MetaDragons š June 18, 2020 6:59 AM Subscribe
I love dragons. They're one of my favorite creatures. There are many different types of dragons. Some mythical, some still living today. From literature, film & television, animation, & video-games, table-top games. There are many different breeds: chromatic or metalic? lightweight or heavyweight? Would you ride on their backs? Maybe you'd learn some magic. There have been some amazing posts on the blue and green related to dragons that are worth checking out. The conversation is open to any and all dragon-related subjects. Let's discuss dragons. RROOAARRR!!!!
My daughter disagrees with you. She's three, and we're reading books where dragons have started to make appearances as villains. She's incorporated that into her play, where she'll be running around the yard saying "a dragon is chasing me!". We've taught her to say "no thank you, dragon" if the imaginary dragon starts breathing fire at her. The dragons are pretty good at complying.
Ants, on the other hand...
posted by kevinbelt at 7:21 AM on June 18, 2020 [6 favorites]
Ants, on the other hand...
posted by kevinbelt at 7:21 AM on June 18, 2020 [6 favorites]
We think this is a fantastic post.
posted by Ghidorah at 7:25 AM on June 18, 2020 [17 favorites]
posted by Ghidorah at 7:25 AM on June 18, 2020 [17 favorites]
Although I love Smaug (and lobbied to name our cat Smaug), Kazul from Dealing with Dragons is my favorite literary dragon and Cimorene is my very favorite princess. Kevinbelt, when your daughter is a little bit older, make sure to read her Dealing with Dragons and the sequels. Cimorene is bored with being a princess so she gets people to teach her Latin, Fencing, How to Make Cherries Jubilee, a little bit of Magic, and whenever anyone tells her "Princesses don't fence. It's simply not done," she says "I'm a princess! And I fence! So it is too done!" Eventually she runs away and becomes a dragon's princess and saves everything.
posted by ChuraChura at 7:32 AM on June 18, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by ChuraChura at 7:32 AM on June 18, 2020 [8 favorites]
When the youngest was four we went to the Houston Natural History Museum. They had one of those exhibitions of near life sized dinosaur replicas made of that bronze colored, slightly reflective fibreglass (?).
S decided that they were dragons and had a fine time running up to each one in turn, screaming and running away.
Eventually she ran up to me, huge grin on her face, and yelled "I LOVE DRAGONS! THEY'RE SO SHINY AND DEAD!"
posted by thatwhichfalls at 7:41 AM on June 18, 2020 [7 favorites]
S decided that they were dragons and had a fine time running up to each one in turn, screaming and running away.
Eventually she ran up to me, huge grin on her face, and yelled "I LOVE DRAGONS! THEY'RE SO SHINY AND DEAD!"
posted by thatwhichfalls at 7:41 AM on June 18, 2020 [7 favorites]
I've also been partial to the Dragons from the Dragonlance Series. In this universe black dragons breath acid and my twelve year old self had his little mind blown away because that's an awesome thing to learn as a pre-teen when you're just getting into reading fantasy novels.
posted by Fizz at 7:41 AM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 7:41 AM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
Our final project in blacksmithing class was to make a dragon head but I accidentally left mine at the forge and it got misplaced and now I don't have a dragon head.
posted by bondcliff at 7:46 AM on June 18, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by bondcliff at 7:46 AM on June 18, 2020 [5 favorites]
I LOVE DRAGONS! THEY'RE SO SHINY AND DEAD!
BRB, getting one of those LIVE * LAUGH * LOVE wood block things, only with this phrase instead.
posted by Fizz at 7:47 AM on June 18, 2020 [6 favorites]
BRB, getting one of those LIVE * LAUGH * LOVE wood block things, only with this phrase instead.
posted by Fizz at 7:47 AM on June 18, 2020 [6 favorites]
Riding a dragon sounds like a good idea but dragons are scaly and slick and there aren't any handholds so it would be kind of like riding a horse bareback without anything to grab on to and in gale-force winds and a few thousand feet in the air.
posted by ardgedee at 7:57 AM on June 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by ardgedee at 7:57 AM on June 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
Riding a dragon sounds like a good idea but dragons are scaly and slick and there aren't any handholds so it would be kind of like riding a horse bareback without anything to grab on to and in gale-force winds and a few thousand feet in the air.
