Samhain: The Thinning of the Veil, The Return of the Dragons.

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Books, Dragon Keeper's Handbook, Dragons, Dragons for Beginners, Fairy, Month of the Dragon, Samhain, Sidhe

Another Month of the Dragon has come to a close. We all made it through in one piece, I trust, without too many scratches or scorch marks or visits to the emergency room.

I want to thank everyone who has contributed, in few words or many. Without your help, we would not have celebrated with such draconic gusto and erudition. I hope between now and midnight you’ll drop by, leave a comment, and insure that your name is in the hat for a signed copy of Dragons for Beginners or The Dragon Keeper’s Handbook.

                     

I have always thought it most fitting that MotD ends on Samhain (Halloween). This is a very special day for Dragons, especially Westies and the lesser dragons in their ken. Indeed, as much as Dragons have holy days, this is right up there at the top of the list.

Which takes us to a chapter of Dragon history full of blood and gore and nightmares that would make the strongest Dragon weep: the Dark Times and loss and grief they brought to the enchantments of Europe. Technically the Dark Times ran from 2000 BCE to 1450 CE, though it was the indiscriminate dragon slaying of the Dark Ages that nearly drove Western Dragons from the face of the Earth.

St. George – Raphael

By the 7^th century the Trans-Atlantic Transmigration[1] had already occurred, diminishing the continental Dragon count by half. Gone were the havens of grove and spring and standing stone. The weyrs were on edge: Queens laid smaller clutches – stress even forced some to skip generations of hatching altogether. For most, it was coming down to fight or flight, and the former didn’t hold much appeal. This was when the sidhe came to the rescue. They offered the Dragons of Europe a way out, a refuge in the Otherworld. And so it was that Dragons retreated into the mists – along with the unicorns and other rare and unusual beings – until the world of humans became more Dragon-friendly.

Except on Samhain. Once a year, when the veil between the worlds of sidhe and human thinned, and an expectation for the strange and unusual was in the air, the Dragons returned. In the umbra of streetlight and balefire, they flew over housetops and buzzed the frost rimmed pumpkin patches. They danced across the face of moon – often mistaken at a great distance for large bats – and played hide-and-seek with those who, attuned to the mystical, could actually see them. As night tipped towards dawn, a great lamentation coursed through the heavens, a keening for Dragons lost and lives left behind….

Then they were gone.

For another year.

So it continued decade after decade, generation after generation. Then, in the 18th and 19^th centuries, the tide began to change. Some say it was the strength of the Enlightenment, driving out the darkness of superstition, others the resurgence of mysticism and neo-paganism. Either way, it was the opening Dragons were looking for, the glimmer of hope that the worst of the anti-Dragon madness had passed. And from then on, every Samhain, more and more Dragons not only came through the veil, but chose to stay on our side of it.

October 31 is a time of somber and jubilant celebration. When we mourn Dragons gone and rejoice in their return.

As is noted in The Dragon Keeper’s Handbook: 

It is now the twenty-first century. By the blessing of the Great Dragon, we made it past the Dark Times and farther than many thought possible.

Out of the darkness, Dragons roared, reminding us we need them. Reminding us of their right to be. With horns charmed and scales ashimmer, they walk amongst us. They share our lives and lend mystery to the mun­dane. They fill the skies and sing in thunderous tones for all to hear, “We are Everywhere!”

Hatchling – Jackie Morris

Happy Samhain, everyone!

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[1] An exodus of a passel of adventurous European Dragons who were fed up with the rampant anti-Dragon sentiments coursing through Britain and the Continent in the Dark Ages. Shortly after the Saxon invasion of the British Isles, they heeded the call to “Go west, young Dragons!” and crossed the Atlantic. In the New World they made their way amongst the enchantments of North America.

Mischief Night…Angel Night…Dragon Night…

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Chipping In, Dragons, fire, Month of the Dragon, October

The weather gods have been up to a great deal of mischief of late: earthquakes off British Columbia, tsunami warnings in the Hawaiian Islands, blood rain over Denmark, and Hurricane Sandy storming through the Caribbean and up the East Coast of North America.

Last night was not fit for man or beast, save perhaps the most intrepid of Dragons, willing to brave gale winds and driving rains. I hope all of you are safe and sound and none the worse for wear. Today – well, the trees are bare, waters are beginning to recede and winds die down. Now comes a time to clean up the mess.

