How to Train Your Dragon (2003) is a middle grade fantasy novel by British author Cressida Cowell. In 2010, DreamWorks adapted the book into an animated movie that later expanded into a film and television franchise. The titular novel is the first in the 12-book series, which centers on the coming-of-age adventures of 10-year-old Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and his dragon, Toothless. In the premier story, Cowell employs the hero’s journey structure to frame Hiccup’s evolution from a Hairy Hooligan Novice into Hiccup the Useful, the tribe’s brave young savior. The series explores themes of friendship, courage, self-discovery, and unexpected triumph.

The animated films, though based on Cowell’s novels, deviate from the original story to offer audiences heightened drama and an action-propelled narrative. Some key differences among the novels and films include an antagonism between the Viking tribes and the dragons; permanent injuries to both Hiccup and Toothless; Toothless’s size, color, and dragon breed; the character of Astrid, Hiccup’s rival turned love interest; and Hiccup’s role as a “dragon whisperer.”

Cowell, though born in London, spent her childhood holidays on a remote, uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland. She imagined that dragons lived there and quickly became fascinated with mythical creatures. Historically, the region was well-traversed by the Vikings, tribes of seafaring Scandinavian warriors. Between the 8th and 11th centuries, the Vikings embarked on intercontinental voyages, trading, pirating, and settling throughout Europe. Cowell’s popular series integrates details from Viking culture and Norse mythology to create a realistic world for Hiccup and his protective dragon friend, Toothless.

This guide refers to the Kindle edition published in 2014.

Plot Summary

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is the son of Chief Stoick the Vast, who leads the Hairy Hooligan Tribe of the Island of Berk. Hiccup is heir to the tribe, but most of the other young boys in the village consider Hiccup incompetent and weak. For their official initiation into the Hooligan Tribe, the Novice boys must each steal a hibernating dragon from their lair and train it to obey their commands. Their teacher, Gobber the Belch, places Hiccup in charge of the mission, which the other boys protest. As a dragon enthusiast, Hiccup alone seems disturbed by the danger of this mission.

As Hiccup expects, the mission goes awry. The dragons wake up, giving chase to the boys. In the confusion, Hiccup grabs a small green dragon in the dark, rather than one of the Monstrous Nightmare species which is the birthright of chiefs. Instead, the creature he discovers appears to be a Common or Garden Dragon. The tiny dragon is without teeth, so the other boys ridicule Hiccup and his new dragon, whom they refer to as “Useless” and “Toothless,” respectively.

That night, Hiccup talks with his grandfather, Old Wrinkly. Old Wrinkly practices soothsaying, but only some of his predictions come true. Hiccup expresses concern about his minuscule dragon and his own small stature. Hiccup’s grandfather reassures him that “size is all relative” and shares that Sea Dragons grow so big that they tower over the little dragons kept in Berk as hunting animals. Old Wrinkly predicts that the tribe is due for a change in leadership, and Hiccup will bring them that change.

Training Toothless proves difficult. The recommended reading on the subject, How to Train Your Dragon by Professor Yobbish, only suggests yelling at the dragon, and Hiccup lacks the sheer force of will for yelling to succeed. Fortunately, he speaks the Dragon language, Dragonese, although his father has banned the practice of speaking to dragons in their tongue. Hiccup attempts to appeal to Toothless’s sense of greed, vanity, fear, and vengeance, all of which fail until he discovers the dragon’s fondness for jokes. Even still, Hiccup is unsuccessful. Toothless confesses that dragons have no sense of morality and only obey humans because the humans are bigger and give them food.

The Thor’sday Thursday celebration is the festival where all the Novices from Berk must prove mastery over their dragons for full initiation into their tribes. Toothless riles the other 9 dragons from the Hooligan Tribe and all 10 dragons from the rival Meathead Tribe into brawling, which shows that none of the boys succeeded in their training. Stoick the Vast confers with Chief Mogadon the Meathead, and both tribes decide that all 20 boys must be exiled as failures. Stoick grants the boys the mercy of staying one last night with the tribes due to an oncoming storm.

However, the fierce storm washes ashore Sea Dragons, a gigantic species larger than four blue whales, long thought extinct. The larger of the two dragons asserts his dominance by devouring the other. Terrified, the Hooligans and the Meatheads work together to form a plan. They consult Professor Yobbish’s book but find the instructions to simply yell disappointing. Nevertheless, they line up on the beach and shout at the monster, who is unimpressed and responds by burning all the ships in the harbor.

Next, the tribes send Hiccup to ask the mighty dragon, who introduces himself as the Green Death, if he comes in peace or war. The dragon is not interested in war and declares his peaceful plan to eat everyone on the island. Impressed by Hiccup’s intelligence, the Green Death talks with the boy awhile, offering to help him become a hero. The dragon offers to delay eating Hiccup for his own entertainment.

While the tribesmen debate what to do next, the boys of both tribes look to Hiccup for leadership. After hearing another Sea Dragon who might be larger than the Green Death washed ashore, Hiccup forms a plan to get both dragons to fight each other. He instructs their dragons (minus Toothless, who protests joining the fight) to send each Sea Dragon a taunting message presumably from the other. Hiccup hopes his plan will rile them into a fight.

The plan works, and the two dragons fight. They seem to choke each other to death, but the Green Death wakes up and decides to exact vengeance on Hiccup. He swallows Hiccup, who gets stuck on a spear in the monster’s throat. Hiccup observes two holes, the apparent source of dragons’ fire. In witnessing the Sea Dragon devour Hiccup, a strange feeling triggers in Toothless. Against his own logic, Toothless flies into the Green Death’s nostril, tickling him until he sneezes up Toothless.

With one last burst of flame, the Sea Dragon makes his final attempt to kill them all. Instead, pressure builds up in his neck, and he explodes. The explosion propels Hiccup to the shore. Stoick sees a giant fiery dragon tooth hurling toward Hiccup, and he dives to protect him. The tooth impales Stoick’s shield, which saves Hiccup. Hiccup explains that while in the monster’s throat, he caused the blockage by plugging the fire holes with the horns of his helmet. With the battle won, both Hiccup and Toothless pass out.

Hiccup wakes up just in time to hear that Toothless is being granted a Hero’s Funeral and rushes to stop them from igniting the floating funeral pyre. Hiccup explains that Toothless is in a sleep coma, healing himself. Although Hiccup arrives too late, Toothless wakes up, plunges into the sea, and then rejoins his loyal friend. Stoick the Vast declares his son a full member of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe, naming him Hiccup the Useful.