Dragon's Flame, Magical?

[Aganzir]

I think I've read some fantasy books in which the dragons spit acid instead of fire, and at least to me that sounds a thousand times more credible than fire-spitting dragons.

I'm not particularly sure about Tolkien's dragons (dragons are creatures of which I never bother to find anything out as I don't really like them), but were they fire spirits like the balrogs? If yes, I wouldn't question their ability to spit fire nor to have magical powers (just like Gandalf and Sauron, for instance, had) or even "magical fire".

A poisonous acid might explain the dwarves' armours, though. Even if a fire-spitting dragon couldn't melt their armours, the heat would have killed them. It's easier to be safe from acids.

edit: crossed with Leggy and Miggy

[The Might]

Oh, xed as well.
As for the armors, this brings to my Science of M-e thread.

Not really sure what could be used to make some heat resistand outfit, but as long as some like that exist today I see no reason why the Dwarves would not have been able to make something liek that as well.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

I do not think that dragon fire was magical in the sence that it could destroy specially chosen items like ring of power, that otherwise could not be destoryed by fire. It must be (like the might says) that dragon fire is so much hotter than other kinds of fire (save the fire of mount doom) that enables it to destroy mighty/magical objects.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by A Little Green

Oh, and sorry for the flood, but Aganzir's made me think more about the dragons. What actually were they? Who made them, and for what purpose? I guess that if some letters/HoME scholar had an explanation for that first, the rest should work out.

Dragons were something like animals, rather, only twisted by Morgoth and with stronger spirits inside them. Similar to werewolves, though please correct me if I am wrong; or Eagles, or even Ents. I wrote longer post about that in my early days around here, let's see if I can find it... here (that is the last post in the thread).

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

If they where just "animals" twisted by Morgoth, what animals where they then?

I have always seen them as creatures like Balrogs or as you say Ents ect.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

You did not understand me. See that post I linked to for more. I don't mean that they were animals, but that they were some sorts of "construction from flesh and bone" inhabited by vile spirits. And be careful about mixing Balrogs into it, Balrogs were fallen Maiar. It's a matter of difference in "acquiring" the body; the Balrogs chose their own form and later it degraded and they could not change it anymore, while the dragon and similar spirits were "trapped" in a body prepared for them.