Tonight is Mischief Night – or Devil’s Night or Cabbage Night as local traditions dictate. In centuries past it was a time for late night raids and scarecrows ablaze with Dragonfire. When humans got in on the fun there were eggs dripping off windows, frost-spoiled cabbages smashed hither and yon, and toilet paper in the trees. I remember when I was a kid, our mailbox was a habitual target for exploding paint cans; at least I knew the mailbox makers were kept in business. In all, it is a night of messy but harmless hijinks. What Dragon wouldn’t want to join in?

Sadly, this year the state of things in my neck of the woods demands a more sober response. The weather gods have already dealt us one hell of a mess. Inclined though Dragons – especially the juveniles – are to kick up their heels and engage in their share of spooky dragon-play, if you have any influence with the neighboring enchantments, urge them to set aside smashing pumpkins and impromptu bonfires for tonight, and chip in where they can. And if there are grumbles that Chipping In Day was last week, remind them that the Great Dragon – and the Great Pumpkin – are watching one and all, even Dragons.

And be sure to say thanks with mulled cider and pumpkin-chili pie for afters.

 

Remember: everyone who leaves a Comment here at Dragon’s Nest this October gets their name put in the hat for a signed copy of either Dragons for Beginners or The Dragon Keeper’s Handbook. Just two days to go!

Winners to be announced November 1, 2012.

 

 

 

And the Winner Is…

Tags

Books, Dragons, Month of the Dragon

Happy Sunday one and all!

Time to catch our breath and prepare for the last few wild and woolly days of the Month of the Dragon.

First, I want to thank everyone who dropped by over the past 7 days and chimed in on Tell a Dragon Tale Week. 

And now the moment I am sure you’ve all been waiting for:

The recipient of a copy of Because the Pleasure-Dragon Whistles is…The Dragon Master. Congrats!

*****

Remember: everyone who leaves a Comment here at Dragon’s Nest this October gets their name put in the hat for a signed copy of either Dragons for Beginners or The Dragon Keeper’s Handbook. Winners to be announced November 1, 2012.

Dragonfire Across the Skies….

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Dragon festivals, Dragon Keeper's Handbook, Dragons, Dragons for Beginners, fire, Month of the Dragon

Elemental Dragon – Fire – by Pseudolonewolf

…Dragons are essentially equal-opportunity elementals. Yet for those who studied them, their intimate association with fire was of the greatest interest. True, water wears mountains into sand and turns barren plains green, and winds carry seeds and clouds across the heavens. But fire, dangerous and transformative to its core, excites the air with magic. It’s the archetypal alchemical element, able to change the essential nature of things with a lick, to turn iron into steel and sand into glass. And no creatures—not even humans—understood flames as well as Dragons.

                                                       …Dragons for Beginners

*****

As October winds down and the air take on that frosty feel, a cry goes out for Dragonfire to warm our nights and light our way towards winter. History has it that the Fire Festival began in the Himalayan Quad, a quartet of weyrs – and the sanctuaries that have risen around them – back in the early days of the third century CE. There on the wind-swept plateaus of Tibet, Dragons celebrated nesting season with flame and flight and Dragonsong. It was their way of defying the lengthening nights, of honoring Wang Lung, the great Fire Dragon.

The following lyric is believed to have poured from the brush of the great T’ang poet Li Po (701-762 CE) in memory of an eighth century festival near Lake Nam:

Dragon yet not Dragon
Of Sky yet not sky
Jewelled enchantment
ridge rippling with fire
for all to see
To hear Wang Lung sing with
dusky flutes

Chinese Fire Dragon

Today Fire Festivals are not limited to the East. Across the globe, Dragons and humans are coming together in anticipation of Halloween and remembrance of a time when the gift of Dragonfire was all that stood between humans and the terrors – real and imagined – of the dark.

Fire Dragons – by Lunar Rose

A time to rejoice, for sure.

A word to all revellers out there, scaled and skinned: Remember, you’re playing fire. Don’t be careless.

And don’t forget: everyone who leaves a Comment on a Month of the Dragon post this October gets their name put in the hat for a signed copy of either Dragons for Beginners or The Dragon Keeper’s Handbook. Winners to be announced November 1, 2012.

