Bo's Dragon Lore

Sunday, 26 June 2016

Dragons in Game of Thrones Unleash a Fiery Offensive

photo HBO

If you are lover of Dragons they you are in for a treat! The Dragons in Game of Thrones are stupendous to say the least.

photo HBO

Just a reminder: Unlike their Eastern cousins Dragons in Game of Thrones are massive, scaly reptilian creatures with two legs and two wings. Their wings are used as forelegs much like bats. They are awesome and fierce creatures with those razor sharp teeth and claws, fiery eyes, leathery wings and long, scaly necks and tails and the spiny crests running down their backs.

photo HBO

Previously we’d learned that Dragon’s scales were mostly impervious to flame, protecting the more vulnerable flesh underneath. In the fifth season Drogon in rushing to the rescue, Daenerys who was surrounded by the Sons of the Harpy, was pierced by some of their spears.

photo HBO

Do not fret however, for as the Dragon ages, its scales harden, becoming more impervious to harm. Also Dragons raised in captivity and enclosed spaces are smaller than their wild brethren. This explains the size difference between Daenerys’s three Dragons.

photo HBO

We know Dragons are capable of forming strong attachments to humans who raise them such as Daenerys, but they have a reasonably high level of animal intelligence which is also why they allowed Tyrion Lannister to draw close enough to remove their chains.

photo HBO

Dragons will not allow just anyone to mount them. They are selective of who they accept as their rider; of course a Valyrian heritage might be a factor.

photo HBO

Dragons were discovered some five thousand years ago by the Valyrians in the Fourteen Flames, a ring of volcanoes on the Valyrian peninsula. The Valyrians mastered the art of raising dragons and used them as weapons of war to carve out a massive empire.

So sorry folks, unless another character of Valyrian heritage, perhaps Jon Snow, is found Daenerys will remain the sole rider of Dragons.

photo HBO

The adult Dragon’s flaming breath is so fierce that it would melt steel and stone. Therefore when defending Mareen, the three Dragon’s fiery offensive against The Master’s galleon assured the complete and swift destruction of that vessel.

photo HBO

Furthermore, with staunch support from these three powerful Dragons, Daenerys is certain to be the next supreme ruler of Westros.

Here are some pictures from the Game of Thrones Season's Finale:

photo HBO

The End.

Saturday, 28 May 2016

Dragons in the Home with Feng Shui Considerations

If you are one of those people who love Eastern Dragons then it’s to be expected that you would populate your home with as many Dragon images as possible. After all, unlike its nasty cousins in the west, this divine mythical creature, which is also one of the four celestial animals, is highly regarded, even worshiped.

The Dragons of the East have always been considered symbols of success, power, nobility, divine protection and vigilance.

In accordance with Feng Shui principles, Dragons are imbued with the potent and auspicious symbol of yang/male energy. Similarly, a pearl, or a crystal, in the Dragon's claw symbolizes wealth, power and an abundance of opportunities. Therefore, avoid having the pearl in the Dragon's claw facing toward the window or the door.

Endowed with divine attributes the Dragon brings the essence of life in the form of celestial breath known as sheng chi. As Feng Shui is essentially all about capturing and creating sheng chi, it is this element that attracts wealth luck, good fortune, courage, creativity, abundance and success to those who possess the symbol of Dragon. In addition Dragons can fend off the negative energy of evil spirits, and bestow protection to those who embrace its representations.

Having a Dragon in any part of your home or business premises is auspicious as it represents ultimate Feng Shui for the well-being of the entire family. Therefore people for thousands of years have been using the Dragon as a powerful symbol to revitalize areas of their lives.

So we all agree Dragons are great and generally having a Dragon in almost any area of your home is considered auspicious save for a few restrictions.

Firstly, when considering the best location and positioning of the Dragon in your home, you may take into account your lucky Feng Shui directions. Keep in mind however, that the location of the Feng Shui wealth star changes every year, so you may have to change the direction the Dragon is facing as well.

The Dragon should be placed facing towards the house (to bring in the energy of wealth and prosperity) and not looking out the window.

As mentioned earlier, Dragons are strong, powerful Feng Shui symbols and exude male energy. They are great for areas in one’s life that require strength, courage, protection, enthusiasm, and prosperity. But don’t have Dragon images that are overwhelming or uncomfortable to be around. Stay away from purchasing pictures where the Dragon is confined in a circle. Do not place the Dragon facing a wall and certainly do not group them in threes in a home. The placement the Dragons should not be crowded or be in a cramped or restricted corner of the room. Keep in mind that Dragons need open space around them with good Chi flow, so as to symbolically fly.

A good location for the Dragon can be in an office, a work area, or the living room. You can choose to place the Dragon based on the 8 Trigrams Pa Kua, location of current wealth flying star or your lucky directions. Ideally Dragon can be put on the wall behind you as you sit at your desk in an office. In this way you are well supported rather than challenging the Dragon, should you stare at it directly.

As flowing water symbolizes flowing prosperity and good fortune, placing a Dragon figurine or a wall hanging with a Dragon image facing the kitchen faucet will enhance your good opportunities for accumulating prosperity in all forms.

You can also place a Dragon image facing any fountain and other clean water sources. Do not place the Dragon in lower-energy areas such as toilets, the bathroom, the closets or the garage. Being a celestial creature, the Dragon must be treated with utmost respect. Likewise, avoid having rugs with Dragon images where you step on them.

