“The vampire finches were beak-deep in boobie blood and refused to show. So you get me. I may not be super spooky, but my name – Dracula Parrot – certainly fits the season.
Happy Halloween, humans. Keep safe.”
31 Sunday Oct 2021
30 Saturday Oct 2021
Posted Animals, Cats, COVID Critters, Furry Friends, Halloween, Safety
in“It was a dark and stormy night…The world was in turmoil and angry two-legs lumbered about like zombies without the brains Great Bast gave a flea.
Then the Queen of Cats stood up and hissed: ‘Care for each other, humans Get vaccinated. Or I will command my subjects to throw up in your shoes, drop mice in your coffee, and shred your draperies into ribbons. And then we’ll go on a cuddle strike!'”
24 Sunday Oct 2021
“It’s that time of year when all things spooky come out to play. For my part, I just want you humans to know I’m keeping an eye on you. You’re running out of chances to pull it together, you know. And the rest of us are running out of time.”
31 Saturday Oct 2020
Tags
Dark Times, Dragon Keeper's Handbook, Dragons, fesitvals, Halloween, holidays, Month of the Dragon, Samhain, WAFDE
Month of the Dragon has come to a close. A hearty roar of appreciation to all who have participated. And a draconic welcome to all our new WAFDE members! Hope everyone had a spikey-wikey, rip-snorting time.
The harvest is in. Pumpkins – and turnips – are carved, costumes pressed, and cider spiked. All is in readiness for tonight.
Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Most Dragons prefer the ancient name, Samhain. This has always been a liminal time – a day when the misty barrier between the spiritual and the corporeal worlds thins and the inhabitants of each can come and go at will.
If you are up on your Dragon history you know this is a very special day for Dragons, especially among the Westie Weyrs. It is a solemn time of both remembrance and hope. A day to honor ancient sorrows and proffered sanctuary, ancestors lost and triumphant returns.
I am speaking, of course, of events that date back to the Dark Times of Dragon persecution. When Dragon-slaying was not only the “sport” du jour but also the surest way for would-be heroes, saints, and princelings to claim their bona fides. The Weyrs of Europe were decimated and anti-Dragon sentiments even inched their way east along the Silk Road.
Some Dragons flew west to the New World (Trans-Atlantic Transmigration), and some stayed and fought. But most Westies chose the better part of valor, discreetly taking the Sidhe up on their offer to dwell in the Otherworld until humans regained their sanity. In short, they faded into the mists. And – Surprise! – after many centuries, things in the physical realm did improve. Yet, while some of our friends chose to return to this world, other more cautious Dragons, did not.
So it is that Samhain takes on a certain long-distance family-reunion quality, with flights between planes and all-nighter confabs. There is music and dancing and visiting old haunts. There is catching up with the grand-dragonlets and telling of tales of past lives and future dreams. Some Dragons even seek out the relatives of Dragon-friendly humans they once knew.
It is a magical time for all concerned.But, come morning, the magic fades. The barrier between worlds returns and mist is again just mist until next year.
For now, we here at the Nest wish you all a very Happy Samhain. May your harvest be bountiful and the coming year warm with Dragon-fire and fast friends.
31 Tuesday Oct 2017
Posted Celebration, Dark Times, Dragon Keepers, Dragons, Halloween, Month of the Dragon, Samhain, WAFDE
inTags
Dark Times, Dragon Keeper's Handbook, Dragons, fesitvals, Halloween, holidays, Month of the Dragon, Samhain, WAFDE
Month of the Dragon has come to a close. A hearty roar of appreciation to all who have participated. And a draconic welcome to all our new WAFDE members! Hope everyone had a spikey-wikey, rip-snorting time.
The harvest is in. Pumpkins – and turnips – are carved, costumes pressed, and cider spiked. All is in readiness for tonight.
Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Most Dragons prefer the ancient name, Samhain. This has always been a liminal time – a day when the misty barrier between the spiritual and the corporeal worlds thins and the inhabitants of each can come and go at will.
If you are up on your Dragon history you know this is a very special day for Dragons, especially among the Westie Weyrs. It is a solemn time of both remembrance and hope. A day to honor ancient sorrows and proffered sanctuary, ancestors lost and triumphant returns.
I am speaking, of course, of events that date back to the Dark Times of Dragon persecution. When Dragon-slaying was not only the “sport” du jour but also the surest way for would-be heroes, saints, and princelings to claim their bona fides. The Weyrs of Europe were decimated and anti-Dragon sentiments even inched their way east along the Silk Road.
Some Dragons flew west to the New World (Trans-Atlantic Transmigration), and some stayed and fought. But most Westies chose the better part of valor, discreetly taking the Sidhe up on their offer to dwell in the Otherworld until humans regained their sanity. In short, they faded into the mists. And – Surprise! – after many centuries, things in the physical realm did improve. Yet, while some of our friends chose to return to this world, other more cautious Dragons, did not.
