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140-469: In the Dragon Valor world, dragons are monsters with immense power; the player's role as a Dragon Valor is to slay them with a magical sword that is passed down through successive generations of the family. In a manner somewhat reminiscent of Phantasy Star III , the game differs from other platform action games of the time in that whom the protagonist marries during the game will influence who will lead

280-401: A Phoenician prince, was instructed by Apollo to follow a heifer and found a city wherever it laid down. Cadmus and his men followed the heifer and, when it laid down, Cadmus ordered his men to find a spring so he could sacrifice the heifer to Athena. His men found a spring, but it was guarded by a dragon, which had been placed there by the god Ares , and the dragon killed them. Cadmus killed

420-468: A weaker party discipline . Research indicates that factions can play an important role in moving their host party along the ideological spectrum. The first president of the United States, George Washington , warned of political factions in his famous farewell address from 1796. He warned of political parties generally, as according to Washington, political party loyalty when prioritized over duty to

560-430: A Yeouiju which had fallen from heaven. Another explanation states they are hornless creatures resembling dragons who have been cursed and thus were unable to become dragons. By other accounts, an Imugi is a proto-dragon which must survive one thousand years in order to become a fully-fledged dragon. In either case, they are said to be large, benevolent, python -like creatures that live in water or caves, and their sighting

700-516: A black dragon who was born to a poor family in Shandong . When his mother saw him for the first time, she fainted and, when his father came home from the field and saw him, he hit him with a spade and cut off part of his tail. Li burst through the ceiling and flew away to the Black Dragon River in northeast China, where he became the god of that river. On the anniversary of his mother's death on

840-488: A common political purpose, especially a subgroup of a political party that has interests or opinions different from the rest of the political party. Intragroup conflict between factions can lead to schism of the political party into two political parties. The Ley de Lemas electoral system allows the voters to indicate on the ballot their preference for political factions within a political party. Political factions can represent voting blocs . Political factions require

980-518: A commoner, Arlen married Shalya, also a commoner, to permanently end the dispute. In time, they had a son, whom they named Felippe. Felippe is the son of Arlen and Shalya, the king and queen of Raxis. Having had warriors for parents, Felippe quickly learned their skills. He wanted to journey and have an adventure, so he disguised himself and entered a martial arts tournament in the neighbouring kingdom of Jirat, which he won. This led to an exhibition match between Vilherm, one of Jirat's strongest knights and

1120-609: A detailed description of the Leviathan, who is described as being so powerful that only Yahweh can overcome it. Job 41:19–21 states that the Leviathan exhales fire and smoke, making its identification as a mythical dragon clearly apparent. In some parts of the Old Testament, the Leviathan is historicized as a symbol for the nations that stand against Yahweh. Rahab, a synonym for "Leviathan", is used in several Biblical passages in reference to Egypt . Isaiah 30:7 declares: "For Egypt's help

1260-468: A different power, rank, and ability, so people began establishing temples across the countryside dedicated to these figures. Many traditional Chinese customs revolve around dragons. During various holidays, including the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival , villagers will construct an approximately sixteen-foot-long dragon from grass, cloth, bamboo strips, and paper, which they will parade through

1400-457: A dragon has stolen the swords, and that Mihael is the only one who can reclaim them. Taking heart at this, Mihael heads further towards the site where Clovis defeated the dragon Titan. A passage to the underworld now stands here, and Mihael ventures through it, hoping to reclaim the swords and thus be able to ensure Anna's safety. Upon entering the underworld, Mihael finds the guardian of the sword Igunis standing before him. Igunis goes on to reveal

1540-662: A general protective emblem. It seems to have originally been the attendant of the Underworld god Ninazu , but later became the attendant to the Hurrian storm-god Tishpak , as well as, later, Ninazu's son Ningishzida , the Babylonian national god Marduk , the scribal god Nabu , and the Assyrian national god Ashur. Scholars disagree regarding the appearance of Tiamat , the Babylonian goddess personifying primeval chaos, slain by Marduk in

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1680-489: A head made of flint . Thunderstorms and earthquakes were thought to be caused by Apep's roar and solar eclipses were thought to be the result of Apep attacking Ra during the daytime. In some myths, Apep is slain by the god Set . Nehebkau is another giant serpent who guards the Duat and aided Ra in his battle against Apep. Nehebkau was so massive in some stories that the entire earth was believed to rest atop his coils. Denwen

1820-538: A hybridization of reptilian , mammalian , and avian features. The word dragon entered the English language in the early 13th century from Old French dragon , which, in turn, comes from Latin draco (genitive draconis ), meaning "huge serpent, dragon", from Ancient Greek δράκων , drákōn (genitive δράκοντος , drákontos ) "serpent". The Greek and Latin term referred to any great serpent, not necessarily mythological. The Greek word δράκων

1960-517: A kind of giant serpent that either possesses supernatural characteristics or is otherwise controlled by some supernatural power. The first mention of a "dragon" in ancient Greek literature occurs in the Iliad , in which Agamemnon is described as having a blue dragon motif on his sword belt and an emblem of a three-headed dragon on his breast plate. In lines 820–880 of the Theogony , a Greek poem written in

2100-461: A large number of Asian countries has been influenced by Chinese culture, such as Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and so on. Chinese tradition has always used the dragon totem as the national emblem, and the "Yellow Dragon flag" of the Qing dynasty has influenced the impression that China is a dragon in many European countries. The Korean dragon is in many ways similar in appearance to other East Asian dragons such as

2240-772: A massive tail, an image which is clearly inspired by the vision of the four beasts from the sea in the Book of Daniel and the Leviathan described in various Old Testament passages. The Great Red Dragon knocks "a third of the sun ... a third of the moon, and a third of the stars" out the sky and pursues the Woman of the Apocalypse . Revelation 12:7–9 declares: " And war broke out in Heaven . Michael and his angels fought against Dragon. Dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there

2380-451: A mysterious source which turns out to be the dragon pursued by Clovis. After some gameplaying stages, the player may choose to rescue Princess Celia or not, which will determine both the protagonist and the subsequent story of the next chapter. Having made the decision, the player (as Clovis) duels Volef, who runs off when beaten and heads for the alchemist's tower (where Raimun resides). After killing Raimun, Clovis' magic sword reveals that

2520-522: A reward. The word "dragon" has come to be applied to the legendary creature in Chinese mythology , loong (traditional 龍, simplified 龙, Japanese simplified 竜, Pinyin lóng ), which is associated with good fortune, and many East Asian deities and demigods have dragons as their personal mounts or companions. Dragons were also identified with the Emperor of China , who, during later Chinese imperial history,

2660-406: A secret for now, merely telling Phillip the way to the village. Phillip travels the way Jeanne suggested, planning to either wait for a ship back to Kadeli, for his captain to find him, or else to settle down in the village. The village is attacked, however, by Vappula's forces. Phillip then journeys to the ruins where he was told a magic sword resides. On the way, however, he encounters Vappula, who

