Dragons

Poor fellow fleeing from dragon

Dragons come up in the mythology of almost every continent. They are mentioned in the St. George and the Dragon myth. One quote from Flavius Philostatus's book The Life of Apollonius of Tyana says, "The whole of India is girt with dragons of enormous size; for not only the marshes are full of them but the mountains as well, and there is not a single ridge without one." It goes on to talk about all the different types of dragons, where they live, and what they look like. Even in Jewish/Christian culture dragons are mentioned. Job 41 is a whole chapter that describes what the Bible calls the Leviathan, a dragon-like creature with dragon-like characteristics. It also hints that some one may have 'pierced the monster through.' In the book of Revelation, the dragon is the Devil himself, red and seven-headed. He is so big that when he sweeps his tail, a third of the stars are smashed out of course. Modern interpretations of dragons are everywhere. Books such as J.R.R. Tolkien's works, the inheritance cycle by Christopher Paolini, the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, Bryan Davis' many books, and Donita K. Paul's series, the Dragon Keeper Chronicles, all have dragons.

       So what are dragons? Dragons are generally described as scaly lizards that are winged and breathe fire. There are many interpretations of what dragons would look like, depending on which culture the dragon is from.
       Basically, there are two main categories of dragons--the Eastern dragon and the Chinese dragon. The Eastern dragon's origin is from European folk traditions, which, down to the basics, came from Greek and Middle-Earth...uh...Middle-Eastern mythology (this is supported partially by the fact that the Greek word 'drάkon' (drakon) means serpent of huge size or water snake). The Chinese dragon came from places like Japan, Korea, and other East Asian countries. The main differences between these two types of dragons are that the Eastern dragon has large, bat-like wings, while the Chinese dragon has little or now wings, and that the Eastern dragon has a lizard-like body while the Chinese has a long, snake-like one. Also the Chinese dragon is often seen with whiskers and is usually more brightly colored than the Eastern. 
       Note that the Eastern dragons are not to be confused with their cousins, the wyverns, which cannot breathe fire and have only hind legs and claws on their wings, instead of two sets of arms/legs and wings with or without claws. Dragons hatch from eggs, but in most tales they drink milk from their mother, so they aren't mammals or reptiles. Occasionally the have fur or hair, but are usually armored with brilliant and diamond-hard scales. Dragons, in many cultures, are respected and revered, and hold symbolism in various ways. For instance, in China, the emperor is depicted as a dragon. Dragons are highly intelligent in most stories and are often magically endowed and wise beyond understanding. They are often asssociated with bodies of water or weather. They are, more often than not, capable of speaking many languages, and in some tales, like the Old English, the drinking of their blood can grant the gift of tongues, or the ability to speak many languages. There are various animals that the dragon may have been derived from: the Nile crocodile, the spitting cobra, whales, snakes (the skeletons of both), and Komodo monitor lizards (Komodo dragons in English).

A dragon from Skyrim: The Elder Scrolls V

       In Greek mythology there were tellings of a species of dragon lived in Ethiopia and ate elephants, growing up to 180 feet long and outliving all other animals. 
       In European culture, they usually lived in rivers, had an underground lair, or lived in a cave. They rarely flew at all, and had thick hides.
       In Chinese mythology, dragons are long, snaky beasts, multicolored and in possession of the ability to fly. Dragons represented the emperor, and they are the only mythological creature in the Chinese calendar. 2012 is the year of the water dragon! Wooo!
       The Japanese myths depict the dragon the same way the Chinese do because they adopted the idea from the Chinese. The only difference is that the dragon is described as having three claws.
       In India, the Vedic religion had a creature called Vritra which was an Asura (a group of power-seeking deities in Hinduism) and also a naga (a snake/human deity in both Hinduism and Buddhism).
       In Persian culture, baby dragons were the same color as their mother's eyes. 

