Domestic and Dwarf Dragons
from Heidelberg
Some years ago I happened to visit the german town Heidelberg. At the
market I found a booth with all sorts of ceramic animals - and
dragons. There were small dragons and also big dragons with a wick in
their nostrils, which could be used as a sort of lamp. Looking for a
birthday present for my brother, a great collector of frogs, I
is still in my own collection). Back at home I realized that the frog
was wrapped into a sheet of paper telling the story of the dragons:
European dragons are commonly regarded as brute and wayward beasts.
Not so in Heidelberg. There dragons were part of everyday life. Their
eggs were commonly found in the river Neckar. People collected them,
hatched and raised the dragons. The young dragons became loyal keepers
and protectors of the house. Additionally they helped to light the
hearth - remember, there were no matches at that time! Of course every
blacksmith owned a dragon.
People living near the river Neckar, and especially fishermen
preferred the water-loving female dragons. Only male dragons were able
to fly. They were preferred by farmers and wine-growers. Old legends
even tell about dragon-riders - who knows? Female dragons were very
intelligent. There are reports, that some of them were capable of the
human language. They were beloved by wise women, alchimists and
sorcerers, and scholars, who often had philosophical discourses with
their dragons.
People inhabiting only small rooms kept dwarf dragons. In this species
both sexes had wings. Their eggs were commonly found on the sunny
hillsides in the vicinity of Heidelberg.
Christianity brought an end to these good old habits - the keeping of
a domestic dragon. Clergymen interpreted dragons as an offspring of
hell and prohibited any contact with these animals. Disobediance was
rigorously punished.
Lil Stinker
"just havin' fun!"
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