2800-462: A spiritual battle. In Ferdowsi's Shahnameh , the Iranian hero Rostam must slay an 80-meter-long dragon (which renders itself invisible to human sight) with the aid of his legendary horse, Rakhsh . As Rostam is sleeping, the dragon approaches; Rakhsh attempts to wake Rostam, but fails to alert him to the danger until Rostam sees the dragon. Rakhsh bites the dragon, while Rostam decapitates it. This

2940-992: A study which found that approximately 39 people in a hundred are afraid of snakes and notes that fear of snakes is especially prominent in children, even in areas where snakes are rare. The earliest attested dragons all resemble snakes or have snakelike attributes. Jones therefore concludes that dragons appear in nearly all cultures because humans have an innate fear of snakes and other animals that were major predators of humans' primate ancestors. Dragons are usually said to reside in "dark caves, deep pools, wild mountain reaches, sea bottoms, haunted forests", all places which would have been fraught with danger for early human ancestors. In her book The First Fossil Hunters: Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times (2000), Adrienne Mayor argues that some stories of dragons may have been inspired by ancient discoveries of fossils belonging to dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. She argues that

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3080-505: A violent explosion, and Mihael disappears. With no word heard of him, Anna eventually sets out to find her brother, believing and praying that he is still alive. Having lost contact with Mihael, Anna goes searching in the fallen Kingdom of Raxis. Fighting her way through the ruined Raxis City, then the dilapidated castle, she manages to find a wounded Mihael, who explains about the theft of the swords by Krassel. He exhorts Anna to go and stop Krassel's plans: to revive Dahaka and unleash him upon

3220-606: Is a giant serpent mentioned in the Pyramid Texts whose body was made of fire and who ignited a conflagration that nearly destroyed all the gods of the Egyptian pantheon. He was ultimately defeated by the Pharaoh , a victory which affirmed the Pharaoh's divine right to rule. The ouroboros was a well-known Egyptian symbol of a serpent swallowing its own tail. The precursor to the ouroboros

3360-633: Is an Attic red-figure kylix dated to c. 480–470 BC, showing a bedraggled Jason being disgorged from the dragon's open mouth as the Golden Fleece hangs in a tree behind him and Athena , the goddess of wisdom, stands watching. A fragment from Pherecydes of Athens states that Jason killed the dragon, but fragments from the Naupactica and from Herodorus state that he merely stole the Fleece and escaped. In Euripides's Medea , Medea boasts that she killed

3500-489: Is associated with good luck. Japanese dragon myths amalgamate native legends with imported stories about dragons from China. Like some other dragons, most Japanese dragons are water deities associated with rainfall and bodies of water, and are typically depicted as large, wingless, serpentine creatures with clawed feet. Gould writes (1896:248), the Japanese dragon is "invariably figured as possessing three claws". A story about

3640-414: Is bested, and waiting for the finishing blow. Mihael intends to end Halfas' life, but Krassel steals the swords Soul and Azos, thus preventing Mihael from doing so. Mihael then faces the dragon Talon, defeats it, and lowers his guard by planting Kadum in the ground. Krassel then steals Kadum, and by uniting the power of the three swords, is able to call directly upon the magical powers of Dahaka. He sets off

3780-441: Is born. Due to Fannah's good head for business, her company flourishes, and eventually, Phillip also becomes a sailor, taking Azos with him. During a voyage, the ship he is on is attacked by beasts, and the dragon halfling Vappula reveals himself. Vappula knocks Phillip overboard, then flies in search of a different magic sword. Phillip is washed ashore on the island of Paley, where he meets Jeanne and Vilherm. Jeanne keeps her identity

3920-568: Is careful to point out that not all stories of dragons and giants are inspired by fossils and notes that Scandinavia has many stories of dragons and sea monsters, but has long "been considered barren of large fossils." In one of her later books, she states that, "Many dragon images around the world were based on folk knowledge or exaggerations of living reptiles, such as Komodo dragons , Gila monsters , iguanas , alligators , or, in California, alligator lizards , though this still fails to account for

4060-463: Is described in the form of cattle: "You won the cows, hero, you won the Soma ,/You freed the seven streams to flow" ( Rigveda 1.32.12 ). In another Rigvedic legend, the three-headed serpent Viśvarūpa , the son of Tvaṣṭṛ , guards a wealth of cows and horses. Indra delivers Viśvarūpa to a god named Trita Āptya , who fights and kills him and sets his cattle free. Indra cuts off Viśvarūpa's heads and drives

4200-431: Is executed by Halfas. As time passes, the sword Azos is stolen, and Mihael and Anna are born. The chapter opens with Mihael journeying to Saldo in search of a magic sword, accompanied by a now elderly Vilherm. Vilherm instructs Mihael to wait at the entrance to the ruins. He complies, noting that he's happy Anna didn't come because she had a date with a prince to worry about, until waiting grows thin. Journeying through to

4340-592: Is immortal, but Sophocles and Euripides both describe Heracles as killing him, although neither of them specifies how. Some suggest that the golden apple was not claimed through battle with Ladon at all but through Heracles charming the Hesperides. The mythographer Herodorus is the first to state that Heracles slew him using his famous club. Apollonius of Rhodes , in his epic poem, the Argonautica , describes Ladon as having been shot full of poisoned arrows dipped in

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4480-490: Is killed. Anna then defeats Krassel and goes in search of Halfas. Halfas, meanwhile, is waiting. He mockingly offers to fully heal Anna, who counters by saying his confidence will be his undoing. Anna defeats Halfas, who awaits the deathblow, saying that only all three swords combined will kill him. Krassel appears, however, before she can deliver it, taking Azos and Kadum with him as he flees. Anna rushes off in pursuit, ignoring Halfas' pleas for death. Anna then faces and defeats

4620-505: Is most likely derived from the Greek verb δέρκομαι ( dérkomai ) meaning "I see", the aorist form of which is ἔδρακον ( édrakon ). This is thought to have referred to something with a "deadly glance", or unusually bright or "sharp" eyes, or because a snake's eyes appear to be always open; each eye actually sees through a big transparent scale in its eyelids, which are permanently shut. The Greek word probably derives from an Indo-European base * derḱ- meaning "to see";

4760-466: Is often shown playing with on kagamibuta . The shachihoko is a creature with the head of a dragon, a bushy tail, fishlike scales, and sometimes with fire emerging from its armpits. The fun has the head of a dragon, feathered wings, and the tail and claws of a bird. A white dragon was believed to reside in a pool in Yamashiro Province and, every fifty years, it would turn into a bird called

4900-572: Is one of the national symbols of Bhutan . In the Dzongkha language, Bhutan is known as Druk Yul "Land of Druk", and Bhutanese leaders are called Druk Gyalpo , "Thunder Dragon Kings". The druk was adopted as an emblem by the Drukpa Lineage , which originated in Tibet and later spread to Bhutan. The tale of a hero slaying a giant serpent occurs in almost all Indo-European mythology . In most stories,

5040-467: Is released, along with eons' worth of evil. Dahaka then begins toying with Mihael, trying to manipulate his emotions to foster rage, to turn him into a dragon. Mihael almost gives in, when Anna's voice breaks in on his thoughts. Her words snap him back to reality, upon which he and Dahaka fight. Upon gaining an upper hand, Dahaka absorbs a lot of the evil that is lingering, and fights with renewed vigor. Mihael eventually prevails, and then uses Igunis to seal

