|
Insects are animals that appear mostly in the background of the entire book series.
Description[]
The term "insect" refers to any invertebrates belonging to the class Insecta. They are characterised by bodies divided into three segments (head, thorax, abdomen), the presence of an exoskeleton, three pairs of legs, and a pair of antennae.
Function[]
In the book series, the most common usage of insects is as figures of speech. Some of them are also used in medicinal practices.
In real life, certain types of insects, such as ants, are used as a nutritious food source for humans.
Types of Insects Seen in the Books[]
Ant[]
Ants (Family Formicidae) are related to bees and wasps, and a similar body shape can be seen. Most ants however, lack wings, with only certain individuals such as a queen possessing them. Like bees, ants can have a very complex social structure as well as a very varied one, depending on the species. Some ant colonies may consist of a few dozen individuals and others can number in the thousands. Typically, but not always, there are one or a few queens or breeding females. The majority of the colonies are workers who scout for food, maintain the colony, take care of eggs, defend the nest, and find food. Some species even have distinct morphological divisions in their workers. Some ant species are even known to essentially "farm" other insects and plants and change the landscape. Ant communication is very complex and carried out through chemical secretions, pheromones, visual cues, and touch.
In How to Train Your Dragon, ants appear in a text about home remedies by Old Wrinkly, but are not specifically mentioned as a remedy on the page pictured in the book.
In How to Train Your Hogfly, Hiccup shoots a Throatgoggler with an arrow, which "didn't make much more of an impression than an ant bite on the creature's tough hide".
Beetle[]
Beetles include over 400,000 species, grouped in the Order Coleoptera. They are so numerous, that they account for about 25% of all known animals on the planet. Beetles are generally known for their particularly hard exoskeletons, and wing coverings - called the 'elytron'. Some are somewhat fantastical in shape like the Hercules beetle, while others may be known for their coloration, such as the red and black spots of the ladybug Family. Others are known for their bioluminescence - the fireflies.
Beetles have a wide range of habitat and diet, depending on the species. Some can live in freshwater, while other species live in arid deserts. Diet ranges from dung and detritus, to all manner of plant material to carrion, other insects, and even other beetles.
In How to Speak Dragonese, when Fishlegs unthinkingly boarded a Roman Ship in a hurry, he is captured by the centurions on board. As they laugh at him, he "kicked his legs like a stranded beetle."
Bumblebee[]
Bumblebees include over 250 species in the genus Bombus. They are pretty similar in appearance to honey bees, with the only difference being their larger size and furrier bodies. They live in colonies that are relatively small compared to other insects, of about 50 individuals. Bumblebees can be found anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, along with South America.
In How to Train Your Hogfly, Hellsbells flies like a bumblebee.
“ | The Throatgogglers followed his bumblebee path with their astonished yellow eyes. | ” |
— How to Train Your Hogfly |
Butterfly[]
Butterflies are a specialized group of insects belonging to the Order Lepidoptera. Like all insects, they have a three-pairs of legs and wings. Their wings, however, come in two pair and are generally quite large and wide compared to the body and also delicate and often intricately patterned. Butterfly wings may be colored to help with camouflage, mimcry - such as 'eye' spots, or to warn of being poisonous. Most butterflies are completely harmless to humans, however.
Butterflies are almost exclusively nectar drinkers and pollinators, playing a very important role in ecology. Conversely, butterfly larvae - called caterpillars - are often detrimental to plants, as they may eat the leaves.
In How to Train Your Dragon, in the in-universe book, How to Train Your Dragon the author, Professor Yobbish, is said to be working currently on a book about butterflies.
Snotlout's facial hair develops with each successive Book, and by How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse his mustache is described as "a little furry caterpillar squirming on his upper lip."
Butterflies are mentioned as insects that live on Berk, especially around the Heather. However, they are gone in How to Twist a Dragon's Tale due to an excessively hot summer and dragon-produced fires.
“ | Where once heather grew and swayed in the wind, covered with butterflies and grasshoppers and buzzing nanodragons, now there was only ashy stubble, scarred across with white, stretching out across the whole of the slope. | ” |
— Book 5 |
Cockroach[]
Cockroaches (Order Blattodea) occur worldwide and have over 4000 species. They have lived on Earth since at least 320 million years ago well before reptiles and Dinosaurs appeared.