Dragon saddles and harnesses are definitely a thing, though bareback is always an option.
posted by Fizz at 8:04 AM on June 18, 2020
Dragon saddles and harnesses are definitely a thing, though bareback is always an option.
posted by Fizz at 8:04 AM on June 18, 2020
Don't forget to share presents with your favorite dragons on Christmas.
posted by J.K. Seazer at 8:14 AM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by J.K. Seazer at 8:14 AM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
Oh and if anyone is wanting a really enjoyable and fun book series to dive into, check out Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, it's the Napoleonic Wars reimagined with flying dragons instead of ships and it's badass.
posted by Fizz at 8:29 AM on June 18, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 8:29 AM on June 18, 2020 [4 favorites]
I started knitting a stuffed dragon using this pattern. But it looked really cute as a dinosaur without its spikes and wings, so I ended up with a dinosaur instead. I'm thinking about knitting a set of 3 smaller dragons to give to my mum for her birthday so she can be mother of dragons, but I need to buy smaller knitting needles first.
posted by Kris10_b at 8:49 AM on June 18, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by Kris10_b at 8:49 AM on June 18, 2020 [5 favorites]
I just found out about this wee lizard (wikipedia) that looks dragon-like this week, so this thread is very rtmi.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 8:57 AM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 8:57 AM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
Last year, Mr. gudrun's friend, who is very much into dragons, painted him a birthday dragon.
posted by gudrun at 9:16 AM on June 18, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by gudrun at 9:16 AM on June 18, 2020 [8 favorites]
I thought I had nothing dragon-related to comment on, but then I remembered a shop class project from grade 7 or 8, I think. We were learning to use oxy-acetylene torches, and I decided what I wanted to make was a sign that said "Dragons for pets" with the letters melted through some sheet metal, and a big square of sheet metal with a hole melted through it. You know, like a dragon did that.
There was some brazing involved in putting it together, which was enough to achieve the learning objectives for that part of the class. Overall, it turned out about as well as all my other attempts at art, which is to say, poorly. But it was still fun to make. It ended up as part of that collection of stuff parents keep, which is gradually getting transferred to me over the years as they go through everything stored in the basement and try to figure out what to do with it all.
posted by FishBike at 9:50 AM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
There was some brazing involved in putting it together, which was enough to achieve the learning objectives for that part of the class. Overall, it turned out about as well as all my other attempts at art, which is to say, poorly. But it was still fun to make. It ended up as part of that collection of stuff parents keep, which is gradually getting transferred to me over the years as they go through everything stored in the basement and try to figure out what to do with it all.
posted by FishBike at 9:50 AM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
bondcliff, FishBike, it seems like there's a definite through line with dragons and metalsmithing, it feels so very right to mashup both of these worlds together.
posted by Fizz at 10:12 AM on June 18, 2020
posted by Fizz at 10:12 AM on June 18, 2020
When you drive into Crested Butte, Colorado (a four-season adventure town that used to be a coal-mining town), for unknown reasons, you are greeted by a fabulous statue of a dragon and a knight at the edge of town.
posted by suelac at 10:15 AM on June 18, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by suelac at 10:15 AM on June 18, 2020 [6 favorites]
Heart of the Furnace, Ebbw Vale, Wales
posted by thatwhichfalls at 10:33 AM on June 18, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by thatwhichfalls at 10:33 AM on June 18, 2020 [5 favorites]
Are anybody elseās memories haunted by vague memories of the animated movie The Flight Of Dragons? Itās one of those weird non-Disney 1980s animated movies that has mostly disappeared from the world and so for the longest time just seemed like some kind of fever dream of the VHS era.
posted by Going To Maine at 11:26 AM on June 18, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by Going To Maine at 11:26 AM on June 18, 2020 [4 favorites]
Quite timely, Fizz! Next week is ē«ÆåēÆ, or the dragon boat festival.
Now I want sticky rice.
posted by invokeuse at 12:22 PM on June 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
Now I want sticky rice.
posted by invokeuse at 12:22 PM on June 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
I've always been impressed with Napoleon's use of cavelry. Milhaud's dragoons, for example, absolutely destroyed the Spanish cavalry at the Battle of OcaƱa in 1809. Their transformation from mounted infantry to cavalry is an interesting feature in the development of European warfare...
Oh, for an extra "o"...
posted by GenjiandProust at 12:23 PM on June 18, 2020
Oh, for an extra "o"...
posted by GenjiandProust at 12:23 PM on June 18, 2020
I've always admired various photos I've seen of people with large and very colorful Chinese dragon tattoos across their back; my favorite was the person who had the dragon's head draped over one shoulder, body winding across their back, and the tail looped around their opposite thigh. That isn't my heritage however, so for years now I keep telling myself that I'm going to get something similar but with a much more appropriate Welsh dragon...One Of These Days...
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:31 PM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:31 PM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
I was watching a cartoon with my kids the other day and one of the characters pronounced dragon the way cortex does. I had to go back and listen again. It was ridiculous.
posted by Night_owl at 12:36 PM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Night_owl at 12:36 PM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
Previously, on MetaTalk...
Heh, I figured I wasn't gonna get out of this without my draygunism registered.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:43 PM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
Heh, I figured I wasn't gonna get out of this without my draygunism registered.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:43 PM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
The Temeraire series finally has reconciled me to the predominance of dragons in fantasy novels.