5180-457: Is searching for the same thing. Vappula unleashes the dragon accompanying him to attack Phillip, in the hopes of claiming Azos. Phillip manages to defeat the dragon, and Vappula subsequently flees. Phillip then arrives at the Paley ruins, where he encounters, then defeats the guardian, thus acquiring the sword Kadum. As he exits the ruins, he finds the captain of his ship, Vilherm, and Jeanne waiting at

5320-430: Is so named because he is the third man on earth, but a three-headed serpent named * Ng hi steals them. *Tritos pursues the serpent and is accompanied by *H a nér , whose name means "man". Together, the two heroes slay the serpent and rescue the cattle. The ancient Greek word usually translated as "dragon" (δράκων drákōn , genitive δράκοντοϛ drákontos ) could also mean "snake", but it usually refers to

5460-573: Is the third trial of Rostam's Seven Labors . Rostam is also credited with the slaughter of other dragons in the Shahnameh and in other Iranian oral traditions, notably in the myth of Babr-e-Bayan . In this tale, Rostam is still an adolescent and kills a dragon in the "Orient" (either India or China, depending on the source) by forcing it to swallow either ox hides filled with quicklime and stones or poisoned blades. The dragon swallows these foreign objects and its stomach bursts, after which Rostam flays

5600-494: Is to return home with him. Kodel journeys to the Volcano, and faces a two-headed dragon. Eventually besting it, he returns to Clovis' fortress, to find Robere and Fannah also waiting for him there. Depending on whether or not Kodel released Fannah's soul from the room it was imprisoned in, the ending will differ, between Fannah falling in love with or hating Kodel. Clovis returns to Carolina, and, again depending on whether Fannah's soul

5740-566: Is traditionally said to have originated after the poet Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River and people raced out in boats hoping to save him. But most historians agree that the custom actually originated much earlier as a ritual to avert ill fortune. Starting during the Han dynasty and continuing until the Qing dynasty, the Chinese emperor gradually became closely identified with dragons, and emperors themselves claimed to be

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5880-449: Is worthless and empty, therefore I have called her 'the silenced Rahab '." Similarly, Psalm 87:3 reads: "I reckon Rahab and Babylon as those that know me..." In Ezekiel 29:3–5 and Ezekiel 32:2–8, the pharaoh of Egypt is described as a "dragon" ( tannîn ). In the deuterocanonical story of Bel and the Dragon from the Book of Daniel , the prophet Daniel sees a dragon being worshipped by

6020-500: The Homeric Hymn to Apollo , the god Apollo uses his poisoned arrows to slay the serpent Python , who has been causing death and pestilence in the area around Delphi . Apollo then sets up his shrine there. The Roman poet Virgil in his poem Culex , lines 163–201 Appendix Vergiliana: Culex , describing a shepherd having a fight with a big constricting snake , calls it " serpens " and also " draco ", showing that in his time

6160-585: The Pistis Sophia , an early Gnostic text, describes "a great dragon whose tail is in its mouth". In medieval alchemy, the ouroboros became a typical western dragon with wings, legs, and a tail. A famous image of the dragon gnawing on its tail from the eleventh-century Codex Marcianus was copied in numerous works on alchemy. Ancient people across the Near East believed in creatures similar to what modern people call "dragons". These ancient people were unaware of

6300-996: The mušḫuššu of ancient Mesopotamia ; Apep in Egyptian mythology ; Vṛtra in the Rigveda ; the Leviathan in the Hebrew Bible ; Grand'Goule in the Poitou region in France ; Python , Ladon , Wyvern and the Lernaean Hydra in Greek mythology ; Kulshedra in Albanian Mythology ; Unhcegila in Lakota mythology ; Quetzalcoatl in Aztec Culture ; Jörmungandr , Níðhöggr , and Fafnir in Norse mythology ;

6440-406: The samurai Minamoto no Mitsunaka tells that, while he was hunting in his own territory of Settsu , he dreamt under a tree and had a dream in which a beautiful woman appeared to him and begged him to save her land from a giant serpent which was defiling it. Mitsunaka agreed to help and the maiden gave him a magnificent horse. When he woke up, the seahorse was standing before him. He rode it to

6580-666: The Akkadian Period ( c.  2334 – 2154 BC) until the Neo-Babylonian Period (626 BC–539 BC). The dragon is usually shown with its mouth open. It may have been known as the (ūmu) nā’iru , which means "roaring weather beast", and may have been associated with the god Ishkur (Hadad). A slightly different lion-dragon with two horns and the tail of a scorpion appears in art from the Neo-Assyrian Period (911 BC–609 BC). A relief probably commissioned by Sennacherib shows

6720-606: The Chinese and Japanese dragons . It differs from the Chinese dragon in that it developed a longer beard. Very occasionally, a dragon may be depicted as carrying an orb known as the Yeouiju (여의주), the Korean name for the mythical Cintamani , in its claws or its mouth. It was said that whoever could wield the Yeouiju was blessed with the abilities of omnipotence and creation at will, and that only four-toed dragons (who had thumbs with which to hold

6860-423: The Hebrew Bible , in the Book of Psalms , Psalm 74 , Psalm 74:13–14, the sea-dragon Leviathan , is slain by Yahweh , god of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah , as part of the creation of the world. Isaiah describes Leviathan as a tanin ( תנין ), which is translated as "sea monster", "serpent", or "dragon". In Isaiah 27:1, Yahweh's destruction of Leviathan is foretold as part of his impending overhaul of

7000-576: The Sanskrit root दृश् ( dr̥ś- ) also means "to see". Draconic creatures appear in virtually all cultures around the globe and the earliest attested reports of draconic creatures resemble giant snakes. Draconic creatures are first described in the mythologies of the ancient Near East and appear in ancient Mesopotamian art and literature. Stories about storm-gods slaying giant serpents occur throughout nearly all Near Eastern and Indo-European mythologies. Famous prototypical draconic creatures include

7140-535: The Sumiyoshi temple, where he prayed for eight days. Then he confronted the serpent and slew it with an arrow. It was believed that dragons could be appeased or exorcised with metal. Nitta Yoshisada is said to have hurled a famous sword into the sea at Sagami to appease the dragon-god of the sea and Ki no Tsurayuki threw a metal mirror into the sea at Sumiyoshi for the same purpose. Japanese Buddhism has also adapted dragons by subjecting them to Buddhist law ;

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7280-466: The Azale Knights and sets off in search of Anna. Along the way, he is separated from the Azale Knights and continues on alone, to the now fallen Kingdom of Raxis. Fighting through the ruins of Raxis City and then its now-dilapidated castle, Mihael finds some renewed hope upon seeing a wounded Anna within the dungeon of Raxis Castle. Upon their reunion, Anna assures Mihael that she will be alright, but that

