Line #261 Literature/HowToTrainYourDragon


1	[[quoteright:339:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/how_to_train_dragon.jpg]]
2	%%
3	''How to Train Your Dragon'' is a successful, long-running children's book series written and illustrated by Cressida Cowell. It follows the adventures of the son of a Viking chief, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, as he struggles to keep control of his dragon and become a respected member of the Hairy Hooligan tribe.
4
5	It's got witty humor, LampshadeHanging, clever dialogue and {{Parental Bonus}}es. Thus, [[PeripheryDemographic teens and adults have found a good read in them]].
6
7	The books in the series include:
8	#''How to Train Your Dragon''
9	#''How to Be a Pirate''
10	#''How to Speak Dragonese''
11	#''How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse''
12	#''How to Twist a Dragon's Tale''
13	#''A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons''
14	#''How to Ride a Dragon's Storm''
15	#''How to Break a Dragon's Heart''
16	#''How to Steal a Dragon's Sword''
17	#''How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel''
18	#''How to Betray a Dragon's Hero''
19	#''How to Fight a Dragon's Fury''
20
21	Hiccup and his father Stoick the Vast actually made their first appearance in a picture book called ''Hiccup: The Viking Who Was Seasick'' (1999). It [[EarlyInstalmentWeirdness was directed at younger children and did not contain any dragons]], though, and is not included in the numbered series. It was later republished as ''How to Be a Viking''.
22
23	Book twelve ended the series, and it was released on 8 September 2015. There is also a SpinOff called ''How to Train Your Viking'', which takes place between the second and third books told in Toothless's point of view.
24
25	It was notably given an incredibly successful film adaption by Creator/DreamWorksAnimation, with ex-Creator/{{Disney}} animators Creator/ChrisSanders and Creator/DeanDeBlois (both of ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'' fame) at the director's helm, which spawned multiple sequels (also written and directed by [=DeBlois=]) and a TV series. However, both the original books and the extended franchise have some noticeable differences. Trope page for the film is '''[[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2010 here]]'''.
26
27	Oh, and the audiobooks are narrated by Creator/DavidTennant.
28
29	----
30	!!!Characters from the book include:
31	* '''Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third''' -- The son of the Chieftain of the Viking of the Hairy Hooligan tribe. Although weedy and ordinary-looking, he's extremely intelligent and the OnlySaneMan.
32	** '''Toothless''' -- Hiccup's dragon, named for him lacking teeth. He is very fussy and disobedient.
33	* '''Fishlegs''' -- Hiccup's DeadpanSnarker best friend and an even more pathetic Viking than Hiccup. He's got a limp, poor vision, numerous allergies, and is easily scared.
34	** '''Horrorcow''' -- Fishlegs' dragon. Docile and a vegetarian, she sleeps a lot.
35	* '''Snotface Snotlout''' -- Second-in-line for the chief's throne and Hiccup's cousin, Snotlout is everything a Viking SHOULD be. He frequently tries to dispose of Hiccup so he may one day become the chief. [[spoiler: He succeeds in Book 9, courtesy of Alvin. Then gets KilledOffForReal in book 11.]]
36	** '''Fireworm''' -- Snotlout's dragon. A brutal killer and easily provoked. She's every bit as smug and mean-spirited as Snotface.
37	* '''Stoick the Vast''' -- The current Viking chief. He's a caring father but also dense and quick-tempered.
38	* '''Gobber the Belch''' -- The head teacher of the Viking Initiation Program and the Pirate Initiation Program.
39	* '''Camicazi''' -- Heiress to the throne of the Bog Burglars, Camicazi is a violent Viking girl who fights first and asks questions later. Friends with Hiccup and Fishlegs.
40	** '''Stormfly''' -- Camicazi's dragon. A rare breed, she's a constant fibber and turns purple when she lies. One of the only dragons to speak Norse.
41	----
42	!!Tropes for the books include:
43	* TheAce:
44	** Except for fencing, Snotlout is the best student in the pirate training program.
45	** Humungously Hotshot The Hero. He's good at everything except singing. Deconstructed slightly and played for laughs when several members of the tribe, mainly Stoick, dislike him because he's better at everything than they are.
46	** Also deconstructed with Hiccup III's ancestors, Hiccup II and Grimbeard the Ghastly. Hiccup II was [[RaisedByWolves raised by dragons]] and thus never fully integrated into Viking society and [[JerkAss Grimbeard]] . . .
47	* ActionGirl: Camicazi. If we can infer anything from her and Bertha's description, what she says, and the [[spoiler:letter to Stoick from her]], the entire Bog Burglar tribe somehow seems to be made up completely of women. Cressida Cowell has confirmed on Twitter that the male Bogs are part of a tribe called the Silents.
48	* AffablyEvil:
49	** The Green Death.
50	** Also Furious, who is a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds.
51	* AGodAmI: Ziggerastica, the tiny nanodragon, believes himself to be the center of the universe. However, due to his uncanny abilities, including being able to come when called, no matter how far away, makes you wonder...
52	* AllForNothing:
53	** The treasure hunt in ''How to Be a Pirate''. After nearly dying thanks to the Skullions waking up and [[spoiler: a battle with Outcasts]], the [[spoiler: decoy]] treasure of Grimbeard the Ghastly sinks with the Hooligan ship ''The Lucky Thirteen''. None of the Hooligans care, however, given that the ship sank [[spoiler: with Hiccup on it]].
54	** [[spoiler: Valhallarama]] believes her quest was this when she is forced to accept the Druid Guardian's judgment that [[spoiler: Alvin is to be crowned King of the Wilderwest, since he has presented all the Lost Things]]. Hiccup found all the Lost Things staying at home, and the price of her journeying meant that they never had a proper relationship.
55	** As Snotlout realizes in Book 11, [[spoiler: he can kill Hiccup and nearly does]], but because of [[CainAndAbel all]] [[EtTuBrute his]] [[TyrantTakesTheHelm previous]] [[UngratefulBastard actions]], [[spoiler: no one will follow him as King of the Wilderwest]].
56	* AlliterativeName: Too many to count. There's everything from names ("Hiccup Horrendous Haddock" the Third) to a good portion of the Viking Tribes ("Bog Burglars") to even the names of celebrations ("[[PunnyName Thor'sday Thursday]]"). Also, the text itself is FILLED with alliterations -- strings of five or six words starting with the same sound are not uncommon. It's especially obvious in the audiobook version of the series.
57	** This is likely an echo of the alliteration used in actual Norse sagas.
58	* AnachronismStew: Too many to count, but let's try anyway:
59	** Fishlegs wears glasses, which wouldn't be invented until well after the Viking Age.
60	** Vikings ''did'' [[VikingsInAmerica go to North America]], but potatoes are from South America, and besides, nobody called it "America" yet, because Amerigo Vespucci didn't exist.
61	** The (Eastern) Roman Empire ''did'' exist at the same time as Vikings, and many of them even traveled there to work as mercenaries or in the emperor's CadreOfForeignBodyguards, but the Romans here seem to still be following Roman paganism, which was long gone by the Viking Age.
62	* AndroclesLion:
63	** The dragons that Hiccup helped before -- One Eye and Ziggerastica -- refuse to [[spoiler: attack Hiccup or join the rebellion. The nanodragons even send a sign that Hiccup is chosen to be king.]]
64	** The [[spoiler:Doomfang]] becomes a sort of "guardian angel" to Hiccup, as thanks for him (inadvertently) [[spoiler:curing it of Vorpentitis]].
65	* AmbiguousSituation: in book 11, it's unclear at which point [[spoiler:Snotlout]] truly has his change of heart and HeelFaceTurn. Is it after the witch [[ColdbloodedTorture tortures Hiccup]] and makes it clear [[spoiler:Snotlout]] is too untrustworthy to be [[DudeWheresMyRespect rewarded]]? Or is it earlier, when he first tells Hiccup he's joining his side? He did lead Hiccup into ambush, but it gave Hiccup the opportunity [[spoiler:to rescue Camicazi and steal the Things back]] and by that point it's well known Hiccup's a GuileHero and [[GenreSavvy can be expected]] to have an escape plan - which he does. And then [[spoiler:Snotlout]] frees all Hiccup's allies. He didn't have to tell Hiccup where [[HiddenElfVillage Alvintown]] was; if he hadn't, Alvin would have retained more advantage.