I think the tipping point was Perscitia turning away and flipping her folded wing tips dismissively at the Duke of Wellington after he accused her of impudence.
posted by jamjam at 12:45 PM on June 18, 2020
I think the tipping point was Perscitia turning away and flipping her folded wing tips dismissively at the Duke of Wellington after he accused her of impudence.
posted by jamjam at 12:45 PM on June 18, 2020
I was obsessed with dragons as a kid. In 6th or 7th grade I discovered Dragonlance and was utterly enraptured. Dragons that talked, and had different alignments, and different breath weapons based on their color! It was everything my nerdy little heart had wanted and didn't know it wanted. I always thought the blue and bronze dragons were the coolest because they breathed lightning. I wished I could breathe lightning. One of the authors of a few of the later books, Richard A. Knaak, went on to do a different dragon series that I also remember fondly, though mostly because of how much time I spent in study hall drawing the dragons from his covers (the covers were different from the ones linked here, but here's the picture from the first book, which I'm fairly sure I could still draw from memory).
And speaking of drawing, oh man, I still have my copy of The Art of the Dragonlance Saga and boy if I didn't draw every one of those dragons over and over as a kid. There's a chrome dragon I thought was so darned neat, even if I never could figure out how to achieve the same effect with colored pencils.
Aaah! And DragonStrike! A flight simulator where you got to ride around on Dragonlance dragons!!! I loved that game so much, but unfortunately never finished it for reasons I no longer recall (I think there was some technical issue with my computer that caused it to crap out about midway through?). I wish there were an updated version for the Switch because I would play the hell out of that.
Nowadays I'm still fond of dragons, and totally agree that the Temeraire series is delightful. I still have a number of dragons around my house; one of my prized possessions is a dragon scarf that looks a lot like this one (though mine is store-bought) - mine is named Margaret, after the true Mother of Dragons, of course.
posted by DingoMutt at 2:06 PM on June 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
And speaking of drawing, oh man, I still have my copy of The Art of the Dragonlance Saga and boy if I didn't draw every one of those dragons over and over as a kid. There's a chrome dragon I thought was so darned neat, even if I never could figure out how to achieve the same effect with colored pencils.
Aaah! And DragonStrike! A flight simulator where you got to ride around on Dragonlance dragons!!! I loved that game so much, but unfortunately never finished it for reasons I no longer recall (I think there was some technical issue with my computer that caused it to crap out about midway through?). I wish there were an updated version for the Switch because I would play the hell out of that.
Nowadays I'm still fond of dragons, and totally agree that the Temeraire series is delightful. I still have a number of dragons around my house; one of my prized possessions is a dragon scarf that looks a lot like this one (though mine is store-bought) - mine is named Margaret, after the true Mother of Dragons, of course.
posted by DingoMutt at 2:06 PM on June 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
Lately my ass is dragin'. Does that count?
posted by Splunge at 2:23 PM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Splunge at 2:23 PM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
I once had the pleasure and privilege of taking tea in Golden Gate park, in the teahouse, in the rain, with an older scholar friend. They explained to me the carved dragons, saying the younger dragons have fewer toes and the older dragons have 5 toes. I just looked this up, and found these two links, saying that the difference is between Japanese and Chinese dragons. In any case, I like to count dragon toes. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch the Hobbit films, I'm waiting for some patiently persistent superfan to do a hard edit into the 2.35 hr film it ought to be, but I kinda want to know-- how many toes does Smaug have?
posted by winesong at 2:55 PM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by winesong at 2:55 PM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
I love the unusual dragon hoards done by IguanaMouth and would paper my house in them if I could. As it stands, we have 3 - Hoard of Blankets, Hoard of Cheese, and Hoard of Christmas Cheer.
posted by DingoMutt at 3:36 PM on June 18, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by DingoMutt at 3:36 PM on June 18, 2020 [4 favorites]
This year I read all 14 chapter books in the Wings of Fire series by Tui Sutherland to my sons. Good for the author as her books are a huge hit with preteens and I wish her all the success in the world. I would be excited if both my kids could read the books independently.
However as her writing is only okay and my youngest is not at a level to read the books by himself I am beginning to hate dragons. I am now stuck rereading the series to them.
Last week we read Pax by Sara Pennypacker and I almost wept as the writing was brilliant. But nope. It's a stand alone book. Sigh.
posted by biggreenplant at 4:40 PM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
However as her writing is only okay and my youngest is not at a level to read the books by himself I am beginning to hate dragons. I am now stuck rereading the series to them.
