Background - Why "dragons"?

By Wayne Brown
Dragons are a special kind of monster with a long and rich history. They are not all bad, in fact some are downright cute.

For example, one of the most ancient and most feared monsters in the Old Testament tradition is "Leviathan". Leviathan just so happens to have been chosen by Thomas Hobbes for what is perhaps the oldest treatment of the subject of this blog -- the State as a living thing. Anyone looking at the pictures of the Biblical Leviathan will see he's a dragon.

It also turns out that the dragon is a recurring symbol of monarchy in the Eastern thread of dragon lore -- quite close to what I'm writing about here. It's not so much of a stretch to use the "dragon" to refer to the state itself, rather than a symbol for the monarch, who personifies the state -- not just rules over it.

So, dragons work for me since they are obviously mythical, but well known to all readers as vigorous, big, non-human and dangerous. If I refer to your favorite group as a "dragon", you will not be offended, since I am obviously speaking metaphorically and remember, some dragons are benevolent. Some are even cute and cuddly ...


Wayne Brown
February, 2015

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