Plus, all of you who leave a comment during Tell a Dragon Tale Week (10/21-27) have the possibility of winning a signed limited-edition copy of Shawn MacKENZIE’s short story: “Because the Pleasure-Dragon Whistles.” The lucky winner will be announced on October 28th.

And Now for Something Completely Different…

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Books, Dragon Keeper's Handbook, Dragons, Dragons for Beginners, Fiction, love, Month of the Dragon, Poetry, Writing

Here at Month of the Dragon central, it’s the start of Tell a Dragon Tale Week, a time to celebrate Dragons in books and stories and all forms literary. Dragons love books. It’s something old as their hills, boiling deep in their viscid, garnet blood.

Dragons Love Books by Stephen Parlato

As the week goes on we’ll be featuring various books by and about Dragons, and stories in toto, too.

But to start, I thought we’d stray from more standard fiction fare, and start with a nod to the poetic, romantic side of Dragons. This anonymous verse was found scored deep into the ancient nesting caves of Wyre Weyr, in the Orkney Islands, proving there is passion – and literature – even in the remotest of Dragon retreats.

Call out the winds
with yawp and roar
gnash with tooth
lash with tail entwined
round armoured amour
Close in my wings
we dance on solar winds
shake moondust from our scales  
shred the stellar net.

Seize my paw my light
my fire
hold fast
Egg and seed
release my thunder
into the night
Seize the Universe!
exploding with incandescent joy
Immortality is now!

I rise
to meet your wind
to hold you
with my grateful
eternal
“YES!”

Cosmic Dragon by Dido6

Here’s wishing one and all a glorious day, resounding with a draconic “YES!”

Note: Here at WAFDE, we’re always eager to expand our library. So…. Anyone who has a book they would like mentioned this week, please contact me at boon17@comcast.net. Provide all publishing info plus a brief synopsis if possible.

Also, all those of you who comment during this Tell a Dragon Tale Week will not only have your names for Dragons for Beginners and The Dragon Keeper’s Handbook, but also a signed limited edition printing of my story, “Because the Pleasure-Dragon Whistles,” the lucky winner will be announced on October 28th.

Draconic horn blowing…

Tags

Book Giveaway, Dragon Keeper's Handbook, Dragons for Beginners, Fire Dragon, Month of the Dragon

Good morning Dracophiles! The Month of the Dragon opened strong and promises to get even better.

This week is Fire Prevention Week, and, ironic though it may seem, Dragons have a major role to play in fire prevention and control around the world. Also, in conjunction with Indigenous Peoples Day (aka in some quarters as Columbus Day), we will be celebrating Dragons native to the New World.

While I’m a fearless advocate of our scaly friends, today I will be venturing into less natural territory and touting my own Dragon work: The Dragon Keeper’s Handbook and its upcoming companion piece, Dragons for Beginners (due out 11/12, but I have it on good authority, it will be available this week!).

“This note-perfect “nonfiction” book on fantasy creatures will be eerily familiar to anyone who’s read the genre it emulates, down to catchy, chapter titles with explanatory subtitles; humorous, opinionated footnotes (“Flat-earthers do not make the world any less round”); and the
occasional flight of impassioned rhetoric. The natural history of dragons is logically constructed and will enchant readers who like their magic to have rules….The mythic analysis section is deft and fascinating…. The final detailed advice on dragon keeping is uniformly charming.”  (Publishers Weekly. 9/2011)

“Make no mistake, Dragons are real flesh-and-blood creatures. The facinating truth about these majestic creatures—how they evolved, what they really look like, their extraordinary impact on humankind, how to safely interact with them today, and why they’re dying out—is documented in this unique, essential guide.

From horned brow to spiky tail, you’ll learn scientific facts on three major Dragon species, including size, diet, temperament, and habitat. Trace their influence on religion, art, literature, and occult studies. There’s guidance on safe Dragon watching, caring for an abandoned egg, raising an orphan to maturity, and working magic with Dragons. You’ll also discover how to save these intelligent beasts from extinction.”

As already mentioned – but it bears repeating – leave a comment here during the Month of the Dragon and your name will be in the drawing for a signed copy of Dragons for Beginners. In the spirit of spreading draconic goodwill, I will also be givng away a signed copy of The Dragon Keeper’s Handbook, same Dragon rules, same Dragon time.

So, I hope you will spread the word, and chime in over the next 3 weeks, with your draconic observations (of my work or others), prose, poetry, pictures….And if you have a Dragon book of your own, let me know. I will be posting as comprehensive a list as possible during Tell a Dragon Tale Week (10/21-27).

