10/12/2023
2024 Will be the year of the dragon.
The dragon is the fifth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar and the only one who is mythical. In the Chinese culture, the dragon represents good luck, strength, health and also the male element Yang. The dragon is unique, in many other cultures, such as the Western, they look at the dragon as a symbol for evil and darkness. But in China, they regard the dragon as being a symbol representing imperial power, nobility and authority.
The Dragon, also known as Loong, is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 辰, which is pronounced chen. It’s the Wood Dragon year of 2024 that combines the dragon's characteristics with the nurturing Wood element. This combination is expected to bring about growth, progress, and abundance for those who work towards it. It's seen as an ideal period for fresh starts and laying down the groundwork for lasting success. This alignment suggests a time for renewal and establishing foundations that pave the way for long-term achievements. Get ready to launch, end projects that are no fulfilling and re-starting again. This is the year to achieve beyond expectations 🚀
The University of Liverpool have special collections and manuscripts depicting dragons as earlier back as the 15th Century. And as one of the oldest festivals. They wrote: “The dragon’s status in myth and legend continues to grow through modern day science fiction, fantasy, and children’s literature, most notably in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series.
University lecturer in science fiction, Andy Sawyer, discusses how literature has maintained people’s fascination with the mythical creature: "Dragons exist in the myth, folklore and fiction of many cultures. Although they are often very different - the fire-breathing North European dragon is often associated with greed and malice, whilst the Chinese dragon usually symbolises strength and good luck - dragons also stand for awe and wonder in the face of the unknown, the mysterious and the terrible.
"In his famous essay, On Fairy-Stories, J R R Tolkien talks about how the idea of the dragon was significantly powerful to him just because they were unreal. He says: "Fantasy, the making or glimpsing of Other-worlds, was a profound desire. I desired dragons with a profound desire." In The Hobbit, Bilbo’s quest is to steal gold from the dragon Smaug: a typical treasure-hoarding European dragon that perhaps represents the power of story.
"Ursula Le Guin, whose dragons in her Earthsea books, are among the most powerful in fiction asked, in a famous essay ‘Why are Americans afraid of Dragons?’ Her answer was that dragons, and other symbols of the fantastic, represent the freedom of the imagination. Both Tolkien and Le Guin present dragons as masters of language; sometimes wily and deceitful, but also sources of great wisdom.
"From Beowulf and the legends which inspired Wagner’s 'Ring' cycle, dragons have been part of some of the greatest works of literature. For modern fantasy and science fiction, dragons are now almost a compulsory part of the territory.
"Some of the most popular dragons in fiction include Anne McCaffery whose dragons in her Pern series are in fact genetically-modified fire-breathing lizards. Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series, in which dragons are part of the military forces in an alternate-history Napoleonic war, continues the tradition of a playful exploration of the idea that dragons could be ‘real’.
"Peter Dickinson’s The Flight of Dragons is a ‘speculative natural history book’ which suggests an evolutionary history and ecology for our idea of fire-breathing dragons. The idea that a small fire-breathing dragon could be a weapon is taken to humorous effect in Terry Pratchett’s Guards! Guards! where Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork Night Watch threatens a mob with a burst of flame from a famously unstable ‘swamp dragon’ in a parody of Clint Eastwood’s ‘Dirty Harry’ character.
"At the University’s Special Collections and Archives we have a manuscript illustration taken from Historia ecclesiastica tripartite, 1478, by Falvius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus. The Cassiodorus volume is remarkable for its copious marginal annotations in a contemporary hand, dating approximately from the 15th or early 16th century. The annotations include Latin text, pointing hands, human faces, a crown, a bird – and a dragon.” 🐉
The dragon was also a choice to represent the first 2024-dated UK coin issued, and for the first time in the series the coin will actually feature King Charles III. One side represents the year of the dragon and the other The King himself. The Dragon has been intricately depicted by designer, William Webb. It will be a collectors must have. The Lunar Year of the Dragon | Royal Mint 🪙✨
Here is the link to purchase one from Westminster Collection:
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