Rat (Franchise)

Rat
Information
Domestication:	No (Yes in real life)
Usage:	Dragon Food
Diet:	Wide range of plant material, refuse, and flesh
Predators:	Dragons
Habitat:	Anywhere they can find food
Distribution:	Isle of Berk
Out-of-UniverseInformation
FirstAppearance:	Dragon Down
LastAppearance:	The Stowaway

Rats are a rodent species that appear very briefly in the How to Train Your Dragon Franchise.

Description

Rats belong to the Genus Rattus with at least 64 species. Most live in warm climates in Australia, Polynesia, and Eastern Asia, but two species, the Black Rat and the Brown Rat occur worldwide, except Antarctica. Rats are opportunistic omnivores and eat insects, grains and other plant material, meat, and other edibles.

The Black Rat (Rattus rattus) usually has a coat of black fur. However, despite its name, this fur can come in other colorations as well. It is slightly smaller than its cousin, the Brown Rat (also called the Norwegian Rat) Rattus norvegicus. The Brown Rat is more prevalent in colder climates over the Black Rat. Both species originated in Asia, but spread throughout Europe and the rest of the world early on in human history.

Function

In the Franchise, rats are only seen to be used as food for dragons, such as Monstrous Nightmares. It is likely that they are also considered a pest in Viking households, similar to how rats are treated in other European cultures.

However, in many other parts of the world, rats are eaten regularly by humans. They also figure in other mythologies such as the Chinese Zodiac and in Hindu traditions is associated with the God, Ganesh.

Appearances

Dragon Down

Snotlout tries to use a live rat to attract a runaway Hookfang, revealing that rats are the dragon's favorite food. However, this fails to attract the Monstrous Nightmare.

The Stowaway

A rat can briefly be seen running along a bookshelf while Hiccup is looking for information on Knaff.

Other Mentions

Use as an Epithet

“	NO! NO! SON OF A HALF-TROLL, RAT-EATING, MUNGE BUCKET ...!"	”
	— Astrid Hofferson in How to Train Your Dragon

In How to Train Your Dragon, Astrid mentions rats during her angry remarks at failing to have reached the Gronckle before Hiccup.

"When Darkness Falls"

“	I'll tell you what it is. Rats. Rats the size of yaks. No, it could also-is it? Yaks the size of rats? Yak-rats! Great, those would be adorable.	”
	— Tuffnut Thorston in When Darkness Falls.

In When Darkness Falls, Tuffnut mentions rats while trying to explain what he saw in the woods on Dragon's Edge.

Gallery

Rat in the bookshelf in The Stowaway.

In School of Dragons

References

Rat on Wikipedia
Black rat on Wikipedia
Brown rat on Wikipedia

Site Navigation

Template:Wildlife Navbox