TATTOOS DESIGNS & SYMBOLS

Deropplopn · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 147

Tribal Tattoos

The single most requested tattoo design. The most popular tribal designs are Maori, Haida and Polynesian designs. There is also great interest in Native American tattoo designs. The term "tribal" of course covers an astonishing array of tattoo design possibilities, from the traditional tribal tattoos of indigenous and aboriginal cultures, to the latest in graphic design for the body

Star Designs

Stars are often encountered as symbols, and many cases the meaning of a particular star symbol may depend upon the number points it has, and sometimes the orientation of these points as well. As a light shining in the darkness, the star is often considered a symbol of truth, of the spirit and of hope. The symbol of the star embodies the concept of the divine spark within each of us. Their nocturnal nature leads stars to represent the struggle against the forces of darkness and the unknown.

Deropplopn · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 147

Spider Tattoos -
The Spider is another popular tattoo symbol that crosses many tattoo genres and is prominently featured in the traditional tribal tattoos of many indigenous peoples around the world. There are very few cultures that do not have stories about spiders within their mythological histories, no doubt in part because spiders can be found on nearly every part of the planet, even on far-off islands, as spiders can travel vast distances using their webs as little parachutes! And who amongst us has not been fascinated by the webs that spiders weave and the way they capture their prey. Such images have fired the imaginations of men and women since the dawn of time.

Southern Cross / Rebel Flag Tattoos -
The Southern Cross is the English name of Crux Australis, a constellation visible in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also depicted in coats of arms of various countries and sub-national entities. This star constellation is only visible on the southern hemisphere and it therefore symbolizes the southern location of its users.

The Southern Cross can also refer to Southern Cross Flags (or Rebel Flags, The Confederate Flag or The Confederate Battle Flag), which are flags which depict the blue saltire as used in various flags of the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War.

The Navy Jack is colloquially called the "Rebel Flag". The Confederate Navy Jack, 1863-1865The Confederate Navy Jack, also called "The Southern Cross," is a rectangular precursor of the Battle Flag, usually about 5×3 feet. The blue color in the saltire (the diagonal cross) is much lighter than in the Battle Flag, and it was flown only on Confederate ships from 1863 to 1865.

Deropplopn · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 147

Snake Tattoos - embraces both Eastern and Western tattoo designs. The snake is one of the 12 animals which appear in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. (Born in 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001.) Rich in wisdom and charm, you are romantic and deep thinking and your intuition guides you strongly. Avoid procrastination and your stingy attitude towards money. Keep your sense of humor about life. The Snake would be most content as a teacher, philosopher, writer, psychiatrist, and fortune teller. According to Chinese folklore, each animal is associated with certain personality traits, and those born in the year of the Snake are calm and gentle, romantic and perceptive. However, they may be prone to sloth and vanity.

Deropplopn · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 147

Skull Tattoos - Skulls are represented in a number of tattoo design genres, and a classic tattoo design that has been popular for generations of tattoo enthusiasts. Nautical Tattoos with the Jolly Roger, or famed pirate's flag of Skull and Crossed Bones, Old School Tattoos, New School Tattoos, Bio-Mechanical and every School of Tattoos in between.

Skull symbolism is instinctive in human nature. The human mind is primed to recognize faces, and so eager to find them that it can see faces in a few dots and lines or punctuation marks; the face that looks back from a human skull cannot avoid recognition as having been once human. Moreover, a human skull, with its eyes much larger than in life, displays a degree of neoteny (think of kittens, puppies and babies, no, seriously), which humans often find visually appealing. Yet, a skull is obviously dead. As such, human skulls have a visual appeal beyond the other bones of the human skeleton, and can fascinate even as they repel.

One look at a skull and we can see death staring at us from those big empty sockets. It’s not surprising then that the skull is known all over the world as a symbol of death. In many cultures, it is held up as a reminder of our own mortality or, in the universal Latin, a memento mori - a memento of mortality.

Skull tattoo designIn the play Hamlet, playwright William Shakespeare uses a skull to great effect. When Hamlet discovers Yorick's skull, the King's former Court Jester, in the graveyard in the first scene of Act V, he speaks directly to the skull as he fixates on death’s inevitability and the disintegration of the body. The physical object of the skull is used to symbolize the themes of mortality and death presented in the play. In the end, none of us can escape death and even Kings are eaten by worms.