7420-569: The Azale Knights. However, the West Raxis Liberation Army, a resistance movement to Lodonya's rule, wishes to reunite Raxis into one Kingdom. The whole dispute started because Celia married Clovis, a commoner. After the split between East and West, Lodonya turned up and took control of the West. Lodonya's despise of the Raxis royal family comes from the fact that he holds Clovis, who has died before

7560-457: The Babylonian creation epic Enûma Eliš . She was traditionally regarded by scholars as having had the form of a giant serpent, but several scholars have pointed out that this shape "cannot be imputed to Tiamat with certainty" and she seems to have at least sometimes been regarded as anthropomorphic. Nonetheless, in some texts, she seems to be described with horns, a tail, and a hide that no weapon can penetrate, all features which suggest she

7700-534: The Babylonians. Daniel makes "cakes of pitch, fat, and hair"; the dragon eats them and bursts open. Azhi Dahaka (Avestan Great Snake) is a dragon or demonic figure in the texts and mythology of Zoroastrian Persia, where he is one of the subordinates of Angra Mainyu. Alternate names include Azi Dahak, Dahaka, and Dahak. Aži (nominative ažiš) is the Avestan word for "serpent" or "dragon. The Avestan term Aži Dahāka and

7840-487: The Chinese lunar calendar, Old Li returns home, causing it to rain. He is still worshipped as a rain god. In China, a dragon is thought to have power over rain. Dragons and their associations with rain are the source of the Chinese customs of dragon dancing and dragon boat racing . Dragons are closely associated with rain and drought is thought to be caused by a dragon's laziness. Prayers invoking dragons to bring rain are common in Chinese texts. The Luxuriant Dew of

7980-492: The Colchian dragon herself. In the final scene of the play, Medea also flies away on a chariot pulled by two dragons. In the most famous retelling of the story from Apollonius of Rhodes's Argonautica , Medea drugs the dragon to sleep, allowing Jason to steal the Fleece. Greek vase paintings show her feeding the dragon the sleeping drug in a liquid form from a phialē , or shallow cup. In the founding myth of Thebes , Cadmus ,

8120-485: The Crown Prince wore four-taloned dragon insignia. Korean folk mythology states that most dragons were originally Imugis (이무기), or lesser dragons, which were said to resemble gigantic serpents. There are a few different versions of Korean folklore that describe both what imugis are and how they aspire to become full-fledged dragons. Koreans thought that an Imugi could become a true dragon, yong or mireu , if it caught

8260-508: The Hydra's heads was immortal, so Heracles buried it under a heavy rock after cutting it off. For his Eleventh Labor, Heracles must procure a golden apple from the tree in the Garden of the Hesperides , which is guarded by an enormous serpent that never sleeps, which Pseudo-Apollodorus calls " Ladon ". In earlier depictions, Ladon is often shown with many heads. In Pseudo-Apollodorus's account, Ladon

8400-415: The Hydra, but, by the end of the sixth century BC, it was agreed that the clubbed or severed heads needed to be cauterized to prevent them from growing back. Heracles was aided in this task by his nephew Iolaus . During the battle, a giant crab crawled out of the marsh and pinched Heracles's foot, but he crushed it under his heel. Hera placed the crab in the sky as the constellation Cancer . One of

8540-470: The Japanese Buddhist deities Benten and Kwannon are often shown sitting or standing on the back of a dragon. Several Japanese sennin ("immortals") have taken dragons as their mounts. Bômô is said to have hurled his staff into a puddle of water, causing a dragon to come forth and let him ride it to heaven. The rakan Handaka is said to have been able to conjure a dragon out of a bowl, which he

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8680-524: The Jirat castle. He encounters and faces Zomas, who has become mentally deranged by the transfusion of dragon cells into his body. Upon Felippe defeating him, Zomas flees to his estate. Felippe does a more thorough search, and faces Zomas again, whose body transforms into that of a monster. After defeating Zomas, who is left unable to move or speak by the transformation, Felippe searches for the sword. Krassel appears, revealing that he double-crossed Zomas, knowing that

8820-661: The Middle Persian azdahāg are the sources of the Middle Persian Manichaean demon of greed "Az", Old Armenian mythological figure Aždahak, Modern Persian 'aždehâ/aždahâ', Tajik Persian 'azhdahâ', Urdu 'azhdahā' (اژدها), as well as the Kurdish ejdîha (ئەژدیها). The name also migrated to Eastern Europe, assumed the form "azhdaja" and the meaning "dragon", "dragoness" or "water snake" in the Balkanic and Slavic languages. Despite

8960-459: The Ogonchô, which had a call like the "howling of a wild dog". This event was believed to herald terrible famine. In the Japanese village of Okumura, near Edo , during times of drought, the villagers would make a dragon effigy out of straw, magnolia leaves, and bamboo and parade it through the village to attract rainfall. The Vietnamese dragon ( Vietnamese : rồng ) was a mythical creature that

9100-575: The Scandinavian legends, as no such animals (historical or otherwise) have ever been found in this region." Robert Blust in The Origin of Dragons (2000) argues that, like many other creations of traditional cultures, dragons are largely explicable as products of a convergence of rational pre-scientific speculation about the world of real events. In this case, the event is the natural mechanism governing rainfall and drought, with particular attention paid to

9240-529: The Spring and Autumn Annals , attributed to the Han dynasty scholar Dong Zhongshu , prescribes making clay figurines of dragons during a time of drought and having young men and boys pace and dance among the figurines in order to encourage the dragons to bring rain. Texts from the Qing dynasty advise hurling the bone of a tiger or dirty objects into the pool where the dragon lives; since dragons cannot stand tigers or dirt,

9380-410: The adventure in its next phase. There are two choices in the first chapter, and a possible two choices in the second chapter; hence, the game flow has three potential paths and thus three different endings. In Dragon Valor, the player's character is placed on a stage, with the intention to get from where they start towards the end of the stage or to defeat specific boss enemies along the way. Ultimately,

9520-463: The attempted resurrection, Anna charges into battle with Krassel, defeating him. As Krassel lays dying, Anna rushes off to stop the revival. She arrives too late, as Dahaka is unleashed on the world, with ages of stored evil coming forth to herald the resurrection. Dahaka returns to torment Anna, trying to foster her rage so that he can coerce her to give into it and become a dragon. She almost gives in, but Mihael's voice resounds in her mind, telling her

9660-473: The blood of the Hydra. In Pindar 's Fourth Pythian Ode , Aeëtes of Colchis tells the hero Jason that the Golden Fleece he is seeking is in a copse guarded by a dragon, "which surpassed in breadth and length a fifty-oared ship". Jason slays the dragon and makes off with the Golden Fleece together with his co-conspirator, Aeëtes's daughter, Medea . The earliest artistic representation of this story

9800-502: The brawl, Clovis is introduced to Carolina, an inventor who was shopping for parts when the bandits attacked, and she informs Clovis of the background: The Azale Knights are a military force of Jirat led by Volef, the Black Knight. They had turned rogue, attacked Raxis Castle, home of the royal family and taken Princess Celia hostage. Also siding with Volef is Raimun, an alchemist and samurai ; both had received their powers from