So it is that Samhain takes on a certain long-distance family-reunion quality, with flights between planes and all-nighter confabs. There is music and dancing and visiting old haunts. There is catching up with the grand-dragonlets and telling of tales of past lives and future dreams. Some Dragons even seek out the relatives of Dragon-friendly humans they once knew.
It is a magical time for all concerned.But, come morning, the magic fades. The barrier between worlds returns and mist is again just mist until next year.
For now, we here at the Nest wish you all a very Happy Samhain. May your harvest be bountiful and the coming year warm with Dragon-fire and fast friends.
31 Monday Oct 2016
Posted Celebration, Dark Times, Dragon Keeper's Handbook, Dragons, Holidays, Month of the Dragon, Samhain, WAFDE
inTags
Dark Times, Dragon's Nest, Dragons, Election, Faerie, Month of the Dragon, Samhain, The Dragon Keeper’s Handbook, WAFDE
Another MotD has come to an end.
First, a hearty welcome to all new WAFDE members, and my thanks to one and all who have made MotD 2016 such a pleasure and success. You help to ensure a profound, eternal, Dragon presence in the world.
I have always thought it fitting that MotD ends on Samhain (Halloween). This is a very special day for Dragons around the world – though Westies and the lesser dragons in their ken tend to lay special claim to it. Indeed, as much as Dragons have holy days, Samhain is right up there at the top of the list.
On this night of ghouls and goblins, it is only right to look at a chapter from Dragon history full of blood and gore and nightmares that would make the strongest Dragon weep. I am speaking of the centuries of loss and grief heaped upon the enchantments of Europe known as The Dark Times. For some of you, this may be a familiar tale, yet, here at the Nest, we believe it is one worth repeating.
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.
By the 7th century, the Trans-Atlantic Transmigration[1] , which had diminished the continental Dragon count by half, was deeply etched into the historical record. 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.
So it continued decade after decade, generation after generation. Then, in the 18th and 19th 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!”
Wishing you all a very draconic Halloween. Keep safe, fly high. See you all next year.
And for those of you in the States, don’t forget to get out and vote on November 8th (or earlier if you can). Dragons may have little use for politics, but this election is vital for us and the planet. Including our spikey-wikey friends.
*****
[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.
31 Saturday Oct 2015
Tags
Chocolate, Dark Times, Dragon Keeper's Handbook, Dragonlets, Dragons, Fairy, Ghost Dragons, Habanero Peppers, Halloween, holidays, Month of the Dragon, Pumpkins, Samhain, Sugar Rush, WAFDE
Happy Samhain one and all!
The harvest is over and now the world tips into its darker half. It is also the Night of the Dead – when the barrier between this world and the Otherworld thins and can be crossed. Ghosts, goblins, elves, et al, walk abroad, welcomed by some, feared by others.
And then there are Dragons. For Dragons, Samhain is a time to celebrate their return to the world of humans after centuries of self-imposed exile among the Fae.
Dragons, of course, do nothing by halves. When they came back to us, they did it with a snort and a roar and a lively dance round Samhain baelfires. That we were having our own seasonal fun proves a bonus for all.
Of course, tonight has its somber elements, too. It is a time to feel the presence of those no longer with us, to honor their lives and their absence. Having lost so many of their kind during the Dark Times, Dragons are particularly cognizant of this.
You should hardly be surprised if you cross paths this evening with an enchantment of ghostly Lombard Leatherwings or skeletal Kiev Shinglebacks.
If you are so blessed, do not scream or run about. Simply bow every so politely and continue on your way.
One word of caution: If any Dragonlets are among your trick-or-treaters, do be careful not to give them too much sugar. As with children, it has a tendency to make them bounce off walls and that can create obvious problems.
One treat we’ve found to be a huge hit around the Nest is Chocolate Habanero peppers dipped in a glaze of pumpkin and Mexican chocolate. The mix of heat and just a little sweet is enjoyed by Dragons of all ages and keeps sugar-rush mayhem to a minimum.
Wishing one and all a wondrous Samhain. And to everyone at WAFDE and dracophiles the world over, our fiercest thanks for making this Fifth Month of the Dragon so memorable. May the Great Dragon smile upon you all.
30 Friday Oct 2015
Posted Dragon Keeper's Handbook, Dragons, Mischief Night, Month of the Dragon, WAFDE
inTags
Crop Circles, Dragon Keeper's Handbook, Dragons, fu, Mischief Night, Month of the Dragon, Pranks, Samhain, Scarecrows, WAFDE
Counting down..Samhain is a day away. Pumpkins ready to be carved? Here at the Nest we’ve just come through a much-needed Hermit Day, a time to hunker down for 24 hours and recoup some energy. After all, we are in for 2 days of utter wildness. Energy is essential.