As with all insects, adult stages have three body segments, six legs, and usually long antennae. The thorax and abdomen are often flattened. They are often shades of brown or black, but some species have patterns such as the Domino cockroach (Therea petiveriana). Most species are social and form colonies with complex communication amongst individuals.
In How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse, Norbert the Nutjob hurls insults at Hiccup after the shoots him in the rear with an arrow.
“ | I SHALL FOLLOW YOU TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH, TO THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN, IN THE GOD-LIKE HEIGHTS OF THE SKY! I PROMISE YOU, YOU HOOLIGAN COCKROACH, THAT YOU WILL REGRET THE DAY YOU SHOT AN ARROW IN THE BOTTOM OF NORBERT THE NUTJOB!! | ” |
— Book 4 |
Cricket[]
There are over 900 species of crickets, belonging to the Family "Gryllidae". For the most part they are black or dark-colored, with a tubular body and a round head. Most species have wings and many species can fly. Flight ability varies greatly between species, with some flying very well, and others not at all. The wings are also used in part to produce the characteristic cricket 'chirp' these insects are well known for. They rub their legs on their wings to produce a loud sound. The exact mechanism is a bit more complicated than just rubbing two parts together. Crickets chirp as part of reproductive rituals - to attract mates and warn off competition.
In How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse, Camicazi compares her tribe - the Bog-Burglars to crickets. This is referencing their athletic abilities (as opposed to being 'jumpy' from nervousness).
“ | We're as jumpy as crickets. | ” |
— Camicazi |
Earwig[]
Earwigs (Order Dermaptera) are insects with a large set of pincers sprouting from their abdomens. The pincers look formidable, but are not powerful enough to harm a human. They are used for defense and capturing prey however. Earwigs have small folded wings and seldom fly. Depending on the species, earwigs may eat detritus such as decaying plant matter, fresh fruit and plants, or other insects.
The common name 'Earwig' may derive from an old tale that the insects crawled into a human's ear and laid eggs. While most earwigs do like small dark places during the day, they are not parasitic or seek out ears.
In How to Train Your Dragon, Gobber yells at the Viking Novices, calling them from the sleigh after arriving at Mount Villainy.
“ | WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING SKULKING IN THERE? GET OUT AND STAND TO ATTENTION, YOU PATHETIC DRIBBLES OF EARWIG DROPPINGS! | ” |
— Gobber |
Earwigs are mentioned later in Book 4 as part of a remedy for an upset stomach in Old Wrinkly's Cures for Common Illnesses.Snotlout insults Hiccup and Toothless due to the dragon's small size compared to other dragons.
“ | He can't even control a dragon the size of an earwig! | ” |
— Snotlout |
In How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse, Gobber yells at the Viking Novices, calling them from the sleigh after arriving at Mount Villainy.
“ | WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING SKULKING IN THERE? GET OUT AND STAND TO ATTENTION, YOU PATHETIC DRIBBLES OF EARWIG DROPPINGS! | ” |
— Gobber |
Earwigs are mentioned later in Book 4 as part of a remedy for an upset stomach in Old Wrinkly's Cures for Common Illnesses.
Firefly[]
Fireflies are actually a type of beetle in the Family Lampyridae. Their wings are generally more 'leathery' than a more typical, hard-shelled beetle. Fireflies are most well known, however, for their ability to emit light from their abdomens, via a chemical reaction involving the special enzyme luciferase. In adult fireflies, the bioluminescence is thought to be involved with attracting mates, while in larvae (also called glowworms) the light may serve as a deterrent to predators. Despite being widely known for their lighting, many firefly species - especially those more active during the daytime - do not glow. Instead, they rely on chemical attractants, or pheromones, to find suitable mates.
