D is for Dragon

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 So many choices for D!  Dog, donkey, dolphin, deer …

Let’s talk about dragons!  



A dragon is a mythical monster resembling a giant reptile, sometimes shown as having wings. In European tradition the dragon is typically fire-breathing and tends to symbolize chaos or evil, whereas in East Asia it is usually a beneficent symbol of fertility, associated with water and the heavens.

Dragons, or dragonlike creatures, are featured in the mythology of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Babylon and Persia.  The Biblical Leviathan is said to be a type of dragon.  The dragon is revered in China (we are currently in the Year of the Dragon!).

In Old Norse sagas, the dragon Niohoggr is said to be gnawing the roots of Yggdrasil, the world tree.  Sigurd kills the dragon Fafnir and drinks its blood.

The epic hero Beowulf is killed by a dragon.

And then there’s Saint George, who rescues the princess and slays the dragon.

Dragons are prominent in medieval heraldry. Uther Pendragon (father of King Arthur) was famously said to have had two gold dragons crowned with red standing back-to-back on his royal coat of arms.

Dragons appear in some of my favorite stories — The Hobbit, the Harry Potter novels, Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series.  Movies like Pete’s Dragon and How to Train Your Dragon. 

And, of course, everything related to Game of Thrones.

How about some dragon music?


  


  




Comments

  1. Timothy S. BrannanApril 4, 2024 at 11:37 AM

    Dragons are always popular on D Day! This a great post.
    --
    Tim Brannan, The Other Side blog
    2024 A to Z of Dungeons & Dragons, Celebrating 50 Years of D&D

    ReplyDelete
  2. LisaApril 4, 2024 at 12:00 PM

    Oh, Puff! I loved that as a child, and didn't know how sad it was until I was older.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Torie LennoxApril 4, 2024 at 12:36 PM

    I do love a good dragon! And bad ones, for that matter. I love that they can take on so many forms and have different abilities, making them wonderfully versatile in fiction writing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AstridApril 4, 2024 at 4:00 PM

    I love dragons too. Listened to another version of Puff when I was about 17 and understood the sentiment even though, English being my second language, at the time I didn't know all of the lyrics.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Karen Jones GowenApril 4, 2024 at 4:07 PM

    I think dragons should replace unicorns as the world's favorite imaginary animal. They are so much more interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Liz A.April 4, 2024 at 5:43 PM

    I think you know my stance on dragons (after knitting one into an afghan). I love how the Year of the Dragon will always be on a multiple of 12 this century. It'll make it easy to keep track of.

    ReplyDelete
  7. peppylady (Dora)April 4, 2024 at 10:22 PM

    One of my friend studied up her dragons.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ronel Janse van VuurenApril 6, 2024 at 6:11 AM

    My favourite animal :-)

    Ronel visiting for D: My Languishing TBR: D
    Djinn

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousApril 16, 2024 at 9:30 PM

    No other dino's :) Drat, Dragons are good though very Dino-esque.

    ReplyDelete

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