From the fire-breathing beasts of North European myth and legend to the Book of Revelation’s Great Red Dragon of Hell, from those supernatural agencies of imperial authority in ancient China to the so-called dragon-women who threaten male authority, dragons are a global phenomenon, one that has troubled humanity for thousands of years. These often scaly beasts take a wide variety of forms and meanings, but there is one thing they all have in common: our fear of their formidable power and, as a consequence, our need either to overcome, appease, or in some way assume that power as our own. In this fiery cultural history, Martin Arnold asks how these unifying impulses can be explained. Are they owed to our need to impose order on chaos in the form of a dragon-slaying hero? Is it our terror of nature, writ large, unleashed in its most destructive form? Or is the dragon nothing less than an expression of that greatest and most disturbing mystery of all: our mortality? Tracing the history of ideas about dragons from the earliest of times to Game of Thrones, Arnold explores exactly what it might be that calls forth such creatures from the darkest corners of our collective imagination.

Born with a secret power he must hide… Telryn “Trip” Yert has always been a little odd, with hunches that are too accurate to explain. Magic is feared and forbidden in Iskandia, so he’s struggled his whole life to hide his eccentricities. As a boy, he was forced to watch his mother’s execution. Her crime? Witchcraft. Understandably, Trip wants nothing to do with the power that lurks within him, always threatening to reveal itself. Instead, he dedicates himself to serving as an officer in the king’s army, to battling pirates and imperial conquerors. He longs to become a soldier as respected and renowned as the legendary General Zirkander. But his country is in need of more than a soldier. After disappearing for over a thousand years, dragons have returned to the world. A few of them are willing to be allies to mankind, as they were millennia before, but far more want to destroy or enslave humans and claim the world for themselves. There are few people left with the power to fight dragons. For reasons he doesn’t understand, Trip may be one of those people. But if he chooses to learn more about his heritage and the power he can wield, he risks losing everyone he loves and everything he longs to be.

When the king decides to take the dragons to Arkwood to visit Queen Rose, Rori, Drake, and their dragons are left behind--so when the evil wizard Maldred attacks the castle riding a giant four-headed dragon that spits poison, the two young dragon masters and their dragons are forced to defend the castle by themselves.

It's time for the Dragon Masters to battle the dark wizard! This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow! The Dragon Masters are going to visit Queen Rose's kingdom. But Rori and Drake must stay behind. Then a four-headed dragon attacks the castle--and Maldred is riding it! How is Maldred controlling this giant dragon? Will Rori and Drake have to battle the dark wizard on their own?

Using astrological predictions based on the formation of the Dragon, Dr. Turigives insight into human behavior and perceptions.

For fans of Scott Lynch and Naomi Novik comes a high fantasy epic that blends swashbuckling adventure with a dark tale of vengeance--when a ship captain is stranded on a deserted island by his mutinous crew, he finds a rare dragon egg that just might be the key to his salvation and his revenge. He only wanted justice. Instead he got revenge. Jeryon has been the captain of the Comber for over a decade. He knows the rules. He follows the rules. He likes the rules. But not everyone on his ship agrees. When a monstrous dragon attacks the Comber, his surviving crew, vengeful and battle-worn, decide to take the ship for themselves and give Jeryon and his self-righteous apothecary “the captain’s chance:” a small boat with no rudder, no sails, and nothing but the shirts on their backs to survive. Marooned and fighting for their lives against the elements, Jeryon and his companion discover that the island they’ve landed on isn’t quite as deserted as they originally thought. They find a rare baby dragon that, if trained, just might be their ticket off the island. But as Jeryon and the dragon grow closer, he begins to realize that even if he makes it off the island, his life will never be the same again. In order for justice to be served, he’ll have to take it for himself.

Using the metaphor of dragons as power, this book offers ways to be more inspired, empowered and effective. By training the wild, limitless part of our dragon energy we are able to use this power to bring wisdom, compassion and courage to our actions. Embedded in the pages you will find numerous short centering practices from one second to twenty seconds in duration. These short actionable practices are geared to synchronize body and mind to grow a bright and powerful leadership presence. In order to cultivate our benevolent power we need to understand how to relax with our fears and irritations so they don't derail our best intentions. We all have a Noble, Awesome and Shiny spirit and this book helps us bring it into the light.As in the Leadership Embodiment model, these techniques are based on principles from the non-aggressive martial art of Aikido and mindfulness practices. Described in the book are six aspects of personal power and six aspects of social power. Personal Power is the capacity to tame and train your power to influence yourself. Social Power defines the way you influence others and are influenced by others. The final section is about making it happen - implementing, sustaining and managing the challenge of visibility and what happens when we do act with our benevolent power.