In Christian art and culture, the skull has been seen as a symbol of eternity, repentance, and human vanity and, therefore, a reminder to keep to the straight and narrow. It appears in medieval religious paintings as Adam’s skull placed at the foot of the Cross and symbolizing the Redemption. An ancient symbol of the skull with a serpent crawling through the sockets was the symbol of knowledge and immortality. The serpent in the skull is also a favourite emblem denoting ‘knowledge surviving death’. Many great Renaissance masterpieces prominently feature skulls, and most portraits of Saints, Cardinals, Popes and Royalty contained a skull as a reminder of the importance of living a virtuous life.

Historically, the skull was a popular symbol of triumph over the enemy, and a warning to the people defeated in battle. Collections of skulls might be stacked by the victors in public places, as an obvious declaration of victory and grim reminder of the losses of the vanquished. It was also worn as a trophy and even drunk out of by conquering kings. Centuries ago, heads were stuck on pikes at Traitors’ Gate in London, and left to rot -- a dire warning to all who walked by. The skull, or Totenkopf was the Nazi SS insignia in WW2, a symbol to be feared, but when tattooed on the arm of a biker outlaw, it is a death-defying symbol believed to cheat death. In New Guinea, skulls were placed in the rafters of the medicine house as a reminder of death always present in life. Ancient Pompeii came up with the image of the skull crowned with the spirit level, the carpenter’s favorite tool, suggesting Death as the great leveller.

The skull could also get fancy. There are plenty of scenes of talking skulls in folk history, all carrying a message or reminder of death and bad behaviour. In Mexico you can see grinning skulls dressed up in feathers and hats, such as found in Mexican art. On the Day of the Dead, you might even be eating a skull made of sugar and chocolate. But skulls on gravestones are not as popular today as they were in Victorian times. Death was big business for sculptors and masons, and the skull in various combinations with crosses, roses, and wings were not only a reminder of mortality but also of the flight of the soul, resurrection and eternity.

In Buddhism and Hinduism, skulls can be seen in their religious art. The Buddhist Lord of the Dead, Yama, has five skulls around his head, signifying the conquest of anger, greed, pride, envy and ignorance. Kali, the Hindu Goddess of Death wears a necklace of skulls.

Today, the skull is as popular as it ever was. In movies, games, literature, comics, and of course, tattoos, the skull continues to gather different symbolic implications as the creative imagination of the artist lets loose. Some designs are humorous, some macabre and threatening, but always Death is part of the picture.

See also Death's Head Skull Tattoos, and Jolly Roger Tattoos or Skull and Crossed Bones

Tattoo Johnny Tattoo Designs - Over 1450 different skull tattoo designs by some of the world's top tattoo artists and illustrators.

Deropplopn · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 147

Devil Tattoo Designs - Also know as "Man's Ruin", a tattoo often consisting of the many vices that can lead a man astray in life, not the least of which is a woman - or a bad woman to be exact! This woman is often surrounded by drinking glasses, bottles of alcohol, playing cards, dice and other accoutrements of gambling, such as horse shoes to represent betting on the ponies at the track. In short, "Man's Ruin" could also be titled, "Wine, Women and Song!". Use your imagination to add other elements of various modern vices! A woman regarded as cruel or malicious.

Deropplopn · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 147

Shark Tattoo Designs - In the West, the shark is viewed as the world’s greatest predator, and the shark tattoo a symbol of power and fearlessness. It’s been a long tradition among sailors to have a shark tattoo as proof you are not afraid of death at sea – and for protection. Western sailors, always a superstitious lot, regarded the shark as a kind of sea vulture, sniffing out imminent death and hanging around boats, waiting for a meal. If you spotted a shark following your ship, it was ominous, indeed. It could only mean one thing -- someone was about to die.