Last week we read Pax by Sara Pennypacker and I almost wept as the writing was brilliant. But nope. It's a stand alone book. Sigh.
posted by biggreenplant at 4:40 PM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
I know little except that the Soup Dragons' album Lovegod turns 30 next month. (jesus)
posted by mykescipark at 5:36 PM on June 18, 2020
posted by mykescipark at 5:36 PM on June 18, 2020
Has anyone spoken to you about our lord Ancalagon the Black?
posted by RolandOfEld at 5:39 PM on June 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by RolandOfEld at 5:39 PM on June 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
I'm finally watching Game of Thrones and just getting to the part where the baby dragons are getting a little bigger and getting fired up. Can't wait to see how big they get.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 5:53 PM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by a humble nudibranch at 5:53 PM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
Are anybody elseās memories haunted by vague memories of the animated movie The Flight Of Dragons?
Based on this (excellent) book in which Peter Dickinson conclusively proves the existence of dragons. He explains everything.
The illustrations are very good too, in a classically seventies round-curves-filled-with-airbrushed-gradients kind of way.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 6:21 PM on June 18, 2020
Based on this (excellent) book in which Peter Dickinson conclusively proves the existence of dragons. He explains everything.
The illustrations are very good too, in a classically seventies round-curves-filled-with-airbrushed-gradients kind of way.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 6:21 PM on June 18, 2020
One of my favorite dragon factoids is that the animation for Toothless the dragon in How To Train Your Dragon was partly based on film of an animator's cat. Which is just completely obvious if you look at certain movements/body language, and made the dragon have so much more specific personality than many animated dragons do.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 6:21 PM on June 18, 2020 [7 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 6:21 PM on June 18, 2020 [7 favorites]
My kid is three and a half and has been obsessed with dragons and dinosaurs since he was one. He's not so keen on the cutesy round cartoon dragons aimed at toddlers though; he likes them big and realistic. The spikier and toothier they are, the better, and he especially likes fire-breathing dragons.
Unfortunately, there's aren't many movies or games with realistic dragons and also content suitable for a sensitive preschooler. For example, his favourite movie right now is the 2014 Godzilla, but he can't take the bit in front where the mother of the little boy dies, or the father of the grown-up protagonist dies. So we wind up watching the last 20mins of Godzilla fighting the MUTO endlessly. He's super excited by the idea of a Godzilla vs King Ghidorah fight but King of the Monsters isn't out on Netflix yet where we are.
He had a short How to Train Your Dragon phase, but it turned out the movies were scarier than he could take. He refused to watch any more after the first one.
My ideal media is a whole movie/game where big spiky realistic dragons breathe fire at each other but no one really dies, not even the big bad dragon which is usually the coolest looking dragon, and... I'm not sure where such a movie would go but it would be perfect.
posted by satoshi at 6:31 PM on June 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
Unfortunately, there's aren't many movies or games with realistic dragons and also content suitable for a sensitive preschooler. For example, his favourite movie right now is the 2014 Godzilla, but he can't take the bit in front where the mother of the little boy dies, or the father of the grown-up protagonist dies. So we wind up watching the last 20mins of Godzilla fighting the MUTO endlessly. He's super excited by the idea of a Godzilla vs King Ghidorah fight but King of the Monsters isn't out on Netflix yet where we are.
He had a short How to Train Your Dragon phase, but it turned out the movies were scarier than he could take. He refused to watch any more after the first one.
My ideal media is a whole movie/game where big spiky realistic dragons breathe fire at each other but no one really dies, not even the big bad dragon which is usually the coolest looking dragon, and... I'm not sure where such a movie would go but it would be perfect.
posted by satoshi at 6:31 PM on June 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
Has anyone spoken to you about our lord Ancalagon the Black?
I already gave at the dungeon.
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:34 PM on June 18, 2020 [5 favorites]
I already gave at the dungeon.
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:34 PM on June 18, 2020 [5 favorites]
Love the Cimorene books, special place in my heart for those. They were read aloud to me at just the right age.
And Fizz, Temaraire is fun but proud former naval officer Captain Laurence would certainly say that there are dragons in addition to ships.
posted by Wretch729 at 6:36 PM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
And Fizz, Temaraire is fun but proud former naval officer Captain Laurence would certainly say that there are dragons in addition to ships.
posted by Wretch729 at 6:36 PM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
Oh and wow I hadn't thought about that Dickinson book in years. My grandparents had a copy and I read it over and over.
posted by Wretch729 at 6:40 PM on June 18, 2020
posted by Wretch729 at 6:40 PM on June 18, 2020
I donāt have kids yet but Iāve already amassed a fairly decent collection of pro-dragon board books and picture books so that future offspring will know DRAGONS ARE FRIENDS NOT FOES. (Iāve also made a dragon mobile and the top of a dragon quilt. Dragons dragons everywhere.)
posted by tan_coul at 7:00 PM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by tan_coul at 7:00 PM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
*knock* *knock* *knock*
"Yes?"
