Dragons appear in several myths and fairy tales; Ash "LeopardDancer" DeKirk of the Grey School of Wizardry wrote an entire book about them.
Dragonlore starts with descriptions of different dragons in worldwide folklore. Since DeKirk mentions so many dragons, it might be hard for those new to dragonlore to memorize their names. The next section feature tales about dragon, including the famous "St. George and the Dragon." DeKirk then describes modern dragon stories (including video games, film, and literature), features a few original dragon stories, and explains dragons in the natural world.
DeKirk succeeds at challenging the common image of a dragon: a flying creature with bat-like wings that breathes fire. She even mentions a dragon with cat-like heads in the first section. Plus, many of the dragons DeKirk features are serpent dragons that, instead of flying, move in the sea. The frequent illustrations throughout the book help to instill various images of dragons in readers' minds.
Another thing DeKirk succeeds at was explaining dragons' symbolism and significance in several cultures. For instance, she explained how European Christians used the dragon to represent sin while, in some Eastern cultures, dragons served as gods and benevolent creatures.
While Dragonlore teaches readers about the world of dragons, Christians might struggle to get through the last section on real-world dragons because of the several references to evolution. Since the book comes from the Grey School of Wizardry, though, its anti-Christian references are not surprising.
Nevertheless, the last section challenges the idea that dragons are fully make-believe by bringing up real-world creatures that can count as dragons; one of them even has the name, "flying dragon."
Dragonlore will not please everyone, but it successfully challenges common assumptions about dragons alongside explaining why they matter around the world. I recommend it for fans of mythology, fairy tales, or fantastical creatures.
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