More Dragons by Jackie Morris

See you back here tomorrow with a look at Fire Dragons at home and abroad!

Never Enough Jabberwocks!

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Bullies, Diversity, Dragons, fesitvals, Jabberwocky, Month of the Dragon, October, WAFDE

This year there have been so many strange and unusual dragons about that we here at WAFDE felt compelled to extend Jabberwocky Appreciation Day into Jabberwocky Weekend. (After all, Dragons are nothing if not flexible.)

A writer friend recently reminded me that October, along with being the Month of the Dragon, is Anti-Bullying Month. And when better to honor both than right now as we celebrate the Jabberwocky? JAD is the time set aside to embrace the multiplicity of pseudo-dragons around the world, especially those less flamboyant or less known, those who, through centuries of misunderstanding, are burdened by bad reputations and ripe for being picked on.

This is the time for Jabberwocks! For the funny of face and odd of speech. For the slow and heavy, the small and slight. All those who live on the fringe, driven into the wispy wilderness of even the most magically inclined. They remind us of all our oddities and our differences—what some would call, our glorious imperfections. And yet more than that, they exemplify the awe-inspiring diversity of the natural and draconic world!

There are so many species of pseudo-dragons, it boggles the mind. And just as one species fades into the mythic mists, another is discovered—or rediscovered—in some unexpected locale. Tree skimmers are adapting to our modern jungles of steel and glass, and lake dragons balance the wetland ecosystems.

This past spring I had the pleasure of talking Dragons with several groups of young people in my bailiwick. Fascinated as they were by tales of True Dragons in all their massive wonder, they were even more intrigued by the countless pseudo dragons, especially by house dragons, the puuk and aitvaras, kauka and sunny žaltys. To me, this made perfect sense: house dragons are pint-size—some might even say cute—and won’t burden the household budget much more than your average German Shepherd, even less if they help out with the occasional bit of pilfering.

Dragon by Jackie Morris

Oh, the curious looks and eager questions:

“Where can I get a house dragon?”  –Don’t try Petco. They just give you funny looks, then point cluelessly at a tank full of little bearded dragons munching on crickets.

“What do they eat?”  –Depends on the species, but most enjoy herb omelettes and fresh milk. A bowl of warm stout is usually appreciated at the end of a long day.

“Will they get along with my hamster?”  –Yes, with great care and proper introductions. It’s best to play it safe and never leave them alone together.

As we talked on, it became clear that particular dragons related to particular kids, mirroring their inner natures, hopes and fears. No matter how mild the species or outrageous the young person, they found a way to connect on a very personal level. Be it a lumbering drake or a shy jurik, they accept these dragons with all their shapes, sizes, and eccentricities, take them in and make them their own.  And no one dares mess with a kid and her dragon.

In this time for Dragons and standing tall against bullies, we can treasure the kids who see with generous eyes and know innately what too many of us grown-ups forget: we are all Jabberwocks.

The Abstract Dragon by Living Rope

What does your Jabberwocky look like? Is he bold or bashful, fierce or fastidious? Love to hear your tales.

And remember: Everyone who leaves a comment here at the Dragons Nest during the MotD will have their name entered for the give away of a signed copy of my new book, Dragons for Beginners (Llewellyn, 2012), which will be hitting bookstores at the middle of the month.

The World Association For Dragons Everywhere Presents the 2nd Annual Month of the Dragon….

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Dragons, fesitvals, Month of the Dragon, WAFDE, Year of the Dragon

Well, it is that time of year again. The apples are falling, the woolly-bears crawling, and Dragons and their people are getting together around the world to celebrate WAFDE’s second annual Month of the Dragon.

As the last remaining founder of WAFDE, it falls to me and my ever-growing cadre of fellow dracophiles, to keep the association’s traditions alive, the joy of Dragons spreading out across the known world(s). Note: Dragonic reach is Cosmic!

As an extra-added attraction, it is the Year of the Dragon – Water Dragon to be precise – and her spiky-wiky energy is just gushing through the Universe! It emboldens our actions and enlivens our dreams (even those of us born outside her blessing)!

