Here there be Dragons

In the last six months I have read two Dragon Lance books, books entitled Dragon Run and Dragonflight, and returned to a classic computer role-playing game based on Dungeons and Dragons. I also picked up a book called Storm Riders which featured a dragon on the cover, but it turned out to be the 2nd book in a series so I have to go find the first one, Shadow Raiders. I may be on bit of a dragon kick. But I could probably argue that I've always been on a dragon kick.

Dragons have been featured in stories for centuries and across many different cultures. I thought it was interesting that the American Museum of Natural History in New York has information on the natural history of dragons. I was also able to find a website entitled Draconika which had a nice organized selection of information on dragons and dragon lore. It was rough doing research on this as there is lots of websites that discuss draconian lore, but as they are fantastic creatures of folklore there really isn't a council of authorities that peer review the information out there. As such dragons and related creatures may be subject to multiple interpretations. I have to say my favorite and perhaps the most extensive source of established draconian lore is the Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manuel. It is just one take on dragons, but is very well built and exists for the purpose of building stories. It is not based on actual folklore that I'm aware of.

One of my favorite dragon stories is Flight of Dragons, a 1982 movie with the voice talent of James Earl Jones, Harry Morgan, and John Ritter. I was ten or eleven the first time I saw it and liked the explanations it gave for dragon flight and why they sleep on gold as well as the story line in general. I was further delighted when the film How to Tame your Dragon was produced and turned dragons into the equivalent of motorcycles and dive bombers. Both of the films show a variety of dragons (How to Tame your Dragon doing a better job of it), but with such fantastic creatures you can really come up with anything. In many ways they defy the laws of physics. I don't know the equations, but I'm pretty sure the giant monstrosity of a dragon that Hiccup and Toothless fight (in the film) is physiologically impossible. And for such a creature to fly would be quite a feat. However, as mentioned dragons are fantastic and as fantastical creatures they are given abilities that can explain their oddities and the violations of the laws of physics and biology. They are powerful beings and as such are not to be limited by mere science!

There are many stories of both evil and good dragons. Metaphorical and literal monsters and steward teachers or saviors of mankind. I've tried to think about what it is about dragons that makes me excited. Perhaps it the might of these creatures, the power to do anything. Most dragons are attributed with intelligence, so maybe its the idea of non-human sapient life. Let's face the fact that breathing fire or some other kick trash compound is awesome. The idea of riding a dragon, or befriending one, makes for a compelling image of power and ability. Maybe it's just the pure fantastic about them - that they can be anything and do anything - a subject of creativity. The musing is endless.

I think I can establish one concrete idea about my interest in dragons, however. If there is an alpha predator it is the dragon. In many stories humanity makes up a staple in dragons' diet. They are big enough, fast enough, strong enough, and smart enough to challenge our primacy on whatever world we both inhabit. Even in books such as Dragonflight where dragons are simply tools for humans, they are powerful and it is clear that if they want to humanity wouldn't stand a chance. They are a natural predator and we are their natural prey. Like many enjoy hunting bears, lions, tigers, and other creatures that can harm humans, dragons could hunt us under similar circumstances. Yes, humans may kill dragons, but it is not easy. A challenge for both dragon and knight. Even under more modern circumstances taking a dragon down would be difficult as is demonstrated in Monster Hunter Legion.

What would life be like if we lived with a natural predator impacting our daily lives? How would it have shaped society if we had an evolving intelligent creature that hunted us at its leisure? Would we have invented the computer or satellites? Would our culture be different in our choice of celebrities and heroes? Would we have the conflicts with other groups of people - would war exist if we had a common enemy? Would dragons choose to rule and would we be treated like slaves, chattel, or peons? I'm familiar with a fair number of stories with dragons and can say that I've seen many of these questions asked and answered with varying results. Still the questions pose themselves. Dragons are a great way to explore them as you can create any kind of dragon you want. The only requirement is that it be awesome.

Read an awesome flash fiction story about a dragon written by EA Younker inspired by Kanga, my daughter. 

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