In the original draft of \u201cPan\u2019s Labyrinth\u201d – and all the way into production – the centerpiece of the fairy tale told by Ophelia (the film\u2019s main character) to her unborn brother was a striking image: A Black, horned Dragon, fused with a flint stone mountain, surrounded with thorns.\u00a0 And, at the peak of the mountain, a delicate blue rose that concedes immortality to whomever would dare pluck it.<\/p>\n
But so fierce was the Dragon (whom I called \u201cVaranium Silex\u201d) that men preferred to avoid pain than to gain eternal life.\u00a0 The fable was pertinent to the very core of the film\u2019s message but, instrumental as it was, the Dragon had to be dropped out of the sequence.\u00a0 Money, resources and lack of time conspired to seal that fate\u2026<\/p>\n
To this day I miss it so-<\/p>\n
Because, like the rose, the Dragon is a polyvalent symbol. One that changes according to each Mythology but that retains its Universal power. An archetype of sorts. In the book that you now hold in your hands, you will be carefully guided by a studious and engaging guide through a jaw-dropping array of Dragons inhabiting the mind of a single man and of all of Mankind.<\/p>\n
We must consider the singular virtue of the Dragon and its position as one of the very few creatures common in nearly all bestiaries around the world. There has been much speculation that perhaps the birth of the Dragon in Mythology was spurred by an ancestral encounter with large reptilian remains or even the residual memory of the primordial animal in all of us.\u00a0 A composite of every predator of yore- Fear and awe inscribed in our very genes.\u00a0 Dragon and man tangled in the dreams of an unending spiral of X\u2019s and Y\u2019s.<\/p>\n
But I prefer to think that perhaps there is a plane, physical or not, on which dragons do exist.\u00a0 Cartographers of the Old World used to mark the forbidden regions, the Finisterre, with daunting beasts that both guarded and populated that which is beyond our grasp.\u00a0 \u201cHere be Dragons\u201d they would warn as the Map became a Pascalian void.\u00a0 And in examining an old Mapa Mundi in my parents\u2019 library, I would dream exclusively of exploring that very region.<\/p>\n
Whether they hold a pearl, as in their Eastern depiction, or they guard a treasure, embedding their chests with jewels and gold \u00e2\u20ac\u201cmuch like Smaug the Magnificent and many before him- Dragons have become instrumental in our attempts at understanding the universe within and around us.<\/p>\n
Ryu in Japan, Long in China, Naga in Sanskrit. A Dragon can symbolize greed or wisdom or prosperity or it can be found swallowing the sun, writhing in the storm or embodying the Fallen One in Christian Cosmology, but it will always cast its long shadow upon the walls of our Cavern- a primal Form in the Intelligible world.<\/p>\n
The Dragon can be the Worm and crawl on the earth or soar through the air. Within its massive, noble chest, it holds the essence of the Sun and the power of destruction. Its features have influenced astrology, astronomy, chemistry, botanical nomenclature and, indeed, nearly every venue of human endeavor. Its name has graced the lineage of the ancient Kings, from Uther to Arthur and it has been slain by Beowulf, St. George and their infinite permutations.\u00a0 But it has also been tamed by the Buddah and by the cloak of St. Marcel du Paris. For the Dragon is equally feared and admired, cherished and longed for as a lost creature of Eden.<\/p>\n
Back in 1964, the Dragon became my patron at birth- according to the Chinese horoscope- but I would\u2019ve felt a kinship regardless, because the Dragon is the Patron Saint of all storytellers and artists and his likeness has adorned canvases and stone and has been forged in every precious metal. It has been emblazoned, embroidered and immortalized by the likes of Leonardo, Uccello, Moreau, Delacroix and now Howe amongst a legion of acolytes.<\/p>\n
It is Chinese mythology which reveals that, as a shape-shifter, the Dragon can adopt human guise and even procreate with our species- to suffuse us with its fire.\u00a0 And I therefore believe that within each of us sleeps a dragon, waiting to gain significance through our own, everyday acts. It allows us to channel it like an ancestral demiurge to make sense of our place in the cosmos. Or to battle it and conquer all that is unknown to us, giving us all our slice of Finisterre, becoming the key to that which lies beyond.<\/p>\n
For many years, I have admired John Howe\u00b4s art.\u00a0 His enviable eye for composition and drama and an almost unerring sense of light.\u00a0 His qualities lie well beyond the technical prowess of a draughtsman, John has a personal universe, a language all of his own.\u00a0 For years, I sought his work gracing books or games, but since then, as a fan, I have welcomed every compilation or book he\u00b4s ever put out.\u00a0 His holistic view of color, tone, architectural and textural detail result in unrivaled pieces of storytelling.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t illustrate the tale; he embodies it.\u00a0 On average, a John Howe image is worth 100,000 words. Give or take a couple.<\/p>\n
So jump into these erudite, fascinating pages and peek within at some of the most vivid depictions of this beast that belongs to us all.\u00a0 Blessedly, you will find here the ancient cartographers follies, embodied beyond their wildest dreams. \u201chere be Dragons\u201d indeed.<\/p>\n
Praised be John Howe and may the fire within him never be extinguished.<\/p>\n
Guillermo del Toro
\nLondon, 2008.<\/p>\n
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