Dragons by Roger Keyserling (ebook smartphone TXT) 📕

call a half-human half-dragon?

Dracotaur – Half-man, half-dragon. It debuted in Dungeons & Dragons.

 

Icelanders turned Viking ships away whenever they approached with dragons on their ships. Iceland's coat of arms has a dragon depicted on it. The Ancient Celtics believed that dragons were capable of prophesizing and they worshipped them. They also believed that dragons waited to greet those who had just died at the gates of the Underworld. The Ancient Japanese believed that dragons were looked like serpents and were water gods. Dragons In Film

 

Possibly the best film about dragons, Dragonheart is the story of Draco, a dragon who dared to share his heart to help keep a human prince alive. Unfortunately, his shared heart was wasted on a cruel tyrant, leading Draco to lose his faith in humanity. Partnering with Dennis Quaid's scheming, dragon-slaying ex-knight, Draco, voiced by Sean Connery, easily won fans over with his sarcastic commentary and curmudgeonly persona. The film even ended in tragedy, securing a better world for the kingdom and earning Draco his spot among the stars with his fellow dragons. Critics might have found the film banal in terms of its script, but no one could deny the lure of its visuals and aesthetic value. Since its release, it has also inspired a video game and two sequels.

Rob Cohen’s fantasy epic plays partly like a mismatched buddy comedy, only the reluctant partners turn out to be a monster-slaying knight (Dennis Quaid) who teams with the last remaining reptilian monster to fight a young tyrant (David Thewliss). The film cleverly casts Sean Connery as the cantankerous but dignified creature and the film features some occasionally inspired bursts of comedy: at one point the two protagonists have a stand-off, with the knight holding a sword while inside the dragon’s mouth. The film loses some credit by naming the dragon “Draco,” which sounds like the “John Smith” of dragon names.

Although it's a shame that Dragonheart's sequel was too terrible for words, its original story combined the delightful fantasy tale of two jaded characters tricking villages out of their money with the first truly realistic modern-day depiction of a dragon, earning its spot as one of the best dragon movies of all time.

 

The mythological beasts pay frequent visits to the Harry Potter series. The first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone establishes Robbie Coltrane’s Hagrid as a dragon enthusiast and introduces a cute hatchling named Norbert. The Goblet of Fire delivers a dandy battle scene between Harry and a bristling “Hungarian Horntail” as part of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The best dragon, however, occurs when Harry and his pals attempt a heist from the wizard bank Gringott’s and discover a sightless albino dragon as a subterranean guard. Both a menacing creature and a pitiable one, the dragon conveys plentiful personality in brief screen time and provides the heroes with a spectacular getaway.

 

Merlin is not a movie. It was a made-for-TV miniseries featured on NBC in 1998, but given its quality and following, it deserves a spot on the list. Some fans argue that the scene in the film where Merlin's love Nimue is sacrificed to a dragon is the best scene in the miniseries. Whether or not that is true, it cannot be denied that the scene brought dragons into living rooms across the nation during prime time TV. Fans of Game of Thrones may get a little blasé about seeing Drogon on screen

 

In one of cinema’s strangest post-apocalyptic scenarios, a brood of fire-breathing dragons hatch in contemporary London and proceed to lay waste to the planet, until a ragtag group of English survivors (including Christian Bale and Gerard Butler) and some American commandos (led by a whiskered Matthew McConaughey) team up to battle them in Northumberland. The dark, moody tone and squabbles between the humans keep the film from being as much fun as it should be, but the dragons provide a delightful bunch of old-school monsters who threaten mankind like a plague of devils. The film’s coolest image, of dragons incinerating London’s House of Parliament, is better captured in the poster than the actual movie.

 

Willow was one of the first fantasy movies many lovers of the genre ever experienced. While its troll looked more like a cheap King Kong costume and its two-headed dragon is positively archaic by today's special effects standards, it still managed to thrill viewers who fell in love with it in 1988. The scene where Willow kicks a hatching two-headed dragon into a moat only to witness it exponentially grow and devour humans enraptured viewers,  paving the way for much more realistic dragons in today's films.

Although Willow can only be called a modest success in terms of sales, like many fantasy films, it still has a large fanbase. Between its weird creatures and Warwick Davis's reluctant yet steadfast heroics, it still appeals to audiences today. It was nominated for two Academy Awards and director Ron Howard has told reporters to "never say never" when it comes to a possible sequel

 

It's all fun and games offering up virgins for the local dragon to eat-- until one of those virgins is your daughter. While Peter MacNicol may distance himself from his 1981 film, Dragonslayer still maintains a cult following. Between its general weirdness, darkness, and "saving the damsel in distress" theme, Dragonslayer recalls the archetypal dragon tale, as well as the story of David's triumph over Goliath, in more ways than one. It even includes a lottery system for sacrifices to its dragon, which is still a popular motif today.