66	* AnnoyingArrows: Very much averted in book 11 with [[spoiler:Snotlout.]]
67	* ArbitrarySkepticism: The kids have tamed dragons, and Camicazi even has one which speaks some Norse... But mermaids are just fairy tales that can't possibly be real.
68	* ArrangedFriendship: At one point, Stoick tried pairing Hiccup off with Snotlout, hoping that Snotlout's machismo would rub off onto his wimp of a son. Only problem is that Snotlout is a massive [[TheBully bully]], so he decided to end the arrangement.
69	* ApatheticPet: It's noted that dragons can't really feel love for humans and that [[UngratefulBastard they're never grateful for what their owners do for them]]. Toothless [[CharacterDevelopment later overcomes this]]; when Hiccup is nearly eaten by the Green Death, Toothless remembers [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe how kind Hiccup was to him]] and risks his life to save Hiccup.
70	** Averted with the Windwalker, who is touchingly devoted to Hiccup as soon as they meet.
71	* AssholeVictim: After he locked up his daughter and attempted to have Hiccup, Fishlegs and eleven other heroes killed by the [[HumanSacrifice Berserk]] tribe, it's unlikely anyone weeps when royalty-obsessed [[FatBastard Chief]] UG the Uglithug gets [[spoiler:dragged into space to die]] as he tries to [[TheUsurper grab the throne of the Wilderwest]].
72	* AxCrazy: Norbert the Nutjob is perhaps the best example in fiction.
73	* BadassAdorable: Camicazi and Ziggerastica.
74	* BaitTheDog:
75	** Played straight in Alvin the Treacherous's first appearance, where he poses as Poor but Honest Farmer and even encourages Hiccup during a fencing lesson. Later, when he, Hiccup and Fishlegs [[spoiler: barely escape drowning and end up in a cave miles below the ocean's surface]] he becomes charming and apologetic [[spoiler: until they find a door and Grimbeard's treasure.]]
76	** ZigZagged with Humongously Hotshot in ''How to Twist a Dragon's Tale''; he [[spoiler: keeps trying to kill Hiccup while posing as his bodyguard]] but cannot overcome his hero instincts.
77	* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Mostly averted. None of the characters are actually that pretty, with the exception of Humongously Hotshot the Hero, and [[spoiler:Alvin, who seems to be getting uglier each book.]] Camicazi might scrub up all right, but [[UnkemptBeauty as she's only seen once with her hair tidy]]...
78	* BerserkButton: In ''How to Be a Pirate'', [[spoiler:Fishlegs]] discovers that he's a berserker. When he [[spoiler:catches a cold]] in ''How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse'', he sometimes [[spoiler:involuntarily went berserk.]]
79	* BigBad: Usually [[spoiler: Alvin the Treacherous]]. Also: The Green Death, Norbert the Nutjob and Furious.
80	* BittersweetEnding: ''How to Fight a Dragon's Fury'' has a huge one. [[spoiler: Hiccup is crowned king, and ends the war that he started between dragons and humans, but Furious dies TakingTheBullet from him, Snotlout is dead, and when Hiccup is an old man the dragons go into hiding to stay safe from humans.]]
81	* BoisterousBruiser: The Viking tribes seem to made entirely out of boisterous bruisers.
82	* BondVillainStupidity: Excellinor's insistence on [[spoiler: keeping Hiccup alive up in Book Eleven after capturing him]], which Alvin lampshades, justifying it as "politics".
83	* BookEnds: The first line of the first book is identical to the last line of the last book:
84	---->There were dragons when I was a boy...
85	* BreakTheBadass: Excellinor tries to do so to [[spoiler:Hiccup in Book Eleven so as to convince his followers to join her side. It doesn't work, in part because Hiccup had a backup plan.]]
86	* BreakTheCutie: Again, Hiccup throughout the series, as part of his journey to becoming a Hero the Hard Way. Same thing happens to Camicazi and Fishlegs, since they are Hiccup's TrueCompanions.
87	* BrickJoke: In one of the last remaining chapters of the original novel ''How to Train Your Dragon'', Stoick is furious over a book by Professor Yobbish called ''How to Train Your Dragon'' that is only one page describing that the best way to train dragons is to "yell at them" he declares that he is going to send Yobbish a strongly worded letter. The letter, poorly spelled, shows up as a picture prefacing the Epilogue.
88	* BrutalHonesty: Valhallarama delivers it during the few times that she appears, lampshading that she's not very motherly.
89	* ButForMeItWasTuesday: How [[spoiler: Alvin]] responds to Fishlegs' CallingTheOldManOut. He implies that when he was good-looking he ReallyGetsAround and [[spoiler: shows no remorse for condemning Termagant to life as a poor single mother.]]
90	* ButtMonkey: Hiccup and Fishlegs frequently get beat around by [[JerkAss Snotlout]] and his dumbass sidekick, Dogsbreath.
91	* CainAndAbel:
92	** Subverted with Stoick and his brother Baggybum the Beerbelly. While they initially butt heads over whose son would make a better ruler, when things get rough they stand [[BackToBackBadasses back to back]].
93	** Played straight with Hiccup's ancestor Hiccup II and his brother Thugheart, with tragic consequences.
94	** Hiccup and his cousin Snotlout have this from the day Hiccup was born, according to Snotlout.
95	* CallBack:
96	** In Book Ten, Fishlegs delivers a ListOfTransgressions as to why to not save [[spoiler: Snotlout]], namely all his actions from the previous books.
97	** In Book Twelve, the nanodragons [[spoiler: to prove Hiccup is king]] lift Hiccup up into the sky the way that they did in Book Three to fool the Romans.
98	* There are ''dozens'' of callbacks through the later books, helpfully footnoted. Eventually the author starts [[BreakingTheFourthWall nagging you]] to read the other books for context if you haven't.
99	* CallingTheOldManOut:
100	** In the first book, Hiccup calls out Stoick for [[spoiler:banishing all of the Initiates and placing the Law over the life of his own son. Does the same to his mother for seemingly betraying him to Alvin the Treacherous and the witch]].
101	** Inverted when Baggybum and Gobber call out Snotlout for [[spoiler: betraying their tribe and Hiccup, selling out people who depend on him. Gobber later leads the Dragonmarkers in turning their backs on Snotlout in Book Eleven.]]
102	** Fishlegs calls out [[spoiler: Alvin]] on learning what exactly the latter did to his mother.
103	* CerebusRetcon:
104	** When the Hooligan tribe encounters Grimbeard the Ghastly's booby traps while searching for his treasure in ''How to Be a Pirate,'' the reader assumes that Grimbeard merely had a nasty sense of humour. Then in ''How to Break a Dragon's Heart'' and ''How to Betray a Dragon's Hero'' Hiccup and the reader learns that Grimbeard [[spoiler: created slavery for dragons and humans alike, turned the Dragonmark into the Slavemark, murdered his son Hiccup II believing him to be a traitor, and left the Archipelago in the state that it was]].
105	** Also, in ''How to Be a Pirate'' Alvin jokes that he has no hope for redemption because his mother never loved him. [[spoiler: Then we meet his mother in ''How to Break a Dragon's Heart, and we realize he is right in that she loves no one. Even Alvin is terrified of her.]]
106	* CharacterDevelopment: All the characters, heroes and villains alike, change over the course of the series. Hiccup grows from a brilliant if cautious ten-year old to potential King of the Wilderwest and expert Dragon Whisperer. Alvin the Treacherous becomes more dangerous and cunning, thanks to his mother Excellinor. Fishlegs grows a pair and gets rid of his horrendous self-esteem. Stoick goes from a WellDoneSonGuy to understanding his son and supporting him. [[spoiler: Snoutlout becomes more and more horrible as the series goes on, then redeems himself.]]