For indigenous peoples around the world, whose appreciation of nature came from hunting and survival, the shark is seen as something more positive than the man-eating machine depicted in Jaws. It’s a sacred animal, and its power and strength were more revered than feared. The totems of some First Nations in North America include the shark as a symbol of the hunter, for his ability to adapt and survive. In Australia, the shark is regarded with the same awe and respect that Westerners give the eagle or lion. The shark is considered a sacred symbol of the connection between the land and the sea, as well as a favourite food! Aborigines could recognize when a shark was ‘fat’, meaning ‘ready for catching’. They came to believe that the many varieties of shark were placed on earth for the nourishment of man.

Polynesians also considered the shark to be a sacred animal. For them, the shark tattoo served to protect them from their enemies. A Polynesian fisherman would also sport tattoo symbols to protect him and his vessel from sharks in the waters where he fished. In Hawaii, you’ll hear about the protective power of the aumakua, a row of tattooed dots around the ankle that keep sharks at bay. Legend tells of a woman swimming in the ocean and being attacked by a shark -- until it saw the tattoo. It let go and promised it wouldn’t happen again!

However you look at the shark, whether it’s the ‘Great White’ made famous by Hollywood, or the sleek and beautiful creature that the Aborigines paint on sheets of bark, there’s no denying that its one of the most feared and respected creatures on earth.

Deropplopn · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 147

Shamrock Tattoo Designs - As tattoo designs and symbols, the shamrock and four-leaf clover are very popular with Celts of Irish descent. In fact it is hard to imagine a St. Patrick's Day without Shamrocks and Four-Leaf Clovers to accompany Leprechauns and green beer.

The Shamrock and Four-Leaf Clover are universal symbols of Ireland all over the world, a symbol of being of Irish descent and in the case of the four-leaf clover, a potent symbol of luck or good fortune. Interestingly enough, both shamrocks and four-leaf clovers are one in the same - with a crucial difference - and have a symbolic tradition that goes back many thousands of years, spanning both the periods of the Druids, the Celtic Tribes and the modern era of conversion to Christianity.

When St. Patrick traveled to the Ireland to convert the native peoples to Christianity, he used the local beliefs and the Shamrock leaf to illustrate the mystery of the Holy Trinity to the people of Ireland. St. Patrick taught that the one true God was divided into three: The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit, when preaching Christianity to the Irish people - just as represented by the shamrock.

In some respects the Shamrock is similar to our adoption of the northern European pagan practice of using evergreen trees at Christmas to celebrate the birth of Christ during Christmas celebrations.

When we refer to Ireland as the Emerald Isle, we are referring in part to the rolling hills and dales that are blanketed with the many species of clover or shamrocks that are indigenous to the countryside. The Shamrock, which is a Three-Leaf Clover, is Ireland's most recognized National Symbol, others of course being the Harp, and the Leprechaun - or little people.

Deropplopn · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 147

Scripts, Scrolls and Letters - A picture may speak a thousand words but there are times in life when a few well-chosen words can say volumes and move mountains. Who amongst us has ever forgotten the exact time and place we were when that special someone, the who caused our heart to grow faint at the sight of them, looked deep in our eyes and proclaimed for the first time, "I love you". You swooned. We all did, and still do. It is an integral and beautiful part of the human condition. Sometimes, a few words can say it all.

Deropplopn · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 147

A heart tattoo is one thing, a heart tattoo that says "Mom or Dad" in a ribbon or scroll across the heart takes it to a whole new level. Getting a tattoo with the name or the initials of the one you love can be a greater commitment than getting married. You may part ways with the one you once loved, but the tattoo will still be there. There is an old expression among tattoo artists, "Love last six months, but a tattoo lasts forever!"

Tattooing has long been enamored with words. Sailors tattooed HOLD on the fingers of one hand, and FAST on the fingers of the other, as protective amulets so that they would never lose their grip on the riggings and lines high above deck and plunge to their death. LOVE and HATE, LOVE and PAIN, LIVE and FAST are all tattoos that have been popular on fingers over the years.

Political prisoners often tattooed slogans on their bodies as their only form of protest. Prisoners and gang members still tattoo powerful words on themselves as form of identification and affiliation.

Biblical passages, proverbs and hymns have often been very popular tattoos.