Saphira and Eragon from the live-action movie of Eragon

       In Slavic mythology, there were three words used for dragon--zmey, zmiy, and zmaj. The Romanian word zmeu was derived from the previous words. Russian dragons almost always had three heads, and if only one was cut off, another would grow back eventually.
       In Judaism, Christianity, and Catholicism, dragons are mentioned in the Bible or Torah in several places (Isaiah, Job, Psalms, Revelations). In Psalm 89, there is a water-demon called Rahab in Hebrew, not to be confused with Rahab from the fall of Jericho. In Isaiah 27, the Leviathan is mentioned.
       Dragons are often used as a symbol of sin, but should not be labeled because, honestly, they're pretty flippin' awesome and are powerful and kick-butt fighters. Not all dragons were depicted as evil, although in a lot of mythology there are dragon slayers, including St. George. They are often seen in videogames (Final Fantasy, the Elder Scrolls series, the Lord of the Rings Online, World of Warcraft...).
       The word 'draco' is associated with dragons, but is actually the genus (see [upcoming] classification guide) for a species of gliding lizard.
       In some books, such as Cornelia Funke's Dragon Rider and Chris Paolini's Inheritance Cycle, there are Dragon Riders. In the Inheritance Cycle, the dragons and Riders share a special bond and can use magic. Note that neither the Rider nor the dragon control one another! They are in balance, which is key.
       There was also an early firearm that released flames when fired, and therefore was dubbed with the name 'dragon'. The infantry that carried this gun were called dragoon. 


Hic sunt dracones, mates! Here be dragons! 




This post was written by Nihm and BlackSheik!

Sources--
•Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon 
•Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
•The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, as well as J.R.R. Tolkien's other works
•The Harry Potter series!!! by J.K. Rowling
•The Dragon Keeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul
•All of Bryan Davis' books on dragons
•The Holy Bible, inspired and written by God


Picture Sources--
•Draconika.com http://www.draconika.com/chinese.php
http://www.draconika.com/types.php
•Pop Culture Playpen.com http://popcultureplaypen.com/2011/04/23/dragon-age/
•Vision Widget.com http://visionwidget.com/showcase/graphics/411-dragon-illustrations.html
•Hello Quizzy.com http://www.helloquizzy.com/quizzy/results?quizzyid_185974706679257538&resultid+46681671

Posts

Yo-
       Malchah, I've posted your page. Nihm, yours is incomplete, so go ahead and finish it the next time you get a chance.
New page assignments (finish your old one first):
Malchah- Leviathin (might be a bit short)
Nihm- Chimera
Myself- Griffin

HEY! AMINS!

Yo-
Check the blog! I've updated it recently, we have two posts now!

Yeah!

So we got two posts down! Woooooo! Go us!

Fae

Fae is another word for fairies/faeries/however you spell it. They are, in general, short. The tallest normal fairy in today's world is only 3 ft high. There are, of course, some exceptions, but I won't go into it.

Imps are small, mischievous, and sly. Some have only weak magic (Nac Mac Feegle, Terry Pratchett), while some are much more powerful (Oberon, Titania, Puck and Company, William Shakespeare). The average imp likes to make trouble. They do steal children for their own and replace them with fairies. They are called changelings. In traditional fable, they will not go near iron. They often have green eyes. They bite. They cannot lie, though are excellent deceivers. They expect something permanent in return for help. They cause other troubles, too, including various illnesses.

Fae and fairies have a close relation to the moon. In Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer, The People (fairies and such) must put acorns in the ground at a magical spot under a full moon. Herbs to ward them are most effective when gathered under a full moon. In the middle ages, a cure for warts (often caused by Fae) was to wash ones hands in a silver basin under a full moon.

A fairy walking in the woods

Pixies are the storybook fairies- under a foot high, wings, and sometimes even flower dresses. They collect honey and such, and work very closely with animals and plants. They occasionally work with humans, but only when they need help.