"Excuse me, have you found Bahamut?"
"Oh sure, turns out he was just hiding behind the woodpile." *SLAM*
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:15 PM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
"Yes?"
"Excuse me, have you found Bahamut?"
"Oh sure, turns out he was just hiding behind the woodpile." *SLAM*
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:15 PM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
can I babble
about dragons because this is the best damn dragon meta. Beta dragon fan but, ya. I have two dragon box's I decoupaged. I hold this cool leather vellum book my buddy have me Xmas '17. the last present I got from him. chasing the dragon killed him 8 months later and he had his belt in YĒng ChÅ«n. Whole house, dragons. dragon style with Crane and serpent. silk bellbottom Dragon pants rule.
I wrote a jewel theif class for d&d and gem dragons are so...so..cagey with loot and knowledge but ironically allied with my burglar class because dwarves with spell storage gemology with gnome machines that can mess up your your spell jammer 'solo' class smugglar as a griffon leaping anti magic dude Ieaps onto your 5+ dnyamo of flying.
so you get antigrav from 'barrier peaks,' position 4cubes of force on the ship with a minor SJ helm tack on improved invisibility, crystal ball with anti scrying tempered irsdais board and your extradimensional safe is snug next to the darkbox. Get a spell casting yeti copilot, mark V blaster. Ya, a dragon will meet, just to avoid the hassle of maybe but damn you ask to just look, Kay, I'll pay triple but I need that š½ flower blue sapphire the size of a cocanut.
dragon is swift, silent, guile weaves it's scale, antipathy will eminent from another to swoop and rip at the sound of fear. lairs of ingenuity of simplicity, planes, dimensions, eons. The dragon terrifies but a mirror of what is surely never the same again. Until one day you wind up on a TV show narrated by a writer in a gallery of horrible art and see what becomes of centuries told tales of terror that wind up in
the night gallery.
posted by clavdivs at 9:10 PM on June 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
about dragons because this is the best damn dragon meta. Beta dragon fan but, ya. I have two dragon box's I decoupaged. I hold this cool leather vellum book my buddy have me Xmas '17. the last present I got from him. chasing the dragon killed him 8 months later and he had his belt in YĒng ChÅ«n. Whole house, dragons. dragon style with Crane and serpent. silk bellbottom Dragon pants rule.
I wrote a jewel theif class for d&d and gem dragons are so...so..cagey with loot and knowledge but ironically allied with my burglar class because dwarves with spell storage gemology with gnome machines that can mess up your your spell jammer 'solo' class smugglar as a griffon leaping anti magic dude Ieaps onto your 5+ dnyamo of flying.
so you get antigrav from 'barrier peaks,' position 4cubes of force on the ship with a minor SJ helm tack on improved invisibility, crystal ball with anti scrying tempered irsdais board and your extradimensional safe is snug next to the darkbox. Get a spell casting yeti copilot, mark V blaster. Ya, a dragon will meet, just to avoid the hassle of maybe but damn you ask to just look, Kay, I'll pay triple but I need that š½ flower blue sapphire the size of a cocanut.
dragon is swift, silent, guile weaves it's scale, antipathy will eminent from another to swoop and rip at the sound of fear. lairs of ingenuity of simplicity, planes, dimensions, eons. The dragon terrifies but a mirror of what is surely never the same again. Until one day you wind up on a TV show narrated by a writer in a gallery of horrible art and see what becomes of centuries told tales of terror that wind up in
the night gallery.
posted by clavdivs at 9:10 PM on June 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
I just spent the last couple weeks watching all of Wagner's Ring Cycle. It is about 15 hours of opera so you definitely have to pace yourself.
There is of course a dragon in it who guards a gold hoard - Fafnir taken from Norse mythology. Of course the whole series of operas is eerily reminiscent of something else. The dragon also guards a powerful Ring which was originally crafted by a dwarf. The only way to destroy the Ring is to return it to its origin. All sorts of gods and men get into the action, including the Wanderer - a god in disguise. The original owner of the Ring is also a shady character who skulks around trying to get the ring back.
Fafnir doesn't have a major role unfortunately. He is easily dispatched by the hero who holds a magic sword that was once broken and nobody but he could reforge.
posted by vacapinta at 11:29 PM on June 18, 2020 [4 favorites]
There is of course a dragon in it who guards a gold hoard - Fafnir taken from Norse mythology. Of course the whole series of operas is eerily reminiscent of something else. The dragon also guards a powerful Ring which was originally crafted by a dwarf. The only way to destroy the Ring is to return it to its origin. All sorts of gods and men get into the action, including the Wanderer - a god in disguise. The original owner of the Ring is also a shady character who skulks around trying to get the ring back.