Likewise, Buddhist texts are reminders of spiritual truths and also act as protection against evil. Even more magical are the tattoos inked by priests in Thailand. Devotees pray in preparation for the tattooing ritual of the sacred text, and may enter a state of ecstasy afterwards. These texts, beautiful in form and meaning, originate from enlightened minds, so placement on the body should be considered with care.

Stefan · Joined: 01 Apr 2008 Posts: 71

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Baze · Joined: 20 Aug 2008 Posts: 18

Angel Tattoos - An angel tattoo design is an overtly religious symbol. Angels are anthropomorphic - meaning in the shape of men - winged forms intended to transmit the word of God to humankind. Angels personify divine will and are the messengers of God.

Winged messengers appear in a number of religions as intermediaries between the spiritual and material worlds, but appear most often in Islamic, Jewish but most particularly the Christian faiths. The word angel comes from the Greek 'aggelos', meaning messenger. Angels make frequent appearances in the Christian Bible, not only as messengers of God but also delivering his protection or punishment. Angels act as God's intermediaries, carrying out God's will in the affairs of man.

Symbols closely associated with angels in art include trumpets, harps, swords, sceptres and wands. Angels are usually portrayed as young men with wings and halos, representing their divinity. The representation of angels as Cupid-like young boys or babies, 'putti' did not occur until the period of the Renaissance.

As a tattoo design, an angel is a symbol of devotion, spirituality and faith and signifies a relationship with God. An angel can be intended as a figure of guidance and protection. An angel is often used as the centerpiece of a tattoo that is intended as a memorial.

Cheeky · Super user Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 266

Cross Tattoos - As a tattoo design or symbol, there is perhaps no religious icon or symbol more universally recognized today than the Christian Cross. Religious symbolism is prominently featured in several tattoo design genres, both ancient and modern, and in fact it could be argued that all traditional tattooing among indigenous peoples has a strong spiritual element.

Within modern tattoo genres, the cross is a tattoo design that has been in vogue for at least the last two centuries, and was tattooed by sailors, merchant seamen, was heavily represented in Old School tattooing, was popular among Military Serviceman, Latino tattooing, and is today one of the most popular tattoo designs in the world.

The Cross itself is one of the most ancient, widespread, and important symbols in human history - the vertical and horizontal lines representing Father and Mother Nature, respectively. The point of intersection of those two lines -- the point of synthesis -- represented those mystical and spiritual concepts that embraced the meeting of the material and the spiritual in human existence.

Symbols like the cross go back long before the written word. One of the oldest crosses was placed within a circle. These Solar or Wheel Crosses appeared in Neolithic Europe, often as petroglyphs or rock carvings. They are also found in Asia, America, and India, as representations of the rising and setting of the sun, the seasons, and the union of the polarities. Since the cross was used all over the world, it is no small wonder that it took on many different meanings within many different cultures.

Long before it was taken up and adopted as the most powerful of Christian symbols, the cross became one of the most widely cultivated of sacred symbols. It symbolized life and immortality, fertility, the union of heaven and earth, the sun and the stars. Its four pointers, or arms, symbolized North, South, East and West, or the four winds, the elements, not to mention the human form, itself. Throughout the world, it was used decoratively, as well as a protective symbol. It was seen on coins and carvings, and on stones and jewelry in Bronze Age Scandinavia, Pre-Colombian America, China and Africa.

Four thousand years ago, the Indian Cross was a symbol of auspiciousness. It was seen as the ‘world-wheel’, denoting an ever-changing world around the unchanging God-centre. It was also used in the Near and Far East, North America, and Europe. More recently, the direction of the four arms was reversed -- also known as the Swastika -- and came to represent Nazi Germany under Hitler.

Cross tattoosAncient Egypt used the hieroglyph ‘ankh’ for regeneration, later adopted by the Christian Copts to symbolize physical and eternal life. The ankh, unique for its loop over the cross, came to be used in astrology as the sign of Venus, and is still used today in biology to identify the female sex.

Of all the many different cross symbols, the Roman or Latin cross is the most popular and universally recognizable symbol of Christianity, although it was not adopted as such until 300 AD. This is the cross upon which Jesus Christ is said to have been crucified, and so it has become accepted as the Christian cross.

Other popular cross symbols are the Anchor Cross, a favourite for Christians facing hard times, which came to symbolize hope. The anchor was thought to be used in the martyrdom of St. Clement, when he was tied to one and tossed into the sea.

