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02/09/2013 03:51 PM  Siegfried and Fafnir Siegfried and Fafnir: (Norse) King Alf of Denmark was a good man who loved his stepson, Siegfried like his own flesh and blood. Siegfried alone seemed to posses the heroic qualities true to a real Viking king, but he had no right to the throne. The dwarf, Regin, saw how to take advantage of the heroic promise showed by Siegfried. One day, with studied innocence, Regin remarked to Siegfried how sad it was that while all his stepbrothers were assured of position and respect as heirs to their father's dominion, he had nothing comparable to look forward to. Unless, that is, he decided to seek fame as a fearless warrior. Siegfried was easily persuaded. Regin lost no time in telling him about a terrible dragon called Fafnir which frequented a barren realm known as Gnitahead and guarded a vast hoard of treasure. To slay such a monster would gain Siegfried great honour and esteem. What Regin didn't mention, was that he was, in fact after the treasure for himself. Years before the birth of Siegfried, the dwarf king had been cut down by one of his own sons, who coveted the king's vast treasure. That son was Fafnir and Fafnir's brother was Regin. After gaining his father's wealth, Fafnir retreated with it to Gnitahead and jealously guarded it. But the treasure was tainted by his dying father's curse and brought about the terrible transformation in Fafnir, turning him into a slithering dragon. When they reached the dragon's cave, Fafnir was nowhere to be seen. Following Regin's advice, Siegfried dug a deep pit in the path along which the dragon would return and hid in it. When Fafnir finally approached, Siegfried thrust his sword upward and felt its blade plunge into the unprotected belly of the dragon. It was a deep wound that caused Fafnir to cry out once and crash to the ground. No sooner had Siegfried clambered out of the pit, than Regin appeared, eyes gleaming with delight. He dug out the dragon's heart, bade Siegfried to light a fire, to roast the heart and give it to him to eat. Regin alleged that this was merely a symbolic gesture. Sigfried saw no reason to doubt the dwarf and did as he was asked, but just as he was about to hand the heart to the dwarf, he burned his finger on the hot surface. He licked his finger to soothe the pain and suddenly heard the birds talking in the trees about how Regin at this very moment was plotting Siegfried's murder; the magic in the dragon heart had given Siegfried the power to hear them. Moments later, Siegfried swung and Regin's head rolled down the path to land beside the dragon. Siegfried walked into the cave to claim the treasure and, unbeknown to him, the curse that accompanied it. 0 Comments

02/09/2013 03:49 PM  Ragnar and Thora Ragnar and Thora: (Norse) Thora was a woman of Norway famous for her beauty and sweet disposition. She had many who would be her sweetheart but Heraud, her father the Earl of Gothland, did not wish his daughter to marry unless it was to someone worthy of her nobility. One time when Heraud was about to leave on what might be a lengthy expedition, he gave her a golden casket, telling her it contained a guardian for her during his absence. Thora peeked inside and saw, to her amazement, a tiny dragon. She wondered aloud how such a tiny creature could guard her. Her father assured her that the dragon would grow rapidly and become a staunch defender. He then left on his trip. The dragon grew rapidly, and as time went on, became not only enormous but vicious as well, and one day it coiled itself right around the outside of the castle and refused to let anyone enter or leave the building. Even the Earl upon his return could not enter. The only solution was to kill the dragon, but there was no man in the country strong enough to perform such a feat. The Earl sent heralds to proclaim throughout the land that if any man could kill the beast he would be rewarded with marriage to Thora. This proclamation reached the ears of Ragnar, a brave young hero from Sweden, who decided to fight the dragon. In order to avoid death from the dragon's poisonous fangs he had five outfits boiled in pitch until they were harder than the stoutest leather, donned them, and rode off to do battle with the dragon. When he reached the Earl's home he saw the dragon coiled around the castle. He immediately engaged the monster in battle. Ragnar was bitten many times by the dragon with its poisonous fangs, but the thickness and hardness of his outfits prevented the fangs from penetrating and saved him from harm, and at last, with one mighty plunge, he buried his sword in the dragon and killed him. The Earl brought Ragnar, the victor, into the castle to introduce him to Thora, his prize. Thora, who was naturally apprehensive, was relieved when she looked at the handsome Ragnar and loved him at first sight, and Ragnar felt that he was well rewarded for his victory. Their marriage took place amidst great rejoicing. Then Ragnar and his lovely bride returned to Sweden. 0 Comments

02/09/2013 03:47 PM  The Chinese Dragon's Pearl The Chinese Dragon's Pearl: (Chinese) A long time ago in China, a boy and his mother lived by a river. The boy earned money by cutting grass and selling it to villagers. One summer there wasn't any rain. The boy had to travel farther to find grass that wasn't dry and brown. Finally, many miles from the village, there was a patch of nice green grass. He hurried home to sell it. He always went to the same spot where the nice grass was. After a while, he was tired of walking so long and far. He decided to dig some of the grass up and plant it near his house. So he went to dig it up. When he did, a big pearl rolled out of the earth he had just dug up. He took the pearl and took it home to his mother. The pearl was worth good money, and so his mother hid it for safekeeping in an empty rice jar. The next day, the grass in the nice spot was dead and brown. "The pearl will by us food," said his mother. She lifted the jar's lid, and saw the rice jar was now filled with rice! The pearl was magic, they realized. That night they put the pearl on top of three coins in the money jar. Morning came and it was full with money! They told no one about the pearl but the people realized that they were growing richer. One day robbers broke in. In panic, the boy grabbed the pearl and swallowed it. His insides began to burn. He ran to the well, but his stomach stayed on fire. His skin cracked and got scaly. He sprouted horns and wings. In no time at all, he had become a dragon. 0 Comments

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02/09/2013 03:44 PM  Dragon Quote- Dragonwing We make the dragons as we make the gods, because we need them, because somewere deep in our hearts, we recognize that a world without them is a world not living in. No, I would not want to live in a world without dragons, as I would not want to live in a world wihtout magic, for that is a world without mystery, and that is a world without faith. Have a good week Dragonwing 0 Comments

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