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Official
Guide - Tirialle Overview - Random
Generators - The Magical Verse
Skyhaven Games - Abridged Bibliography - Skyhaven
Bookstore - Frequently Unasked Questions
This section contains information on books about fantastic
creatures and concepts, should you wish to conduct "real-world"
research. These are mostly bestiary-type books and collections of
legends, not modern fictional stories about
fantastic creatures. Several are apparently out of print, but may be
available used or through libraries. The title appears first,
followed by the author and publisher, then a brief
description of the book. This is hardly a complete listing of inspiration sources, but these seemed most relevant.
If you want to know where the "real-world history"
information on Skyhaven creatures come from, these books are where to look.
As a warning, not all of these books are kid-friendly. Remember that, until relatively recently, belief
in fantastic creatures was not just for little kids. Many great
scholars throughout the ages discussed them, and
only as science and "reason" dominated Western thought were
fantastic beings relegated to children's books and fantasy stories.
Most fantastic creatures are steeped
in cultural symbolism, symbolism which became quite convoluted over
the ages as culture after culture adopted the creatures and retold their
stories. As a result, some
of the lore surrounding fantastic creatures is complicated, and
occasionally deals with subjects that may not be appropriate for young children.
(For full reviews of these and many other books, please visit Brightdreamer
Books & More.)
Tales of Great Dragons
J. K. Anderson, Bellerophon Books
This is actually a coloring book, but with extensive articles on many
dragons from many cultures. Starting with the Babylonian
dragon-goddess Tiamat, it takes the reader around the ancient dragon
world, through Europe, the Middle East, and Orient, all the way to the
rarely-mentioned taniwahs of New Zealand. Many of the illustrations are taken from
old engravings, carvings, illuminations and other authentic images. This
is an excellent introduction to dragon lore for any age.
Fabulous Beasts
Malcolm Ashman (text by Joyce Hargreaves), The Overlook Press
Though some liberties are taken in the text, this is a well-illustrated
bestiary covering many fantastic creatures from many cultures, from the
common dragon to obscure critters like the Oriental rain bird. Some
of the write-ups of these creatures may be less than historically
accurate, but all are interesting. The
illustrations lean slightly toward the grotesque, and may be
disturbing to young readers.
Mythical Beasts
Alexandra Bonfante-Warren, Metro Books
This is primarily interesting for the classical
paintings and pictures of fantastic creatures reproduced. Bonfante-Warren
also includes quotations of various passages referring to fantastic
creatures like the phoenix, dragon and minotaur. She tends to
flowery language, which will probably bore underage readers
(and some adults, as well.) On the whole, it is less a reference
volume and more a coffee-table celebration of the creatures. Still,
if you are interested in the subject and happen across this book, you
might want to take a look at it.
The Encyclopedia of Monsters
Daniel Cohen, Dorset
This book deals with various unknown creatures. Some are admitted
hoaxes or tall tales, some are clearly fictional, and some are of
as-yet-unknown origins. Cohen discusses the historical origins of
dragons (Western and Eastern), the unicorn, and other
classical fantasy creatures, but he also discusses less well-known
fantastic beings and several peculiar may-be-real beasts that still have
some people scratching their heads. It's a pretty good book, leaning
toward skepticism, but with an open-minded attitude as Cohen admits that we
just may never know the truth about some monster sightings. It's not
really pitched at kids, but older or brighter children interested in such
things shouldn't have trouble here. Sadly,
it is out of print and seems difficult to come by, but people seriously
interested in the subject might want to see if their library or used book
store ever has a copy on hand.
A Natural History of the Unnatural World
"The
Cryptozoological Society of London", St. Martin's Press
I only
mention this book because of the broad range of fantastic and mysterious
creatures covered. I was not pleased with the format of the
articles or their content. It felt like they were belittling actual
cryptozoologists (people who investigate sightings of unknown creatures)
by having supposedly factual accounts of the society members tracking
long-debunked beasts like the manticore and amphisbaena or encountering
storybook pixies. The authors also belittle the target audience
(kids) with
too-catchy chapter subtitles and hard-to-read article formats.