Fafnir doesn't have a major role unfortunately. He is easily dispatched by the hero who holds a magic sword that was once broken and nobody but he could reforge.
posted by vacapinta at 11:29 PM on June 18, 2020 [4 favorites]
Gosh vacapinta, I feel I just read a short version of LOTR. Now for a short version of Wagner.
What I came here to say is that several decades ago my late sister painted a landscape featuring a dragon. The oil paint hangs in my house.
posted by Cranberry at 12:27 AM on June 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
What I came here to say is that several decades ago my late sister painted a landscape featuring a dragon. The oil paint hangs in my house.
posted by Cranberry at 12:27 AM on June 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
In general, I don't think of myself as a particular fan or hater of dragons, I'm good with them when they're interesting but don't really seek them out, I mean in fiction, no St George me, but as a youngster possibly my favorite books was My Father's Dragon so at least one dragon was firmly rooted in my early history. (Though of course later to be freed as one must do when one finds a rooted dragon.)
(The link is to Project Gutenberg which has the book online, complete with its lovely illustrations.)
posted by gusottertrout at 2:05 AM on June 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
(The link is to Project Gutenberg which has the book online, complete with its lovely illustrations.)
posted by gusottertrout at 2:05 AM on June 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
If you are an etymology nerd - and this is metafilter so I think that's almost guaranteed - you'll like this map of European etymologies for the words for dragon.
posted by lollusc at 4:23 AM on June 19, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by lollusc at 4:23 AM on June 19, 2020 [6 favorites]
(Note the Latvian word is from Proto Indo European *spaugh (original meaning 'brilliance' / 'spectre'). Although Tolkien supposedly named Smaugh from Proto Germanic *smugan "to squeeze through a hole", I can't imagine he wasn't a little influenced by *spaugh too, especially since it was a Norse borrowing, which was totally his thing.)
posted by lollusc at 4:29 AM on June 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by lollusc at 4:29 AM on June 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
However as her writing is only okay and my youngest is not at a level to read the books by himself I am beginning to hate dragons. I am now stuck rereading the series to them.
From the era when my kids were into the Warriors series, my heart goes out to you.
posted by Orlop at 8:10 AM on June 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
From the era when my kids were into the Warriors series, my heart goes out to you.
posted by Orlop at 8:10 AM on June 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
When I was a young lad, I had a very sweet (jackass young meās evaluation: overly saccharine) 3rd grade teacher who was very excited about My Fatherās Dragon. Being a Good Example of Toxic Masculinity, I wrote at least one invective-filled screed about nice dragons being uncool for some kind of class assignment. I mean, whatever, 8-year-olds gonna 8-year-old, but I was retroactively mortified at my younger self.
Of course, when I was in later high school, she ended up marrying my world history teacher (theyāre both great people, from my perspective with the benefit of significantly more life experience). My world history prof was also the faculty advisor for two different clubs I participated in, so I ended up running into her several times at events. I have no idea if she remembered me. I wasnāt going to bring it up. Iām pretty sure she did and I remain moderately mortified to this day (you know that comic-meme about the brain deciding to stress about something as youāre trying to sleep? That.)
So thatās my dragon story. Also now my best friend loves dragons, so, yāknow, thatās really cool. Current-me is way more on-board with all kinds of positive views of dragons and dragon myths, so, hey!
posted by Alterscape at 11:55 AM on June 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
Of course, when I was in later high school, she ended up marrying my world history teacher (theyāre both great people, from my perspective with the benefit of significantly more life experience). My world history prof was also the faculty advisor for two different clubs I participated in, so I ended up running into her several times at events. I have no idea if she remembered me. I wasnāt going to bring it up. Iām pretty sure she did and I remain moderately mortified to this day (you know that comic-meme about the brain deciding to stress about something as youāre trying to sleep? That.)
So thatās my dragon story. Also now my best friend loves dragons, so, yāknow, thatās really cool. Current-me is way more on-board with all kinds of positive views of dragons and dragon myths, so, hey!
posted by Alterscape at 11:55 AM on June 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
Dragons are very cool.
The best video game dragon is probably Draigoch from Lord of the Rings Online. "My breath is death and your lives are but a trifle in my presence!" Such a cool raid, even if it bugged out like a third of time.
Grigori from Dragon's Dogma is also pretty badass. His best moment is actually a pretty big spoiler, but his introduction from the start of the game sets the tone well.
Good dragons are great, but they just make such excellent antagonists.
posted by tobascodagama at 12:15 PM on June 19, 2020
The best video game dragon is probably Draigoch from Lord of the Rings Online. "My breath is death and your lives are but a trifle in my presence!" Such a cool raid, even if it bugged out like a third of time.
Grigori from Dragon's Dogma is also pretty badass. His best moment is actually a pretty big spoiler, but his introduction from the start of the game sets the tone well.