The Greek Cross, in evidence in Ancient Greece of three thousand years ago, is recognized today as the symbol for the Red Cross, being equal in all four arms.

And, of course, the cross is recognized as the ‘plus sign’ in mathematics, first appearing as such in Germany in 1489.

See also; Celtic Cross, Southern Cross, Maltese Cross, Iron Cross.

Tattoo Johnny Tattoo Designs - Over 2400 different cross tattoo designs and ideas by some of the world's top tattoo artists and flash illustrators.

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Cheeky · Super user Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 266

Wing Tattoo Designs - Wings as a tattoo design can often have inspirational or spiritual symbolism. In many myths, wings often have to be earned by their wearer.

Wings, often associated with birds, represent speed, elevation, freedom and aspiration.

Wings associated with angels are spiritual, symbolizing enlightenment, guidance and protection - to be taken under the wing - and inspirational.

Wings associated with butterflies, dragonflies, fairies, mythological winged creatures like dragons, griffins, and the winged-horse Pegasus, have an element of the magical about them. As in alchemy and magic, wings can be transformational, allowing an individual access to a previously unattainable state. The presence of wings allows the combination of different elements, earth and sky, wind and fire.

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Cheeky · Super user Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 266

Maori / Polynesian Tattoo Designs - Maori tattooing is a distinct school of patterns and graphic designs within Polynesian tattooing. While much of Polynesian tattooing is derived from straight-line geometric patterns (and thought to originate with patterns found on ancient Lapita pottery shards such as have been discovered in Samoa), a design fact which rose in part because the traditional Polynesian tattoo combs are best suited to linear designs, Maori tattooing is essentially curvilinear, and the mainstay of Maori designs are based on the spiral. It should be noted that renowned traditional Hawaiian artist Keone Nunes has demonstrated that it is possible to reproduce complex curved designs using traditional Polynesian tattooing implements.

Maori tattooing is distinguished by the use of bold lines and the repetition of specific design motifs that are prominent both in the tattooing or "moko" of the Maori people of New Zealand and within other cultural artworks suck as carving and weaving. A traditional Maori tattoo artist -- the tohunga ta moko -- could produce two different types of pattern: that based on a pigmented line, and another, the puhoro, based on darkening the background and leaving the pattern unpigmented; as clear skin. Within Maori facial tattoos it is possible to discern two spiral patterns very similar to the fern frond, or koru, that is a repeating motif common to Maori art, including tattooing or "moko", painting and carving, in both wood, bone and greenstone.

Traditionally Maori tattoo artists followed very specific rules laid out for facial "moko" or tattoos. It is important to note that because of the tremendous cultural complexity of New Zealand's many tribes and clans, these rules often had local variations. But the idea that the tattoos followed a set of prescribed rules was widespread, and tattoos were specific to individuals, family, clans and tribes. Maori tattoos follow the contours of the face, and are meant to enhance the natural contours and expressions of an individual's face. A well-executed tattoo would trace the natural "geography" of an individual's facial features, for example lines along the brow ridge; the major design motifs are symmetrically placed within opposed design fields: lines are used in certain areas where spirals are not used; two types of spiral are used -- the koru, which is not rolled up and has a "clubbed" end, and the rolled spiral. (Ta Moko: The Art of Maori Tattoo, By D.R.Simmons)

An excellent example of a modern, Maori-inspired tribal tattoo is that of heavy-weight champion boxer Mike Tyson. Singer Ben Harper has beautifully executed Maori-inspired tattoo design motifs.

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Cheeky · Super user Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 266

Dragon Tattoos - The dragon is a ‘classic’ tattoo motif, popular with men and women, and shows the profound influence of Japanese and Chinese culture in Western tattooing. By the looks of them, dragons were around long before man set his footprint in the sands of time. These giant, winged, fire-breathing lizards are reminiscent of the prehistoric creatures - dinosaurs, no less - that roamed the earth millions of years ago, but the fact is, the dragon grew out of the human imagination. Possibly played in no small part by the discovery in China and other places Asia and elsewhere of the fossil remains of dinosaurs and other extinct reptiles of gargantuan proportions. The dragon came to represent both the beneficent and malevolent elements, depending on which part of the world it breathed its fiery breath.