107	* ChekhovsArmory: Some of the King's Lost Things: [[spoiler: Grimbeard's second-best sword Endeavour, the Roman shield, the Hysteric key that opens everything, Toothless, Grimbeard's "ticking thing," the heart's stone that contains a ruby]]. Others to note: [[spoiler: Hiccup's Slavemark and Norbert's flying machine]], in ''How To Ride A Dragon's Storm'' and [[spoiler: Fishlegs's lobster pot]] in ''How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel''. Grimbeard's letter to Hiccup ends up [[spoiler: nominating him as king.]]
108	* ChekhovsGunman: Valhallarama of the White Arms, Hiccup's mother, and the Hairy Scary Librarian in Book Ten.
109	* ChekhovsLecture: Hiccup manages to prove [[spoiler: that he is the rightful King of the Wilderwest]] by recounting all that he's learned from [[spoiler: obtaining the Lost Things]].
110	* ChickMagnet: Hiccup becomes this [[spoiler: after becoming crowned King of the Wilderwest.]]
111	* ChildProdigy: Hiccup, at least compared to everyone else, and he ages into a TeenGenius. His friends are smarter than the average Viking but are more of a case of OnlySaneMan.
112	* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder:
113	** Dragons are supposed to be this way, but they subvert the trope on occasion. Toothless is the first example to subvert the trope in ''How to Train Your Dragon''.
114	** [[spoiler: Snotlout plays the trope straight; becomes a plot point in Book 11.]]
115	* ClingyJealousGirl: Camicazi [[spoiler: [[ShipTease chases away the girls]] that want to hit on King Hiccup]].
116	* ColdBloodedTorture: Literally. In Book Eleven, in an attempt to BreakTheBadass, [[spoiler: Excellinor chains up Hiccup and lowers him into the freezing winter ocean, which is crawling with Winterfleshers -- small, pirhana-like dragons that would "certainly attack a chained child". By the end he is blue all over and almost dead from hypothermia, but he still refuses to give in.]]
117	* ComplexityAddiction: Grimbeard had this while setting up his booby traps; it gets to the point that Hiccup only finds the Lost Things BecauseDestinySaysSo, and it takes about five years.
118	* CoolSword: The Stormblade.
119	* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: ''How to Betray a Dragon's Hero'' because of the choices that Hiccup makes. As the Wodensfang puts it, "Your mother said not to leave the Hideout," and Valhallarama laments that Hiccup accidentally messed with her plan.
120	* CrapsaccharineWorld: The Viking Archipelago. Sure it has dragons, but it also has established slavery, murderous Vikings, horrific weather and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking limpets!]] No wonder Hiccup decided to change things when he could, by becoming King of the Wilderwest
121	** What's worse is that the Vikings who thrived in this world have to deal with it shooting up into flames thanks to [[spoiler: Hiccup releasing Furious and freeing the dragons during his short bout as King]]. Some adapt, but others like [[spoiler: Snotlout]] don't.
122	* CreateYourOwnHero: [[spoiler: By breaking up Humongously Hotshot and Valhallarama so she would marry Stoick the Vast instead, Alvin inadvertently helped bring Hiccup into existence. Karma's a bitch, isn't it?]]
123	* CreateYourOwnVillain: By killing Furious's human brother Hiccup II and leaving Furious to rot in chains, Grimbeard the Ghastly created a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds who wants to kill Grimbeard's heir.
124	* DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou:
125	** The gender inversion is discussed with [[spoiler: Valhallarama]] and her reasons for not being home. When Hiccup [[spoiler: is thought to be dead]] in Book 11, [[spoiler: Valhallarama]] feels that [[AllForNothing the years on the quest were wasted]], and she had hoped to repair her relationship with her son.
126	** Completely subverted with [[spoiler: Fishlegs and his father Alvin the Treacherous]]. [[spoiler: Alvin]] freely admits that he did it on purpose, with no thoughts about what happened to his [[spoiler: newborn son, who was abandoned and laid out to the sea.]]
127	* DarkerAndEdgier: In general, more so than the film adaptation in that Hiccup faces carnivorous dragons and murderous Vikings and nearly dies once a book. In ''How to Train Your Dragon'' the Green Death [[spoiler: eats him alive]] and in ''How to Be a Pirate'' Skullions chase him down during the hunt for Grimbeard's treasure.
128	** ''How to Twist a Dragon's Tale'' ventured into this territory quite a few times, but it gets back to normal in ''A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons''.
129	** ''How to Steal a Dragon's Sword'' is considerably darker than the previous light-hearted books. [[spoiler: Everyone turns their backs on Hiccup when his slavemark is revealed when Snotlout threw a rock to the helmet and had believed that they should have abandoned Hiccup. Stoick was banished. Alvin the Treacherous ruled as King of the Wilderwest and made Snotlout the new Hooligan chief.]]
130	** ''How to Seize and Dragon's Jewel'' and ''How to Betray a Dragon's Hero'' up the ante for darkness: [[spoiler: Hiccup finds the titular jewel but loses it to Alvin in a fit of bad luck, his cousin Snotlout betrays him to Alvin AGAIN and causes him to lose Toothless before getting KilledOffForReal in a moment of RedemptionEqualsDeath. Hiccup has only twenty-four hours to convince the Guardians of Tomorrow to crown him king, without any of the Lost Things and with the Wodensfang ready to betray him to the dragon Furious. Hiccup confirms that he will face the murderous Guardians of Tomorrow and Furious in the last book]]
131	* DarkestHour: [[spoiler: The end of ''How to Betray a Dragon's Hero.'' Hiccup confirms in the prologue that the next two books cover the darkest part of the series, and that they were the most difficult to chronicle.]]
132	* DeadpanSnarker: Fishlegs is a definite candidate.
133	---->'''Fishlegs:''' Oh, how I wish ''I'' had a nice smart Bardiguard all of my very own, to chuck rocks at me, and send me unarmed into one-to-one combat with teenage psychopaths.
134	** Hiccup dabbles in it several times, as do most of the dragons.
135	* DealWithTheDevil:
136	** Snotlout [[spoiler: makes one with the witch that he will betray Hiccup, and thus be trusted with the location of the Lost Things.]] Since the deal involved betrayal, however, [[spoiler: the witch states that Snotlout exposes his nature as a "worm," and thus cannot be trusted with the location. She doesn't fear him joining the side of the Dragonmarkers because the Dragonmarkers will never take him back after witnessing him betray Hiccup.]]
137	** The Wodensfang out of necessity makes one with [[spoiler: Furious]] in exchange for [[spoiler: Furious calling off the Red Rage so that Hiccup has a chance to reach the Island of Tomorrow without being killed by Furious's army]], the Wodensfang will [[spoiler: [[ExactWords "betray whoever is made king"]], delivering the Dragon Jewel and the King of the Wilderwest to Furious.]] This means that [[spoiler: either the Wodensfang will have to betray Hiccup after getting him crowned, or Alvin after failing to get Hiccup considered as a candidate.]] The Wodensfang then tells Hiccup that [[spoiler:]]
138	* DebateAndSwitch: Averted in most cases.
139	** Snotlout in the early books makes a lot of points about how Hiccup isn't competent as a Viking or as an heir, and Hiccup himself doesn't want the position and seems resigned to Snotlout eventually stealing the legacy from him. By the time [[spoiler: Snotlout exposes Hiccup's Slavemark, however, to steal his legacy]], Hiccup has undergone CharacterDevelopment and TookALevelInBadass and realizes that he has to accept his legacy to make the Viking world a better place.
140	** The witch points out to Hiccup that if he becomes King then [[spoiler: he may have to [[SadisticChoice choose]] to [[TheNeedsOfTheMany destroy the dragons to save the humans]] and take on TheChainsOfCommanding.]] Hiccup does not ''want'' to be King for that reason, but even while suffering ColdBloodedTorture knows that [[spoiler: he cannot let Alvin take the crown, who will do far worse than destroy the dragons]]. Hiccup [[spoiler:manages to make peace with Furious by tossing away the real Dragon Jewel and pointing out that Furious can keep killing humans, but it will lead to endless bloodshed.]]