Still, for an overview of the many varieties of fantastic creatures in the
world, and for some decent illustrations, you might want to give it a
quick look.
Dancing with Dragons
D.J. Conway, Llewellyn Publications
D.J. Conway writes many books on occult
subjects. She treats dragons as actual entities which can be
contacted for aid and learning, like other natural spirits and ethereal
beings. She includes lore on both Western and Eastern dragons, as
well as her own notes on the dragons of various elements and the
directions. Even if you don't practice magic (and I don't), you
should enjoy this book if you like dragons.
Magical Mystical Creatures
D.J. Conway, Llewellyn Publications
What Dancing with Dragons did for dragons, this
book does for all sorts of other magical creatures, from unicorns and
griffins to far more obscure beasts. As with dragons, she approaches
them as real, if nonphysical, beings which can be contacted for assistance
(or
may show up on their own.) In addition to notes on the
folklore knowledge of the many creatures mentioned, she tells what
magical properties are associated with each one, should a magical
practitioner wish to summon their aid. More than one is considered either too
powerful to consider summoning (they show up on their own or not at all)
or not something you want to attract the attention of. Again, I'm no practicing
magician, but I found this book well written and fascinating, covering
many creatures I've never seen mentioned elsewhere.
Monsters - An Investigator's Guide to Magical Beings
John Michael Greer, Llewellyn Publications
One of the most unique
books on "monsters" I own, this treats dragons, vampires, angels
and demons as actual - if nonphysical - entities which are still (if
rarely) encountered. Using a magical approach, Greer explains how to
recognize signs that something is amiss, how to diagnose the problem, and
what to do in the very remote chance that you actually are dealing with
one of the six entities described in the book. It makes for some
rather interesting reading, as it helps clarify the historical origins of
creatures like vampires that pop culture has turned into something else
entirely. Not for close-minded, very young, or impatient
readers.
The Great Book of Dragon Patterns
Lora S. Irish, Fox Chapel Publishing
This is a book about how to draw dragons, including several patterns for
artists to use. It also offers a very good overview of dragon types,
origins, and myths, plus notes on dragon lifestyles and habits. While not oversimplified, Irish does a good job
of getting to the heart of the stories with minimal word count. Whether you want to create your own dragons or
just read about them, this is a very worthwhile addition to your
library. Following the huge success of the first edition, she released a revised
version, with more
material on Asian dragons and more patterns. If you can't find it in your bookstore or library, try
going to the Fox Chapel
Publishing website.
(NOTE: I see that Lora S. Irish has just released
a Great Book of Fairy Patterns. If she does the same thing for
fairies that she does for dragons, it will definitely be a must-have book
for fantasy artists and fairy lovers!)
The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World
of Harry Potter
Allan Zola Kronzek & Elizabeth Kronzek, Broadway
There are so many references to magical creatures in Harry Potter
that this book will be valuable reading to those interested in them.
Of course, it doesn't hurt to be a Harry Potter fan. The authors do
take a few liberties (as does Harry Potter author J.K Rowling, of
course), so this shouldn't be viewed as a be-all, end-all
guide to any of the subjects it discusses. What it does is attempt
to equate things mentioned in the books with real-world folklore and
beliefs. Fairly palatable for all ages, from slightly older children
on up, though it occasionally mentions slightly more adult subjects;
again, remember, only relatively recently were these topics relegated to
children's books.
The Element Encyclopedia of Magical
Creatures
John & Caitlin Matthews; Barnes & Noble Books
For sheer volume and number of entries, no other fantastic bestiary covers
more gods, demons, monsters, and animals than this book. The authors
include entries from around the world, ranging from myths to tall
tales/legends to cryptozoological mysteries, though they make the
distinctions fairly clear without belittling cryptozoologists.
The Book of Fabulous Beasts
Joseph Nigg, Oxford
University Press
This book attempts to track many fantastic creatures from their earliest origins, through various
mistranslations and mutations, to their currently known forms. Nigg
uses quotes (translated, of course) from Babylonian myths, ancient poetry,
literature, religious texts and scholarly discussion on the
creatures. Due to the somewhat archaic and overembellished nature of many of
Nigg's sources, some readers may be put off, but there is a lot of
information here. It seems to be out of print, but students of fantastic
creatures should make the effort to track down a copy.