9940-501: The cattle home for Trita. This same story is alluded to in the Younger Avesta , in which the hero Thraētaona , the son of Āthbya, slays the three-headed dragon Aži Dahāka and takes his two beautiful wives as spoils. Thraētaona's name (meaning "third grandson of the waters") indicates that Aži Dahāka, like Vṛtra, was seen as a blocker of waters and cause of drought. The Druk ( Dzongkha : འབྲུག་ ), also known as 'Thunder Dragon',

10080-467: The city as part of a dragon dance . The original purpose of this ritual was to bring good weather and a strong harvest, but now it is done mostly only for entertainment. During the Duanwu festival, several villages, or even a whole province, will hold a dragon boat race , in which people race across a body of water in boats carved to look like dragons, while a large audience watches on the banks. The custom

10220-432: The come to the theory that it was the divine blood in their veins that helped them find each other, that formed the crystal Anna was within, and that allowed her voice to reach him when he needed it most. Giving up on speculation, Anna gently 'spurs' Mihael, to make him go faster. Mihael tells her to hold on, and breaks into a run. Laughing, the two head off towards home. Kodel and Fannah settle down as sailors before Phillip

10360-485: The constellation Draco ("the dragon") as one of forty-six constellations. Hipparchus described the constellation as containing fifteen stars, but the later astronomer Ptolemy ( c. 100 – c.  170 AD) increased this number to thirty-one in his Almagest . In the New Testament , Revelation 12:3, written by John of Patmos , describes a vision of a Great Red Dragon with seven heads, ten horns, seven crowns, and

10500-575: The creature that he ran away. In Chinese legend, the culture hero Fu Hsi is said to have been crossing the Lo River , when he saw the lung ma , a Chinese horse-dragon with seven dots on its face, six on its back, eight on its left flank, and nine on its right flank. He was so moved by this apparition that, when he arrived home, he drew a picture of it, including the dots. He later used these dots as letters and invented Chinese writing , which he used to write his book I Ching . In another Chinese legend,

10640-515: The deepest part of the ruins, Mihael finds Vilherm battered and wounded, but alive. Halfas then attempts to attack, but is thwarted. Halfas feels he has finally found a worthy opponent, and as such decides to "Strengthen" Mihael, attempting to kill him. Vilherm sacrifices himself to save Miahel's life. This sacrifice arouses hatred for Halfas within Mihael, who then swears that he will kill Halfas and avenge Vilherm. Before Halfas departs, he leaves to Mihael

10780-508: The dragon from Beowulf ; and aži and az in ancient Persian mythology, closely related to another mythological figure, called Aži Dahaka or Zahhak . Nonetheless, scholars dispute where the idea of a dragon originates from, and a wide variety of hypotheses have been proposed. In his book An Instinct for Dragons (2000), anthropologist David E. Jones suggests a hypothesis that humans, like monkeys , have inherited instinctive reactions to snakes, large cats , and birds of prey . He cites

10920-524: The dragon Talon (believing it to be Krassel), and lowers her guard as she plants Soul in the ground under the belief that the fighting is over. Krassel then steals Soul, and by uniting the power of the three swords, is able to call directly upon the magical powers of Dahaka. He sets off a violent explosion, and Anna disappears. With no word heard of her, Mihael organizes the Azale Knights and heads off in search of his sister, praying and hoping that she still lives. Having lost contact with Anna, Mihael organizes

11060-482: The dragon and fashions a coat from its hide called the babr-e bayān . In some variants of the story, Rostam then remains unconscious for two days and nights, but is guarded by his steed Rakhsh . On reviving, he washes himself in a spring. In the Mandean tradition of the story, Rostam hides in a box, is swallowed by the dragon, and kills it from inside its belly. The king of China then gives Rostam his daughter in marriage as

11200-497: The dragon however the same dragon emerges as an alternate form from its corpse. Clovis, in a fit of rage, swears vengeance and that he will find and kill this dragon. (Clovis does not belong specifically to any path, but he can set the choice as to whether the player embarks on the Azos, Soul, or Kadum paths) Having tracked the fugitive dragon for 5 years, Clovis arrives in the kingdom of Raxis, where he engages in combat with bandits. After

11340-452: The dragon in revenge, either by smashing its head with a rock or using his sword. Following the advice of Athena, Cadmus tore out the dragon's teeth and planted them in the earth. An army of giant warriors (known as spartoi , which means "sown men") grew from the teeth like plants. Cadmus hurled stones into their midst, causing them to kill each other until only five were left. To make restitution for having killed Ares's dragon, Cadmus

11480-429: The dragon is hidden west, deep within the catacombs. Clovis now faces a revived Volef, who now uses lightning based magic. Again, Volef runs away in defeat, only to lead Clovis to the dragon, who considers Volef's usefulness to be at an end and burns him to death just as Clovis arrives. Once the dragon is dead, Clovis realises that his vengeance has left him with nothing to do. If Princess Celia has been rescued earlier,

11620-603: The dragon king of the West Sea. And King Munmu of Silla who, on his deathbed, wished to become a dragon of the East Sea in order to protect the kingdom. Dragon patterns were used exclusively by the royal family. The royal robe was also called the dragon robe (용포). In the Joseon dynasty , the royal insignia, featuring embroidered dragons, were attached to the robe's shoulders, the chest, and back. The King wore five-taloned dragon insignia while

11760-799: The dragon lore of northern India may have been inspired by "observations of oversized, extraordinary bones in the fossilbeds of the Siwalik Hills below the Himalayas " and that ancient Greek artistic depictions of the Monster of Troy may have been influenced by fossils of Samotherium , an extinct species of giraffe whose fossils are common in the Mediterranean region. In China, a region where fossils of large prehistoric animals are common, these remains are frequently identified as "dragon bones" and are commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine . Mayor, however,

11900-471: The dragon of the pool will cause heavy rain to drive the object out. Rainmaking rituals invoking dragons are still very common in many Chinese villages, where each village has its own god said to bring rain and many of these gods are dragons. The Chinese dragon kings are thought of as the inspiration for the Hindu myth of the naga. According to these stories, every body of water is ruled by a dragon king, each with

12040-441: The dragon. Moving onwards to the glacier, Arlen eventually faces Lodonya and bests him. Lodonya flees to the Dragon's cavern, where he asks the dragon to consume his soul, that their powers might be joined in defeating Arlen. The dragon complies, but Arlen prevails. With the fact that Lodonya's body was never recovered, the civil war in Raxis came to an end. Realizing that the dispute causing the war came in part from his father being

12180-456: The emperor Qi are both described as being carried by two dragons, as are Huangdi, Zhuanxu , Yuqiang , and Roshou in various other texts. According to the Huainanzi , an evil black dragon once caused a destructive deluge, which was ended by the mother goddess Nüwa by slaying the dragon. A large number of ethnic myths about dragons are told throughout China. The Houhanshu , compiled in

12320-440: The entrance for him. Jeanne asks to borrow one of the swords, but cannot, as Phillip has been chosen by both Azos and Kadum. Phillip, however, helps Jeanne end the strife in her kingdom that was caused by demons, and the two eventually marry. Vappula, meanwhile, meets with his fellow minions, Halfas and Krassel. Both are displeased that he lost to a Dragon Valor, stating that his brawn was his only redeeming feature. As such, Vappula

