Dragon Slayer
The musty odor lingered across his nose. "This was it, this was the cave" he whispered under his breath. He knew this would be a challenge. The entrance of the cave was scattered with the bones of many who dared entered. He knew he had to do this even if this was the last thing he ever did. The young knight entered the musty cave with all the silence of a stalking leopard.
The cave was a gloomy sight, even in the interior of the cave there were bones of many past knights. This was no ordinary dragon. This dragon had killed more then most and had experience in fighting. He was the most sought after dragon in the world. He has stolen more gold from castles and killed more royal families than any other dragon.
This is why the young knight was here, his king sent him on this mission because of his daughter's kidnapping. The dragon snatched her off the castle balcony and took her to this cave.
The knight worked his way through the many winding turns of the cave. He knew this could either change his life or end it. The knight knew he had to stay silent and stay in the shadows. If the dragon would hear him it would be all over. The knight could sense the change in the smell as he went deeper into the cave. The smell was at first a musty old smell, the smell that most caves had, but this was different it was as if a rotten carcass had been setting in a warm room for weeks. He knew this smell; it was the smell of a dragon. He was near, so near he could feel the warmth of the dragon's body coming up the tunnel.
Then without the slightest clue of danger a ball of flame shot straight by him, so close he could feel the hairs on his face singe with the passing ball of flame. He knew this was a time for action. He ran as fast as he could towards the route the flames had come from.
No more than 50 yards of running took him into the dragon's lair. The lair was an awesome sight. There were more riches than any kingdom could imagine in a thousand years. The lair had the knight so awe struck that he had forgotten why he was there.
After fighting and winning many battles, Beowulf's life enters a new stage when he finally becomes king of his homeland, Geatland. Even in his old age, his code of honor still obligates him to fight against an evil, fiery dragon. For fifty years he has governed his kingdom well. While Beowulf is governing, the dragon "...kept watch over a hoard, a steep stone-barrow" (Norton 55). Under it lays a path concealed from the sight of men. Over centuries no one had disturbed the dragon’s kingdom until one day when a thief broke into the treasure, laid hand on a cup fretted with gold, which infuriated the dragon. "The fiery dragon had destroyed the people's stronghold, the land along the sea, the heart of the country" (Norton 57).
When Beowulf finds out about his home being destroyed, he decides that he is going to kill the dragon himself. Although Beowulf is very old at this point, he still has the confidence to slay the dragon. Beowulf has been king for fifty years, and he knows that all of his experiences in battle is enough for him to defeat the dragon.
On the long, arduous journey, the brave knight battles countless foes to the point where "to tell but the tenth part would tax [the author's] wits" (719). All manner of fearsome foes are described, from serpents and wolves to wild men and giants. However, he has "borne himself bravely, and been on God's side" (724), and therefore makes it through all these trials intact.
various plot-lines. In Beowulf, our hero is called upon to defend his helpless people from a dragon that
Before going into battle, he tells his men about the royal house and his exploits in its service. Beowulf states, “I am old now,/ But I will Fight again, seek fame still,/ If the dragon hiding in his tower dares/ To face me” (lines 625-628). Beowulf is giving his followers a final goodbye as he goes into battle. He is also letting he’s followers know he is an old man and it will not be easy. Beowulf then enters a hidden entrance, too hot for anyone to stand, a streaming current of fire and smoke has blocked the passage. The beast then awakes knowing that a man has come. In the story it states, “Beowulf/ Swung his shield into place, held it / In front of him, facing the entrance”(lines 670-672). Beowulf and his ancient sword are waiting, ready for battle. The monster then comes quickly towards him, shooting out fire, rapping around Beowulf’s body as he suffers. An author, Laurence Mazzeno, writes,” In his later years, after becoming king in his homeland, Beowulf loses his life in a fight with a dragon that is guarding a hoard of treasure and terrorizing the Geats.”