Some fairies are really just small people with a bit of magic. They do not have the mystic qualities of true Fae, but can be called fairies. One example of this is in Artemis Fowl. They are excellent books, but The People in them are just fairies, not Fae.

Other human sized fairies (four or five feet) are in fact Fae. They have little form, though, and fly only by magic or sometimes on birds.

"These Siths or Fairies they call Sleagh Maith or the Good People...are said to be of middle nature between Man and Angel, as were Daemons thought to be of old; of intelligent fluidous Spirits, and light changeable bodies (lyke those called Astral) somewhat of the nature of a condensed cloud, and best seen in twilight. These bodies be so pliable through the sublety of Spirits that agitate them, that they can make them appear or disappear at pleasure."

~The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies

All in all, Fae are quite mystical. They rarely have a solid form.

Do not get them confused with: elves, dwarves, hobbits, gnomes, or other small and/or magical and/or mysterious creatures. For information on human sized, winged people, visit the Seraph post (currently in making).

This post was written by Malchah!
Edits by BlackSheik

A pixie child. Or something like that. Pixies' ages go untold.

Sources--

Thank you:

•Eoin Colfer

•Robert Kirk and Andrew Lang

•Terry Pratchett

•Shakespeare

•Wikipedia

Picture Sources--
•http://www.herbcompanion.com/Cooking/ Where-the-Wild-Thyme-Grows.aspx

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ MHYzuONMzVQ/TSGWa7E7 lMI/AAAAAAAAASU/gpQf7lplC-A/s200/Fairy_On_The_Moon.jpg

•http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TJLcmaV3Zsc/Tpd q3ym4KQI/AAAAAAA AAFc/1ONYr_lHAq0/s1600/fairy1.jpg

•http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3EDfc0Rfc5E/TpdqvgTyVm I/AAAAAAAAAF U/wHZv_pY3DRA/s1600/fairy2.jpg

Phoenix

The phoenix--a mighty bird, fiery and swift. They are described as having beautiful plumage, both colorful and glossy, and also have a flowing, mystical song unique to each species of phoenix. Another name for the phoenix is 'firebird'. Phoenixes are said to have power over fire and can burst into flame when it desired, leaving it at weakness only to water and lack of oxygen. For a demonstration of the power of a phoenix, watch The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the movie based off of C.S. Lewis's book (see the battle scene). Phoenixes cannot be burned, even when they are not in flame form. Their fire is magical, but never quite reaches the heat of dragonfire.
Phoenixes are special--At the mythical bird's last day, it builds a nest for itself, then burns into ashes. In the following moments, the phoenix rises reborn from the ashes as a hatchling or in an egg. It is also said in some stories that the phoenix gathers the ashes of its past life and embalms them in an egg made of myrrh, leaving it in the Egyptian city Heliopolis (sun-city). They are said to have a lifespan varying from the range of five to ten centuries. They are typically considered very benevolent, but can be hostile towards humans when their young are threatened. The number of eggs depends on what culture the phoenix is from. In some cultures, there is only one phoenix alive at a time, sort of like a reincarnation (Buddhism).

Phoenixes are portrayed differently in each culture. They are present in many books. One common example is Fawkes, from the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling. Fawkes' tears have healing properties, and his phoenix song is magical and very significant. In Rowling's wizarding world, phoenix tail feathers are used in wands. Fawkes has the ability to transport himself or people with him (see The Order of the Phoenix).

History--

Flavius Philostratus, the author of Life of Apollonius of Tyana, writes that the phoenix is a bird living in India, but migrating to Egypt every five centuries. His description of the phoenix was probably based off of the Hindu god Vishnu's bird, Garuda. He described it as being similar to an eagle, and an emanation of sunlight. Later, the phoenix became a symbol representing Christ Jesus in the Catholic religion (Jesus' birth, life and ministry, death, then resurrection). This might have come up because in Psalm 92:12, the word 'phoenix' appears. However, this actually meant a palm tree, so the reason is not completely justified.