12460-402: The events of Chapter 1, where Clovis leaves for Kadeli with Carolina. They settle down, but Clovis leaves without word one day. Carolina continues waiting for him, while Kodel, partly to support his mother, and partly out of frustration, earns his living stealing from pirates. Eventually, he steals from the pirate Robere, who is holding the sword Azos, which belonged to Clovis. As such, Kodel takes

12600-484: The existence of dinosaurs or similar creatures in the distant past. References to dragons of both benevolent and malevolent characters occur throughout ancient Mesopotamian literature. In Sumerian poetry , great kings are often compared to the ušumgal , a gigantic, serpentine monster. A draconic creature with the foreparts of a lion and the hind-legs, tail, and wings of a bird appears in Mesopotamian artwork from

12740-431: The fact that the characters change every chapter, the basic commands remain almost the same, with some slight variations in how they are carried out visually, being the only telltale difference. The player begins in the role of Clovis Barclay, a young man living in the land of Jirat. His sister Elena has been killed by a dragon. After a basic tutorial of the moves and how to use the game's magic, Clovis fights and vanquishes

12880-479: The fifth century BC by Fan Ye , reports a story belonging to the Ailaoyi people, which holds that a woman named Shayi who lived in the region around Mount Lao became pregnant with ten sons after being touched by a tree trunk floating in the water while fishing. She gave birth to the sons and the tree trunk turned into a dragon, who asked to see his sons. The woman showed them to him, but all of them ran away except for

13020-465: The first chapter. Fulfilling the trigger in Chapter 1, for example, means that Clovis marries Celia and becomes King of Raxis, and the next player character is their son, Arlen. Not fulfilling the trigger means that Clovis instead marries Carolina, which results in the next player character being Kodel. There is a similar choice trigger as Kodel over whether or not to save Fannah in his chapter. Regardless of

13160-470: The following chapter focuses on Arlen Barclay, heir to the throne of Raxis, otherwise it focuses on Kodel Barclay, who makes a living stealing from pirates. These characters have slight variations in fighting style. (Playing as Kodel occurs if Princess Celia was not rescued in Chapter 1. Kodel is playable on both the Azos and Kadum paths, as choosing whether or not to rescue Fannah determines whether you play as Phillip or Gerome in Chapter 3) Time passes after

13300-485: The fourteenth emperor of the Xia dynasty , was given a male and a female dragon as a reward for his obedience to the god of heaven, but could not train them, so he hired a dragon-trainer named Liulei, who had learned how to train dragons from Huanlong. One day, the female dragon died unexpectedly, so Liulei secretly chopped her up, cooked her meat, and served it to the king, who loved it so much that he demanded Liulei to serve him

13440-476: The game. Furthering this topic, the items that the player usually gets in trade are status-improving items. As stated above, the protagonist changes after clearing each chapter. There are three possible paths, coinciding with the three magic swords that are found on those paths: Azos, Soul, and Kadum. Players generally control a character for one chapter, though some characters can be played twice. The paths, as stated above, are chosen depending on certain triggers in

13580-571: The gates of Gehenna forever. Dahaka is sealed away, but his final words linger: as long as evil exists, Dahaka will one day return. Mihael leaves the underworld, heading towards Raxis Castle. En route, a red crystal appears before him; Anna is inside. Upon it reaching him, the crystal shatters, releasing an unconscious Anna into Mihael's arms. Mihael gives Anna a piggy-back ride, which she initially complains to. Mihael refuses to let her down, after seeing how injured she had been before. The two speculate more on their ancestry, as revealed by Igunis. Together

13720-641: The gods Ashur , Sin , and Adad standing on its back. Another draconic creature with horns, the body and neck of a snake, the forelegs of a lion, and the hind-legs of a bird appears in Mesopotamian art from the Akkadian Period until the Hellenistic Period (323 BC–31 BC). This creature, known in Akkadian as the mušḫuššu , meaning "furious serpent", was used as a symbol for particular deities and also as

13860-428: The hero is some kind of thunder-god . In nearly every iteration of the story, the serpent is either multi-headed or "multiple" in some other way. Furthermore, in nearly every story, the serpent is always somehow associated with water. Bruce Lincoln has proposed that a Proto-Indo-European dragon-slaying myth can be reconstructed as follows: First, the sky gods give cattle to a man named *Tritos ("the third"), who

14000-462: The incarnations of a divine dragon. Eventually, dragons were only allowed to appear on clothing, houses, and articles of everyday use belonging to the emperor and any commoner who possessed everyday items bearing the image of the dragon was ordered to be executed. After the last Chinese emperor was overthrown in 1911, this situation changed and now many ordinary Chinese people identify themselves as descendants of dragons. The impression of dragons in

14140-589: The independent kingdom of Alkemia was founded, responsible for the death of his father, Volef. After his encounter with Lodonya, Arlen is knocked off the battlements of the East Raxis castle while trying to rescue his mother, Celia. Arlen is swept downstream to the Falayd Caverns, where he is found (knocked out) by Shalya, the leader of the West Raxis Liberation Army, and her two lieutenants, Simon and Franco. After Arlen recovers, he leaves, headed towards Alkemia, being

14280-551: The information that he will be awaiting her arrival in Verea, and offers a chance to claim the other two magic swords. Anna journeys to and then through Verea into the lair of the Demons. On her way to facing Halfas, she encounters and defeats Vappula, who then flees. Upon her arrival where Krassel is waiting, she arrives to find Vappula dead, killed by Krassel. Krassel says that she actually killed Vappula, and says so to Vappula's face before he

14420-651: The information that he will be awaiting his arrival in Verea, and offers a chance to claim the other two magic swords. Mihael journeys to Verea, fighting through the city. It is here that he encounters Grusamseus, who plans to gain Dahaka's power and thus become a dragon halfling. Besting Grusamseus, Mihael rushes onward, to pass through and eventually reach the lair of the Demons. Facing and defeating Krassel, he then searches for Halfas. Halfas mockingly offers for Mihael to be fully healed before they fight, but Mihael counters, claiming that Halfas' confidence will be his downfall. Halfas

14560-705: The key to seal the gates of Gehenna forever. Dragon This is an accepted version of this page A dragon is a magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in Western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as winged, horned, and capable of breathing fire. Dragons in eastern cultures are usually depicted as wingless, four-legged, serpentine creatures with above-average intelligence. Commonalities between dragons' traits are often

14700-462: The kingdoms of Jirat and Raxis are unified by their wedding into the Empire of Jirat. They have twin children, Anna and Mihael. The chapter opens with Anna journeying to Saldo in search of a magic sword, accompanied by a now elderly Vilherm. Vilherm instructs her to wait at the entrance to the ruins, until concern creeps in and she goes looking for him out of worry. Journeying through to the deepest part of

