Here Be Dragon(s)

I’ve been noodling around this project for a while; inspired by several things:

–my long-standing fascination with lady adventurers

–a quote from author Russell Hoban I love: “Explorers have to be ready to die lost.” (Yes, the same Russell Hoban who created beloved children’s character Frances the Badger as well as the book Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, adapted by Jim Henson into a holiday TV classic. But Hoban also wrote darker novels for adults, including works of literary fiction and sci-fi/fantasy books.)

–the phrase “Here be dragons,” which is famous for allegedly appearing on medieval maps in Latin: hic sunt dracones. In reality, there are only two known examples using the exact form of this phrase: the Hunt-Lenox Globe from 1504, now in the collection of the New York Public Library, and the Ostrich Egg Globe, also from 1504, which abruptly popped up for auction in 2012 after having been part of an unidentified European collection.

As I was preparing to graduate from college many decades ago, I wrote “Here be dragons” in my planner for the day after commencement, in a mixture of flippancy, bravado and anxiety. It turns out I had no idea how accurate my notation would be, but that’s a story for another time.

–finally, in many cultures, today marks the end of the two week-long celebration of Lunar New Year. This year is the Year of the Dragon in Chinese astrology; more specifically, this particular year is the Year of the Wood Dragon. As it happens, I was born in the Year of the Wood Dragon (never mind the specific year).

At this point, I intended to mention specific traits of the Wood Dragon, and what astrologers predict for me & other Wood Dragons in the upcoming year, but the information I found was so contradictory that it’s of no use. (I am “bold, creative and confident” … unless I’m “quiet, unimaginative, and insecure.” My upcoming year will be great! … unless it’s bad!)

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, prosperous 2024 full of adventures and friendly dragons!