Whirlwind 2021

Whirlwind
Dragons
Inspired by the podcast “The
Anthropocene Reviewed” by John
Green
By Leah D.
Hello, I’m Leah Durkee; and welcome to Analyzing
Humanity, a podcast that reflects on the everyday, often
unnoticed things that connect us all. Today we will be looking
into a legend that has imbedded itself into practically every
culture, for thousands of years – dragons.
All it takes is the word “dragons” for a clear image to pop
into your head. You may imagine a giant reptilian beast burning
everything in its wake with a terrifying fiery breath, or perhaps a
peaceful serpent-like creature gliding through the skies. Nobody
knows when these magnificent creatures first found their way
into our lives, though evidence of dragon-related myths can be
discovered in civilizations as far back at the Ancient Greeks and
Sumerians. The stories were a result of the Ancients discovering
fossils from dinosaurs and other reptiles – with no other
explanation for these strange, gigantic bones, dragons were their
answer.
Despite their bizarre, mythological appearance – tough
scaled bodies, large bat-like wings, jagged horns, barbed tails,
magical abilities, and a breath of smoldering flames, just to name
a few – dragons are a very human thing. Not in appearance,
of course, but as a concept. Dragons were used to explain the
unknown and they represent ideas we find hard to grasp. For
example, in Europe, Christians viewed dragons as a living
depiction of Satan; afterall, the Bible described Leviathan with
verses such as “the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil
and Satan” and “Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring
fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him”.
Therefore, European legends often include these malevolent
versions of dragons being slain by knights and heros, showing
that the saints would always win over the devil, that good would
triumph over evil.
Asia, in a stark contrast, views dragons to be benevolent,
wise beings that represent the imperial rule. Unlike their
European counterparts, these versions are often long, serpentlike,
and wingless, though they are still capable of gliding
through the skies. Many stories of Chinese origin tell of these
guardian-like creatures bringing good fortune and rain.
Dragons can mean a plethora of things to each culture –– in
my research for this recording alone I came across countless
different depictions –– , but each person also carries their own
interpretation. Whether you truly believe they exist or not, their
impact on our lives is undoubtedly very real. For me, the idea
of dragons is synonymous with a sense of wonder, of discovery.
When I was in the second grade, reading no more than the
school requirements, I came upon a book; Wings of Fire by Tui
T. Sutherland. The novels each tell the story of an epic quest from
the perspective of different dragon characters, and I was hooked
from book one. I went from barely knowing where my library
was to flying through a 15-book series in one school year.
This fascination sparked a passion, and in addition to
reading any and all dragon-related books I could get my hands
52
Things That Fly (Relief Sculpture) ~Sophia F.
on, I started to write my own stories, though very poorly. See, I
grew up a Navy brat, and the countless moves meant continuous
friendships were more of a luxury than a staple of childhood.
Writing, however, stayed with me, and every recess for a year
I sat in the back corner of the playground with nothing more
than a pencil and composition notebook. My first ever story was
about a dragon named Joy, and the adventures she went on with
her companions. It was just about the worst thing I have ever
read, but those sloppily written pages were the start of a journey.
In fact, I later went on to have a poem published in my local
newspaper about being a military child.
However, my wonderment over dragons didn’t simply fade
away once I began pursuing other passions. The Navy eventually
moved me and my family to Sicily, Italy, and we took advantage
of every travel opportunity we could while in Europe. That is
when I discovered dragons had a whole culture worldwide. I
would stare in awe at the monstrous depictions throughout
the cities we visited, my tiny little world suddenly growing into
something much larger.
I went on almost every trip with my family, all except one,
when my sister, mother, and my mother’s two friends traveled to
Poland. They returned with stories of seeing the Wawel Dragon
in Krakow, a 20 foot tall bronze masterpiece that has been
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