14840-482: The latter would only turn into a monster by the process, and then kills him. Felippe confronts Krassel on the rooftop of the Zomas estate, where Krassel reveals his identity and calls a dragon to take Felippe out, that he might also claim Soul in addition to Azos. Felippe prevails against the dragon, however, and Krassel flees with Azos. Felippe is hailed as a hero, although regretting the loss of Azos. He and Jeanne marry, and

14980-534: The magic sword, Soul. On his journey back, he encounters Jeanne, who reveals that Zomas has led a coup against the kingdom, and seeks the sword herself that she may save her people and repay the sacrifices made to ensure her escape. She confesses her feelings of inadequacy, despite her being a skilled swordswoman. Felippe consoles her, saying that she was facing demons, and he discloses his identity to her. The two reach an agreement, as Felippe cannot surrender Soul to Jeanne, that he will, while searching for Azos, liberate

15120-413: The magic swords were made by the forbidden arts. After the war, Igunis was created against the worst-case scenario. After its revelations, which include that Anna, and her brother Mihael, are descendants of the gods, Igunis entrusts itself to Anna. Taking up Igunis, Anna sets off to find Krassel. When she eventually reaches him, it is almost too late. Dahaka is almost revived. In a last-ditch effort to stop

15260-417: The main character for the next chapter, while not saving her makes Gerome the main character.) Kodel finds Clovis, and they duel. After Kodel wins the fight, Clovis explains that there was evil growing in his heart, and that is why he left, in addition to trying to contain a dragon currently residing within the volcano near Linton. Kodel swears to his father that he will defeat the dragon, however then his father

15400-605: The most famous Chinese dragons is Ying Long ("responding dragon"), who helped the Huangdi , the Yellow Emperor, defeat the tyrant Chiyou . The dragon Zhulong ("torch dragon") is a god "who composed the universe with his body." In the Shanhaijing , many mythic heroes are said to have been conceived after their mothers copulated with divine dragons, including Huangdi, Shennong , Emperor Yao , and Emperor Shun . The god Zhurong and

15540-424: The negative aspect of Aži Dahāka in mythology, dragons have been used on some banners of war throughout the history of Iranian peoples. The Azhdarchid group of pterosaurs are named from a Persian word for "dragon" that ultimately comes from Aži Dahāka. In Persian Sufi literature, Rumi writes in his Masnavi that the dragon symbolizes the sensual soul ( nafs ), greed and lust, that need to be mortified in

15680-620: The orbs) were both wise and powerful enough to wield these orbs, as opposed to the lesser, three-toed dragons. As with China, the number nine is significant and auspicious in Korea, and dragons were said to have 81 (9×9) scales on their backs, representing yang essence. Dragons in Korean mythology are primarily benevolent beings related to water and agriculture, often considered bringers of rain and clouds. Hence, many Korean dragons are said to have resided in rivers, lakes, oceans, or even deep mountain ponds. And human journeys to undersea realms, and especially

15820-430: The origin of dragons, along with the origins of the magic swords. During this, Igunis reveals that Mihael, along with Anna, are descendants of the gods, and thus stand the best chance of defeating Dahaka. Upon completion, Igunis entrusts itself to Mihael. Mihael then ventures deeper into the underworld, encountering and defeating Krassel. As Krassel lays dying, Mihael rushes off to stop Dahaka. He arrives too late, as Dahaka

15960-528: The phenomenon of the rainbow. In Egyptian mythology , Apep or Apophis is a giant serpentine creature who resides in the Duat , the Egyptian Underworld. The Bremner-Rhind papyrus, written around 310 BC, preserves an account of a much older Egyptian tradition that the setting of the sun is caused by Ra descending to the Duat to battle Apep. In some accounts, Apep is as long as the height of eight men with

16100-553: The physician Ma Shih Huang is said to have healed a sick dragon. Another legend reports that a man once came to the healer Lo Chên-jen, telling him that he was a dragon and that he needed to be healed. After Lo Chên-jen healed the man, a dragon appeared to him and carried him to heaven. In the Shanhaijing , a classic mythography probably compiled mostly during the Han dynasty , various deities and demigods are associated with dragons. One of

16240-585: The player must fight and defeat a dragon at the end of each chapter (a chapter being a series of stages leading towards the dragon) in order to clear the chapter. Along the way, players can collect items to boost their hit points, magic points, attack, and defense. Players can also obtain 'tomes' after defeating specific enemies, which grant access to spells. The game's currency is Val, and players can collect this to buy recovery potions (which are used immediately upon purchase), status-improving items, or items that may be sold for Val or traded for other items later on in

16380-419: The power of a dragon halfling in exchange for it. Krassel, after finishing this, encounters Felippe while the latter is searching the Zomas estate for Azos. Vilherm's blade is chipped as Felippe strikes Krassel, and seeing that he cannot defeat the dragon halfling without a magic sword, flees. Felippe learns of a magic sword being sealed in the ruins near Jirat, and journeys there, defeating the guardian to claim

16520-469: The protector to Jeanne, the princess, and Felippe, with Jeanne and the prime minister, Zomas, watching. Partway through the duel, Zomas takes Jeanne hostage, demanding the sword Azos, which Felippe is currently using, in exchange for her life. Felippe surrenders the sword, which Zomas takes with him as he flees back to his estate. As Felippe borrows Vilherm's sword to hunt down Zomas and recover his own, Zomas presents Azos to Krassel, who promised to give Zomas

16660-455: The rearing of dragons. The Zuo zhuan , which was probably written during the Warring States period , describes a man named Dongfu, a descendant of Yangshu'an, who loved dragons and, because he could understand a dragon's will, he was able to tame them and raise them well. He served Emperor Shun, who gave him the family name Huanlong, meaning "dragon-raiser". In another story, Kong Jia ,

16800-448: The rest up the mountains. To this day, Vietnamese people often describe themselves as "Children of the dragon, grandchildren of the fairy" ( Con rồng cháu tiên ). In the Rigveda , the oldest of the four Vedas , Indra , the Vedic god of storms, battles Vṛtra , a giant serpent who represents drought. Indra kills Vṛtra using his vajra (thunderbolt) and clears the path for rain, which

16940-472: The ruins, Anna finds Vilherm battered and wounded, but alive. Halfas then attempts to attack, but is thwarted. Halfas feels he has finally found a worthy opponent, and as such decides to "Strengthen" Anna, attempting to kill her. Vilherm sacrifices himself to save her life. This sacrifice arouses hatred for Halfas within Anna, as she swears to attain vengeance by killing Halfas. Before Halfas departs, he leaves to Anna

17080-461: The same meal again. Since Liulei had no means of procuring more dragon meat, he fled the palace. One of the most famous dragon stories is about the Lord Ye Gao, who loved dragons obsessively, even though he had never seen one. He decorated his whole house with dragon motifs and, seeing this display of admiration, a real dragon came and visited Ye Gao, but the lord was so terrified at the sight of

17220-452: The seventh century BC by the Boeotian poet Hesiod , the Greek god Zeus battles the monster Typhon , who has one hundred serpent heads that breathe fire and make many frightening animal noises. Zeus scorches all of Typhon's heads with his lightning bolts and then hurls Typhon into Tartarus . In other Greek sources, Typhon is often depicted as a winged, fire-breathing serpent-like dragon. In