The central creature of this downbeat medieval adventure has unquestionably the best name of any movie dragon ever – “Vermithrax Pejorative” – and gets a terrific build-up. It ventures forth from a burning lake in an ominous cave and feeds on a steady diet of sacrificial virgins chosen by a rigged lottery by the corrupt local monarch. An ill-fated village priest (Ian McDiarmid, Emperor Palpatine himself) accuses Vermithrax of being straight-up Satan and gets burned alive for his trouble. It’s a shame the well-intentioned movie surrounding the monstrosity doesn’t hold together better. It’s clearly inspired by Star Wars, but, as a sorcerer’s plucky apprentice, Peter MacNicol proves so callow, he makes Mark Hamill look like Harrison Ford. Nevertheless, the film features some shocking violence for a PG Disney movie, as well as undeniably cool design, including a 40-foot hydraulic dragon that conveys Vermithrax as old, dirty, and hateful.

The movie featured a surprising amount of gore for its subject, incorporating some borderline horror elements into its backbone. Today's dragon fans might see it and consider its special effects both too outdated and too dark, but the film was a huge achievement in cinematography and special effects at the time, portraying a dragon on the big screen as no film had quite done before.

 

 

Top 100 Dragon Movies according to https://www.listchallenges.com/top-100-dragon-movies

1. Reign of Fire (2002) 2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) 3. Heavy Metal (1981) 4. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) 5. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) 6. Spirited Away (2001) 7. Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924) 8. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) 9. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) 10. Sucker Punch (2011) 11. The Flight of Dragons (1982) 12. Fantasia (1940) 13. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) 14. Mulan (1998) 15. The Lego Movie (2014) 16. The Neverending Story (1984) 17. Outlander (2008) 18. Willow (1988) 19. Maleficent (2014) 20. Shrek (2001) 21. How to Train Your Dragon (2010) 22. The Brothers Lionheart (1977) 23. Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) 24. Alice in Wonderland (2010) 25. The Reluctant Dragon (1941) 26. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010) 27. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) 28. 47 Ronin (2013) 29. Beowulf (2007) 30. Shrek 2 (2004) 31. Dragonheart (1996) 32. Tale of Tales (2015) 33. Beowulf (1999) 34. Curse of the Ring (2004) 35. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) 36. Shrek the Third (2007) 37. Dragonslayer (1981) 38. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) 39. Arabian Nights (2000) 40. He's a Dragon (2015) 41. Shrek Forever After (2010) 42. Dragon Hunters (2008) 43. Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) 44. Pete's Dragon (2016) 45. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) 46. Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World (2010) 47. Jack the Giant Killer (1962) 48. Tales From Earthsea (2006) 49. Pete's Dragon (1977) 50. Futurama: Bender's Game (2008) 51. Quest for Camelot (1998) 52. Jupiter Ascending (2015) 53. The Colour of Magic (2008) 54. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) 55. Eragon (2006) 56. Galgameth (1997) 57. Alien³ (1992) 58. Q (1982) 59. Erik the Viking (1989) 60. Jabberwocky (1977) 61. Dragon Wars: D-War (2007) 62. The Invincible Iron Man (2007) 63. The Shamer's Daughter (2015) 64. Hercules (2014) 65. The Monkey King 2 (2016) 66. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) 67. Earthsea (2004) 68. Mortal Kombat (1995) 69. George and the Dragon (2004) 70. The Lair of the White Worm (1988) 71. Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker (2012) 72. The Lost Empire (2001) 73. Seventh Son (2014) 74. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005) 75. Your Highness (2011) 76. Gods of Egypt (2016) 77. Zhongkui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal (2015) 78. Legend of the Millennium Dragon (2011) 79. Jason and the Argonauts (1963) 80. The 7th Dwarf (2014) 81. The Last Airbender (2010) 82. The Last Dragon (2005) 83. Dragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire (2017) 84. Dungeons & Dragons (2000) 85. Age of the Dragons (2011) 86. Evolution (2001) 87. Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse (2015) 88. Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God (2005) 89. Dragon Storm (2004) 90. Fire and Ice: The Dragon Chronicles (2008) 91. Curse of the Dragon Slayer (2013) 92. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997) 93. Dragonball Evolution (2009) 94. In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds (2011) 95. Dragon Crusaders (2011) 96. King of the Lost World (2005) 97. Dragonheart: A New Beginning (2000) 98. The Crown and the Dragon (2013) 99. Dragonquest (2009) 100. Dragon Fighter (2003) Roger & Keywebco

 

“The best results come from people working together to learn…because everyone has different viewpoints, experience, and ideas.” - Roger Keyserling

 

Who Is the Man Behind Keywebco?

I'm Roger Keyserling and my life’s story began in NYC back in 1966 with limited sight at birth. I really don’t remember much of NYC since I was just a small child when I lived there. I have, however, been back there numerous times, so the majority of my memories of the Big Apple are from later in life.

 

About My Family

My mother and father worked for the Federal Jobs division of the Social Security Administration until they retired. My sister is a graduate of Trinity University of San Antonio, TX. I really enjoyed living so close to her when I was working there. Now, she’s working for Social Services in New Orleans. To this day, my parents are very active in a variety of projects. In fact, my father was recently a special guest on a radio