Queen dragons, also referred to as Gold dragons, are the dominant females of the dragon species. They are the largest and rarest of all dragons. Queens are, in general, imperious, demanding, quick to anger, and easily riled up.
Characteristics and personality
Role in the Weyr
Queens are the dominant females of the dragon species, and any other dragon will obey the orders of a queen even against the will of their own riders. Queens dragons will only impress women, and appear to have a preference for women born outside of the weyrs. Within a Weyr, Queen dragons serves as leaders along side Bronze dragons, and are responsible for the continuation of the species. Typically, a healthy Weyr has multiple queens. One queen serves as senior queen, while their rider is Senior Weyrwoman, though there can be multiple junior queens.
Because queens do not ingest firestone, they are unable to flame thread and so do not fly with the fighting wings. Instead, they fly in special "Queen's Wings", which fly at low altitude with their riders bearing flamethrowers to char any missed thread from above. This practice was forgotten during the Eighth Interval, which saw the number of queens decrease until there was only one living queen at any time. Queen's wings were reintroduced in the Ninth Pass, which saw the return of the five missing Weyrs.
Reproduction
Queen dragons are the only fertile females; the other female dragons, green dragons, are sterile. The people of Pern believe that firestone induces this sterility, so Queen dragons are forbidden from ingesting it. Meanwhile, green dragons, which are smaller and more numerous, ingest firestone, preventing them from overpopulating the weyrs with undersized dragon offspring. It is implied, however, that queens may in fact be genetically unable to ingest firestone, due to the outdated beliefs of Kitti Ping Yung regarding gender roles.
Reproduction occurs during a mating flight, where a queen is pursued by one or more bronze dragons, the only males with the necessary stamina to keep up during a flight. Mating occurs on a regular basis, more often just before or during a pass, less often during an interval. The onset is marked by a sudden change in temperament and a sudden hunting of prey by the queen in question. Weyrwomen are encouraged to have their queens blood their kills for a quick burst of energy. Gorging is discouraged and is believed to result in smaller clutches. The queen mates with whichever bronze manages to catch her during a flight. In the event of a senior queen rising, the rider of the winning bronze becomes Weyrleader. It is tradition that all other queens in a weyr leave when another queen rises to mate. The emotion involved can induce other queens to rise, and can result in a fight to the death between the two.
When laying eggs, Queens are known to have a strong maternal instinct and will protect the eggs from any perceived threat. This instinct is the only known exception to a dragon's urge to suicide at the death of their riders; the queen will remain just long enough for the eggs to mature and hatch before suiciding.
Notable Queens
- Alaranth - Torene Ostrovsky
- Arith (Third Pass) - Lorana
- Faranth - Sorka Hanrahan
- Holth - Leri
- Minith - Tullea
- Nemorth - Jora
- Orlith - Moreta
- Prideth - Kylara
- Ramoth - Lessa
- Talenth - Fiona
- Wirenth - Brekke
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