Placement of Dragons in the bedroom warrants some caution as the male energy is too strong. But if you must have one, do not have a solitary Dragon. If you wish to energize romance, you may pair the Dragon with a phoenix to balance the energy. This way they become the ultimate Feng Shui symbol of marital bliss.

Another Feng Shui taboo is to avoid placing the Dragon too high, above eye level to ensure they are constantly under your control. Also, do not place many Feng Shui cures too close to your Dragon.

You obviously love Dragons but you must resist the urge to have too many of them in your home. Feng shui-wise, the maximum recommended number of Dragons in the home is 5 Dragons.

As the images of Dragon come in various colours, here are some Feng Shui attributes: a green Dragon serves as an excellent Feng Shui cure for the east, which is the health area; while a golden Dragon offers Feng Shui cure for wealth and abundance. This of course depends on the 8 Trigrams Pa Kua, location of current wealth flying star or your lucky directions.

As mentioned earlier, Dragon’s are great in the Wealth area and can be combined with water to symbolize prosperity coming into your home. In this area, the best color for Dragons is either the color of water (black, dark blues, dark blue green, etc.) or the color of money (green or gold) or the color of vitality and energy (red).

Keep in mind Dragons are powerful and magical creatures with abundant energy that can flow either way. Provide the Dragon a lot of breathing room and treat the Dragon with respect.

Good luck.

Saturday, 9 April 2016

Dragons and the Spring Thaw

Although the origin of Dragon Myths is not clear, their supposed existence can be traced as far back as 400 B.C. Some speculate that dinosaur fossil discoveries had a lot to do with advancing this belief. In any case the exciting stories of dragons can be found on every continent throughout history with the exception of Antarctica, for the climate there is an impediment for these creatures that like fire, live in water, but not ice water.

And now the big question where Dragon does live?

A mythical creature, they are believed to live in wet, damp caves, at the centre of the earth, in forests, or in the middle of the ocean; preferably far, far away from any civilized settlement. If, on occasion, a castle is long since abandoned and permanently forsaken by any human beings, the Dragon my take up residence there and that’s how the legend of Dragons occupying certain castles came into being. But I digress; whether Dragons are viewed as villains or as benevolent creatures depends on the geographical location and the culture. Unfortunately in western civilization Dragons are always meant to perish. Dragons are perpetually represented as villains that are to be bested and killed by the indomitable hero that goes on a quest to rid this scourge of society (a terrible beast that breaths fire, has poisonous claws and guards great treasure) and is rewarded in the end by being granted the hand of a beautiful princess.

In Greek mythology the story of Perseus and the Dragon of Poseidon tells of a vain queen who almost sacrificed her daughter to the Dragon, had it not been for Perseus. We all have seen that movie.

At least the ancient Romans considering Dragons as mystical beasts that held the secrets of the earth, they looked to Dragons as a source of knowledge and used them as symbols of strength for their military.

Meanwhile, in England, stories are full of accounts of Dragons and how anyone who killed these terrible monsters was awarded with knighthood. In one such story there was a young man who fought a Dragon for the reward of bringing the king's daughter to his master for marriage. But Tristan was tricked by another man who coveted the princess’s hand. In the end Tristan cut off the Dragon's tongue as proof of his accomplishment and the lies of the other man were uncovered.

And let us not forget, during Christopher Columbus’ time, when the world was believed to be flat, Dragons were assumed to inhabit the oceans especially at the edge of earth, waiting to devour anyone who dared to trespass into the Dragon’ territory and sail that far into the ocean. Needless to say, this false belief deterred much sea exploration. Ancient maps furthered this belief marking the place where these Dragons supposedly lived, that is at the edge of the map, with an imprint,” Here Be Dragons”.

Having said this, I cannot resist mentioning one more fable: “A Norseman fights off a sea dragon.” This story comes to us from Norway.

There was once a powerful King, who loved his daughter very much but had to leave her behind in the castle while he went away (probably warring) on a long trip. He left her in the care of a tiny Dragon who was to be her guardian. The princess was skeptical of the tiny creatures’ prowess, fearing that if danger manifested it could not protect her. However, the Dragon soon grew into a tremendous size. He grew so large in fact that he was able to wrap his body all around the castle and not let anyone in or out of it. When the king finally returned home, even he was not permitted inside the castle. The only recourse now was to kill this beast of a dragon. Even the mightiest warriors however remained hesitant to undertake this perilous task. As an incentive the desperate King offered his daughter’s hand in marriage to anyone capable of killing this dreaded monster. A few brazen souls went forth to encounter the Dragon but unfortunately no man in Norway was capable of this feat and all forfeited their lives prematurely. Eventually a youth from Sweden succeeded in this task and as his reward he married the princess and they returned to Sweden together to live happily ever after.

I favor the Asian view of the Dragon. Here they are celestial, spiritual beings that have religious and cultural importance. Dragons, endowed with supernatural or magical powers, possess certain wisdom and represent long-life. And Dragons most predominantly play a vital role in the outcome of the weather. This brings my narrative back to spring thaw, with lightning in the sky and the spring showers or the melting of ice. My thoughts naturally turn to the concept of Dragons big and small. Celebrating spring, I celebrate the Dragon.

Here are some pictures of spring thaw 2016:

Fini