Enjoy!
Monday, December 18, 2006
Dragons Made Real
Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real, by the people at Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, is an incredible tale of a perfectly preserved Dragon found in the ice. The show is made using various Hollywood techniques and state of the art CGI to bring the mythology and stories about Dragons to life! A must for any Dragon fan!
I highly recommend seeing this when it comes on again. Or you can by the DVD here. Here is a bit more about the show from the Discovery Channel website:
I highly recommend seeing this when it comes on again. Or you can by the DVD here. Here is a bit more about the show from the Discovery Channel website:
Take a scientific look at the animal kingdom's most imaginative creature in
this stunning, "what if?" special.Ruling a make-believe world of fantasy and fairy tales, these terrifying, winged predators never existed in real life – but what if they had?
Stunning computer-generated imagery from the same graphics company that created thrilling effects for Walking With Dinosaurs, Walking With Prehistoric Beasts and the latest Harry Potter movie provides a unique look at these creatures from the inside out. Learn how dragons would have evolved into a number of different species through the ages – Prehistoric, Marine, Forest and Mountain Dragons – and how each dragon species was endowed with physical adaptations and behaviors specialized for its environment.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Top 3 Dragon Movies
The last dragon and a disillusioned dragonslaying knight must cooperate to stop an evil king who was given partial immortality.
Perhaps the best Dragon movie of all time! Sean connery does an incredible job as the voice of Draco in this fun filled, humorous and poignant "tail" of the last Dragon.
Bowen (Dennis Quaid) portrays a knight of a corrupt king who, shortly after his death and the injury of the king's son Einon (David Thewlis), goes on a rampage against the Dragon who was supposed to heal Einon.
Bowen now believes the Dragon has corrupted Einon and gives up his knighthood to be come a Dragon slayer.
Draco (Sean Connery) meets up with Bowen in a dual and after a long battle and stalemate, they decide to make their new partnership work to their advantage.
I have to admit, Dina Meyers as Kara, was the first time I had a crush on this actress! She plays a great part, being the feisty daughter of a slave, and the love interest to Einon, whom she despises.
If you ever have to see one Dragon movie, this is it!!
A brood of fire-breathing dragons emerges from the earth and begins setting fire to everything, establishing dominance over the planet.
Now granted, this is a movie about "bad" Dragons, but considering the special FX, the cast and the overall story line, it rocks!
Matthew McConaughey as Denton Van Zan is literally pumped up as a reckless and angry Marine bound and determined to defeat the Dragons at all costs! His role in this movie is very different than anything he has done prior, and I didn't even know it was him until the credits rolled!
The destruction and feeding frenzy of the Dragons that are reborn from the Earth, makes for a hard and deadly life for those who survive over the next twenty years. Christian Bale plays the leader of a survival group in England who is tortured over the thought that the Dragons being released is his fault. Definitely a watcher!
A King has made a pact with a dragon where he sacrfices virgins to it, and the dragon leaves his kingdom alone...
Even though this was made in the early eighties, this film is all about the magick, wizardy and Dragons of olde. It is well worth watching, and the battle of magickal beings is right up there with Lord of the Rings, in my opinion.
The tale of an old, grumpy Dragon terrorizing a kingdom, and the wizard, apprentice and townspeople who stand up to Her. It's gritty, dark and the Dragon is not interested in being noble, benevolent or sharing Her land with the kingdom. Both Her and the wizard know, their time is done. Next time you see this one on TV, tune in!!
Poetry - The Dragon’s Ballad
The Dragon’s Ballad (The Heart’s Cry) - By Unknown
Where the river foams and surges to the sea,
Silver figures rise to find me;
Wise and as daring,
Following the heart’s cry;
I am that deep pool,
I am that dark spring.
Warm with a mystery,
I may reveal to you in time;
Time holds the heart’s key;
Key to everything is Love;
Love makes the heart flower;
Flowers into a deep desire;
Passion in the hearts fire;
Passion and desire.
