut gets Snotlout to take out her garbage and toss it into a refuse heap. In the same episode, Ruffnut examines Throk's hands and diagnoses him with nail fungus.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World[]
Glowing fungi appear in large quantity in the background in Hidden World cave system.
Dragons: Rescue Riders[]
Season 2[]
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In "Puff Enuf", Burple mentioned that he had eaten moldy rocks inside the Maze Caves, experience which he never wanted to repeat.
Games[]
School of Dragons[]
Mushrooms and Truffles appear in this game. Mushrooms are a 'crop' the player can grow and harvest, then sell to Trader Johann to complete Farm jobs. Truffles are a product the player harvests from pigs and are also used to complete Farm Jobs.
One Farm Job asks for truffles because "Fishlegs wants to add a Fungi plot to his garden."
Another Farm Job asks for truffles as a special gift for the Defenders of the Wing.
Dragons: Titan Uprising[]
According to the Biography of the Fireworm Verdigriff, Sif the Shrewd used a "yeast-infested spoon" during her alchemical experimentation.
Other Mentions[]
Mildew's pet sheep is named Fungus.
Gallery[]
References[]
Fungus on Wikipedia
List of bioluminescent fungus species on Wikipedia