Good dragons are great, but they just make such excellent antagonists.
posted by tobascodagama at 12:15 PM on June 19, 2020
Our front stoop is guarded by a dragon and a wizard - both concrete. My mother-in-law bought the dragon and painted it as birthday gift for my husband. He is very into dragons but did have to put a stop to so many dragon themed gifts over the years as our house has filled up. We will never get rid of the guardians, though.
posted by soelo at 1:10 PM on June 19, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by soelo at 1:10 PM on June 19, 2020 [4 favorites]
Long ago, when I was a teenager, I had a friend called Siew Leng who introduced me to the concept of the Dragon's Tail/Snake's Head - she herself was referring to her birthday, as it was positioned such that she was born at the tail end of the Year of the Dragon (~1964) and the start of the Year of the Snake (~1965). This was in Malaysia and I can't recall what local dialect she spoke but she said it was why she was named Siew Leng. It was the opposite of a common Chinese language proverb "Dragon's head; snake's tail" which refers to an anticlimax, and thus considered a very auspicious time to be born.
posted by Mrs Potato at 1:20 PM on June 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Mrs Potato at 1:20 PM on June 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
I also very highly recommend The Dragon and the George series by Gordon R. Dickson for sheer fun.
posted by Mrs Potato at 1:23 PM on June 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Mrs Potato at 1:23 PM on June 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
oooh I love dragons!! I have many around my house, one tattooed on my back and my patronus is a cat-dragon hybrid.
one of my favorite movies is Dragonslayer, yes the one from 1981 with Peter McNicol. if you haven't seen it (recently) seriously do yourself a favor! it holds up really well. incredible non-CGI dragon. its SCARY!! (won't even go into how I feel about the sacrifice scenes, this is a family website)
DRAGONS!!!
posted by supermedusa at 2:50 PM on June 19, 2020 [3 favorites]
one of my favorite movies is Dragonslayer, yes the one from 1981 with Peter McNicol. if you haven't seen it (recently) seriously do yourself a favor! it holds up really well. incredible non-CGI dragon. its SCARY!! (won't even go into how I feel about the sacrifice scenes, this is a family website)
DRAGONS!!!
posted by supermedusa at 2:50 PM on June 19, 2020 [3 favorites]
My favourite dragon art work is the delicate comedy of manners Tooth and Claw, it's like Trollope with DRagons.
posted by PinkMoose at 10:51 PM on June 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by PinkMoose at 10:51 PM on June 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons For You Are Crunchy and Good with Ketchup (always a good quote).
Also, Terry Pratchett has written about dragons (The Colour of Magic and Guards, Guards), so there is hope for the world.
Sean Connery, Robby Benson, Ben Kingsley, Patrick Stewart, and Helena Bonham Carter have voiced dragons (Dragonheart series). Jeremy Irons has been a dragon rider, with mixed results (Eragon and Dungeons and Dragons). Angelina Jolie may be waiting for Maleficent 3 to go full-on dragon (but that would be magnificent).
And if you are ever on an RV trip in Vandalia, Illinois, and are looking for something quirky to brighten your day... how about a real fire-breathing dragon?
posted by TrishaU at 3:43 AM on June 20, 2020 [1 favorite]
Also, Terry Pratchett has written about dragons (The Colour of Magic and Guards, Guards), so there is hope for the world.
Sean Connery, Robby Benson, Ben Kingsley, Patrick Stewart, and Helena Bonham Carter have voiced dragons (Dragonheart series). Jeremy Irons has been a dragon rider, with mixed results (Eragon and Dungeons and Dragons). Angelina Jolie may be waiting for Maleficent 3 to go full-on dragon (but that would be magnificent).
And if you are ever on an RV trip in Vandalia, Illinois, and are looking for something quirky to brighten your day... how about a real fire-breathing dragon?
posted by TrishaU at 3:43 AM on June 20, 2020 [1 favorite]
I love dragons, and have for years. Loved the look of the Game of Thrones ones, but they needed more personality. Was a big fan of the Pern books back in the day.
Even when I read books about evil dragons I was always on their side, I mean they're just so cool and awesome.
posted by Fence at 9:12 AM on June 20, 2020 [1 favorite]
Even when I read books about evil dragons I was always on their side, I mean they're just so cool and awesome.
posted by Fence at 9:12 AM on June 20, 2020 [1 favorite]
My daughter is a dragon stan so although I was never a dragon person growing up I now know a whole lot of dragon books. My daughter has observed that most dragon books don't center the dragons sufficiently for her taste; they're about the humans living alongside dragons, which generally don't interest her. One major exception is the Wings of Fire books which I thought would be too violent for her (she is 7, and generally pretty easy to scare) but she thinks they're great, especially the first few. Like many long series she feels they eventually sag under their own weight with too many characters and subplots but when it's just the dragonets of destiny figuring it all out she thinks they're the best dragon books for people who like their dragon plots unsullied by human involvement.
