"A God Should Know, Where All Her Dragons Are."

"A god should know, where all her dragons are."

"A God Should Know, Where All Her Dragons Are."
"A God Should Know, Where All Her Dragons Are."
"A God Should Know, Where All Her Dragons Are."

I've seen plenty of discussion about how it's shitty of Erzsebet and Drolta to refer to Olrox as a dragon, because Quetzalcoatl isn't really a dragon, but it's like... Extra shitty on other levels?

I mean, this quote is already somethin' because dragon or not, she's referring to him as hers and just making it clear that she does not intend to afford him any agency in this """partnership""".

But I keep Having Thoughts ™ about the role and symbolism of dragons in European folklore.

In the most general sense, they represent power. In a lot of these stories, the dragon is an obstacle between the heroic protagonist and some kind of secret treasure or knowledge (Wealth! Land!). Or the dragon is terrorizing a nearby village (Never mind if the 'dragon' was there first!!). Or the dragon is unfairly hoarding riches it has no use for (don't worry, the colonizers will show the 'primitive savages' how to make the most of their land!! Isn't that nice of them??)

In these stories, it's up to the hero to eliminate this obstacle that's separating them from some resource they feel entitled to, or to 'tame' it and exploit its power for their own purposes. As such, they're pretty on-the-nose colonialist propaganda when viewed under the right lens.

screenshot of Olrox looking uneasily at Erzsebet's demonstration of her power

So I wanna talk about The Golden Legend of Saint George and The Dragon, which is one of the most famous of these stories.

Story goes: There's a dragon who's been terrorizing a nearby village. The people start offering the dragon livestock to appease it, and when they run out of livestock, they start holding a regular lotteries to sacrifice one unlucky person to the dragon.

St George shows up before the next person (king's daughter) is about to be eaten, and he doesn't kill the dragon, no. He dominates it:

S. George was upon his horse, and drew out his sword and garnished him with the sign of the cross, and rode hardily against the dragon which came towards him, and smote him with his spear and hurt him sore and threw him to the ground. And after said to the maid: Deliver to me your girdle, and bind it about the neck of the dragon and be not afeard. When she had done so the dragon followed her as it had been a meek beast and debonair.

*(debonair in the archaic sense = gentle)

Erzsebet makes it clear that if she can't be worshipped, being feared is the next best thing. She can't get Olrox to ally with her willingly, so she resorts to force. In the end, she's getting what she really wants: obedience and subservience. For him to follow her like a meek beast.

screenshot of Olrox bowing to Erzsebet

The Golden Legend doesn't stop there though:

Then she led [the dragon] into the city, and the people fled by mountains and valleys, and said: Alas! alas! we shall be all dead. Then S. George said to them: Ne doubt ye no thing, without more, believe ye in God, Jesu Christ, and do ye to be baptized and I shall slay the dragon. Then the king was baptized and all his people, and S. George slew the dragon and smote off his head, and commanded that he should be thrown in the fields, and they took four carts with oxen that drew him out of the city.

A couple things here that slot right into the themes of colonialism in the show:

The dragon is used used as a way to coerce people into converting to Christianity. Just as Olrox would have watched the Spanish settlers do to his people: under threat of force.

The dragon is feared by the villagers despite no longer being an actual threat, but St George does nothing to dispel those fears—he exploits them. Just as prejudices of all kinds are used to justify settler colonialism as necessary or inevitable.

The dragon is slain and discarded once St George is done with it. Just as Olrox would have watched the Americans betray and displace the Mohican people who allied with them during the revolution.

Erzsebet and Drolta calling Olrox a "Dragon" isn't just ignorant or disrespectful because he's not a dragon. It's downright degrading. They're not just refusing to address him properly—they're telling a man who has survived settler colonization twice over that they intend to use him as a tool with which to do it again.

Olrox spends the season carefully stepping around every appeal Drolta makes for him to pledge loyalty to Erzsebet. And he's damned good at it: never giving up his true intentions by saying no outright, but wiggling out of ever having to say yes by instead asking pointed questions and making cutting observations that always land the ball back in their side of the court.

Screenshot of Olrox close-up as he bows to Erzsebet. He has pronounced, angry scowl on his face

But then this scene happens, and he can't wiggle out of it this time. They've got their dragon where they want him. He's pinned and 'meek'—and I can think of nothing more infuriating and degrading for a character like Olrox than to be paraded about in his own land to help Erzsebet build her empire across it.

Olrox isn't a dragon, but she's going to make him one.

More Posts from Nrgalore and Others

8 months ago

One year gone

One year of killing civilians

One year of bombing hospitals

One year of bombing schools

One year of destroying a whole city

One year of starving people to death

One year of making people leave their homes to live in tents

One year and still the world just watching us dying

One year thousands are missing under the rubble thousands arrested with unknown future

One year of thousands of children lost either one of their parents or both

Thousands lost parts of their bodies

I can’t imagine this will continue for a year

Fuck this world fuck everyone

1 year ago

Want to learn something new in 2022??

Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)

40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)

Excellent basic crochet video series

Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)

Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)

How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)

Another drawing character faces video

Literally my favorite art pose hack

Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??

Introduction to flying small aircrafts

French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding

Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)

Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)

Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)

Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:

Calculus 1 (full semester class)

Learn basic statistics (free textbook)

Introduction to college physics (free textbook)

Introduction to accounting (free textbook)

Learn a language:

Ancient Greek

Latin

Spanish

German

Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)

French

Russian (pretty good cyrillic guide!)

10 months ago

🔻Stop , please

Under the tent of hope

On a difficult journey, my family crossed seven stages of displacement, leaving behind a house that was nothing but rubble, and stories telling of pain and loss. A father is suffering under the burden of responsibility, a pregnant mother is waiting for her newborn in a tent, and grandfathers and grandmothers have no choice but to pray for their son and his family turns into a temporary home.

