Well, I know... Dragons don’t have a good reputation. Everyone wants to kill them...
Perseus, in order to save Andromeda...
Perseus and Andromeda, Joachim Wtewael, 1611.
(Please, tell me my dragon is prettier!)
The Perseus called 'Saint-Georges' by the Christians...
Lancelot...
The Brothers Grimm, in one of my favourite fairy tales: The Two Brothers...
Why do we hate that much these poor dragons? Mainly because dragons are associated with snakes. However, if for our Judeo-Christian civilisation, snakes are not pleasant creatures, they have been venerated by Aztec, Toltec and Maya civilisations... You might want to read an article on this subject... Click here.
Extract:
Figure majeure du panthéon précolombien, le dieu serpent Quetzalcóatl a été adoré dès le premier millénaire avant Jésus-Christ. Représenté sous différentes formes, il s’est vu attribuer nombre de pouvoirs : créateur du Soleil et de la Lune, sauveur de l’humanité...
And our dragons are more of the second type: they bring good luck.
They wrap around your ankle and turn into a kind of bracelet, as the snake in The Little Prince.
- Où sont les hommes ? reprit enfin le petit prince. On est un peu seul dans le désert... - On est seul aussi chez les hommes, dit le serpent. Le petit prince le regarda longtemps : - Tu es une drôle de bête, lui dit-il enfin, mince comme un doigt... - Mais je suis plus puissant que le doigt d’un roi, dit le serpent. Le petit prince eut un sourire : - Tu n’es pas bien puissant... tu n’as même pas de pattes... tu ne peux même pas voyager... - Je puis t’emporter plus loin qu’un navire, dit le serpent. Il s’enroula autour de la cheville du petit prince, comme un bracelet d’or. - Celui que je touche, je le rends à la terre dont il est sorti, dit-il encore. Mais tu es pur et tu viens d’une étoile...
Le Petit Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
Of course, ours don’t have any bad intentions! And if you want to be able to wear them, they must carry you in their heart.
Indeed, our dragons are the most loyal creatures in the world, but they are also the most distrustful ones... So, first and foremost, you need to inspire confidence and build trust.
As the little prince with the fox, you must tame your dragon!
You need to look into their eyes seven times a day for seven weeks before they begin to get used to your presence. You need to be careful the very first days because as they are scared, they can spit fire and burn your eyebrows for example! They speak with flames and they are very frank... So, don’t be surprised if they say everything to your face... Once again, be careful with your eyebrows, especially if they are bushy, because your bushes would have great difficulties to grow again after the fire. Unfortunately, their little flames work better than laser... But, please, don’t be too easily discouraged! Indeed, you can turn this inconvenience into an advantage if you are clever, by wisely using their first aggressiveness. If you are a man, it could be a very efficient way to shave for example.
- [...] Qu’est-ce que signifie « apprivoiser » ? - C’est une chose trop oubliée, dit le renard. Ça signifie « créer des liens... » - Créer des liens ? - Bien sûr, dit le renard. Tu n’es encore pour moi qu’un petit garçon semblable à cent mille petits garçons. Et je n’ai pas besoin de toi. Et tu n’as pas besoin de moi non plus. Je ne suis pour toi qu’un renard semblable à cent mille renards. Mais, si tu m’apprivoises, nous aurons besoin l’un de l’autre. Tu seras pour moi unique au monde. Je serai pour toi unique au monde...
Le Petit Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
“What exactly does ‘tamed’ mean?” “Well, it’s something too often forgotten,” said the fox. “I suppose it means: to make some kind of relationship.” “Relationship?” “Yes,” said the fox. “I’ll explain. To me, you are just a little boy like any other, like a hundred thousand other little boys. I have no need of you and you have no need of me. To you I am a fox like any other, like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, you and I, we will have created a relationship, and so we will need one another. You will be unique in the world for me…
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, translated by Michael Morpurgo.
You should reread The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry ♥, or at least this great article: 7 timeless life lessons from The Little Prince. You will read that you need to use number 4 to tame your dragon! ;)
By the way, the little prince and us are neighbours in the Sky, so you won’t be surprised to know that these 7 commandments are common to The Great Heaven of Literature.
When your dragons are on your ankle, they operate as thermometers.
If someone has bad intentions, they become blue (sad) and very cold.
If someone is friendly and sweet, they become orange, my favourite colour.
If someone is in love - you set their heart in fire - your dragons may be a bit jealous and get aggressive again, so they turn bright red (angry), and naturally, they spit fire.
Flora
Ps. Sentimental drawing, drawn when I was 13...