Dragon World is all about dragons. There are books, games, and movies, on dragons. This world will talk about them all. people can send in pictures or story on dragons. Please do.
- Created By HopeDragon
The Gypsy and the Dragon
The Gypsy and the Dragon
In the vast steppes of Russia there lived a tribe of gypsies, who traveled up and down the country selling remedies and beads, never staying for long in the same place. The leader was an astute and sharp-witted man whose name was Yuri, and he had six clever sons. One day, when the tribe was camped next to a town celebrating the holiday of Saint Basil, Yuri was told that a few versts from there lived a moujik (a Russian peasant) who was selling colts at a very good price. The astute gypsy thought that he would be able to do a good deal if he bought the animals and then sold them again, and he set out cheerfully. He put a piece of fresh cheese and slice of rye bread in a pouch and made his way to the moujik's village, leaving his people to sell their wares at the fair.
On arriving in the neighbouring village, he was surprised to find the place silent and deserted. he walked through the narrow streets in astonishment, looking for clues as to what had happened. Suddenly, he heard a terrified voice warning him:
'Flee from here wretch, if you don't want the dragon to devour you.'
'Who is speaking?' asked Yuri.
'It is I, old Vestia.' And from behind some filthy willow baskets emerged and old man with a long beard. He was stooped and trembling, and so thin that he was nothing more than skin and bone.
'Hello, granddad,' said Yuri amiably, 'what is going on here?'
'Of, my son!' sighed the old man, 'an evil dragon has devoured all the inhabitants of the town... people, animals, even the cats! I am the only person left because i am so old that the monster didn't fancy eating skin and bones, but today he will return, and as he will find nothing else to eat, he will eat me too. Go far from here, if you do not want to suffer the same fate.'
'Don't worry granddad,' replied the bold Yuri. 'I am not afraid of the dragon. If you do what I tell you no harm will befall you. Hide among the willow baskets and don't say a word.'
Soon the earth began to shake from the dragon's footsteps. He was enormous and looked very hungry.
Yuri, who knew that dragons are vain and curious by nature, went up to him and greeted him courteously:
'Good day, tsar of the dragons.'
The dragon was very proud to be addressed thus. He thrashed the ground with his tail, spread his wings to display the marvelous jeweled breastplate adorning his chest and bowed his head, saying modestly:
'But that is not so, I am simply a common dragon.'
'You are not common, magnificent lord,' protested Yuri, 'you are the greatest, the most beautiful and the most powerful of all. I am eager to admire your strength.'
'Yes,' admitted the vain animal, coiling and uncoiling his tail, blushing with pleasure, 'it is true that I am strong and I am generally thought beautiful. But who are you standing before me so fearlessly?'
'I am the strongest man in the world,' replied Yuri with alacrity.
'You are the strongest? Don't make me laugh!'
'But I am, even though you doubt my words.'
The dragon, who by now was very interested in the gypsy, picked up a stone and crushed it to powder.
'Perhaps you can do the same, if you are the strongest of humans.'
'That wouldn't be difficult,' replied Yuri with aplomb, 'but can you squeeze water out of the stone as I can?' And without letting the dragon see what he picked up from his pouch, he squeezed the fresh cheese until whey trickled out between his fingers.
'Well,' thought the dragon, 'he really is very strong. It would be better to have him as friend than an enemy.'
And to win the man's friendship he suggested:
'Come and eat at my house. You are a very nice human being and I would like us to be friends.'
'Very well dragon, let's go.' The monster took Yuri to the cave where he lived and asked him:
'Would you kindly go to the woods and bring back an oak tree to make a fire.'
Yuri went out determined to prevent the dragon from discovering the trick, but his arms were not strong enough to uproot such enormous trees and bring them back to the cave. Then he had an idea and he tied a group of sturdy oaks together with the rope the dragon had given him.
After a while, and seeing that the gypsy had not returned, the animal made his way to the woods and met Yuri who was very busy tying the trunks carefully together.
'What on earth are you doing?' asked the reptile, astonished.
'Well, I thought that if I bring back all the trees at once we will have wood for several days.'
'Leave it, leave it, we don't want to cut down the whole wood', replied the dragon, more convinced of his friend's strength. 'I'll take the trunk back home. Meanwhile, bring me a bullock to cook. Behind the house, in a field, you will find herd of bullocks. Just make sure you choose the plumpest.'
Yuri set off determinedly for the field, and after a while the dragon found him tying the bullocks together.
'What are you doing?'
'Well I thought if I brought all the bullocks back to the cave we could make a big bullock stew.'
'Friend,' said the dragon sighting, 'you have a strange way of doing things. One bullock wil be enough. I'll take him back myself.' And somewhat perturbed by his guest's behaviour, the dragon seized the plumpest bullock, killed it, skinned it and started to cook it. The two friends gorged themselves until they were full, and after the sumptuous feast, the dragon, who was in a good mood, offered to accompany the gypsy back to his house.
'Thank you,' replied Yuri, 'but I was thinking of buying some horses.'
'Don't worry about that, I have a beautiful colt, and I can sell it to you for a hundred roubles.'
Yuri agreed to the deal and told the dragon that he would pay him when they reached his house. As it was a long way the dragon decided to adopt a human form. They set out on horses belonging to the dragon and made good progress towards the camp. During the journey, Yuri warned his friend that he had six sons who were strong and had clairvoyant powers. When they reached the outskirts of the camp, Yuri's sons ran to meet him, and on seeing the colt they began to shout.