141	* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Invoked multiple times, though some of those values start to change over the course of the books.
142	** The Viking teens are often encouraged to go on dangerous quests, since by dying immediately in battle they'd go to Valhalla. (TruthInTelevision for Viking times.)
143	** The teens are also encouraged to learn how to burgle; Camicazi is the best burglar in the book. [[spoiler: Hiccup is forced to become a competent one when he goes into hiding, to steal a helmet and sword.]]
144	** Most of the tribes have slaves, and the Hysterics even carry a boatload of Wanderer slaves to the New World America. Hiccup and later his father realize how Berk is performing BystanderSyndrome regarding human slaves, and that the dragons on Berk are at best in a GildedCage.
145	** As the witch tells Hiccup, Viking runts are often left on a hillside or set adrift to sea, which was a death sentence. The runts that survive such treatment have to be accepted back into their tribe, or bad luck will ensue. [[spoiler: Fishlegs was such a runt who survived the sea trip, and Hiccup II was raised by dragons up until when he was ten.]] [[spoiler: Hiccup's]] father was the first known Viking to break the tradition because [[spoiler: Stoick]] would not leave his runt son to die.
146	* DenserAndWackier / LighterAndSofter: After TheFilmOfTheBook was released, the books took a major shift in terms of cover art and art direction in general, making the covers more cartoony. The dragon profile pages also became simpler, instead describing only "disobedience" and "attack", "defense" and "speed". The actual content of the stories, however, has ''[[DarkerAndEdgier not]]'' suffered from this, fortunately.
147	* DespairEventHorizon:
148	** Hiccup nearly crosses it in Book Four when [[spoiler:he fails to deliver the curative potato to Fishlegs, who is supposedly dying from Vorpentitis]].
149	** Grimbeard the Ghastly crossed it eons ago when [[spoiler:he killed his favorite son Hiccup II after mistakenly believing him to be a traitor, and had to banish another, Thugheart for actually betraying him.]]
150	* DisneyDeath:
151	** Hiccup suffers one at least once a book. It gets to the point where [[spoiler: Camicazi]] realizes that he has to be alive and goes searching for him [[spoiler: at the end of Book Eleven]].
152	** Alvin [[spoiler: the Treacherous]] has a DisneyDeath four times throughout the series, leaving him [[spoiler: one-eyed, one-armed, one-legged, no-nosed, and follically challenged]].
153	** Norbert the Nutjob [[spoiler: supposedly dies]] in Book Seven, but [[spoiler: makes a surprise appearance at the end of Book Twelve.]]
154	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
155	** Snotlout dueling Hiccup [[spoiler: in Book Eleven]] and blaming him for [[spoiler: all that has happened in the last books]], as well as for being born and upstaging Snotlout's position as heir. Hiccup during the duel is apologizing for what he has and hasn't done, which is [[UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming unsettling to victims of abuse]].
156	* DisappearedDad: In Book Twelve, it is revealed that [[spoiler: Alvin the Treacherous is Fishlegs's father.]] Not only this, but [[spoiler: Alvin seduced Fishlegs's mother, Termagant, so she would tell him where Grimbeard the Ghastly's coffin was buried, then after she had served her purpose Alvin faked his own death, leaving Termagant to die of a broken heart. Then when he finds out that Fishlegs is his son, he disowns him after Fishlegs can't prove himself to be a Treacherous.]]
157	* DudeWheresMyRespect:
158	** Snotlout in Book 11 claims he has felt this [[spoiler: since Hiccup was born, and thus was the reason that he bullied his younger cousin]].
159	** Hiccup. He saves the day several times, where he and Fishlegs end up getting celebrated for what they did, but the problem is [[StatusQuoIsGod they always end up getting mocked again, usually thanks to Snotlout]] [[AesopAmnesia by the next book]]. ''How to Be a Pirate'' even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this in the opening scene.
160	*** Changes after ''How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel.'' [[spoiler: Thanks to Alvin [[NiceJobFixingItVillain being a slave-making tyrant]] and Hiccup's heroic deeds from the previous books getting acknowledged during the year he's in exile, all the slaves at the Prison Darkheart and free heroic Vikings like Thuggory rise up to support Hiccup as King of the Wilderwest. When Excellinor tries to break Hiccup in ''How to Betray a Dragon's Hero,'' she accidentally makes him more heroic when he endures her torture in front of his followers.]]
161	* DumbMuscle: Most of the adult Vikings in the story, actually.
162	** ...As well as several of the younger tribe members.
163	** And the Driller Dragons.
164	* EarnYourHappyEnding: Hiccup in the prologue and epilogue of each book explains that his memoirs explain how he became a hero "the Hard Way" and several epilogues have shown how things got better in terms of curing Vorpentitis and repairing his relationship with his mother. We readers do know that he survives [[spoiler: the Island of Tomorrow and its guardians, Alvin the Treacherous and Excellinor's scheming, the Sea Dragon Furious who believes Hiccup will end the world of dragons]]. [[spoiler: Also that while the dragons disappear, to hide from humans, Toothless stays with him.]]
165	* EasyAmnesia:
166	** PlayedForLaughs when Stormfly loses her memory after the Hairy Scary Librarian knocks her out with his sword by accident. She gets it back after smelling out Madguts the Murderous and the stink triggers her memories.
167	** [[spoiler: Hiccup]] suffers it at the beginning of Book Twelve, after the TraumaCongaLine of the previous book. [[spoiler: He gets his memory back by staring into Toothless's eyes.]]
168	* EasilyForgiven: Hiccup does this with Snotlout all the time in Book Eleven, even after [[spoiler: Snotlout betrays him to the witch and nearly kills him in a DuelToTheDeath]]. It's lampshaded by the other characters, including Fishlegs and Snotlout himself.
169	* EldritchAbomination: Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus. They're constantly described as being big as cliffs and hills, and their smallest teeth are ''8ft long''.
170	* EyelessFace: Skullions
171	* FictionalDocument: There is a book in ''How to Train Your Dragon'' that literally shares the title.
172	** Hell with it, there's also the book ''How to Speak Dragonese'' WITHIN the book of the same title. And ''A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons'' in ''A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons.''
173	** There's also the letter Grimbeard the Ghastly wrote to "his heir", more commonly known as [[spoiler:Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. That document is also a map to find the Dragon's Jewel]]
174	* EvilMatriarch: Excellinor the Witch, mother of [[spoiler: Alvin the Treacherous]]. When her son becomes King she seems to be leading him.
175	* GiganticAdultsTinyBabies: [[spoiler: Toothless is a young Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus, given time, he will grow to the ''size of a mountain.'']]
176	* [[LoveDodecahedron Hate Dodecahedron]]: The blood feud table:
177	** The Outcasts are feuding with everyone because of an attitude problem.
178	** The Bog Burglars are feuding with the Hooligans because of theft, the Rashem Oiks because somebody knocked over Bertha's pint, The Hysterics because Bertha sat on the chief's dragon, The Visithugs because Bertha laughed at Visithug axework, and The Ugli-Thugs because of sheep-rustling.
179	** The Hooligans are in feud with the Meatheads because Stoick beat Mogadon in a arm-wrestling contest.
180	** The Meatheads are in feud with the Rashem Oiks because they just don't like each other.
181	** The Hysterics are in feud with the Visithugs because an arm-wrestling contest went a little too far, and with the Ugli-Thugs because Ugli-Thugs are nasty pieces of work.
182	** The Rashem Oiks and Ugli-Thugs are feuding because... who are you looking at, sunshine? Yes, some of these are very sensitive -- particularly Bog Burglars vs Rashem Oiks and Bog Burglars vs Visithugs (in that order).
183	* GrowingUpSucks: The prologue to one of the later books in the series apologises for the CerebusSyndrome the reader is about to hit, but points out that the books are ultimately about growing up and the difficulties that entails. They then point out that even the (assumed child) reader is going to become an adult, whether they like it or not. The tone of the prologue makes it clear that the narrator believes that everyone would avoid growing up if they could.