Fireflies are mentioned once in How to Train Your Dragon when describing the difficulty the Green Death had catching Fireworm:
“ | But the Green Death had the same sort of difficulty in catching Fireworm as you might have if you tried to catch a firefly with your bare hands. | ” |
— Book 1 |
Flea[]
Fleas are parasitic, flightless insects adapted specifically for living off of the blood of mammals and birds. They have very long hind legs for jumping through hair or feathers, hooks on their feet to remain lodged on the skin, a laterally thin body shape to weave between hair and feathers, and a life cycle based on the presence of their hosts. Fleas lay about 100 eggs per one adult. After hatching, the larva survive by eating detritus, even feces from the adult flea. Later the larva pupate. They can remain in a cocoon for a long time and are the most difficult to kill at this stage. Emergence as an adult flea and take a few days in optimum conditions, but can remain as a pupa until they sense the presence of a blood host. Fleas may occur only on certain host species, but many flea species can move readily to unideal hosts if their preferred hosts are not available.
In How to Train Your Dragon, fleas are mentioned a few times when comparing the size of humans and Hunting dragons to the gargantuan Green Death.
“ | Then Fireworm bit him [Green Death] on the nose. It must have felt like a flea bite, but the Monster was outraged. |
” |
— Book 1 |
“ | The Creature stuck his great talon up his nose in a disgusting fashion and tried to winkle out the tickling flea that was irritating him. | ” |
— Book 1 |
Toothless is mentioned as having 'dragonfleas' in How to Be a Pirate, while he is discussing Alvin, the poor-but-honest-farmer with Hiccup.
“ | S-s-suit yourself," shrugged Toothless, checking out his wings for dragonfleas. "Toothless thinks he's an O-O-Outcast. | ” |
— Toothless speaking in Dragonese |
Dragonfleas are mentioned when Toothless is introduced in How to Speak Dragonese, climbing atop Hiccup's head and "had a quick rummage for dragonfleas".
Fleas are mentioned in How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse to describe the frenetic movements of Semi-Spotted Snowpeckers.
“ | Semi-Spotted Snowpeckers were jumping all around them like fleas on a cow's back ... | ” |
— Book 4 |
Fly[]
Flies are insects belonging to the Order Diptera, which encompasses at least 125,000 known species across all continents except Antarctica. They inhabit diverse ecological niches ranging from parasites to pollinators. Diet is equally diverse, ranging from nectar and fruit to the living flesh of vertebrate animals. Diet and environment may even vary within a species, depending on what part of the lifecycle the individual is in. Some adults don't eat anything. Fly larvae - commonly called maggots - eat their species-respective diet voraciously to sustain them through several larval stages and into pupal stage, before adulthood.
The most commonly recognized fly species may be the Housefly. Thought to have originated in the Middle East, houseflies have followed humans all over the world. They dine on any food item, feces, or garbage.
Another common species, one which is mentioned in the Book series, is the Bluebottle Fly (Calliphora vomitoria). This fly looks very similar to the Housefly, but has a bluish to greenish iridescence to its carapace. Bluebottles occur in most of Europe, North and Central America, and in Africa.
Small biting flies may also be referred to as "Midges". There is no one species called a midge. However, a common species that the author would have encountered and is common across Scandinavia is the Highland Midge (Culicoides impunctatus). This tiny fly can form swarms or clouds of female individuals that bite animals, including humans. They suck a small amount of blood for their eggs. Peak season is from late Spring to late Summer.
In How to Be a Pirate, when Alvin the poor-but-honest farmer is first discovered in the coffin of Grimbeard the Ghastly, the Hooligans think he is a corpse. However, Hiccup astutely notices that "the face was all slimy and drippy, but it wasn't crawling with maggots or anything disgusting."
In How to Speak Dragonese, Sharkworm hunting habits are described, specifically an extendable set of back teeth that can snap forward to grab prey and bring it back to the mouth, "as the tongue of a lizard flicks out to catch a fly."
In How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse, flies are mentioned briefly in the in-universe text, Old Wrinkly's Cures for Common Illnesses, as part of a treatment for a headache from fever, along with sheep mucus. While Fishlegs is ill, he is describes as being "hot as fire, weak as a fly in a spider's web, and talking nonsense." Later, a noticeable tic in Norbert the Nutjob's left eye is described as "jerking around frantically like a fly doing a jig." Toothless is described as having "the reflexes of a bluebottle", when getting out of the way of a swipe from an angry One Eye. To note, 'bluebottle' may also refer to a type of jellyfish. However, in context, flies have much quicker reflexes. Flies are referenced when describing the speed at which a Doomfang's tongue can move: "as quick as a toad catching flies".
