Dragon’s Parade in Cracow 2011 (by Jabaloss)

(via peircy)

So I’ve been looking for source images for a dragon tattoo, and it’s been surprisingly difficult. I think the main reason is that I’m looking for a European dragon, not an Asian one, and Asian dragons have a certain serpentine symmetry that lends itself well to tattoo designs—so, most dragon tattoos are of Asian dragons.

But Asian dragons are air and water spirits; I like European dragons of the Grand Old Tradition because of their temporal regality. They’re awesome but have their failings, with the pride and greed and self-centeredness, and that’s a large part of what I love about them. Think Smaug, or Temeraire, or any other intelligent and highly self-sufficient dragon you’ve read about.

So the above is a rather cheesy illustration, but it shows off the kind of dragon I like. If you see a good illustration of this kind of dragon, please do let me know.

[ Rogier van der Weyden’s St George & the Dragon ]

Inspired by byronic, here’s my favorite version of St. George battling the dragon. This painting is amazing. See those tiny tiny tiny people going up to the castle, way in the back? If you’re viewing this on a 15” MBP screen with 1440 x 900px resolution, you’re seeing the image about actual size. It’s really tiny, but incredibly ornate.