Quest for Fairy Enchantment Day 2

August 4, 2008	
==Description==
Welcome to the VFK Legends in History Epic Quest, Day 2!<BR><BR>
This is the second day of your epic quest for fairy enchantment! Today's journey will explore some of the early legends and history of that mythical creature, the Dragon!<BR><BR>
Your reward for completing this second stage of the Epic Quest will be 1,000 credits and your second Legend Pin, the Shield Pin!
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===Prizes===
===Questions===
1. Dragons, or fantastic monsters are usually thought of as huge bat-winged, fire-breathing, lizard-like or snake-like creatures with a barbed tail. Surprisingly, the belief in dragons appears to have arisen without any knowledge on the part of the ancients of the astonishingly dragon-like extinct reptiles of the past ages. What creature is thought to actually be the origin of the dragon?
* Tyrannosaurus Rex
* Komodo Dragon
* Bat
* Snake
* Fire Toad<BR><BR>
2. The word dragon is derived through Latin and French from the Greek 'drakon' interpreted as "sharp-sighted." In Greece, the word 'drakon' was used originally to refer to any large serpent. The grand and fierce dragon of mythology, whatever shape the creature may take, remains essentially a snake. The equivalent English word "drake" or "fire-drake" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon 'draca'. This formidable sounding word is used in Teutonic mythology to represent a fire-breathing reptile-like creature which may have wings and is similar to a dragon. Because the word Fire-drake naturally inspires fear, both the US Navy and the British Navy have named ships Fire-drake. Go to the ship on the map and say "Welcome aboard the Firedrake"<BR><BR>
3. Like many mythological creatures, the dragon has been portrayed as both evil and contrastingly as wise and beneficial. The dragon as an evil power is derived primarily from the "near eastern" world where snakes or serpents are large and dangerous. Myths portray the dragon as symbolic of all things evil. The oriental idea of the serpent as an evil power gave rise to a plentiful brood of terrors. Which of the following creatures is NOT derived from these evil oriental legends:
* Hydras
* Dragoon
* Gorgons
* Chimaera
* Apophis
* Tiamat<BR><BR>
4. On the side of good, the dragons that were not considered evil were actually thought to be benevolent. They were sharp-eyed dwellers of the innermost reaches of the earth. They were possessors of the secrets of the world beyond human knowledge and were considered oracles of wisdom. Overall, the evil reputation of dragons was the stronger and affected the way that dragons were thought of by the early Christian world. The Christians did not differentiate between the benevolent dragons and the evil ones of ancient cults, and identified them all as suspicious. 
Dragon's were often found in caves protecting a hoard of treasure. Go to the cave next to Ned Kelly's hideout and shout into the opening. "Hey, dragon, are you in there?"<BR><BR>
5. The similarity of ancient dragon lore between different peoples points to a great antiquity of the dragon legends. The most ancient of legends from varying cultures describes dragons as the power of evil, guardian of treasure hoards, and the greedy withholder of all good things from mankind. The slaying of a dragon was the path to glory and the crowning achievement of a hero such as Sir Lancelot, the ideal example of Medieval chivalry. The following heroes all slayed dragons. Which of the following heroes killed the great dragon Grendel?
* Sir Tristam
* Siegmund
* King Arthur
* Beowulf
* Sigurd<BR><BR>
6. The form that dragons take in legend varies greatly between legends. The dragon Tiamat of Chaldaean legend had four legs, wings and a scale covered body. The dragon of Egyptian legend, Apophis had a gigantic snake like body. The Persian dragon had cloven hooves and the dragon of the Apocalypse is a many headed dragon like the Greek Hydra, called "the old serpent."<BR>
Here in Virtual Family Kingdom, we have our very own dragon. Find the dragon picture on the map, and tell it "You are a very good dragon!"<BR><BR>
7. Dragons are a large part of Arthurean legend. In Mallory's "Morte d'Artur," King Arthur sees a dragon in his dreams that is winged and very active. The King says it "swoughs" down from the sky. King Arthur's father Uther Pendragon not only has dragon in his name and ordered two golden dragons made, but he had a vision of a flaming dragon in the sky. Pendragon's seers interpreted his dream to mean:
* That he should turn over rule of the kingdom to his son
* That he should come to the kingdom
* That he should surrender his kingdom to his enemies
* That he should leave the kingdom forever
* That he should hire body guards to protect him from evil<BR><BR>
8. Other Kings in later history used dragons as their ensign of war. The Anglo-Saxon king named Richard I carried the symbol with him when on crusade. Go to the Medieval castle gate and say "to the terror of the heathen beyond the sea."<BR><BR>
9. What is the national symbol of China and the badge of the royal family?
* A Dragon
* A Cat
* A Griffin
* Lightning bolts<BR><BR>
10. In Chinese art, the dragon can be easily differentiated from the dragons in other Asian countries by this one simple test. The Chinese Imperial dragon has 5 claws. The regular Chinese dragon has only four claws and the Japanese dragon known as tatsu can be identified by its three claws. The tatsu dragon is able to change size at will and even get so small as to become invisible. Go to Merlyn's magic square and say. "I want to be small and invisible, please."<BR><BR>
 
===Answers===
1. Snake
2. Go to the ship on the Medieval Age map and say "Welcome aboard the Firedrake"
3. Dragoon
4. Go to the cave next to Ned Kelly's Shack and shout into the opening. "Hey, dragon, are you in there?"
5. Beowulf
6. Find the dragon picture on the Medieval Age map, and tell it "You are a very good dragon!"
7. That he should come to the kingdom
8. Go to the Medieval Castle Gate and say "to the terror of the heathen beyond the sea."
9. A Dragon
10. Go to outside Merlin's Magic Shop and say. "I want to be small and invisible, please."
Category:Quests Category:Epic Quests