Scatha's Bed by Himring

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Fanwork Notes

Inspired by my discovery of Tolkien's poem about Scatha in the recently published Collected Poems.
(Scatha is the dragon from whose hoard the House of Eorl had obtained the horn that Eowyn gave to Merry.)

Warning for canon-typical dragon behaviour.

For  prompts see the end notes.

Fanwork Information

Summary:

Like Smaug, Scatha, a great cold-drake of the North, keeps track of his hoard.

Canon Source: Lord of the Rings, Tolkien's Poetry

Major Characters: Scatha

Major Relationships:

Genre: General

Challenges:

Rating: Teens

Warnings: Check Notes for Warnings

Chapters: 1 Word Count: 120
Posted on 28 January 2025 Updated on 28 January 2025

This fanwork is complete.

Scatha's Bed

Read Scatha's Bed

Scatha was icy and silent and he was blind. He advanced like bitter frost, a slow crawling death, and crushed all living things he encountered under his long white belly. In his dark den he rested and licked the bones of his victims smooth and clean.

Seeing nothing, Scatha knew well what made up the pile of spoils that formed his bed, knew it by smell and by feel of tongue and belly:

- one hundredweight of unminted gold
- ten thousand and eleven coins (twenty percent mithril)
- nine hundred and sixty sharp bright stones (colours various)
- necklaces (one gross)
- one ton wrist and finger bones of dwarves (assorted)
- seven score skulls of Men
- one horn (dwarven).

Scatha liked his small comforts.


Chapter End Notes

The tolkienshortfanworks challenge prompts were: theme: small comforts; include a list of ingredients.

If you would like to find out more about the poem and have no access to the Collected Poems, there is a Tolkien Gateway entry on the poem.


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