A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

The Worm is a huge dragon who gained a castle, land, servants and possessions through earlier battles. By the time Mikko’s fox approaches, he has spent years without a challenger and become fat and unable to fight as before. The fox pretends that the king and a great force are advancing to destroy him and his people. Frightened, the Worm requests assistance and proposes hiding underneath linen in a shed while the fox locks it outside.

Instead the fox sets the locked shed on fire, reducing the Worm to ashes. His estate passes into Mikko’s apparent ownership after the fox intimidates or persuades its workers to recognise the human as their master. The text does not describe wings, a head count, fire-breathing or a transformation into a smaller animal. Worm is the dragon’s name within this particular story; no identity with unrelated named worms or later fantasy dragons is established.

Huge former warriorCastle and extensive estateAge-related loss of fighting capacityDeceived into hidingBurned to ashes
01

Origins & earliest records

Parker Fillmore, Mighty Mikko (1922), Mighty Mikko, printed pp. 27–45; author’s note vii–xi.

02

Records & interpretation

Complete English retelling through the fox’s farewell. Estate seizure uses deception and fire; dragon anatomy and fox transformations are not supplied beyond the stated features.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Mighty Mikko: title tale, pp. 27–45

    Parker Fillmore, reteller; Jay Van Everen, illustrator · 1922

    Complete selected narrative. Human master Mikko distinct from later Mikko-the-Fox cycle; note compares international motifs without proving direct textual borrowing.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Primary historical literary retelling of folkloreFillmore1922: Mighty Mikko title taleResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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