Starting today. Tonight is Mischief Night. A time for Dragons young and old, big and small, to cut loose. Stomp out a few crop circles – Dragons love crop circles –
hot-foot the occasional scarecrow-
even raid the kitchen for a little indoor rascality –
In short, a night for good, clean, draconic fun.
On the downside, Mischief Night does hold the potential for generating bad Dragon PR. Since anti-Dragon forces are always ready to pounce on the slightest infraction against mannered behavior – forgetting, in the process, that Dragons are WILD! – we want to provide no new slings and arrows to their arsenal. Not a one! To this end, be sure your Dragons understand this is a night for good-natured impishness, not wanton vandalism.
For, even on Mischief Night, civility counts.
19 Monday Oct 2015
Tags
Books, Dragon Keeper's Handbook, Dragons, Dragons for Beginners, Fiction, Halloween, HTTYD 2, Month of the Dragon, Myth and Legends, Reading, Samhain, Storytelling, Tell-a-Dragon-Tale, WAFDE, Writing
Month of the Dragon is zooming by so fast this year. In the blink of a golden draconic eye, we’ve gone from Indian Summer and its attendant leaf peekers, to killing frost riming the pumpkin patches. And Samhain is just around the corner!
It is now the penultimate week of our festivities – a time particularly near and dear to this dracophile’s heart: Tell-A-Dragon-Tale Week!
Dragons, as many of you know, love stories. They love sitting round the weyr, swapping tales of the great Dragons of yore: wise Laden, gentle Fire Dragon, Alkha nibbling on the moon, and snowy Asdeev falling under Rustam’s blade. Horror stories of Dark Times past and forgiving epics of future hope.
This week we celebrate them all, from dusty old tomes too oft forgotten, to new fables hot off our keyboards. There will be recommendations and even a few surprises. And, as an author of Dragon books and stories, this is one of those times when I don’t feel too immodest about blowing my own horn.
Any other writers out there who wish to announce/promote their Dragon books, please feel free to link up here or on WAFDE’s Facebook page. As we say around the weyr, the more Dragon stories, the better.
But today start by going to your bookshelves. Pull down your favorite Dragon tale and curl up with your Dragon for a right ripping two-pipe yarn.
31 Friday Oct 2014
Tags
Book Giveaway, Dragon Keeper's Handbook, Dragons for Beginners, Enchantments, Eternal Dragon, Lake Baikal, Month of the Dragon, Samhain, WAFDE, Weyrs
It’s Samhain – Halloween – and Month of the Dragon 2014 is at an end. I want to thank everyone who has joined in with words and pictures and an abundance of draconic energy. MotD gets better – spreads the appreciation of Dragons further – every year, which warms the cockles of all of us here at WAFDE. And I hope between now and midnight you’ll drop by, leave a comment, and insure that your name is in the hat for signed copies of Dragons for Beginners and The Dragon Keeper’s Handbook.
For Dragons, sidhe, and all other creatures who cavort with the strange or go bump in the night, Samhain is as close to a holy day as it gets.
Of course, at WAFDE, October 31 is a time for tricks and treats and baelfires blazing against the coming winter darkness.
But it is also a day for looking fore and back, for embracing both the future and the past. With the barrier between this life and the next paper-thin, on this one night even those disposed to disbelief find themselves surprised by Dragons at every turn. Thus another generation of dracophiles is born.
While welcoming new-opened eyes, we also look into the darkness and celebrate the lives of Dragons past, of those who have gone before.
In the spirit of these great creatures – and as a final story from the weyrs, I offer a tale of Dragon’s End from The Dragon Keeper’s Handbook.
There is an island in the middle of the Sacred Sea. On this island grows a Great Rowan Tree, its branches aching upwards, lost in the clouds. Round the tree, tails entwined, sleep six Dragon Guardians, one from each corner of the Dragon World. When a Dragon has reached her end of days, she makes her way to the Island of the Great Tree. With fire and fang and the roar of a thousand-thousand wings, the Guardians honor her centuries of passions lived and send her on her way, up through silvered boughs to the Kingdom of the Eternal Dragon.
Non-Dragon types insist this is just a pretty fiction, of course. And yet…
…Set in the crystal waters of Lake Baikal is the island of Olkhon. On the island grows an ancient rowan tree. ‘Round the tree dwell the six Enchantments of the Weyr of the Eternal Dragon.
There is always truth in Dragon lore.
When the day comes – as it will – that the well-worn nest long filled with a Mountain of Wonder lies empty, you will feel the earth sigh and know it is the poorer for her passing. Hold tight to the memories of shared years and blazing passions, to her spirit filled with the thunder of a million stars.
Imagine her soaring strong across the Sacred Sea.
Hear in your heart the roar of the thousand-thousand.
Then… let her go.
And come next Samhain, open your soul – welcome her spirit home.