184	* HeelFaceDoorSlam:
185	** Grimbeard the Ghastly puts this on himself at the end of his reign, witnessing the ruins of his tribe and his kingdom [[spoiler: after he betrayed his ancestors, created slavery, and killed his favorite son while being forced to exile the other]]. Instead of doing the responsible thing and cleaning up the mess, he rides off into the sunset and leaves his Heir-- Hiccup III-- to dismantle the world he has made.
186	** Averted when Snotlout after [[spoiler:betraying Hiccup frees the captured Dragonmarkers. Although they boo at him for being a traitor, they do escape while he chases Hiccup to the both with the Lost Things since Vikings are not stupid enough to stay locked up. And while the Dragonmarkers condemn Snotlout for being a traitor when Alvin appears with all the Lost Things, Hiccup tells them how Snotlout died so that his legacy becomes kinder.]]
187	* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Snotlout.
188	* HeelRealization:
189	** Again, Snotlout, [[spoiler: after the witch invokes a HeelFaceDoorSlam on him that doesn't take.]]
190	** Valhallarama as well [[spoiler: when the Witch hires her to kill the Outcast with Grimbeard's map, not telling her that said Outcast is her son Hiccup.]] She claims the tree trunk that fell on her head helped clear her thoughts.
191	* HeroesPreferSwords: Hiccup does, as do Camicazi, Stoick, Snotlout, Humongously Hotshot, and Valhallarama.
192	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Alvin mockingly giving [[spoiler: a lobster necklace that he found in Grimbeard's Coffin years ago to a woman he married unknowingly gave away the real Dragon Jewel, which was hidden inside.]] He and [[spoiler: his mother realize at least twenty years [[OhCrap too late]] his mistake, when Hiccup is wearing the necklace and he reveals the jewel inside. Hiccup received the necklace because his friend Fishlegs gave it to him out of kindness.]]
193	** A smaller one for Snotlout in "How To Twist a Dragon's Tale" where he gleefully points out to Stoick that Hiccup, his friends and Humungous have left the Isle. Stoick, who believed that his son had sided against him with Humungous and betrayed his tribe, realises they are heading in the west - the opposite direction to where one would go to get away from the volcano - realises Hiccup was telling the truth and rallies the rest of the tribe to help them. He even thanks Snotlout for bringing this to his attention.
194	* {{Homage}}: [[spoiler:The end of ''How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse'' resembles the ending of ''Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh''.]]
195	* HopeSpot: The later books show various occasions of this. [[spoiler:In Books 8 and 9, Hiccup has one about Furious choosing to not annihilate the humans, and then to become King of the Wilderwest so as to prevent a war between dragons and humans. Book 10 is a HopeSpot when Valhallarama rallies followers for Hiccup to become King, and for her the quest to crown Hiccup offers her the chance to repair her relationship with her son. As is common in the series, each of these hopes gets dashed rapidly.]]
196	* HornyVikings: This takes place amidst several fictional Viking tribes, such as the Hairy Hooligans, Murderous Meatheads, and Bog Burglars.
197	* HorsingAround: Toothless, in a non-horse example.
198	* IdiotBall: Hiccup carries it in ''How to Betray a Dragon's Hero'', though he tries to avoid it. [[spoiler:Suspecting that Snotlout will betray him to Alvin, he creates a backup plan with Fishlegs but doesn't think to give Toothless, the last Lost Thing, to Fishlegs for safekeeping. As a result, Alvin obtains all the Lost Things, including an unwilling Toothless, and will be crowned on the Island of Tomorrow unless Hiccup can reach him in 24 hours.]]
199	** Somewhat Subverted as Hiccup stole all the Lost Things in that span of time only to lose them as a result of bad luck.
200	* ImAHumanitarian:
201	** Dragons seem to do this, with some enjoying snacking on nanodragons (enjoyed by humans and dragons alike) and [[spoiler:the Green Death eating his smaller companions when they get washed ashore.]]
202	** The Outcast Tribe does this but only with the chief of a village and his heir.
203	* ImprovisedWeapon: A rather strange example of this trope occurs in ''How To Twist A Dragon's Tale''. When dueling [[spoiler:Alvin the Treacherous]], Hiccup uses various implements from Fishlegs's Running-Away Suitcase, including tooth powder and and umbrella as a sword. When [[spoiler: Alvin]] about to do away with Hiccup, once and for all, Hiccup [[spoiler:''bursts into song'']]. This surprises [[spoiler:Alvin long enough for Humongously Hotshot to rescue Hiccup]].
204	* ILied: Alvin the Treacherous and his mother Excellinor do this all the time. Most Vikings catch on quickly after being betrayed once or twice. [[spoiler: Snotlout doesn't.]]
205	* IllTimedSneeze: Fishlegs does one in the beginning of the first book, [[spoiler:...actually four, waking all the dragons in the dragon nursery and]] necessitating a hasty escape.
206	* IncorruptiblePurePureness: All the Hiccups, I, II and III. It has to do with them believing in both people and dragons.
207	** The most notable one: Hiccup II refusing to let [[spoiler: Furious fire on his father after Grimbeard stabs Hiccup II in the heart during a peaceful dragon demonstration]] and asking his father to look into [[spoiler: his dying eyes to know that he meant no treachery]]. Of course, this doesn't help ''at all'' because [[spoiler: Furious in his grief gets captured and weighed down by chains for a hundred years]] and Grimbeard [[spoiler: crosses the DespairEventHorizon and sails off into the sunset.]]
208	** Hiccup III also comes pretty close by forgiving [[spoiler: Snotlout]] despite the former betraying him multiple times over, pitying instead of hating [[spoiler: his disgraced cousin]]. Despite the fact that he has every reason to be as caustic as the other dialogues.
209	%%* InstructionalTitle
210	* IntentionalMessMaking: In the first book, Toothless knocks food off the table with his tail after Hiccup yells at him.
211	* JerkAss:
212	** All untamed dragons.
213	** Human examples: Snotlout and his cronies [[spoiler: before Snotlout's character development in 11.]]
214	* JerkJock: Snotlout.
215	* JustInTime: Hiccup in Book Twelve arrives [[spoiler: right when Alvin is about to be crowned, and manages to prove that he is the King once Toothless helps him regain his memories.]]
216	* KarmicDeath: For violating the rules of [[spoiler:single combat, and the truce between the dragons and humans, the Guardians of Tomorrow -- virulent sky dragons-- drag Alvin the Treacherous to the upper atmosphere, where he suffocates and most definitely dies.]]
217	* KickTheDog:
218	** Snotlout until Book 9 makes Hiccup his puppy to kick, by any means necessary. Highlights include setting up a fatal sword duel, taunting Hiccup about Toothless not finding any treasure, and mocking Hiccup for losing Toothless to the Romans.
219	** Grimbeard out of spite towards [[spoiler:the Wodensfang]] decided to [[spoiler:turn the Dragonmark into a Slavemark and enslave the dragons.]] He also forbids Dragonese to be spoken and mandates that the library be permanently closed. On top of that, he steals away [[spoiler:his runt baby Hiccup II from his wife while she's sleeping, leaves him on the hillside and lets her go on a fatal trip to try and find the baby. It's hard to feel sympathy when he realizes how far he's gone after killing Hiccup II when the latter is an adult.]]
220	** Grimbeard's heir Thugheart didn't have to [[spoiler:frame his brother Hiccup II for rebellion. Thugheart was set to inherit Grimbeard's kingdom and legacy, including the Dragon Jewel. He just did it out of jealousy that Hiccup II was the problematic favorite child. Then after Grimbeard realizes too late that he killed his innocent child, Thugheart leads a ''real'' rebellion that ends up wiping out most of the Vikings on Tomorrow.]]
221	* KickTheSonOfABitch:
222	** Hiccup sells [[spoiler: the Hairy Scary Librarian into slavery]] to save Big-Boobied Bertha.
223	** Fishlegs delivers a well-deserved NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to [[spoiler: Snotlout]] when the latter is an UngratefulBastard about [[spoiler: Camicazi getting captured while saving him from Furious's raid]].