See the Dragon rise above the open plain,
Golden in the morning air;
Weaving and soaring,
Watchful and protecting;
I am your shelter,
I will enfold you.
Where the river foams and surges to the sea,
Silver figures rise to find me;
Wise and as daring,
Following the heart’s cry;
I am that deep pool,
I am that dark spring.
Warm with a mystery,
I may reveal to you in time;
Time holds the heart’s key;
Key to everything is Love;
Love makes the heart flower;
Flowers into a deep desire;
Passion in the hearts fire;
Passion and desire.
See the Dragon rise above the open plain,
Golden in the morning air;
Weaving and soaring,
Watchful and protecting;
I am your shelter,
I will enfold you.
Poetry - Ode to the Dragons
Ode to the Dragons - By John Alex Golden
Your beauty surpasses that of anything on Earth
Your strength that of ten-thousand knights
Agile are your wings of power
Gliding you across the night sky
Your wisdom is inequaled by man
No magic can ever defeat you
You are the greatest of all beings
And yet also the most hunted
You are the Dragons, the mighty ones
The most wonderful of all creatures
And a world without you, in life or spirit
Is a world more deprived than any other
Your beauty surpasses that of anything on Earth
Your strength that of ten-thousand knights
Agile are your wings of power
Gliding you across the night sky
Your wisdom is inequaled by man
No magic can ever defeat you
You are the greatest of all beings
And yet also the most hunted
You are the Dragons, the mighty ones
The most wonderful of all creatures
And a world without you, in life or spirit
Is a world more deprived than any other
The World of Dragons: A Natural History
Wyverns
Serpent - like Dragons. They have enormous wing spans, with brightly colored scales and no forearms. They use the talons at the tip of their wings instead of the forearms like their brothers
Western Dragons
The commonly known Dragons. They have forearms and back legs, both which have a lot of strength. They are fire breathers, come in many colors, and are more aggressive than most....but not to everyone.... like maidens for instance. They are friendly for the most part, but do not cross them !!
Eastern Dragons
Found mostly in the East...China, Japan, Korea....These Dragons represent royalty and strength among the Asians. They are long and serpent - like, with bright metallic - colored scales, gold representing the highest of royalty. Most have a thick mane running along their backs instead of fins, and are known for their kindness.
Prehistory
As we know, the Age of Reptiles was filled with thousands of dragon-like reptiles, which ended approximately one hundred million years ago.
The smaller wings of the early Dragons could not allow flight, limited or otherwise, and is believed to have served merely as an attention getter, or for mating rituals. The skeletal structure of these early Dragons, however, still resemble that of the more current type of common Dragons we see today. Originally rather small, the early Dragons, or "ProtoDraco", was not much longer than five feet from nose to tail, weighing in about one hundred and fifty pounds.
The teeth were small, and geared more for eating the vegetation of that era. The wings themselves on both sexes could not be more than three feet long.
After existing for about seven million years, the ProtoDraco gave way to the more advanced MesoDraco. The wings had become longer and more functional, less like forearms - the rear legs became smaller and more muscular.
The MesoDraco had increased in size - ten feet long from nose to tail and weighing approximately seven hundred pounds. Although the wings had doubled in size, they could only fly for short distances; mainly from jumping off a small rise, but not for ground take-off.
At this time, another of the ProtoDraco ancestors had formed. The PteroDraco. This is not to be confused for the Pterodactyl, which had only one bony finger at the ends of their wings, where the PteroDraco had four. Still resembling a forearm. It was at this time it was thought the early Dragons gave up vegetation and became meat-eaters.
According to some fossil remains, the early PteroDraco measured a forty feet wingspan, weighing up to several hundred pounds!