Dragon from the Forbidden City – Wall of Nine Dragons

Currently, our calendar for the month – flexible as the most serpentine of Nagas – looks something like this:

Posts and discussions will be timely, germane, and by turns, full of whimsy and magick! I am also delighted to announce we will be joined by several new guest bloggers this year! The more the merrier!

As an added bonus – as if we needed one! – on November 1, I will be doing a random drawing among all folks who comment during the MotD. The winner receives a signed copy of my new book, Dragons for Beginners (Llewellyn Worldwide, 11/2012).

It being time to go with the draconic flow, I’m also working on a few other surprises along the way. Stay tuned.

So.

Welcome, my Dragon friends and your people. Pull up a chair, pour a suitable libation, and settle in for a rollicking month of all things Dragon, True and lesser. Invite your friends, scaled and not. And join in. The best part of the Month of the Dragon is hearing from everyone who has encountered our friends – how they have been touched, how they have been changed. For who can meet a Dragon and not be profoundly transformed!

Hang onto your hats. It’s going to be a glorious ride!

And the Winner is….

Tags

Animals, critters, Gatsby, Kitten Pool

It was a dark and stormy night. The dark side of the moon was mooning us from on high, not that we could notice with all the clouds. Still, we need the rain, so no complaints.

Gatsby, in her inimitable wisdom decided it was the perfect time to have her kittens. What a shock! (Personally, I didn’ expect them until May Day.)

Around 9:00 she started pacing about, talking like crazy, and checking out the space under the recliner (a space I blocked off as soon as she came out; didn’t want her having kittens in an inaccessible space)… I dug out the Home Veterinarian book to get some idea whether or not I would be getting any sleep. Finally, I figured I might as well try to get a couple of hours rest–Gats would wake me when the time came.

Not only did she wake me, she decided to have the little ones on my bed. Bless her furry little heart.

This drove all thoughts of sleep right out of my head. I made her a bed and sat up, calming her, talking to her, timing contractions.

With a blood-curdling yowl, the first kitten started making his (I’m not sure the sex of the kids yet so my pronouns are arbitrary) way into the world just before midnight–arriving wet and squirmy at 11:57 p.m. Gatsby went to work, cleaning him up, cleaning herself up. A little ginger tiger kitten! Number 2 arrived about 40 minutes later, pitch black and bigger than #1. Then, a bit past 1:00 came #3, another ginger tiger, smaller, a bit darker. We sat with her until after 2, waiting. The trio was eating and content, and we could sense no one else in her womb. Gatsby’s work seemed done.

I drifted off to sleep…only discovering in the morning that there was a fourth kitten, stillborn sometime in the early hours….

Mom and threesome are doing well–though Gats has turned into a postpartum tyrant, going out of her way to harass the other cats, even when they’re far from the kids. With luck this is just fierce maternal instincts kicked into hormonal over-drive and will pass soon.

So…the Great Gatsby Kitten Pool has come to an end. Congratulations to the winner, Niamh, who will be receiving her copy of Dragon Keeper’s Handbook post-haste.

And thank you to everyone who joined in and has been following the Gatsby kitten drama. There will be future updates as they grow–after all, what’s cuter than a wee kitten. Except a wee dragonlet.

Happy B’Earth Day!

Gatsby Kitten Pool!

Tags

Animals, Book Giveaway, critters, Dragon Keeper's Handbook, Gatsby, Kitten Pool, Kitty Calendar

This is Gatsby.

Gatsby: 3/27/12

She was dumped over a friend’s garden fence the last Sunday in March, a cold, wet, frightened little girl. A week of good food and her being pregnant was more than a possibility, it was a near certainty. A visit to the vet, and we knew it a waiting game was about to begin.
In the spirit of good fun, supporting animals, and promoting the reading of good books, I am creating a Gatsby Kitten Pool.  Pick a date of birth and number of kittens and leave it in a comment here. (not on Facebook, please).The person who comes closest to actual birth date & litter size, wins a signed copy of my book, The Dragon Keeper’s Handbook. I will update the calendar daily and let you know if your pick is already taken, so you can try again. In the case of Gatsby going into labor before midnight but the kittens are not all born until the next day, the date of last kitten born will be the determining factor.
The current pictures were taken April 15th, to give you some idea of her size.

Gatsby: 4/15/12

Gatsby: 4/15/12

And I can also tell you that she’s eating like a little pony and there is  serious kitty kicking going on.

Check here to see calendar updates and new daily pics.