The Encyclopedia of Things that Never
Were
Michael Page and Robert Ingpen, Viking Press
This is an excellent collection of people, places, events, and things
from legends and stories around the world, sure to fire the
imagination. From ancient creation myths to Gulliver's Travels,
all sorts of oddities are mentioned here. The authors take some
creative license in the presentation and accompanying artwork. If you want a scholarly
discussion of any of the subjects mentioned, you may be disappointed, but
for an overview of the creations of human imagination this book is
unparalleled. If you really want to investigate further, there is an
extensive bibliography at the end of the book, though it is sometimes
difficult determining just what story or idea came from which book
mentioned there.
Dragons: Truth, Myth and Legend
David Passes (illustrations by Wayne Anderson), David Bennet Books
A nicely-illustrated review of many common (and a few uncommon) dragon
legends, this book has a very brief section listing other dragons around
the world. It's pitched at
the young adult/children's crowd, but any age will be able to enjoy it. Dragon lovers
would do well to track down a copy, even if only for the nice pictures.
Dragons - A Natural History
Dr. Karl Shuker, Barnes
& Noble
This hardbound book, filled with illustrations, focuses
on the dragon, citing various legends and stories of dragons through the
ages. I didn't care for the style employed; he waxes poetic on
irrelevent portions of the myths in an attempt to engage modern readers,
then rushes to meet the end-of-the-page cutoff before the next
story. He also fails to mention that at least one story included
(the story of the Dragon of Wantley) was written as a deliberate parody, not quite in the same category as many other tales in the text.
The pictures included with each story are interesting, often more
interesting than the stories they accompany, drawn from a
variety of sources. Overall, dragon fans might want a copy of this if it's for the right
price.
Sir Ernest Drake's Dragonology: The
Complete Book of Dragons
Dugald A. Steer, editor, Candlewick Press
Somewhere between a picture book and a study of dragons, this
"reprint" of a dragonologist's notes from the late 1800's is a
must for any dragon-lover's library. Liberties are taken, of course,
but it's still a charming, well-composed, and well-illustrated volume, covering dragons from all
continents and including such extras as shiny specimens of "dragon
scales" and mini-booklets of dragon runes and riddles.
The Dragonology Handbook
Dugald A. Steer, editor, Candlewick Press
A companion book to Steer's previous Dragonology, it
presents itself as a coursebook designed by Dr. Ernest Drake for aspiring
dragologists, organized into lessons which encourage imagination,
brainwork, and further research on the part of the reader. It mainly
acts as an elaboration on ideas presented in the first book, and many of
the illustrations are just Dragonology reprints as well. If
you're as much of a sucker for dragon material as I am, there's just
enough new material that you won't really care. While the previous
book had numerous "extras," this only has a few, most notably a
sheet of colorful stickers at the end (which will help if you intend to
complete some of the projects in the book, such as the magical dragon
summoner.)
How to Raise and Keep a Dragon
John Topsell (Joseph Nigg, "editor"), Barron's
Something like a cross between Dragonology and a pet care manual,
this book treats dragons essentially as exotic animals, bred and raised
for companionship, protection, and even dragon shows (except for such
species as the Asian Dragon and Rainbow Serpent, considered untameable but
which may arrive on their own if proper environments are created.) Nigg's
other books are mostly scholarly explorations of imaginary creatures,
which may explain why this book, aimed at young adults, covers more
varieties of dragons and related creature than almost any other I
own. The art's not as good as Dragonology, and the
descriptions feel a bit glossed over and rushed, but it has an imaginative
premise.
All backgrounds and images, unless
specifically noted otherwise, are © TBW
ONLY adoptable creatures and designated awards or certificate
images may be taken
If you feel you absolutely must have a background or special image, please
ask first!
E-mail: tbweber (at) comcast.net or tbweber (at) brightdreamer.com -
change (at) to @, put "Skyhaven" in the Subject line
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