The following contains spoilers for Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. Dragons and their powers are important details in the Wyverns’ powers compare to dragons in Fourth Wing. The dragons’ distinctions from each other, particularly in color, are also important because of the internal dragon politics of the series.

Discerning readers have noticed a exciting release of Onyx Storm, a recap of each dragon color and tail type could shed some light on the patterns occurring in the series so far.

All Dragon Colors In The Empyrean Series

There Are Seven Known Colors Of Dragon

The known colors of dragon is one of the Onyx Storm the best Empyrean book yet.

Brown

Whereas some dragon colors have a known line, the line the Brown dragons are descended from is unknown. The browns’ defining characteristic is that it is best not to show “trepidation”, fear or hesitation around them. A notable brown dragon is Ridoc’s Brown Swordtail, Aotrom. In Iron Flame, Aotrom is injured in the Battle of Basgiath, but survives. Of the other major characters in Fourth Wing, Garrick also has a brown, a Scorpiontail named Chadh. Lilith Sorrengail has a brown dragon named Aimsir.

Orange

Orange dragons come in a range of shades. They are descended from the Fhaicorain line. Oranges are the most unpredictable den of their kind, making them inherently dangerous. While historically associated with the Northern Esbens, their unpredictable nature leads them to frequently shift their nesting grounds within the same mountain range.

Jack, Varrish, and Amber all bond with oranges...

Orange dragons are the subject of a few Fourth Wing theories related to betrayal within the Empyrean, due to notably untrustworthy characters being bonded to orange dragons. Jack, Varrish, and Amber all bond with oranges. This is concerning, since Brennan and Imogen also have orange dragons, Marbh and Glane respectively.

Green

Green dragons are of the Uaineloidsig Lineage. They exhibit high intelligence and demonstrate exceptional effectiveness as siege weapons. A tense moment in Fourth Wing is at presentation when Violet locks eyes with two green dragons. She re from her reading and Professor Kaori’s teaching that, “To approach a green dragon, lower your eyes in supplication and wait for their approval.” She then recalls, “Greens are the most reasonable.”

It is also advised never to back down from a green. For this reason, Violet disengages them by waiting with her head bowed until they back away from her themselves. Only then does she raise her head. Notable characters who have green dragons include Rhiannon and Mira. Rhiannon has a Green Daggertail, Feirge, and Mira Sorrengail has a Green Clubtail, Teine. The two greens at presentation approach Violet because they can smell Teine’s shrunken scales.

Red

Perhaps appropriately for their color, red dragons are known for their volatile tempers. When approaching, it is advisable to do so from the left or front and to avoid direct eye . The line red dragons are descended from is unknown. Red dragons come in a range of shades.

Notably, Dain Aetos’ dragon, Cath, is a Red Swordtail. Liam Mairi has a Red Daggertail, Sawyer has a Red Swordtail, Sliseag, and Sloane has a Red Daggertail, Thoirt. Felix, who helps Violet to train her signet, has a Red Swordtail.

Black

Black is an extremely rare color of dragon in Fourth Wing. They are the rarest den of dragonkind. They are also the most intelligent. Codagh, who is Melgren’s black dragon, is the strongest of the black dragons, followed by Tairn, Violet’s dragon.

Black dragons are descended from the Dubhmadinn line. Violet’s research tells her that a black dragon has not been born in the last century. However, during the events of Iron Flame, Train announces the birth of two more hatchlings. In Fourth Wing, the black dragons’ distinctive trait is that there is “no outsmarting” them, Tairn fits the bill of a “cunning” black dragon, since he seems to hold a lot of secrets.

Blue

Blue dragons come in a range of shades, from sapphire to navy. They are known for being massive, and their distinguishing trait is being the most ruthless den of dragonkind. They are descended from the Gormfaileas line. Xaden has a blue dragon, Sgaeyl.