Eventually, the MesoDraco gave way to a new kind of Dragon - the modern Dragon - known as NeoDraco. This Dragon species, even larger yet, was a totally flightless Dragon. The three species of NeoDraco were as follows:
American Flightless Dragon - NeoDraco americana
European fire-breathing Dragon - NeoDraco pyrogena
Oriental mist-breathing Dragon - NeoDraco pluvialis
All three Dragons had one thing in common - they were all vegetarians. Their diet was rich in heavy wood, vegetation and starches for quick energy. Due to the bacteria in the stomachs needed to digest such raw foods, the fermentation process produced a horrible smelling gas, which in some cases, was exhaled as a form of defense - sometimes the Dragons would gnash their teeth together while exhaling, causing sparks to fly, igniting the gases into the familiar fire-breathing form we all know.
The European Fire-breathing Dragon
Dragons have resided in Europe for thousands of years. In the Book of Job, there was a mention of a Leviathan who breathed fire, had eyes like the sun and great scales which were impervious to attack.
Eventually, the Christian movement related the peace-loving Dragons to their serpents-of-evil. This was compounded by the fact that the Dragon was said by them to have given the apple to Eve. Because of this, the Dragon has gotten a bad rap over the years. Since that has been the case, there is little unbiased and credible information on the history of the Dragon.
According to history and recent sightings, the European Dragon ranged in size, getting as large as sixty feet in length at adulthood.
The hind feet are very large and muscular used mostly for mobility. The front feet were smaller and used for grasping. Some Dragons also had wings on their forearms. These Dragons are more popularly known as Wyverns.
The snouts are long and rounded attached to a very large head. The tongue is forked. The eyes are very well equipped for seeing even in the dimmest light, as in a cave. Between the eyes there appeared to be a third eye, usually in the form of a gem. This has been a popular myth of the Dragon, that tells of its psychic and telepathic powers.
The scales tend to be very green with a yellow underbelly. Much brighter in the female of this species. The use of the wings and the ability to breath fire is the European Dragon's main form of protection.
The Oriental Mist-breathing Dragon
Oriental Dragons are not known to be fire breathers, but can, on rare occasions do so. Their main form of protection is a mist-like breath which can cause rain clouds and stinging of the skin and eyes.
Oriental Dragons, which can be found in groups of nine...considered very lucky, have a row of eighty-one scales running down the dorsal spine representing the square of a lucky number. There are nine types of Oriental Dragons, which includes an ancient Dragon seen in bronze sculptures:
Serpent - like Dragons. They have enormous wing spans, with brightly colored scales and no forearms. They use the talons at the tip of their wings instead of the forearms like their brothers
Western Dragons
The commonly known Dragons. They have forearms and back legs, both which have a lot of strength. They are fire breathers, come in many colors, and are more aggressive than most....but not to everyone.... like maidens for instance. They are friendly for the most part, but do not cross them !!
Eastern Dragons
Found mostly in the East...China, Japan, Korea....These Dragons represent royalty and strength among the Asians. They are long and serpent - like, with bright metallic - colored scales, gold representing the highest of royalty. Most have a thick mane running along their backs instead of fins, and are known for their kindness.
Prehistory
As we know, the Age of Reptiles was filled with thousands of dragon-like reptiles, which ended approximately one hundred million years ago.
The smaller wings of the early Dragons could not allow flight, limited or otherwise, and is believed to have served merely as an attention getter, or for mating rituals. The skeletal structure of these early Dragons, however, still resemble that of the more current type of common Dragons we see today. Originally rather small, the early Dragons, or "ProtoDraco", was not much longer than five feet from nose to tail, weighing in about one hundred and fifty pounds.
The teeth were small, and geared more for eating the vegetation of that era. The wings themselves on both sexes could not be more than three feet long.
After existing for about seven million years, the ProtoDraco gave way to the more advanced MesoDraco. The wings had become longer and more functional, less like forearms - the rear legs became smaller and more muscular.
The MesoDraco had increased in size - ten feet long from nose to tail and weighing approximately seven hundred pounds. Although the wings had doubled in size, they could only fly for short distances; mainly from jumping off a small rise, but not for ground take-off.