In the past weeks we have read “Beowulf, “by Daniel Donoghue. Beowulf is an old English epic poem which includes three important monsters, Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the Dragon. Each monster had a big part of the epic poem. Grendel was assumed to be killed by Beowulf, until Beowulf showed up at the palace and was told the monster attacking them was Grendel. Once Beowulf finally killed Grendel, his Mother appeared. However, at the very end the most important monster to me was the Dragon. The Dragon is the one that put an end to Beowulf’s life.
Once leaving the unknown, our hero, according to his/her circumstances must face his demons by slaying the dragon. It is now our hero overcomes to be a better version of himself/herself. Slaying the dragon is something the hero probably ran from their entire life up until this point. It’s what has scared our hero the most.
accompany the frightened heroes or heroines as they descend into the dragon's lair; crane our necks
Many have heard of the classic tale of Beowulf, the heroic slayer of monsters and dragons. Nevertheless, few have read the story of how he ventured from his own land to help a neighboring tribe battle a “. . . God-cursed brute. . .” (Lawall 1182) and his mother, a “. . . a monstrous hell-bride, . .” (1208). After single-handedly ridding Heorot, the neighboring kingdom, of two such evil creatures, he travels back to his own homeland to retell his deeds to his king (1219). Many years and feuds later, the kingdom was inherited by Beowulf, who grew old ruling his tribe with wisdom (1227). But, after he thinks that he has become invincible in his strength and ability to fight any wrong, a dragon wakens and wrecks havoc on the land (1230). With eleven young warriors at his back, Beowulf kills the fearsome dragon, although he is also slain in the process (1237, 1238).
As I inched my way toward the cliff, my legs were shaking uncontrollably. I could feel the coldness of the rock beneath my feet when my toes curled around the edge in one last futile attempt at survival. My heart was racing like a trapped bird, desperate to escape. Gazing down the sheer drop, I nearly fainted; my entire life flashed before my eyes. I could hear stones breaking free and fiercely tumbling down the hillside, plummeting into the dark abyss of the forbidding black water. The trees began to rapidly close in around me in a suffocating clench, and the piercing screams from my friends did little to ease the pain. The cool breeze felt like needles upon my bare skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps. The threatening mountains surrounding me seemed to grow more sinister with each passing moment, I felt myself fighting for air. The hot summer sun began to blacken while misty clouds loomed overhead. Trembling with anxiety, I shut my eyes, murmuring one last pathetic prayer. I gathered my last breath, hoping it would last a lifetime, took a step back and plun...
McCormick, Kylie, ed. "Circle of Dragons." The Circle of the Dragon. N.p., 20 Oct 2013. Web. 12 Nov 2013. .
...agon goes on a rampage across Beowulf's kingdom. Beowulf ends up dying defeating this dragon, and the treasure that he and so many others died for is buried with the him "and a trove of such things as trespassing men had once dared to drag from the hoard" (Beowulf 3164-3165).
To awaken the unconsciousness one must experience reality and develop new senses. The cave overall incorporates the idea of a movie theatre, where individuals watch life unfold on a screen, with no knowledge or desire to want to know who is playing the movie; only to sit in the darkness and watch the screen. Many of us take what they see in the movie as reality, not distinguishing between, story and fantasy; soon they begin to behave like the characters in the movie. For instance the twil...
“Dragons. Four fully grown, enormous, vicious-looking dragons were rearing on their hind legs inside an enclosure fenced with thick planks of wood, roaring and snorting- torrents of fire were shooting into the dark sky from their open, fanged mouths, fifty feet above the ground on their outstretched necks.” (p286)
After just two hours, our very large friend said he’d had enough for the day and was heading for the surface. We told him we’d be out in a few more minutes and to hang around so we could discuss what we’d found. As we began our ascent toward the entrance, we became acutely aware of the complete absence of light the entrance usually emanated. When our flashlights finally found the source of the unusual darkness we were horrified; the big guy was stuck in the cave’s opening again. This time Scott’s head and shoulders were outside, so instead of being able to pull him through, we would have to try to push him out of the opening. We pushed in every combination of ways possible, and needless to say it did not work this time. The paramount problem was that the cave floods from the interior out, so we would all drown if we couldn’t get Scott unstuck, and unstuck quickly.