Lesson 8 - Dragons

Available: April 2
Due Date: April 22. Please try to hand in assignments before the due date. Due to time zones, while you may think you still have an hour left, in actuality the assignment may have closed 2 hours ago.

DRAGONS - MoMC- XXXXX




Dragons have appeared in the early literature of Babylonia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Germany, Scandiavia and the British Isles. There are lists upon lists of warriors who have battled dragons. Hercules was said to have slew Hydra (a dragon with 9 venomous heads), various Babylonian warriors battled Tiamat (a dragon known as the Queen of Darkness), the Norse god Thor battled with the Midgard Serpent (a dragon so huge it encircled the entire Earth) and Beowulf was considered one of the first English warriors to battle a dragon.

The word dragon comes from the Greek word drakon which means "huge serpent". Dragons are generally depicted as enourmous serpents with impenetrable scales, 1 or 2 pairs of legs and a set of wings shaped like a bats. Some had long poisonous fangs, others have twin horns, enormous claws and a forked or barbed tail. Some dragons even have the ability to breath fire. They are crafty beasts who dwell in caves, craters of volcanoes, lakes and oceans.

Now a brief description of the ten breeds of dragons. Most of the time these dragons will mate with their own breed, but occasionally they will interbreed producing very rare hybrids. The pure-breed dragons are as follows:



Antipodean Opaleye - Native to New Zealand, it has been known to migrate to Australia when territory becomes scarce in its native land. It dwells in valleys rather than mountains. It is of medium size (2-3 tonnes)and is perhaps the most beautiful type of dragon. as it has iridescent, pearly scales and glittering, multi-coloured, pupil-less eyes (hence the name). It produces a very red scarlet flame, and is not particularily aggressive as it will rarely kill unless it is hungry. It's favourite food is sheep, but will attack larger prey. The Opaleye eggs are pale grey and are often mistaken for fossils by Muggles.

Chinese Fireball - It is often referred to as Liondragon. It is the only Oriental dragon and has a particularily striking appearance. It is scarlet and smooth-scaled and has a fringe of golden spikes around its snob-snouted face. It gained its name for the mushroom-shaped flam that bursts from its nostrils when it is angered. It weighs between 2-4 tonnes. The eggs are vivid crimson speckled with gold and the shells are prized for use in Chinese wizardry. It is aggressive but more tolerant of its own species than most dragons, and will often share its territory with up to two others. Its favourite food is pigs and humans.

Common Welsh Green - It blends well with the lush grass of its homeland although it nests in the higher mountains, where a reservation has been established for its preservation. This breed is among the least troublesome of the dragons, preferring to prey on sheep and actively avoiding humans- unless provoked. The Welsh Green has an easily recognisable and surprisingly melodious roar. Fire is issued in thin jets. The eggs of the Welsh Green are an earth brown, flecked with green.

Hebridean Black - Native to Britain, the Hebridean is quite aggressive. It requires a territory of as much as a hundred square miles per dragon. They can reach up to 30 feet in length, and they are rough-scaled, with brilliant purple eyes. They have a line of shallow but razor-sharp ridges along its back and its tail is tipped by an arrow shaped spike. The Hebridean Black feeds mostly on deer though it has been known to carry off large dogs and even cattle.

Hungarian Horntail - Said to be one of the most dangerous of all dragon breeds. It has black scales, yellow eyes, bronze horns and similarily coloured spikes that protrude from its long tail. The Horntail has one of the longest fire-breathing ranges (up to 50 feet). The eggs are cement coloured and particularily hard shelled. The young dragons club their way out of the eggs using their tails, whose spikes are developed at birth. The Horntail feeds on goats, sheep and when possible- humans.



Norwegian Ridgeback - It resembles the Horntail in most respects, though instead of tail spikes it sports prominent jet-black ridges along its back. Especially aggressive towards its own kind, it is one of todays most rare breeds. They often feed on large land mammals, but although odd for a dragon, the Ridgeback will also feed on water-dwelling creatures such as whale calves. The eggs of a Ridgeback are black, and their young develop fire-breathing abilities earlier than other breeds- generally between 1-2 months.

Peruvian Vipertooth - Smallest of all known dragons, it is the swiftest in flight. It is only 15 feet in length, and is smooth-scaled, copper-coloured with black ridge markings. The horns are short and the fangs particularily venomous. The Vipertooth most often feed on goats and cows, but has such a liking for humans that the International Confederation of Wizards was forced to send in exterminators in the late 19th century to reduce their numbers. Since then, their numbers have been reducing steadily.

Romanian Longhorn - It has dark green scales, long glittering golden horns which it will use to gore its prey before roasting it. When the horns are reduced to a powder they are highly valued as potion ingredients. The native territory of the Longhorn has become the world's most important dragon reservation where wizards of all nationalities study a variety of dragons at close range. The Longhorn has been the subject of an intense breeding program because its numbers have fallen so low in recent years due to the trade of its horns.

Swedish Short-Snout - An attractive silvery-blue dragon whose skin is sought after for the manufacture of protective gloves and shields. The flame that issues from its nostrils is a brilliant blue and can reduce timber and bone to ash in a matter of seconds. The Short-Snout has the fewest human killings to its name. This could be due to the fact that it prefers to live in wild, uninhabited mountainous areas.

Ukrainian Ironbelly - The largest breed of dragon, it has been known to achieve a weight as much as 6 tonnes. Rotund and slower in flight, it is nevertheless extremely dangerous and capable of crushing buildings with its weight. The scales are metallic grey, the eyes deep red and the talons particularily long and vicious. Ironbellies have been the subject of constant observation by the Ukrainian wizarding government since one carried off a sailing boat from the Black Sea in 1799.

Please be sure to complete Assignment 8.