224	* TheKidWithTheRemoteControl: Fishlegs, a weedy LovableCoward, [[spoiler: acquires a suicidally loyal three-headed killing machine of a dragon at the end of book 10.]]
225	* KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect: Vikings value strength and violence, and look down on people like Hiccup and Fishlegs, who are smart but weak.
226	* KnightOfCerebus: The dragon Furious, who wants to wipe out all humans, and [[spoiler: the witch Excellinor]].
227	* LargeHam: Gobber and Stoick the Vast.
228	* LaserGuidedKarma:
229	** In ''How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse.'' Hiccup spends much of the book on a quest to save Fishlegs, who, according to Old Wrinkly, the soothsayer, is dying from the bite of a poisonous dragon. [[spoiler:Guess who had really been bitten.]]
230	** A more subtle example happens in ''A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons.'' In that book, Hiccup [[spoiler: has the Hairy Scary Librarian sold into slavery via Madguts the Murderous to save Big-Boobied Bertha from Madguts the Murderous. In the very next book, Hiccup received the Slavemark through a series of random events, and it dogs him for the rest of the series. Hairy also gets his revenge in ''How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel.'']]
231	** It apparently is [[VillainousLineage hereditary]] for Haddocks: Grimbeard the Ghastly [[spoiler: enslaved dragons and humans, turned the Dragonmark into the Slavemark and thus corrupted a symbol of his ancestor's pride]]. As the Wodensfang tells it, "the gods" then punished Grimbeard by [[spoiler: giving him a runt son, Hiccup II, that ended up raised by dragons and became his favorite child]]. To add to the karma further, [[spoiler:Grimbeard dooms his kingdom and his legacy by believing his other son Thugheart that Hiccup II will raise a dragon rebellion. This leads to him stabbing Hiccup II, who dies in his arms an innocent man. When Thugheart does his ''real'' rebellion, Grimbeard manages to suppress it but realizes his kingdom is torn apart and he has tainted the Haddock legacy.]]
232	** Snotlout spends most of his life trying to kill Hiccup and make it clear that he's the best heir for the tribe. [[spoiler:This leads to him eventually revealing Hiccup's Slavemark, enslaving all the Hooligans, and betraying Hiccup later when he's nominated again to be King.]] As a result, as the witch puts it, [[spoiler:no one can trust someone like Snotlout, and all the Vikings except Hiccup turn their back on him. And if not for Hiccup's mercy and kindness, Snotlout would have been remembered for all time as the FallenHero who betrayed Hiccup.]]
233	** [[spoiler: A very large one for Alvin: Valhallarama was destined to marry Humongously Hotshot the Hero. By breaking them up, his nemesis Hiccup the Third was born.]]
234	* LastSecondVillainRecovery: In the first book, the Green Death is bleeding and on the verge of death, but he [[TakingYouWithMe decides that if he's going down, so should Hiccup]], and he tries to swallow Hiccup. However, Hiccup manages to get out of there by plugging the Green Death's fire holes shut, causing him to burst.
235	* LavaSurfing: Done in ''How to Twist a Dragon's Tale,''. using a dragon as a surfing board.
236	* LetsFightLikeGentlemen:
237	** Furious demands this in Book Twelve and [[spoiler: Hiccup goes to meet him with the Dragon Jewel]].
238	** Fishlegs demands this of [[spoiler: Alvin on learning that the latter is his father]]. [[spoiler: Alvin]] refuses.
239	* LetsYouAndHimFight:
240	** Alvin and the Romans plan to turn the Bog Burglars and Hooligans by kidnapping their heirs and framing each of the tribes for the crime. Fortunately Hiccup thwarts this plot.
241	** [[spoiler: Amnesiac]] Hiccup tosses a broken oar at [[spoiler: Camicazi and Stormfly]] when he doesn't recognize them.
242	* LoserFriendPuzzlesOutsiders: PlayedWith; Hiccup, the weedy GuileHero son of a dragon-killing chieftain, is friends with Fishlegs, a likewise weedy teenager. In spite of his weakness, the fact that Hiccup is a chief's son makes him slightly better than Fishlegs socially, and Stoick, Hiccup's father, urges his son to "give him up." He eventually says he was mistaken about Fishlegs.
243	* LostRomanLegion: In the first book a gigantic sea-dragon, called the Green Death, washes up on the Isle of Berk and soon reveals his intention to eat the locals. As a piece of backstory, it is mentioned that the dragon's last meal was a whole Roman legion which he had caught camping on a clifftop, and which he has spent centuries to digest. As author Cressida Cowell has said that the "Barbaric Archipelago" which is the setting of the series is somewhat inspired by the Hebrides off the Scottish coast, the legion devoured by the Green Death might as well be the "vanished" Ninth Spanish Legion.
244	* LukeIAmYourFather: In Book Twelve, [[spoiler: Fishlegs]] finds out that [[spoiler: Alvin the Treacherous]] is his father. [[spoiler: Alvin is equally surprised.]]
245	* MamaBear: All the mothers in the book; there is even a Wanderer called "Bear-Mama".
246	* ManipulativeBastard: Excellinor the Witch, mother of [[spoiler: Alvin the Treacherous]], is able to make her son King of the Wilderwest through her scheming.
247	* MeaningfulEcho: "Isn't Fate ''artistic?''"
248	* MeaningfulName:
249	** [[DumbMuscle Dogsbreath the Duhbrain]]
250	** [[spoiler:[[ManipulativeBastard Alvin the Treacherous]]]]
251	** Big-Boobied Bertha
252	** [[AxCrazy Norbert the Nutjob]]
253	** [[TheAce Humungously Hotshot the Hero]]
254	** [[TheBigGuy Stoick the Vast]]
255	** Toothless.
256	** [[SpannerInTheWorks Also Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third.]] He's an accident who wouldn't exist were it not or Alvin the Treacherous interfering with fate. This is Lampshaded in ''How To Ride a Dragon's Storm'' and ''How To Break a Dragon's Heart''.
257	---> '''Excellinor:''' "Because that's what they call the runts in the Hooligan Tribe. Hiccup means 'accident', you see."
258	* MiseryBuildsCharacter: The book series' running theme, and invoked in the epilogue of ''How to Betray a Dragon's Hero.'' Despite that book having [[spoiler: a DownerEnding and DarkestHour moment, Hiccup as an old man asserts that his younger self needed to go through that ordeal to become a proper Hero.]]
259	* MissingMom: Hiccup's mother Valhallarama briefly appears in ''How To Train Your Dragon''... only to promptly disappear for a couple of books, until it's revealed she's off questing. She reappears in Books Ten and Eleven. Even in ''How to Be a Viking'', where Hiccup is about five years old, Valhallarama is never mentioned; Hiccup is mainly being brought up by his father and by Valhallarama's father.
260	* MistakenDeathConfirmation: In the first book, Toothless becomes unconscious due to the Green Death clawing him. The adults think he's dead because he's stone cold and has no pulse or breath. They send him out to sea on a burning ship for a proper burial. Hiccup then points out that dragons sometimes sleep for many years and that they have all those symptoms mentioned. Cue the MassOhCrap when everyone realizes that Toothless was asleep after all. Later, when the boat is completely set alight while Toothless is still on it, Hiccup believes that [[KillItWithFire Toothless has burned to death]], but then Toothless flies out triumphantly.
261	* MonsterOfTheWeek: Each book introduces a new and deadly dragon.
262	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
263	** Even as an old man, and not having a real choice at the time, Hiccup regrets [[spoiler: releasing Furious]].
264	** Camicazi after [[spoiler: turning her back on Hiccup in book 9, when Snotlout reveals that Hiccup has the Slavemark]]. When she and [[spoiler: Hiccup reunite in book 10]], she actually has TearsOfRemorse and promises UndyingLoyalty.
265	** It takes eleven books, but [[spoiler: Snotlout]] ''finally'' gets this while [[spoiler: dueling with an injured Hiccup]] and invoking NeverMyFault.