17360-459: The sword in his care. One day, Clovis would send a sign to Robere that he needs to be stopped, and that sign would be the theft of his greatest treasure. Kodel refuses to give Azos to Robere, deciding to face his father and to go and rescue Fannah. Eventually arriving at the abandoned fortress near the destroyed city of Linton, Kodel searches the fort for his father. (Here, the option is presented about saving Fannah or not. Saving Fannah makes Phillip

17500-530: The two words were probably interchangeable. Hesiod also mentions that the hero Heracles slew the Lernaean Hydra , a multiple-headed serpent which dwelt in the swamps of Lerna . The name "Hydra" means "water snake" in Greek. According to the Bibliotheka of Pseudo-Apollodorus, the slaying of the Hydra was the second of the Twelve Labors of Heracles . Accounts disagree on which weapon Heracles used to slay

17640-466: The undersea palace of the Dragon King (용왕), are common in Korean folklore. In Korean myths, some kings who founded kingdoms were described as descendants of dragons because the dragon was a symbol of the monarch. Lady Aryeong , who was the first queen of Silla , is said to have been born from a cockatrice , while the grandmother of Taejo of Goryeo , founder of Goryeo , was reportedly the daughter of

17780-476: The universal order: בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִפְקֹד יְהוָה בְּחַרְבּוֹ הַקָּשָׁה וְהַגְּדוֹלָה וְהַחֲזָקָה, עַל לִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ בָּרִחַ, וְעַל לִוְיָתָן, נָחָשׁ עֲקַלָּתוֹן; וְהָרַג אֶת-הַתַּנִּין, אֲשֶׁר בַּיָּם In that day the LORD will take His sharp, great, and mighty sword, and bring judgment on Leviathan the fleeing serpent — Leviathan the coiling serpent — and He will slay the dragon of the sea. Job 41:1–34 contains

17920-515: The unwitting decoy for Shalya's forces as he decimates the Alkemian garrison, and fights through the guards at the execution grounds where Queen Cilia is being held prisoner in anticipation of her execution. While Arlen is doing that, Shalya rescues the queen. After being berated by his mother for time-wasting (and a slight bit of possible confusion as to whether or not he wasted time, courtesy of Shalya), Arlen then learns of Lodonya's true intent: to revive

18060-478: The weapon as his own, and rescues Fannah, who is actually the daughter of Robere. Fleeing the ship after the knights attack Robere's pirates, Kodel and Fannah swim for Kadeli, and while in the city, are attacked by a knight, who bears a message for Robere from Clovis. This message comes by a ghost appearing from the knight's corpse and taking Fannah's soul from her body. This leads to a fight between Kodel and Robere, after which Robere explains to Kodel that Clovis left

18200-432: The words she needs most to release her anger: that he is alright, and by her side in this fight; that she is not alone. Anna rushes forward to attack Dahaka, and manages to get the upper hand. Dahaka, upon being bested, absorbs the evil and malice in the air around them, and uses that to magnify his power. Anna then fights a more desperate fight, eventually defeating the ancient dragon. As Dahaka lies there, Anna uses Igunis as

18340-423: The world. Anna agrees to this, and heads off towards where Clovis defeated the dragon Titan. Awaiting her there is the path to the underworld. Anna ventures through the passage, eventually coming out in the Underworld to come face to face with the guardian for the sword, Igunis. Igunis has been waiting for her, as it begins its revelation upon the origins of dragons, and how the gods sought to fight them. Eventually,

18480-468: The youngest, who the dragon licked on the back and named Jiu Long, meaning "sitting back". The sons later elected him king and the descendants of the ten sons became the Ailaoyi people, who tattooed dragons on their backs in honor of their ancestor. The Miao people of southwest China have a story that a divine dragon created the first humans by breathing on monkeys that came to play in his cave. The Han people have many stories about Short-Tailed Old Li,

18620-594: Was conceived as some form of dragoness. In the mythologies of the Ugarit region, specifically the Baal Cycle from the Ugaritic texts , the sea-dragon Lōtanu is described as "the twisting serpent / the powerful one with seven heads." In KTU 1.5 I 2–3, Lōtanu is slain by the storm-god Baal , but, in KTU 1.3 III 41–42, he is instead slain by the virgin warrior goddess Anat . In

18760-453: Was forced to serve Ares as a slave for eight years. At the end of this period, Cadmus married Harmonia , the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite . Cadmus and Harmonia moved to Illyria , where they ruled as king and queen, before eventually being transformed into dragons themselves. In the fifth century BC, the Greek historian Herodotus reported in Book IV of his Histories that western Libya

18900-519: Was freed or not, Kodel either settles down with her or travels. This leads to Chapter 3. (Playing as Arlen occurs if Princess Celia was rescued in Chapter 1.) We learn that Clovis found peace with Celia and his wounded heart was soothed. Later, the Kingdom of Raxis split into two factions , the East, which was ruled by the royal family, and the West, retitled Alkemia, led by Lodonya, Volef's son, and commander of

19040-567: Was inhabited by monstrous serpents and, in Book III, he states that Arabia was home to many small, winged serpents, which came in a variety of colors and enjoyed the trees that produced frankincense . Herodotus remarks that the serpent's wings were like those of bats and that, unlike vipers, which are found in every land, winged serpents are only found in Arabia. The second-century BC Greek astronomer Hipparchus ( c. 190 BC – c.  120 BC) listed

19180-515: Was no longer any place for them in Heaven. Dragon the Great was thrown down, that ancient serpent who is called Devil and Satan, the one deceiving the whole inhabited World – he was thrown down to earth and his angels were thrown down with him." Then a voice booms down from Heaven heralding the defeat of "the Accuser" ( ho Kantegor ). Political factions A political faction is a group of people with

19320-530: Was often used as a deity symbol and was associated with royalty. Similar to other cultures, dragons in Vietnamese culture represent yang and godly beings associated with creation and life. In the creation myth of the Vietnamese people , they are descended from the dragon lord Lạc Long Quân and the fairy Âu Cơ , who bore 100 eggs. When they separated, Lạc Long Quân brought 50 children to the sea while Âu Cơ brought

19460-522: Was the "Many-Faced", a serpent with five heads, who, according to the Amduat , the oldest surviving Book of the Afterlife , was said to coil around the corpse of the sun god Ra protectively. The earliest surviving depiction of a "true" ouroboros comes from the gilded shrines in the tomb of Tutankhamun . In the early centuries AD, the ouroboros was adopted as a symbol by Gnostic Christians and chapter 136 of

19600-613: Was the only one permitted to have dragons on his house, clothing, or personal articles. Archaeologist Zhōu Chong-Fa believes that the Chinese word for dragon is an onomatopoeia of the sound of thunder or lùhng in Cantonese . The Chinese dragon ( simplified Chinese : 龙 ; traditional Chinese : 龍 ; pinyin : lóng ) is the highest-ranking creature in the Chinese animal hierarchy. Its origins are vague, but its "ancestors can be found on Neolithic pottery as well as Bronze Age ritual vessels." A number of popular stories deal with

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