It is strongly advised to avoid any encounter with a blue dragon and flee immediately. All known blue dragons possess an intimidating reputation. Aside from Sgaeyl, a small number of blue dragons serve in active duty, primarily stationed along the eastern Esben Mountains. AS well as being ruthless, blues are known for not adhering to the established rules within the Empyrean.

Golden

The only known golden dragon in Fourth Wing is Andarna, Violet’s second dragon, whose name translates to “second honor”. Normally, dragons have a golden color as hatchlings until they enter the “Dreamless Sleep”, a critical period of adolescence for dragons. After the dreamless sleep, they develop their true color.

In Andarna’s case, while she is young, her true color is speculated on. Violet remarks that she is the perfect miniature of a brown, while Sawyer speculates she is an orange. By Iron Flame, Andarna’s scales are a deep shade of black. However, it is later revealed that Andarna is not merely a black dragon, but an even rarer type of color-changing dragon with a self-camouflaging ability.

All Dragon Tail-Types In The Empyrean Series

There Are 6 Known Types Of Dragon

While there is an element of mystery retained about the dragons in Fourth Wing, Yarros masterfully feeds just enough detail about them to add texture to her world-building without giving away the Empyrean’s elusiveness. One of the ways she does this is by giving them distinctions between their tail types as well as their color.

Morningstartail

Tairn is the only Morningstartail mentioned in the Empyrean series so far. His tail type makes him all the more remarkable as a rare black dragon.

Ranked among the most lethal dragon breeds, Morningstartails combine the devastating bludgeoning power of a clubtail with the deadly, eviscerating spikes of a daggertail. Tairn’s subspecies of dragon is an immense source of pride for him. In Iron Flame, when Violet remarks he is impossible to impress, his response is reiterating that he is a Black Morningstartail, by way of explanation.

Scorpiontail

Scorpiontail is a particularly vicious tail type in Fourth Wing. Their tails are tipped with venomous barbs, capable of delivering a deadly sting. The most notable Scorpiontail is Jack Barlowe’s dragon, Baide. Baide is unpredictable and aggressive and, after Jack is believed dead, keeps it quiet that he survived the rock slide. Baide’s loyalty and discretion is not rewarded – ultimately, their mutual aggressiveness is her downfall when Jack does the unthinkable in betraying her.

Daggertail

Many of the main characters’ dragons are Daggertails. Their tails are tipped with deadly, knifelike spikes, capable of disemboweling an enemy with a terrifyingly swift flick of the tail. In the case of Sgaeyl, Xaden’s dragon, her Daggertail makes her the rarest of all blue dragons. Other major characters who are bonded to Daggertails are: Rhiannon, Amber, Brennan, Liam, Imogen, Sloane, and Varr, and Varrish.

Clubtail

As the name suggests, Clubtail dragons have bludgeoning power as opposed to cutting. The tail culminates in a solid, club-like mass, capable of delivering devastating blows. The most notable character bonded to a Clubtail is Mira Sorrengail, whose dragon is Teine. Mira and Teine have a strong bond, with her recounting that she knew she wanted to seek this particular dragon out once she got to Threshing at her time at Basgiath.

Swordtail

A Swordtail dragon is especially good at dealing slashing damage. Possessing long, razor-sharp edges, their tails are wielded with the precision of swords. Swordtails tend to belong to larger dragons. For example, Dain Aetos’ dragon, Cath, is described as a large dragon – further, Dain says Cath is a “nasty piece of work when he gets worked up”, making him one of the strongest dragons in Fourth Wing. Both Ridoc and Sawyer’s dragons, Aotrom and Sliseag, are Swordtails.

Feathertail

Feathertails, the juvenile stage of all gold dragons, are carefully sheltered within the Vale, far from human . This seclusion has fostered the misconception that Feathertails constitute a distinct breed, incapable of forming bonds with riders due to an aversion to violence.

Feathertails are incapable of forming traditional dragon-rider bonds, including the exchange of a signet or the ability to carry a rider. However, they possess a unique ability: the capacity to gift their powers to their human companions. This is often to their detriment, as the process of doing this can leave them depleted.