A student inquired: "Did J.R.R. Tolkien really ride dragons?"

I know how romantic the idea is. Fire-breathing dragons soaring through the Oxford sky, and Tolkien riding on their back before using them as inspiration for his novels!

But the truth is, dragons do not exist. Sorry to be so harsh. All "dragons" I've ever encountered were really just giant magical talking crocodiles, or possibly mutated tyrannosauri, with strap-on wings and flamethrower-wielding leprechauns hiding in their throats.