In China, these mythological creatures were the symbol of both the supernatural and of imperial power, residing in the heavenly realms. They were often spotted looming around thunder clouds, and became the deities of rain, producing downpours when it suited them. As shape-shifting creatures, they became so embedded in the myths and legends of Chinese culture, that the dragon is said to be the ancestor of the Chinese people. In Japan, a similar claim was made when a certain emperor declared that he was a direct descendant, himself, of the powerful and immortal dragon. It’s not surprising that the image of the dragon appeared on the robes of the emperor, signifying the protective powers of the dragon as well as the temporal power of the emperor.

Dragons were said to represent the Four Elements, hence the stories and myths of dragons who had dominion over Air, Water, Earth and Fire. Each of these elemental dragons had unique characteristics that had to be taken into consideration. In addition to the elemental dragons there were also special or unique dragons of myth, legend or lore. Dragons who guarded special treasures or dragons who were charged with special tasks, quests and responsibilities. In Japanese legends and myths, dragons often controlled or had in their possession Pearls of Wisdom and other jewels or items with magical properties that conveyed great power to those who possessed it. Both Japanese and Chinese lore are also filled with stories of creatures, who, through their special quests, at the end of their journeys, were transformed into dragons. In Japan, these were often the stories of Carp and Koi who through their perseverance, journeys and struggles, in the end were transformed into dragons.

Before the advent of Buddhism, the dragon starred in Chinese and Japanese folk beliefs, and in Taoism. In the ninth century, the Chinese incorporated the dragon into Buddhist concepts and art, where it took on the role of protecting Buddha and the sacred law of Buddhism. It could be found over temple doors and on tomb walls, warding off evil spirits. The most recognizable dragon image is the one that appeared in ninth century Tang ink drawings. They sported the long, scaly body, the claw feet, small horns, large eyes under bushy eyebrows, and sharp teeth. In a gentler, wingless aspect, it was associated with the rainbow.

Dragon tattoo designsIn the West, the dragon’s serpentine looks connoted evil. Blame its serpent relative making trouble for itself and all mankind in the Garden of Eden. Later, some famous Christian saints did battle with the fire-breathing dragon, Michael and Saint George, to name two. In images depicting the famous battle with Saint George, the dragon is portrayed as a sea dragon, and the patron saint of England is the clear winner.

In battles all over the Roman and Greek empires, warriors boasted the emblem of the dragon as a symbol of terror. It was seen on Viking ships, and in Celtic cultures it was the emblem of sovereign power. Anglo-Saxons had it emblazoned on their standards. Today, the red dragon is the national emblem of Wales, and believed to be a relic of Roman times in ancient Britain.

Wherever the dragon appeared, its strength and power was supreme, whether it was used as protection, or a force to be overcome. Defeating the fire-breathing dragon was the supreme test of human courage and fortitude. Legends abound of heroes of ancient Greece battling with the guardians of lakes, gates and marshland. The dragon that the Greek hero, Jason, slew in his pursuit of the stolen Golden Fleece is the same monster appearing in stone on the castle tower in the city of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Today we see the dragon in all its fantastic, heavenly and monstrous aspects. In Chinese astrology, it is said that if you are born under the sign of the dragon, you will be a leader, albeit a bossy one, and in Feng Shui, when you place coins of the ‘Yang’ Dragon tied together with coins of the ‘Yin’ Phoenix chances of marital bliss will reach heavenly heights.

The word ‘dragon’ is derived from the French and Latin form of the Greek ‘drakwu’, linked with ‘derkomai’, meaning ‘to see’ and interpreted as ‘sharp-sighted’. The equivalent English word ‘drake’ or fire-drake’ is derived from Anglo-Saxon ‘draca’. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1959.)

The dragon tattoo design symbolizes nobility, magic, the power of transformation and imagination, perseverance, loyalty, power and the ability to transcend the ordinary. For those who conquer dragons, the dragon represents courage, bravery, duty, honour and the great quest. And who amongst us has not sought out a great quest that will reveal the very best of ourselves? Such is the extraordinary power of the dragon.

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