Chapter 50: The Center Cannot Hold...

''A contentious point of open debate among scholars of history and mythology revolves around the mythological origins of various dragon breed names. While nearly all dragon breeds are co-opted into the dominant regional mythologies, like any animal present in their environment, the question is raised: which came first, the myth that became tied to a dragon, or a dragon whose popular name gave rise to a legend? ''

''Campe is likely an example of the first, as the breed migrated to the Aegean from the Red Sea during the Nontoku itsunengo (~AD 350) in response to human hunting. The dragon, when seen in poor lighting conditions—such as in a cave by a panicked human carrying a torch—can very vaguely resemble the half-human half-reptilian description given by Nonnus in the Dionysiaca (albeit possessing only one head and only four legs), and was likely given the name in identification from the myth.''

''Conversely, many breeds native to Iceland, Greenland, the Alban Isles and North-western Europa were named by the colonizing Norse and only later incorporated into their legends. A prime example of this is the Night Fury (known to the native Celts as Bás Dorcha), which quickly gained the reputation of being the bastard offspring of Thor, god of Thunder, and Hel, goddess of Death. In the Alban Isles, a new set of legends, unseen in the eastern Norse, grew over the course of the Early Heian Period (AD 800s and 900s), with elaborate stories being told of the divines' intimate encounter that resulted in the dragon breed.''

—To Label The Stars: The Cultural Impact Of Names, Kyoto University Press, Ltd.

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