deviant art

Deviant Login
Buy ArtBuy T-Shirts & Gear Buy adCast Buy Premium Membership
Shop
 Join deviantART for FREE Take the Tour
[x]
Browse More Like This
more ▶

More from *theperian

Featured in Groups:

:iconmyths-and-legends: #Myths-and-Legends
Mythology and Fantasy

Details

January 2, 2011
813 KB
1248×1631
Link
Thumb

Statistics

Comments: 9
Favourites: 12 [who?]


Views: 323 (0 today)

Camera Data

SEIKO EPSON CORP.
EPSON scanner
Jan 2, 2011, 12:59:38 PM
EPSON Scan
Shop For This Camera
[x]
:icontheperian:

Wyrmby *theperian

Scraps©2011-2013 *theperian
Ahh, how I love manuscript illumination. This is a quick one, done last night for the Myths-and-Legends dragon contest. Unfortunately, the paper I was using, while lovely and delicate, was far too absorbent of the ink, leaving blur and buckle. Ah well. Will know better next time.

So, what it is!

The Text: Is my favourite riddle from the Anglo-Saxon 'Exeter Book'. I haven't practiced my translation for years, so here is a rough paraphrasing of the riddle:

...A moth swallowed songs; that seemed to me a fine fate! When I heard of that wonder, that the wyrm devoured a man's words - a glorious speech and its firm foundation: a thief in the darkness. Yet the thieving guest was none the wiser for having consumed the words...

I'll give the answer to the riddle at the bottom, so you can have fun guessing.

So, here is the information for the contest:

What area/s in the world is your Dragon From? A bookshelf in England, circa 800 c.e.

What is the lifespan of your Dragon? Very brief, though the species lives on as long as there are words to be eaten.

How has your dragon evolved to its surroundings? Lizard-like legs for climbing bookshelves; green hue and leaflet fins developed from consuming carbon (paper) and green ink; complete two-dimensionalness to be able to slip between the pages of a book to find food. :D

Is your dragon Rare? Extinct? Uncommon? Common? Very common, but self-deluded into actually thinking they are dragons. Their state of dragonhood is more psychological than physical.

Temperament? Not particularly clever, as the poem states; quite devious, but never malicious.

Additional Information: And the riddle answer iiis... a bookworm!

(The word 'wyrm' in Old English can mean anything from a worm to a serpent to a dragon, thus creating a pun within the riddle, and two very different images: One of a mighty magical dragon consuming the very songs and speech of the greatest of humans; the other a simple little bookworm eating a manuscript.)

Enjoy!
Add a Comment:
 
Preview   Add Comment
:icondystatic-studio:
*Dystatic-Studio Feb 16, 2011   Digital Artist
Cool... since I am in study with the myth relative with dragons, I cannot stop think about how it involved into the state of art. This one would be a new nova for my artist brain. :wow:
Reply
:icontheperian:
*theperian Feb 21, 2011  Professional Traditional Artist
What a wonderful study! Have you had a chance to read Beowulf? There are a few wonderful passages in that poem about dragons. I would love to study more about their origins in myth - if you find a good starting point, let me know! :)
Reply
:icondystatic-studio:
*Dystatic-Studio Feb 21, 2011   Digital Artist
Well, I have quite a load of researches about dragons. From "children" books to research articles I do have read them frequently. To my method I read dragon books for their origins, and retro those myths into the new projects relatived into animation and comics.

Right now I am right ahead to the myth famous in UK - Maud and the Wyvern. It's also a medieval folkloreic story which is human and dragon involved in both relationship and terror. This story would become my ever first comic. :)

I also had read Beowulf, aibert it was fairly overrated and too famous for my project, so well...
Reply
:icontheperian:
*theperian Mar 6, 2011  Professional Traditional Artist
It sounds fascinating. I'll have to look that one up. :)
Reply
:iconqueen-of-daemons:
~Queen-of-Daemons Jan 3, 2011  Hobbyist Traditional Artist
My goodness: that is absolutely beautiful! O.O!!! I even knew the riddle, which makes me a very happy nerd. xD
I can't believe you did this by hand: it is very impressive! Wonderful work!
Reply
:icontheperian:
*theperian Jan 5, 2011  Professional Traditional Artist
Hehehe. Thank you! I know the happy nerd feeling. I had a chance to see the Book of Kells last year for the first time, and I was practically drooling on the case. :D

I'm glad you like it - Perhaps someday I'll give it the heavyweight paper it deserves. :)
Reply
:iconvigilo:
=Vigilo Jan 3, 2011  Student Writer
This is beautiful! I love the text and the dragon and .. everything! :heart:
(And the riddle is very good; I love it!)
Reply
:icontheperian:
*theperian Jan 5, 2011  Professional Traditional Artist
Thank you! I love the riddle as well; and all of the riddles in the Exeter Book. You can certainly see where Tolkien drew his inspiration for the Riddles in the Dark chapter of the Hobbit. :)
Reply
:icontheperian:
*theperian Jan 2, 2011  Professional Traditional Artist
Oops! First fluke of the year - signed it 2010 when it was done in 2011. I hope this error will be overlooked. :)
Reply
Add a Comment:
 
Preview   Add Comment
©2013 deviantART. All rights reserved
About Us | Contact Us | Developers | Careers | Site Tour | Help & FAQ Advertise | Premium Membership Etiquette | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Copyright Policy