Remember what life used to be like on Berk?
Dragons.
You had to be crazy to live here.
But we're Vikings. Crazy is what we do best.
And I guess I had enough crazy in me to do something no Viking
had ever done before.
I trained a dragon.
Life on Berk hasn't been the same since.
And now, my friends and I have the greatest job in the world.
We're dragon trainers.
Living with dragons, it ain't easy.
It brings a new adventure every day. And there's so much to learn.
Because if you wanna train dragons, you have to know dragons.
So, if you hurry, you can join us in the Great Hall
where we're just about to start a new class.
- So that's a Gronckle. - Correct.
And you cannot tell its head from its tail.
Right, right!
Gronckles do not like to be scratched under their chins.
- I found that out the hard way. - OK.
No scratching under chin. Got it.
What...? Toothless, what's up, bud?
- Hey. - Whoa! A new dragon trainer!
A new recruit. Want to train dragons, do you?
- Looks eager enough. - This one's got potential.
Aye, we'll see about that. Here it is.
Book of Dragons. Between these two covers are the most incredible creatures
you'd ever hope to see.
Some you know, but there are some you've never seen before.
And you won't last a day out there if you don't learn the facts in here.
Gobber, you can't scare us. We've already trained dragons.
This book contains more than just training.
It's the key to unlocking a new world of dragons.
And I don't suppose you know who started it all, do you?
I thought it had something to do with Bork the Bold.
Well-spotted, lass.
But before he was bold, he was known as Bork the Very, Very Unfortunate.
- That's an... odd nickname. - Aye, but apt.
It seemed that everything Bork touched went wrong.
Bork was my great-great-great-grandfather.
But he started out as a shepherd.
But his flock got very small.
That fact is, Bork and dragons didn't seem to mix.
So he gave blacksmithing a try...
...and had a go at farming.
But he settled for the life of a fisherman.
And he used to say, "If you see a dragon, kill on sight."
You kids taught us that we could train a dragon.
But it was Bork who had the idea to classify them.
And what does Bork say is the first class of dragons?
Oh, that's easy. Stoker class.
Now according to the book, these hot-headed dragons
are furious fire-breathers.
And when training a Terror, start with a very shiny object.
Oh, he's cute.
Cute?! Maybe on his own.
But Bork says if you get these little Terrors in a group,
it's no picnic.
You see, Terrors are social creatures.
They love to hunt in packs.
Now, what about this brute?
The Monstrous Nightmare.
You can see how this foul beast got his name.
Nary a Viking has tamed this fierce creature.
But you know what Bork used to say?
"You fall down, you get right back on the dragon."
I bet he didn't know that the Nightmare can set itself on fire.
And if there's one thing you don't want, it's an angry Nightmare.
That's why we tried a more gentle approach.
Instead of wrestling a Monstrous Nightmare,
just give them a little respect. A gentle hand on his snout.
Looks like you kids have made some breakthroughs.
All right, Fishlegs. Why don't you tell us about your dragon?
Meatlug's my Gronckle, and Gronckles are tough, rock-eating,
- Boulder class dragons. - But how do you train a Gronckle?
A Gronckle won't stay mad at you if you just feed him a little dragonnip.
Yeah, and like all dragons,
Gronckles are rumoured to have five stages of maturity.
The first stage is the egg.
Then the tiny teeth. The short wing.
The broad wing. And the last stage is the titan wing,
which is extremely rare.
Rare, but a sight to behold.
Let's look at another from the Boulder class.
The Whispering Death.
Just saying its name gives you the shivers.
Bork says the Whispering Death knows only one thing: killing!
He burrows through the dirt and rock, attacking from below.
Their rotating teeth can bore through anything.
And these Boulder class baddies are so wicked,
they can breathe rings of fire!
But even though these dragons have a fearsome reputation,
it turns out they just love to be brushed.
With patience, any dragon can be trained.
Even this next batch: Fear class.
These dragons are silent, they're sneaky,
they turn up when you least expect them.
If Fear class dragons are so sneaky, how did Bork find one?
He did better than find one. He found the lair of a Zippleback.
Well, actually, it wasn't he who found it.
It was his trusted sheep, Willy.
And what do you know of a Zippleback?
Got two heads.
twice the danger. One head releases gas...
...the other ignites it.
And if you feed both heads at once, they become one agreeable dragon.
That's right. If you want to befriend a dragon,
it's a good idea to start by feeding it.
And once they're fed, make sure you play with them.
You kids are full of good tips.
But what happens when you go from two heads to four?
It's the Venus flytrap of dragons,
the devious Snaptrapper!
The book says that this wild beast has enticed many a Viking
into its deadly trap, with its sweet smell of chocolate.
And like all dragons, the Snaptrapper sheds its scales.
And its claws.
But they all grow back.
With all those heads, Bork must have had four times the trouble.
Aye, that's a fact.
Until one day, Bork made an interesting discovery.
Snaptrappers love rain.
And they can't wait to play in the mud.
