Mechanical by Bruno Flexer

Mechanical by Bruno Flexer
Mechanical by Bruno Flexer

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Science fiction and fantasy - The Dragon - So, what is a dragon ?

by Bruno Flexer, Author of:
Dragon Over Washington for Kindle,  Dragon Over Washington Paperback
The Fire At The Gates

Automatic Rebellion
UK Amazon: Bruno Flexer's Works


The Pinnacle of Science Fiction and Fantasy - The Dragon – What is a dragon ?

Красный дракон из Dungeons and Dragons. Автор: LittleDrakon (6.03.2010).
Red D&D Dragon by LittleDrakon


There are a lot of mythical dragon tales, as dragons are one of the most interesting creatures through all ages. They have been mentioned thousands of years ago and still today dragon books and movies are churned out in alarming quantities. Therefore, the interesting question arises, what is a dragon ?



One of the features that are associated with dragons is their reptilian nature. They are usually scaled, possess a snake's forked tongue and large, frightening eyes that usually glow. Dragons' reptilian nature is a strong feature in Japanese dragon tales, and is often mentioned in western tales. The dragon Cadmus fought was reptilian, as was the huge sea dragon Perseus vanquished, as was the Hydra.



Some times, dragons are said to be a larger, meaner form of serpent. This can be seen in the story of the dragon with eight tails and eight heads, as the story of the dragon Cadmus fought and also when we try looking at a Basilisk description. Of course, we must not forget that the Hydra possessed nine serpent heads.



Another common and recurring feature of dragons is flight. Strangely, most of the dragons in the Greek mythology do not possess this feature, though a witch was said to use two flying dragons with her chariot. In Japanese tales the dragons usually possess the power of flight and certainly in later western folk tales almost every dragon can fly.



Dragons are usually said to possess additional strange powers. Most of the dragons can breathe fire from their nostrils and smoke from their mouths, though sometimes it is the other way around. They usually have poisonous blood and sometimes poisonous breath. A few examples have stranger powers, from transfixing a victim with their stare, to killing with their stare, to regeneration. Perhaps one of the strangest powers was that of the dragon Cadmus killed, whose teeth, if planted, would grow a crop of armed warriors who would spring out of the ground and attack.



But dragons had a fearsome reputation not only because of their physical powers, but that deserves an article in itself …

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