The Egyptians had originally described the phoenix as being alike to a stork or a heron-like bird, a benu, found in the Book of the Dead, a set of scrolls about the afterlife they believed in. This was closely related to it being one of the sacred symbols of worship at Heliopolis, the rising sun, and the sun god Ra.

The Greeks pictured the phoenix more like an eagle or a peacock. The word 'phoenix' means the color purple-red or crimson (or palm tree!) in Greek. According to the old Greek mythology, the phoenix lived by a well. At dawn, it would bathe in the well, and the sun god Helios would stop his chariot to listen to its beautiful song.

In Persian mythology, they had a bird-like creature called a Simurgh. It possessed a long tail and was ancient, the stuff of legends. In Farid un-Din Affar's Conference of the Birds, the phoenix is the leader of the birds. In Ferdowsi's epic [poem], Shahnameh (the Book of the Kings), Zaal son of Rostam was raised by Simurgh.

In Lebanon and Beirut, it is depicted symbolically as a phoenix bird destroyed and reborn seven times in its history.

A Final Fantasy phoenix (say that five times fast)

In China, the Fhenghuang is a bird similar to the phoenix. It is the second most replicated creature, just under the dragon. It was used to represent the empress and just females in general, and was used as a counterpart to the dragon, which was seen as the emperor or male figure. It is considered the greatest of all birds.

In Japan, it's called 鳳凰, prounounced 'hoe-oh' (yes, like the pokemon), or 不死鳥, prounounced 'foosh-ee-cho', and bearing the meaning, "Immortal bird".

Koreans call the bird Bonghwangsae (see the Wiki page below for actual Korean letters, Blogspot won't take them without a fight) or Bulsajo, meaning, "Never dying bird".

Arabian tradition portrays it as Ghoghnous or Ghoghnus, a bird having mythical relation to the date palm. It is said to have laid only one egg, and lived in the Arabian Desert millenia ago.

In Turkey, the phoenix is called Zumrud-u Anka, including two other names that Blogspot also won't accept for some reason.

In Hebrew tradition, it is called Zid, and is portrayed as a pure white bird, legendary, and the protector of all birds.

In the Philippines, it is called Adarna.

In India, it's called Avalerion (awesome, am I right?), and in Ancient India, it was called Garuda.

Finnish folklore sees it as a mythical bird of iron and fire named Kokko.

The constellation Phoenix was introduced in the late 16th century by sailors led by Petrus Plancidus.

Fanart of Ho-Oh flying over the Bell Tower (Not by us)

This post was written by BlackSheik!

Sources--

•Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J.K. Rowling

• Primarily from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_(mythology)

• http://www.publicsafety.net/phoenix.htm
•my prior knowledge

Picture Sources--

•https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUgeoAcqHCyB9wrbyXweA3a5IPHftHHt4ExF2Pmtrd7xfEyV44P-ecKDebpRTcXVdv04nBCRzUOu6ofAJ5F9Dvzp7E8hCsyhv5PwepiKdKSq9abVXT4UA26yQ8xC42rL7A96u0VJNSWDI/s1600/phoenix0.jpg

•http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Phoenix_(Summon)

•https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUgeoAcqHCyB9wrbyXweA3a5IPHftHHt4ExF2Pmtrd7xfEyV44P-ecKDebpRTcXVdv04nBCRzUOu6ofAJ5F9Dvzp7E8hCsyhv5PwepiKdKSq9abVXT4UA26yQ8xC42rL7A96u0VJNSWDI/s1600/phoenix0.jpg

•http://files.myopera.com/firepro/albums/797705/ho-oh%20drawing.jpg

•http://images.elfwood.com/art/a/n/annarene/phoenix.jpg

Yo

I'm just testing this. I switched my gmail accounts, so now cadewolf07 is the admin instead of jedidragonrider12.