Well, the Snaptrapper is incredible,
but let's see what secrets we uncover with the next class of dragons.
The Sharp class.
These dragons have a generous dose of vanity,
and spend a lot of time preening. My personal favourite is
the Deadly Nadder.
Bork says that Nadders have the hottest fire in the dragon world.
We found the best way to train her was to approach her carefully,
slowly moving around back toward her tail.
Her tail? You've gone mad.
It's full of poisonous spikes that can launch at will.
Yes, but if you move slowly enough, and you show her you're not a threat,
she'll let you smooth her tail spikes down.
There's more to the Sharp class than just Nadders.
Let's look at what Bork wrote about the Timberjack.
This dragon attacks out of the sky with razor-sharp wings,
and can slice through a forest of trees like a giant guillotine.
But those long wings of the Timberjack make it impossible for him
- to even scratch his back. - Yep, and if you scratch his itch,
he's your friend forever.
Another brilliant survival tip.
A perfect opportunity to teach our new trainer about this class of dragons.
The Tidal class.
These beasts live in the watery deep and they can out-swim the fastest ship.
Did Bork even know that the sea was full of dragons?
Not at first.
But he soon found out that the open sea was no easier,
because if there's one thing that sea dragons like to eat more than a fish...
...it's a whole boatload of fish.
And after that first sighting, Bork called it a Scauldron.
As we now know, that sea dragon fills itself up with water,
then heats it in its giant cauldron-like stomach.
One blast from that hot water, and you're finished.
We found out something surprising about Scauldrons.
If you wanna train them, douse yourself with water.
Turns out they like anything that reminds them of home.
Stop it!
Look at what also lurks in the deep. It's the mighty Thunderdrum.
This beast moves through the water like a tornado,
and is capable of delivering a sonic blast of pure dragon power.
The story goes that Bork got lost ice fishing,
and he stumbled across a Thunderdrum nest.
That must have been quite a rude awakening,
because when a Thunderdrum hatches from its shell,
it makes a sound so loud it rattles the sky!
Now, here's a class that might stump you.
- What symbol is that? - It's a symbol for the Mystery class.
We don't really know how these guys work.
That's why they're a mystery.
Is it a tree? Is it a rock?
No, it's the Changewing.
This strange dragon can disappear into any environment.
Bork noticed that Changewings are curious creatures.
And they display mimicking behaviour.
Whatever they see, they love to copy.
Changewings are known for their acid breath
and their ability to hypnotise.
But finding one takes a keen eye.
Does being able to change colour mean their skin is softer?
For some, yes. And it makes them vulnerable to attack,
so these dragons protect themselves in a strange way.
Like this beauty:
The BoneKnapper.
This odd creature collects the bones of dead dragons
and makes itself an unusual coat of armour.
The best way to deal with this brutal bag of bones is to subdue it
- with force and fear and firepower! - Sure, right.
- That's what you did, Gobber. - All right, all right, all right.
You give a BoneKnapper whatever it's looking for and it's just like
an overgrown puppy dog. Why don't we go on to the next class of dragons?
Finally, Strike class.
Every dragon in this class is characterised by blazing speed,
vice-like jaw strength and extreme intelligence.
I give you the Skrill.
This elusive creature is highly secretive,
and is known to ride lightning bolts.
Found only during electrical storms, it can shoot bursts of white fire.
If you get too close to a Skrill, your hair will stand on end.
Let's see what else is in the book.
The Night Fury.
Speed, unknown. Size, unknown.
I guess this book really does need updating.
The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself.
So, Hiccup, how did you train a Night Fury?
First I had to get his attention.
Then I needed to earn his trust.
Everyone wonders what it's like to fly.
¤nd now, thanks to Toothless, we know.
These islands are full of dragons.
But I've never seen another Night Fury.
I have so many questions about him.
But I do know one thing.
Toothless didn't just become my friend.
He became the friend who gave me my purpose.
He's quite the dragon, I'll grant you that.
So, now you see. Everything we know about dragons
started with one very unfortunate Viking,
who had a hunger to learn more.
Over the years, curious Vikings like yourselves
have updated the pages, and in time,
Bork of Dragons became Book of Dragons.
It's now a very big part of our Viking heritage.
So big, that Bork the Very, Very Unfortunate
was soon renamed Bork the Bold.
- I bet you wish you knew him. - Well, I do know him.
The fact is, we all know him.
Thanks to the Book of Dragons.
And I guess one day new kids will know us by how we trained our dragons.
Aye, that they will. But in the meantime,
you kids can carry on where Bork left off.
Well, then I'd better finish these Night Fury pages.
- There's still so much to learn. - Yeah! Like how fast Toothless can go.
Well, to be honest, I don't know his top speed, but...
Somebody wants to find out, does he? OK. Let's find out.
Last one to the peak has to clean the stables.
Hey, wait up! I gotta see this!
To be young, wild and have most of my limbs again.
Oh, right! Congratulations!
Now you're on your way. Our newest dragon trainer.
It's time to meet your first batch now.
Good luck!