'You've only brought one!'
'It must be for me', shouted the oldest.
'No, no, I want this one', argued the smallest.
Yuri looked at the dragon and said:
'What rascals! Didn't I tell you that they were clairvoyant? They recognized you.' The dragon, terrified, thought that the boys wanted to keep him as a plaything, or to devour him, and as they were strong as their father, there was no possible hope of escape for him. He quickly dismounted from the horse, took on his dragon form and flew off in panic. Never again did he dare go near the Russian Steppes, where the gypsies are so strong they fight over dragons.
The Peasant and the Dragon
The Peasant and the Dragon
One day, a dragon who was flying back home was caught in a violent storm. The wind howled and the rain came down with such force that even the sturdiest oak trees were uprooted and blown down like straw. Despite his great size, the dragon was buffeted in all directions and in the end he lost his way in the dark. In vain he tried and tried again to rise above the storm, battling with all his strength against the elements, but at last, overcome with weariness, he fell exhausted to the ground.
While he lay unconscious in the mud, a peasant who lived in a humble shack nearby walked past.
On catching sight of the monster, who lay so still that he looked dead, the man, whose name was Lucas, felt sorry for him. He approached the inert body and saw that the dragon was still alive. With the help of his horse he moved the dragon to an outhouse which served as a barn. Then he made the dragon comfortable and cover him with a patched blanket, and ran into the house to ask his wife to prepare some hot food. She was apprehensive.
'You are mad if you want to give food and shelter to such a beast. You would do better to kill him and then the king will give us a reward for his skin.'
'Quiet woman,' retorted Lucas. 'The dragon is weak and ill, and it is not Christian to deny help to the ailing, of whatever race they belong to.'
'Don't be stupid husband!' exclaimed his wife. 'This creature is not a Christian, nor is he a man. He will eat you the minute he is better.'
Taking no notice of his wife's warning, the peasant devoted himself to feeding and caring for the animal. As a result of his efforts, the dragon soon recovered and thanked the peasant for saving him.
'There is nothing to thank me for', replied the good man. 'We are all God's creatures.'
'Even so, many men in your position would have killed me and sold my skin, which is very valuable.'
'Any man who takes advantage of the fallen must be very evil. Such behaviour does not befit a knight', replied the peasant.
On hearing her husband's words, the wife, who was listening at the door, began to laugh.
'Look at this fool, giving himself the airs of a knight when he is a pauper!' she exclaimed from her hiding place. 'You won't speak like that when the tax collectors come and take away our horse because we haven't paid our taxes.'
'It is honour not wealth that makes a man a knight', replied the worthy Lucas in a low voice.
However, the dragon heard the conversation, and, noting the peasant's poverty, offered him a reward for his trouble.
'I could not refuse anything in gold, because the tax collector is comming soon and I have nothing to pay him with. But that is not why I helped you, friend', said the man.
'I know, but now that I am strong enough to fly home, come to my cave and choose anything you wish. Lucas climbed fearlessly onto the dragon's back, but his wife begged him not to trust the dragon.
'When you are in the middle of the forest, he will eat you,' she groaned', and I will be left alone.'
The dragon bore the peasant to his cave and there he entertained him for three days. When the time came for him to return home, the animal loaded a huge sack of gold and precious stones on his back as a gift, and carried Lucas back to his shack.
'Come and see me whenever you are hard up', he said on parting.
Lucas found his wife sad and dressed in mourning, for she believed he was dead. With the dragon's gifts the couple were able to buy a beautiful farm with many animals, but the wife started becoming extravagant, and one day she said to her husband:
'If we had a little more money, we would be able to buy good land and employ others to work on it, and then when we have a son he will be able to be a knight. Why don't you ask the dragon for a little more gold?' Lucas refused, but in the end he gave in and when to see the dragon. The creature thought it was a sound idea, and was delighted to be able to help his friend once more. But then hardly a year went by and the wife insisted:
'If we could buy a castle and some villages, we would become counts.' Lucas, tired of his wife's nagging, went once more to see the dragon in his cave, and the latter granted his request. The couple received a dukedom. Not long afterwards, the wife wanted to go and live at court.
One day, the new duchess saw the queen arriving in her golden carriage, dessed in silks, with silver farthingales, and wearing fabulous jewels.
Her eyes glinting with ambition, she said:
'My good Lucas, it has occurred to me that when we have a son, if there is a war he will have to go the front as an officer, and he might die in combat. It would be much better if we became monarchs so that our son would be in less danger. Your friend the dragon will grant us this wish.'
'But wife don't talk nonsence.' His wife cried and entreated him until finally Lucas decided to visit the dragon who greeted him warmly.
'Friend,' said the dragon after listening to his story, 'your wife is too ambitious. She will never leave you in peace. She will never have enough and she will always want more, but I have the answer. Come into the cave.'
And the dragon showed his guest into a cosy room where beautiful young women were singing and dancing.
'Now you are my prisoner. These girls will keep you company and will see that your every wish is carried out, for they are my slaves, but you will not be able to leave the cave other than in my company and you will not return to see your wife.'
From then on the good man lived happily with the dragon and the maidens. As for Lucas's wife, she had to dress in mourning, convinced that her husband had finnally been devoured by the monster, just as she had predicted from the beginning.