At this time, another of the ProtoDraco ancestors had formed. The PteroDraco. This is not to be confused for the Pterodactyl, which had only one bony finger at the ends of their wings, where the PteroDraco had four. Still resembling a forearm. It was at this time it was thought the early Dragons gave up vegetation and became meat-eaters.
According to some fossil remains, the early PteroDraco measured a forty feet wingspan, weighing up to several hundred pounds!
Eventually, the MesoDraco gave way to a new kind of Dragon - the modern Dragon - known as NeoDraco. This Dragon species, even larger yet, was a totally flightless Dragon. The three species of NeoDraco were as follows:
American Flightless Dragon - NeoDraco americana
European fire-breathing Dragon - NeoDraco pyrogena
Oriental mist-breathing Dragon - NeoDraco pluvialis
All three Dragons had one thing in common - they were all vegetarians. Their diet was rich in heavy wood, vegetation and starches for quick energy. Due to the bacteria in the stomachs needed to digest such raw foods, the fermentation process produced a horrible smelling gas, which in some cases, was exhaled as a form of defense - sometimes the Dragons would gnash their teeth together while exhaling, causing sparks to fly, igniting the gases into the familiar fire-breathing form we all know.
The European Fire-breathing Dragon
Dragons have resided in Europe for thousands of years. In the Book of Job, there was a mention of a Leviathan who breathed fire, had eyes like the sun and great scales which were impervious to attack.
Eventually, the Christian movement related the peace-loving Dragons to their serpents-of-evil. This was compounded by the fact that the Dragon was said by them to have given the apple to Eve. Because of this, the Dragon has gotten a bad rap over the years. Since that has been the case, there is little unbiased and credible information on the history of the Dragon.
According to history and recent sightings, the European Dragon ranged in size, getting as large as sixty feet in length at adulthood.
The hind feet are very large and muscular used mostly for mobility. The front feet were smaller and used for grasping. Some Dragons also had wings on their forearms. These Dragons are more popularly known as Wyverns.
The snouts are long and rounded attached to a very large head. The tongue is forked. The eyes are very well equipped for seeing even in the dimmest light, as in a cave. Between the eyes there appeared to be a third eye, usually in the form of a gem. This has been a popular myth of the Dragon, that tells of its psychic and telepathic powers.
The scales tend to be very green with a yellow underbelly. Much brighter in the female of this species. The use of the wings and the ability to breath fire is the European Dragon's main form of protection.
The Oriental Mist-breathing Dragon
Oriental Dragons are not known to be fire breathers, but can, on rare occasions do so. Their main form of protection is a mist-like breath which can cause rain clouds and stinging of the skin and eyes.
Oriental Dragons, which can be found in groups of nine...considered very lucky, have a row of eighty-one scales running down the dorsal spine representing the square of a lucky number. There are nine types of Oriental Dragons, which includes an ancient Dragon seen in bronze sculptures:
The horned Dragon, the winged Dragon, the Celestial Dragon (protector of the
Gods), the spiritual Dragons (generates beneficial wind and rain), the Dragon of
hidden treasures (guards concealed wealth), the coiling Dragon (lives in water),
and the yellow Dragon (which rose from the water and presented the emperor Fu
Hsi with the elements if writing. The final Dragon is the Dragon king which
there are four represented by the four directions of the seas; north, east,
south and west.
Welcome!
Welcome to the wonderful and magickal world of Dragons !!
Dragons have been around for thousands of years. Living in our dreams, our fantasies, our hopes and our lives and in our very world....yes....even today !
If you look carefully around you, they are everywhere, in assorted colors, shapes, sizes and types.
My intent with this site is to share my love of Dragons in pictures, stories, poetry and more! If you have stories or poems you wish to share, please let me know!
Enjoy!
Dragons have been around for thousands of years. Living in our dreams, our fantasies, our hopes and our lives and in our very world....yes....even today !
If you look carefully around you, they are everywhere, in assorted colors, shapes, sizes and types.
My intent with this site is to share my love of Dragons in pictures, stories, poetry and more! If you have stories or poems you wish to share, please let me know!
Enjoy!
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