jeudi 4 septembre 2014

By Mattie MacDonald


Dragons, those huge, scary mythical beasts with wings and fire-lashing forked tongues that can devour anything in their path, are popular figures in children's books. These creatures with their magic powers are what fantasy is about . . . And who can relate better to fantasy than kids?

In every culture, through the ages, stories of dragons have been passed on from generation to generation. There is probably not a human being who has not yet heard a dragon story. Children relate in various ways to these mythical beasts. Young boys fantasize about slaying them and being knighted for bravery. Girls dream about being rescued from a gigantic monster-dragon by a handsome, brave prince. These days, dragons are also portrayed as loving, kind and even cuddly creatures in every second childrens book about dragons.

But why are dragons so popular? Where do they come from? And why is mankind so fascinated by these mythical creatures that never even existed?

But then again, who said dragons are not real? There is no real proof that they never existed and may even still be around! Maybe, just maybe, they are among us, but can only be seen through the eyes of a child . . .

Dragons come in many shapes and sizes. Some are kind, some are bad. They can be gentle giants, or cruel, man-eating monsters. In the realm where giants live, there are no human laws or limits - it's a dragon dreamworld!

Today's kids can pick and choose from a wide variety of draconian characters portrayed in games, books and various popular articles. These fantasy characters have catchy names and magic powers that appeal to every child's imagination. Some dragons are loving, gentle heroes, while others are fierce, scary monsters. Because only children can apparently see them, they paint, draw and sketch them as they see them in their own, unique mind's eye. That's why there are more dragons today than ever before!

The illustrators of children's books have a ball portraying these huge creatures in various ways. Some dragons have long, thick tails with which they can sweep a whole city away. Some have horns and huge, sharp, pointed teeth. Their huge, claw-like feet can have 3,4 or 5 toes. There is no specific blueprint to indicate what a real dragon truly looks like, and thus children can give free rein to their fantasies when they draw, color or read about them. This lead to a wonderful, colorful variety of dragon caricatures featuring different personalities, trends and traits.

No grownup has ever seen a baby dragon being born, but kids know they are hatched from huge eggs! Sweet-faced, cute baby dragons are popular characters in children's books and often grow up to become the heroes that slay their evil peers. Like in the real world, the battle between good and bad also exists in the dragon world.

Nobody seems to know where dragons originated from and where they live. The first seafarers believed the gigantic creatures they saw on the horizon - the place where the earth supposedly ended abruptly - were the "sea gods" protecting their aquatic kingdom. Many dragons have wings and supposedly live in the sky on a far-away planet from where they occasionally sweep down to earth to feed or . . . Kill!

Are dragons just a figment of human imagination, kept alive by embroidered myths about huge prehistoric animals such as dinosaurs? Or is it possible that they truly exist and only expose themselves to children? Who knows? As long as they capture the imagination and inspire imaginative stories, dragons will be with us!




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