266	* MysteriousPast: Most notably [[spoiler:Alvin the Treacherous]], but several other characters have mysterious pasts as well.
267	* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: A name like Norbert the Nutjob is a pretty good tipoff to what the character's actually like.
268	** [[spoiler:Alvin the Treacherous]].
269	** Madguts the Murderous
270	* NamedAfterFirstInstallment: Series and first book named due to dragon training being important to the series and story.
271	* TheNeedsOfTheMany:
272	** [[spoiler: Furious]] presents this to [[spoiler: the Wodensfang]] this as the reason why they need to kill Hiccup; the boy the Wodensfang loves is destined to [[spoiler: wipe out all dragons]] and they have to consider that the [[spoiler: dragons]] need a chance to survive. Given what Alvin is planning, VillainHasAPoint here.
273	** The Priest on the Island of Tomorrow presents this argument to Valhallarama and Excellinor after [[spoiler: declaring that Alvin will be crowned King of the Wilderwest]]. They need a King, and even though [[spoiler: Alvin is the BigBad and obtained the Lost Things by stealing them from Hiccup III]], humans need to band together regardless of their feuds with [[spoiler: Furious]] trying to wipe them out. Valhallarama, [[spoiler: unable to avenge her son, who she thinks is dead]], has to admit the priest has a point.
274	* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
275	** In-universe, Hiccup releasing the Dragon Furious since it starts a war between dragons and humans. Plenty of Vikings, including his father and Snotlout, are upset about that.
276	** Hiccup also [[spoiler: released the witch from her tree prison]] by accident, but only Alvin called him out for that.
277	** Hiccup accidentally losing [[spoiler:Toothless and the Dragon's Jewel to Alvin in two different books, giving his worst enemy all the Things needed to become King of the Wilderwest.]]
278	** Valhallarama's questing for the Lost Things and believing she was TheChosenOne means she was unaware of [[spoiler:her son collecting the Lost Things by accident over the years, and then supporting Alvin when Excellinor managed to get him elected as a temporary King to enslave Stoick and the Hooligans. This leads to her nearly killing Hiccup in Book Ten, delivering the Grimbeard map to Alvin, and accidentally creating a chain of events that leads to Alvin receiving the (fake) Dragon's Jewel.]]
279	* NiceJobFixingItVillain:
280	** Snotlout [[spoiler: treating the enslaved Hooligans terribly]] leads to them calling him out and [[spoiler: choosing Hiccup as a second contender for King of the Wilderwest]].
281	** Excellinor's ReasonYouSuckSpeech to [[spoiler:Snotlout]] in Book 11 [[spoiler:spurs him to a HeelRealization and eventually join Hiccup's side, though not after a near DuelToTheDeath.]]
282	** Likewise, her attempt to BreakTheBadass with [[spoiler: Hiccup]] through ColdBloodedTorture ends up [[spoiler: making Hiccup look more heroic.]]
283	* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Sharkworms, which are dragons that resemble hammerhead sharks with legs ''and'' wings.
284	** Saber-Toothed Driver Dragons.
285	* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: Hiccup, at least [[OnceAnEpisode once a book]]. Same with Alvin and the witch.
286	* NoSympathy: In a flashback in Book Twelve, it's revealed that when Hiccup was ten, he was captured and imprisoned by Visithugs. When he sent a letter to his mother Valhallarama for help, she told him he needed to figure out how to escape on his own. [[spoiler: He eventually does.]]
287	* NothingIsFunnier: The Bog-Burglar war cry is described as "a very rude word shouted at the top of one's lungs", but we're never told what the word is.
288	* NothingPersonal: Furious says this to Hiccup III after [[spoiler: setting the Island of Berserk on fire]] and his plans to [[spoiler: wipe out all humans]]. It's not that he hates Hiccup III personally, given his adopted older brother Hiccup II was his favorite human and [[spoiler: Hiccup III frees him from his island prison]], but Furious sees in the future [[spoiler: Hiccup III will cause the dragons to disappear]].
289	* NotWorthKilling: [[spoiler: Fishlegs and Alvin]] towards each other, when they learn that [[spoiler: they are son and father]]. [[spoiler: Fishlegs]] demands a duel of honor, but [[spoiler: Alvin]] won't respect that.
290	* OffingTheOffspring:
291	** If a runt is born in any Viking tribe, their parents have to abandon them, which is usually a death sentence.
292	** Subverted when [[spoiler:Gobber and Baggybum, Snotlout's father, sabotage Snotlout's boat which leaves him vulnerable in the Amber Sandlands. They give him a day to think about if he's done anything that makes him worth saving, and come back for him.]]
293	** It's confirmed that [[spoiler:Grimbeard the Ghastly killed his second son, Hiccup II, when he thought the latter had betrayed him. As the witch puts it, it was the second time he had tried to kill his son twice, only this time he succeeded]].
294	* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome:
295	** Hiccup before the events of Book One escaping from the Visithugs while he was held hostage. ''Before'' he met Toothless.
296	** Also Hiccup between the events of books Nine and Ten survives for a year [[spoiler: as a fugitive, burgling to survive and freeing dragons from Alvin's traps.]]
297	* OnlySaneMan: Hiccup, as well as Fishlegs and Old Wrinkly when they're around.
298	* OurDragonsAreDifferent: The majority of the dragons in this series are either small and trainable or monstrously huge and primeval. Not to mention, the author comes up with her own breeds of dragons.
299	* ParentalAbandonment: Valhallarama sometimes sparks this reaction from Hiccup, especially when he's under stress [[spoiler: in Book Nine]].
300	* PoorCommunicationKills: Valhallarama and Hiccup in Books Ten and Eleven. Justified in one instance, where [[spoiler:Valhallarama has been ordered to kill the enemy of the Wilderwest without knowing that it's Hiccup, and Hiccup can't tell her to stop fighting because his helmet gets jammed during their fencing duel.]] In Book Eleven, [[spoiler: she just tells Hiccup to seek refuge in a Hideout until the Doomsday of the Yule, and doesn't explain her plan to obtain the Lost Things. As a result, when Hiccup decides to trust Snotlout and steal the Lost Things on his own, he accidentally interrupts Valhallarama's plan. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that there's no reliable source of communication during the war.]]
301	* PottyFailure: Toothless poops himself on Hiccup in the first book.
302	* ProphecyTwist: at the end of ''How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse''. Hiccup has been on a long journey to save Fishlegs, who, according to soothsayer Old Wrinkly, has Vorpentitis. Except it turns out that [[spoiler: "one little weirdo looks very like another when you're soothsaying in a fire" -- Hiccup has it, not Fishlegs.]]
303	* ProudWarriorRace: The Vikings, obviously.
304	* RedemptionEqualsDeath:
305	** In Book Eleven, [[spoiler: Snotlout gets his redemption by sacrificing himself for Hiccup, even though it was AllForNothing at the end.]]
306	** In Book Twelve, [[spoiler: the Dragon Furious redeems himself by sacrificing himself for Hiccup, but dies from a poisoned stab wound soon after.]]
307	* RebelliousPrincess:
308	** Camicazi to her mother. (She's technically the heir to her tribe, so this counts.)
309	** Tantrum, the daughter of UG the Uglithug, ran away with Humongously Hotshot the Hero against her father's wishes.
310	** Termagant, a Murderous princess, secretly married a poor fisherman [[spoiler: later revealed to be Alvin the Treacherous.]]
311	* SacrificialLion: ''How to Betray a Dragon's Hero'' opens with [[spoiler:UG the Uglithug becoming the first named human in the series to die on-page when the Dragon Guardians of Tomorrow drag him and his men into space as punishment for him trying to become King of the Wilderwest with fake Lost Things]], setting up for [[DarkestHour the tone of the last two books.]]
312	* SaveTheVillain:
313	** Hiccup and Fishlegs have only saved Alvin once, and they attempted to do an EnemyMine with him when he wanted them dead. Afterwards, they don't bother.
314	** At a great personal risk that costs him [[spoiler:Camicazi]], Hiccup saves [[spoiler:Snotlout in Book Ten. Fishlegs beats up Snotlout when the latter is an UngratefulBastard about it.]]