 🔻Stop , Please
 🔻Stop , Please

Hope was a name that carried within it a cry for survival, and a pulse of life that refused to be extinguished. In the midst of the harsh events, the family's home was demolished, leaving them with only a tent as a shelter. They faced difficult days, where feelings of fear and anxiety trumped feelings of safety ..

But, failure was not hope. Under these circumstances, family ties strengthened, and the strength of determination to face challenges increased. The father faced the hardship of basic family insurance, while the mother supported him with patience and new determination, waiting for her baby, who would become a symbol of hope.

Donate to HelpYoussef and his family get out of Gaza for a better life, organized by Mahmoud Balousha
gofundme.com
Displaced for the fourth time .. Youssef birth was by dee… Mahmoud Balousha needs your support for HelpYoussef and his family get out of
 🔻Stop , Please
 🔻Stop , Please

A family's baby was born in a simple tent, becoming a symbol of continuing life. The family's belief in the meaning of hope will illuminate their path towards a better future. They made the discovery seven times, but they did not give up. Each time, their tent became a symbol of resilience and evil will ..

 🔻Stop , Please
 🔻Stop , Please

Any donation or sharing of the post

You may be a reason to save the life of my family, which suffers from the scourge of lack of nutrition, health, and all the necessities of life 🍉🍉

8 months ago

raffle for palestine🕊️

mutual aid for displaced Palestinian families in Cairo

Raffle For Palestine🕊️
Raffle For Palestine🕊️

holding my second raffle for my campaign above (og post)!

to summarize; on the ground in Cairo, resources and funding are extremely scarce, displaced Palestinians are dependent on mutual aid volunteers for assistance. i will be traveling to Cairo at the end of november and will be sponsoring 2 displaced Palestinian families there. all funds will be personally delivered by me and used towards these families' rent, food, clothing, medical expenses, etc. pls help me reach my goal by participating in this raffle <3

next item up for grabs; lia kantro's 'killing the flowers will not delay the spring' tee.

✿ (1) SIZE MEDIUM (UNISEX) shirt

dimensions are as follows: width (pit to pit) - 20 inches, length - 28 inches

printed on 100% cotton tee, has a little stretch

✿ hand printed and part of a limited run of released tees by lia kantro, not currently available for purchase

to enter:

✿ make a minimum of $5 donation ($5 donation = 1 entry, $10 donation = 2 entries, and so on) to my campaign

✿ REBLOG this post for a free bonus entry!

✿ submit proof of donation either through dm on tumblr or by filling out this form (preferred!)

✿ if you win, please make sure you are comfortable with sharing a mailing address with me

this raffle will close on October 23rd at 11PM (PST) and the winner will be randomly selected and announced at the end of that same week. the winner will have 48 hours to claim prize before another winner is selected. this raffle is open to anyone, i can ship internationally. don't want this shirt? donate any amount anyway + i will have 1 more final raffle after this one but will have a higher entry donation (a designer bag), stay tuned!

please reblog so we can reach more people and donate if you can!

1 year ago

2024:

1. GET EVEN WEIRDER!!!!!!

2. GAY AND TRANSGENDER SEX

3. DO WHATEVER YUOU WANT FOREVER

4. STOP OVERTHINKING IT

5. YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO ANYTHING TO BE LOVED

6. FIND MEANING IN EVERYTHING

8 months ago

Sometimes you gotta stop worrying about being the smartest and funniest person in the room and just enjoy being in a room with smart and funny people

1 year ago

Massive fuck you to everyone who is talking about Palestinians as if we’re already all dead and sharing more solidarity with our corpses than us living. “We will never forget the beautiful Palestinian people-“ how about you stop “making peace” with Palestinian extermination. My people are not going to be forgotten because we are going to live. Palestinians have already survived one genocide and have been surviving one ever since.

Do not ever let the idea that all Palestinians are going to die exist in your mind. Mourn the dead, fight like hell for the living.

1 year ago
Hear Me Out

hear me out

1 year ago

hot artists don't gatekeep

I've been resource gathering for YEARS so now I am going to share my dragons hoard

Floorplanner. Design and furnish a house for you to use for having a consistent background in your comic or anything! Free, you need an account, easy to use, and you can save multiple houses.

Comparing Heights. Input the heights of characters to see what the different is between them. Great for keeping consistency. Free.

Magma. Draw online with friends in real time. Great for practice or hanging out. Free, paid plan available, account preferred.

Smithsonian Open Access. Loads of free images. Free.

SketchDaily. Lots of pose references, massive library, is set on a timer so you can practice quick figure drawing. Free.

SculptGL. A sculpting tool which I am yet to master, but you should be able to make whatever 3d object you like with it. free.

Pexels. Free stock images. And the search engine is actually pretty good at pulling up what you want.

Figurosity. Great pose references, diverse body types, lots of "how to draw" videos directly on the site, the models are 3d and you can rotate the angle, but you can't make custom poses or edit body proportions. Free, account option, paid plans available.

Line of Action. More drawing references, this one also has a focus on expressions, hands/feet, animals, landscapes. Free.

Animal Photo. You pose a 3d skull model and select an animal species, and they give you a bunch of photo references for that animal at that angle. Super handy. Free.

Height Weight Chart. You ever see an OC listed as having a certain weight but then they look Wildly different than the number suggests? Well here's a site to avoid that! It shows real people at different weights and heights to give you a better idea of what these abstract numbers all look like. Free to use.

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nrgalore - ✦ ‿ ✦
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nia/nrg they/she 23, black, self-taughtlove butches, femmes, and jolly-green giants

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