Large numbers of midges are seen at the beginning of How to Twist a Dragon's Tale. They bite at the Viking Novices and their dragons during a "Herding-Reindeer-on-Dragonback" lesson during an unusually hot summer. The dragons use their tails as horses and cattle do "to keep off the midges and flies." Later in the book, when the Fire Dragon is hunting down the Exterminators, the last one is "zigzagging across the sky like a demented bluebottle".
In How to Train Your Hogfly, the Throatgoggler flock flying in the night sky is seen "clustering in front of the moonlike a mass of distant black flies".
Grasshopper[]
Grasshoppers (Suborder Caelifera) are long-bodied insects with six limbs, the last pair being particularly strong and able to propel the grasshopper about 20 of its own body-lengths. They are also capable of at least some flight, though many species cannot sustain long flight. For the most part, grasshoppers are strict herbivores, eating many kinds of plants and plant material; however, some species may eat dung or other animal material.
Many grasshopper species are solitary as adults except for mating. However, some species through chemical signaling in highly populated areas, will actually change physically and behaviorally and swarm. Those species are referred to as Locusts. Swarms can range from millions to trillions of individuals and consume all vegetation in sight.
Locusts are mentioned when describing the size of nanodragons - they are about the same. Nanodragons were first encountered in How to Speak Dragonese as a dish of honey-coved nanodragons which the Fat Consul was eating. Later, the Emperor Beetleboog Bolderbug nanodragon, Ziggerastica is described as "No bigger than a grasshopper".
“ | Where once heather grew and swayed in the wind, covered with butterflies and grasshoppers and buzzing nanodragons, now there was only ashy stubble, scarred across with white, stretching out across the whole of the slope. | ” |
— Book 5 |
Grasshoppers are mentioned as inhabitants of Berk, but in How to Twist a Dragon's Tale have disappeared due to a hot summer and dragon fires.
Honey Bee[]
Honey Bees are any species belonging to the Genus Apis. They are commonly known for their production of honey and their communal hive living. Melittology, also called Apicology, is the scientific study of bees.
Though the honey bee is currently widespread across the globe (with the exception of the Arctic climates), most modern honey bees originated in South and Southeast Asia. Honey bees have yellow and black-striped bodies, two pair of clear to translucent wings, and have a defensive stinger at the end of their abdomens. Bees will use this stinger in defense of themselves and their colonies, though it may cost them their lives. A venom sac is attached to the stinger on the interior of the abdomen, and stinging something will often result in the sac and stinger pulling from their bodies, fatally injuring the bee.
Honey bees have a complex and well-studied social structure. Each colony contains one queen bee, who lays eggs and who is waited upon by the other bees. The hive life centers around the raising and survival of offspring. Each hive typically has several drones - individuals whose primary purpose is mating with the queen. The majority of the hive, however, and the individuals we are most familiar with, are the workers. The worker tend to all the work related to their hive: defense, food collection, hive temperature, egg and larva care, and so on. Occasionally a female worker can produce eggs as well.
Though bees are not specifically mentioned in How to Speak Dragonese, their honey is. The Roman, Fat Consul, is seen eating live Nanodragons dipped in honey. Ziggerastica, the King of the Nanodragons, has a weakness for honey and is caught in it and is later saved by Hiccup. Fishlegs later compares Ziggerastica to a bumblebee.
“ | The entire Roman army is going to be shivering in its shoes when it sets eyes on a dragon the size of a bumblebee. | ” |
— Fishlegs |
In How to Break a Dragon's Heart, Fishlegs and Hiccup steal honey to make mead for Tantrum's hand in marriage. Hiccup and his Windwalker encounter a Giant Bee-Eater Dragon and are almost inadvertently swallowed by it, while it is sucking in bees and insects.
The Incomplete Book of Dragons details the Giant Bee-Eater Dragon - a large dragon which eats bees and other insects.
Hornet[]
In How to Twist a Dragon's Tale, Snotface Snotlout is described to be "as mean as a hornet with a grudge".
Wasp[]
In How to Twist a Dragon's Tale, Snotlout doesn't realise that Humongously Hotshot the Hero shot an arrow at him which removed a booger from his nose and assumes that a wasp stung him.