Dragon Figurines, Both Dreadful And Great

When I was a kid, my dad took me to see the movie The Hobbit. It was one of the first fantasy movies that I ever saw, and I became completely enamored with fantasy, science fiction, and especially dragons. I started drawing them all the time, and even in wood shop, I used a router to carve a dragon on a wooden plaque. When I was done with the pattern, I painted it and then used a torch to sear the edges and make it look older. Not too long after that, my older brother introduced me to a brand new game called Dungeons and Dragons.

The game had more or less just arrived from the United Kingdom and was becoming very popular. Pretty much everyone started playing it, including the teachers at my junior high, and it even became one of our electives, which at that time were not for-credit classes, but more or less enrichment classes where we could play games or learn crafts. All in all, it was a lot of fun, and while it is something that was a part of my youth, it is a culture that is revived again and again practically every generation.

The dragon is a creature of both wonder and dread. Occasionally shown to be benevolent, they also represent some of the more dreadful aspects of our nature. Greed, lust, avarice of all forms are given a physical nature in the dragon in Western culture. They are also symbols of great power and unbridled dominion. While these creatures may not have ever existed in the real world, they have continue to be powerful symbols in our cultural consciousness. From the nemesis of St. Andrew, to the enemy of the Hobbits, to the destroyers of the modern world in an apocalyptic future to pixel generated enemies in virtual dungeon quests, dragons are and will be a part of our fantastic imaginations.

Go into any spun glass figurine shop today, and you're almost guaranteed to find any number of fantasy creations, from fairy figurines to dragon figurines of all sizes. I particularly like the dragon figurines that depict the monster in chains, as to me, this represents the subjugation of superfluity and vice to the higher powers of reason and justice. These creatures may be wonderful and amazing, but to me, they will always represent the worst in us, and the ultimate challenge to conquer.