In general she thinks dragons are nicer than they're portrayed in literature and just misunderstood. She's taking an online class about dragon books right now and it's been delightful to read her little opinions on the course discussion board.
posted by potrzebie at 1:45 PM on June 20, 2020 [2 favorites]
In general she thinks dragons are nicer than they're portrayed in literature and just misunderstood. She's taking an online class about dragon books right now and it's been delightful to read her little opinions on the course discussion board.
posted by potrzebie at 1:45 PM on June 20, 2020 [2 favorites]
I am so on Team Dragon. I have one tattoo: psychedelic space dragon wings that go along the backs of my arms. At my old place I had a hoard of Mardi Gras doubloons scattered on the floor of the living room and bedroom; every morning when I got up I could stand in my hoard if I wanted to. Now theyāre covering most of the desk in my new place and it delights me to do things like put a pizza box down on the piles of varicolored shiny coins instead of clearing them out of the way. My fursoƱa has been a dragon for most of the past twenty-five years. I run a Mastodon instance with the domain name of dragon.style.
Which is to say, rar.
posted by egypturnash at 9:30 PM on June 21, 2020
Which is to say, rar.
posted by egypturnash at 9:30 PM on June 21, 2020
I too claim membership in Team Dragon, including deep personal kinship with (book not movie) Smaug, but very very sad not to see any mention of Robin Hobb's remarkable, wonderful, interlocking trilogy fantasies about real and created Dragons.
posted by bearwife at 1:22 PM on June 22, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by bearwife at 1:22 PM on June 22, 2020 [1 favorite]
What's the good of a wagon
Without any dragon
To pull you for mile after mile?
An elegant lean one
A gold-tinted green one
Wearing a dragonly smile.
You'll sweep down the valleys
You'll sail up the hills
Your dragon will shine in the sun.
And as you rush by
The people will cry,
"Oh! How I wish that my wagon had one!"
- Karla Kuskin
posted by evilmomlady at 5:34 PM on June 22, 2020 [3 favorites]
Without any dragon
To pull you for mile after mile?
An elegant lean one
A gold-tinted green one
Wearing a dragonly smile.
You'll sweep down the valleys
You'll sail up the hills
Your dragon will shine in the sun.
And as you rush by
The people will cry,
"Oh! How I wish that my wagon had one!"
- Karla Kuskin
posted by evilmomlady at 5:34 PM on June 22, 2020 [3 favorites]
No mention of Pete's Dragon. Where my people at?
posted by soakimbo at 10:03 PM on June 22, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by soakimbo at 10:03 PM on June 22, 2020 [3 favorites]
Peter, Paul and Mary - Puff, the Magic Dragon.
posted by TrishaU at 8:39 AM on June 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by TrishaU at 8:39 AM on June 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
Oh wow, Pete's Dragon. I had the record of it and I remember listening to it over and over -- which has to be one of my earliest memories, because I tried to get my parents to name my sister Elliott after the dragon, and I was four and a half when she was born. (They did not name her Elliott.)
And oh, I was a dragon-mad kid. Went straight from dinosaurs to dragons. Elmer and the Dragon. The Dragons of Blueland. Some well-meaning relative got me one of those hardcover art books of dragons in art. Chinese dragons, Indian nagas, European medieval and Renaissance paintings of dragons. At that time my most intense life was in my room with books, and I read that one a lot.
I was certain dragons were real. Dinosaurs were real, after all, so why not dragons? I kept an eye out for places they might live. I remember, the first time I went to Great Falls, the terrain by the riverside path was quite stony, and I figured there might be dragons there. Anywhere the landscape felt stronger than people had to be dragon country.
I've still never seen a dragon, but I will never rule them out.
posted by Pallas Athena at 3:41 PM on June 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
And oh, I was a dragon-mad kid. Went straight from dinosaurs to dragons. Elmer and the Dragon. The Dragons of Blueland. Some well-meaning relative got me one of those hardcover art books of dragons in art. Chinese dragons, Indian nagas, European medieval and Renaissance paintings of dragons. At that time my most intense life was in my room with books, and I read that one a lot.
I was certain dragons were real. Dinosaurs were real, after all, so why not dragons? I kept an eye out for places they might live. I remember, the first time I went to Great Falls, the terrain by the riverside path was quite stony, and I figured there might be dragons there. Anywhere the landscape felt stronger than people had to be dragon country.
I've still never seen a dragon, but I will never rule them out.
posted by Pallas Athena at 3:41 PM on June 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
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posted by Huffy Puffy at 7:20 AM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]