315	* ScaryLibrarian: The Hairy ScaryLibrarian.
316	* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight:
317	** Hiccup, in ''How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse''. He disobeys his father, the Chief, to save Fishlegs.
318	** Many years ago, [[spoiler:Stoick refused to abandon Hiccup when the latter was born a runt. If anyone knew of this, he could face exile, and he eventually was sold into slavery.]]
319	* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem:
320	** Snotlout does this at the start of ''How to Train Your Dragon''.
321	** Later this gets turned on him when [[spoiler:in the Amber Slavelands he tries to order around the enslaved Hooligans as their "Chief". Stoick quickly takes charge, since no matter what the Hooligans consider him as their chief while Gobber and Baggybum sabotage Snotlout's sand boat so that he can't go back and rat on their mutiny.]]
322	* SeriesContinuityError:
323	** In the first book, there were 10 Viking students for the Hairy Hooligans. Somehow in the next book this number got raised to 12 and has been that way ever since.
324	** In Book 4, the potato, aka the Vegetable-That-Nobody-Dares-Name, is central to the plot, as is the taboo around mentioning it and the belief that it's mythical. In Book 2, Alvin claims to be a potato farmer (this was clearly a lie, but the fact that the mention of potatoes didn't even get a reaction is puzzling).
325	* ShipTease: Camicazi [[spoiler: shoos away girls from King Hiccup after he's crowned]].
326	* ShooTheDog: [[spoiler: What really happened to the dragons.]] Because HumansAreBastards and have ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, [[spoiler: Hiccup promises to make sure that the next King of Dragons takes the dragons into hiding, where they will be safe from future humans.]]
327	* ShootTheShaggyDog:
328	** [[spoiler: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the II, Hiccup's ancestor,]] never stood a chance.
329	** Termagant, [[spoiler: Fishlegs's mother]], and her quest for true love.
330	* SinkOrSwimMentor: Valhallarama to Hiccup as a child, through letter correspondence no less. She even lampshades she was BrutallyHonest when recounting this to [[spoiler: King of the Wilderwest Hiccup]].
331	* SmugSnake: Snotlout and his dragon, Fireworm.
332	* SpeechImpediment: Toothless stutters a lot. Vorpentitis also causes facial muscle paralysis, inducing this.
333	* StaringDownCthulhu: Hiccup has trained himself to hold a dragon's gaze. He even does this with a three-headed dragon in book 10, although who actually wins is open to debate.
334	* StatusQuoIsGod: Doesn't matter what kind of spectacular feats Hiccup has performed, by the beginning of the next book, he's back to being everyone else's ButtMonkey. This is usually because of Snotlout's bullying. Changes after Book 9.
335	* StayingAlive: [[spoiler: Alvin the Treacherous]]. He keeps cheating death again and again and again...losing bits and pieces of himself each time. Same with Hiccup, although his limbs remain intact. {{Lampshaded}} several times.
336	* StickyFingers: Camicazi and her entire tribe.
337	* {{Stripperiffic}}: Gobber's standard outfit, which consists of a sleeveless bellybutton showing shirt and hairy short-shorts.
338	* StrugglingSingleFather: Stoick's had to raise Hiccup on his own due to Valhallarama being a Missing Mom with her questing. Thus he freaks out each time Hiccup suffers a DisneyDeath, which occurs once a book. The very last DisneyDeath in Book 11 [[spoiler: leaves him and Valhallarama heartbroken]]. Part of his CharacterDevelopment is [[spoiler: letting Hiccup go out to face Furious in a confrontation that could be a DuelToTheDeath]].
339	* StylisticSuck: The drawings within the book.
340	* SurroundedByIdiots: Vikings are great, big and muscly, but they don't have a lot going on in the brains department, which means Hiccup and Fishlegs are usually the [[OnlySaneMan only sane men around]].
341	** Fishlegs even {{lampshades}} this once or twice. In Book 2, when the Hooligans are all going on a mission that might get them all killed, Fishlegs laments that he's "surrounded by people with seaweed for brains".
342	* TakeAThirdOption: How Hiccup handles the [[spoiler: conflict with Furious. When Furious is dying, Hiccup promises to ShooTheDog with the dragons, so that they can go into hiding when the world not longer becomes safe for them. In this way the dragons are spared from humans, since humans have ChronicBackstabbingDisorder.]]
343	* TakeMeInstead: Discussed. In book 12, Stoick admits he wants to take Hiccup's place to [[spoiler:face Furious. While they both know it can't happen because Hiccup is the true King that has to end the war, Hiccup tells him he understands and reassures his father]].
344	* TalkingAnimal: Stormfly can speak Norse, and all of the dragons can talk (though only Hiccup is fluent enough in Dragonese to understand them). [[spoiler:So can the Wodensfang and Furious.]]
345	* ToiletHumour: No less than once a book, sometimes with [[{{Squick}} illustrations]]. Thankfully it gets less gross as the series goes on.
346	* TrainingThePet: In the first book in the series, Hiccup and the Hooligan boys take dragons from a cave. They have to train their dragons to hunt and obey basic commands by the time Thors'day Thursday rolls around, as there will be a dragon training tournament. However, it is not easy for Hiccup to teach Toothless the [[BrattyHalfPint lazy brat]] to follow his orders, especially since it's said that [[ApatheticPet dragons don't ever feel true love for their owners]]. This changes in the end when [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe Toothless remembers how kind Hiccup was to him and saves him from the Whispering Death]] (though Toothless is still somewhat of a brat in later books).
347	* TheChosenOne: Grimbeard the Ghastly states in a letter that [[spoiler:his heir would be the one to uncover his massive treasure]]. Which is [[spoiler:Hiccup.]]
348	** Well [[spoiler:Hiccup]] was his [[spoiler:great-great grandson]].
349	* TheScottishTrope: The Vegetable That Must Not Be Named, aka a [[spoiler:potato.]]
350	* ThickerThanWater: Averted hard. Hiccup's descended from kings but most were nothing like him (and one was [[TheDreaded Grimbeard the Ghastly]]). The Vikings in general expose their "runt" babies. And when [[DoorstepBaby Fishlegs]] discovers his heritage, the Berserk Tribe reject him, and his DisappearedDad is [[spoiler: Alvin, the BigBad]].
351	* {{Tomboy}}: Camicazi.
352	* {{Tsundere}}: Camicazi, to an extent.
353	* TwoGuysAndAGirl: Hiccup, Camicazi and Fishlegs.
354	* UnexplainedRecovery: [[spoiler:Alvin the Treacherous]], all the time.
355	* UngratefulBastard:
356	** The dragons are this, and they're proud of it. Eventually they admit that they're ''hardly ever'' grateful.
357	** This trope is Lampshaded when applied to Alvin and his mother Excellinor. Snotlout also plays the trope straight.
358	* UrineTrouble: Toothless in the first book. In the kitchen, on Hiccup's hands and down his shirt ... [[NauseaFuel except with poo]].
359	* VikingsInAmerica: Norbert the Nutjob claims that his father travelled to an unexplored land far to the west, but nobody else believes him. He did bring back a potato though.
360	* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Norbert has one at the end of the 7th book.]]
361	* WaterWakeup: A variation in ''How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse''; Fishlegs "[takes] a bucket of snow and [throws] it in Stoick's face."
362	* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Furious. He underwent a TraumaCongaLine a thousand years ago, [[spoiler: when his human brother died]], and in that time he has decided that HumansAreBastards. Hiccup III cries when hearing his tale, and wants to help him, but Furious believes that [[spoiler: Hiccup is destined to end the existence of all dragons and must be killed]].
363	* WorfHadTheFlu: Hiccup in Book Eleven gets bitten by a Spydragon, in his sword arm. It has to be bandaged the whole time, and he can't use it in combat. [[spoiler: This proves problematic when Snotlout decides that he wants to duel an injured Hiccup, and manages to disarm the other when Hiccup is forced to fight right-handed]].

Context Literature / HowToTrainYourDragon