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Post by DiamondTear on Jul 30, 2007 22:43:31 GMT
I've read and seen lots of things about dragons liking their treasure, does anyone know where this comes from, and if it has any truth?
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Post by Lex on Jul 31, 2007 15:54:40 GMT
I think there are several ways in which the myth of a dragon liking gold came about.
First of all the name dragon comes from a latin word which is in turn based on a greek work Draco which means "To guard"
The Dragon of Ladon (a greek legend) was guarding the apples that Heraclese had to take as one of his tasks.
Many of the Celtic dragons were also tasked with guarding either land or people.
The transition from guarding land or artifacts to guarding gold is not a large one.
Between the saxon times and the medieval times dragons became a creature to test your valour against. Perhaps to add an extra angle to these stories the dragons would be guarding treasure for these knights or warriors to take once the dragon was dead.
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Post by gleep on Aug 1, 2007 12:26:25 GMT
Funnily enough Lex, Thats exactly what I was going to say....  |
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Post by DiamondTear on Aug 1, 2007 23:36:59 GMT
Thank you Lex  although I think your gonna have taken the words out of every ones mouth with that one!  |
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Post by gleep on Aug 2, 2007 8:05:52 GMT
I have a question...
Why was The Dragon of Ladon guarding apples. Surely there were plenty to go around. I mean couldn't Heraclese just go and pick some off a tree. Far safer than trying to steal them from a dragon, thats just madness.
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Post by Lex on Aug 2, 2007 9:17:17 GMT
Hehe good question.
The apples were supposedly magical apples or golden apples.
Either way this was the only tree to create such fruit.
As for why Heraclese had to do this task? His tasks were meant to be hard and infact were supposed to kill him. Therefore if one of the tasks were to pick an apple and make apple pie, it just wouldnt be the same as having to pick a golden apple from a dragon guarded tree.
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Post by DiamondTear on Aug 2, 2007 22:41:01 GMT
So what were his other tasks?
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Post by gleep on Aug 7, 2007 16:03:18 GMT
Just googled this and his twelve tasks were as follows.
Seems like an awful lot of work to me, must have taken an age.
Slay the Nemean Lion and bring back its hide.
Slay the Lernaean Hydra.
Capture the Ceryneian Hind.
Capture the Erymanthian Boar.
Clean the Augean stables in a single day.
Slay the Stymphalian Birds.
Capture the Cretan Bull.
Steal the Mares of Diomedes.
Obtain the Girdle of Hippolyte.
Obtain the Cows of Geryon.
Steal the Apples of the Hesperides.
Capture Cerberus, the guardian dog of Hades, and bring him back.
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Post by gleep on Aug 7, 2007 16:09:03 GMT
Personnaly I would have gone straight to get the cow and then apple and made a nice apple pie to munch on and get someone else to do the other tasks for me.... ;D
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Post by Lex on Aug 7, 2007 16:09:52 GMT
Nice work Gleep.
Sorry i hadnt answered sooner, i have been working on the Artist Showroom section which (although currently small) is now up and running :-)
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Post by gleep on Aug 7, 2007 16:11:29 GMT
Well done Lex. Its very cool by the way. Nice job..
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Post by DiamondTear on Aug 7, 2007 17:44:52 GMT
It is very cool, and deserves a very big well done, as i know how long it took you  |
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Post by DiamondTear on Aug 7, 2007 17:47:08 GMT
Oh and thank you Gleep! I thought the Augean stables one was a bit funny |
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Post by Lex on Aug 9, 2007 12:35:24 GMT
Thanks guys
There are much more to come.
DiamondTear, that was also one of the hardest of the tasks.
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Post by DiamondTear on Aug 9, 2007 13:23:17 GMT
I never said it wasn't but it just looks funny compared to the others as they are all like, slay and capture and that one is to clean |
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although I think your gonna have taken the words out of every ones mouth with that one! 
