Quote:
Originally Posted by Nogrod
Exactly my point! 
Smaug is not a primordial, mythical, your deepest unconsciousness-tingling terrifying evil you can't quite describe in any way, but more like "smog" or any other everyday thing that can be unsettling or even frightening but is not quite the same thing.
In this case the fact that we know so much about Smaug turns against it as it's clear Smaug can be grasped at some level as to being a petty and greedy monster whereas Glaurung is just some dark thing you can't quite get to grips with and whose name makes you shiver.  |
Ah but smog kills (according to the book
Austerity Britain which I was reading recently) - you might
think it's just a dark bit of fog, but it's a silent, deadly killer. Smog isn't an everyday thing but a dark and sinister thing that can have you fooled! Tricksy...
And Smaug also sounds better. It's like the expletive of an angry Scot - "Ach! Smaug!"
And reason three - it is also uncannily similar to
smug. Which also describes the timorous beastie perfectly.
Facetious reason four - it makes me laugh too as it sounds like something you can buy in IKEA