1.- Do you need an army? Easy peasy, dragon squeezy
According to Greek mythology, the hero Cadmus, founder of Thebes, raised an entire army after defeating a dragon. Here’s his recipe: 1.- Slay a dragon (easy enough, right?) 2.- Prepare the land as if you were going to sow grain 3.- Pull out all the teeth of the aforementioned ex-dragon.
4.- Plant the teeth in the ground, cover them with soil, and let them rest. 5.- Before you know it, an entire army will rise from the ground, clad in bronze armor, with swords and shields at the ready.
But beware, these Draconis Dentata soldiers are eager to get into combat so they might turn against each other when lacking an enemy to rally against in the proximity. Dragon’s teeth are not as common as one might think, don’t be wasteful.
2.- You don’t want this present down your chimney
The Gluhschwanz is said to be a dragon that flies over the fields of Germany, watching over farmers who don’t pay their worker’s fair wages or day laborers who don’t do their jobs well.
During the night, this beautiful mythical creature lands on the roof of this transgressors and lights up his scales so everyone knows that an evildoer lives there.
In extreme cases, the Gluhschwanz perches on the chimneys of those guilty of these crimes and drops something into them. What it is not specified, but we can imagine. The “present” ruins the meat that had been put to smoke and leaves behind a foul odor that lingers in the home for weeks.
Nasty.
3.- Eenie meenie tiny dragon We always think of dragons as these mighty overpowered creatures, however what if they were the size of a butterfly?
In Cyprian folklore they are! The Pyrausta is a four legged creature, with scales, filmed wings and the horned head of a dragon, roughly the size of the palm of your hand. It’s a flimsy little thing that springs to life near a fire and dies when the fire burns out.
It is unknown how the Pyrausta spawned, given their short lifespan and how demanding the conditions of their existence is, but they are an exciting sight to behold, due to their rarity and beauty.
4.- Don’t eat that, it will give you heartburn
A dragon eating the sun? Well yes, in ancient Philippines folklore the Minokawa is a bird-like dragon (is this cheating? perhaps, but is my list), that lives in outer space.
It’s so big that it can swallow the Sun and it regularly tries to do so. The Sun being so hot, it causes the dragon to spit it out again. Thus explaining solar eclipses. It is believed that when the Minokawa manages to finally eat the star, it will consume the Moon and finally the Earth.
Let’s hope it never hears about antacid tablets.
5.- Just let it soak
Can you imagine a HUGE dragon just chilling by the poolside? Well, Dhamballa, the great dragon god in ancient Haitian legends does just that.
It is believed that this multicolored, sometimes feathered, serpent spends its days relaxing in the rivers and lakes of the region. Legend says that Dhamballas fertility powers are so great, that every drop of water passing through its scales is filled with life-bringing properties which in turn helps the flora. Farmers build great, beautiful pools to entice Dhamballa to take a bath in them, making their land fertile and beautiful. When this dragon is pleased with the region it soars through the sky, its feathers and scales glimmering so bright that a rainbow is formed. Sounds like my last vacations in Cancún, I love just imagining it in a big lifesaver, sunglasses and a gargantuan margarita in its coiled tail.
What do you think about these mysterious dragon tales from around the world?
Did they give you any ideas to use at your RPG encounters?
If so, let me know in the comments and we could feature those in future blogs.
In the meantime, check out more impressive dragon and dragonkin epic encounters in Great Wyrms of Drakha, an RPG book filled with some really cool boss fights for high-level adventurers using the 5e system.