Sept 4: Smaug can fly, but what is Laketown's main defense against him?

Smaug is a flying dragon, not a fire drake or a basilisk or a Tyrannosaurus Rex. To protect themselves against his attacks, the people of Laketown built their city in the middle of the Long Lake. One has to respect their spunk, but not their reasoning. Didn't they consider the possibility that he might attack them from the air, which is in fact what he does in The Hobbit? Or were they hoping he would fly from his lair in the Lonely Mountain, land nearby, and then give up when he realized his victims were across the water from him?

Even as Smaug is making his first airborne attack, Bard the Bowman orders that the bridges be cut. Again, it's admirable that he sticks to the plan and doesn't panic, but really! That just makes it harder to evacuate the non-combatants. Smaug is still able to attack just fine without having to arrive on foot.

It's not even a matter of whether Smaug has functioning wings or not, unlike the Balrog in The Fellowship Of The Ring. Many is the idle hour I've argued with fellow nerds about whether the Balrog had wings and if so, why did he fall to his death when Gandalf shattered the bridge of Khazad-dum? But that's neither here nor there. Smaug flies from the Lonely Mountain to Laketown, maybe he's just bad at vertical landings. Perhaps he needs a little room, more like an auto gyro rather than a helicopter.

Birthday Observance Idea

Consider other poor defense strategies, but do not attempt them. Climbing a tree to escape a bear, wearing garlic to stop a werewolf, or declaring your country neutral to turn away the Nazis are all good examples. Please share your results!

To read my loving, insightful, full-length parody of The Hobbit, order a copy of my eBook The Wobbit on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004ZR9ELK

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