Grandmother of Dragons: My Daenerys Halloween Costume

Daenerys Targaryen Mother of Dragons

I’ve been a fan of HBO’s Game of Thrones for years. My favorite character is Daenerys Targaryen. She’s beautiful; she’s smart; she’s strong; she’s a leader; she’s inspirational.Men love her, they loyally serve her, but only a very few can have her. And she has dragons!

She is called “The Mother of Dragons” because she brought dragons back from extinction. She came upon some dragon eggs and she nurtured them until finally three baby dragons were hatched.  

The little dragons were adorable, but as they grew, there was some adolescent rebellion. However, that phase has ended, and they are now her devoted protectors. There are three magnificent dragons that are hers to command.

I have always loved dragons.

Halloween gave me my chance to be Daenerys. I found what I needed on amazon.

First, I needed a blond wig. I don’t have the right coloring for blonde hair, so it’s not the best look for me. But Daenerys is blond and I wanted to recreate her look.

Next was the dress. I found one on amazon, but I decided to create my own using clothing I already owned. I had a long, flowing, floor length item that replicated the look. I put a cinch belt around my waist and added some gladiator-style sandals that wrapped around the ankle and up the leg.

Lastly I needed a dragon.  I found it on amazon.  I could have bought one to sit on my shoulder, but I fell in love with a beautiful dragon statuette meant for collectors. (After Halloween, I added it to my dragon collection.)  I took a belt that I had that was made with metal rings and wore it as a necklace. Then I used wire to attach the dragon to the rings so that it looked like the dragon was sitting on my shoulder.

I went as Daenerys for Halloween.
Can you see the resemblance?

The outfit was complete, and I was off to a Halloween party. For one night, I was the “Mother of Dragons.”  Given my age, a more apt title was “The Grandmother of Dragons.”  

If you too harbor an urge to be The Mother (or Grandmother) of Dragons for a night, I've collected everything you need for your Daenerys Targaryen costume.  (Click on the captions to see the details for each item.)

I hope they get you started for some cosplay.

P.S See some ideas for dragon costumes for kids here: Dragon Halloween Costumes for Kids  

Dragon Statue
to affix to your shoulder

Dragon shoulder sitter

Daenerys Wig

Daenerys Dress

Gladiator Sandals

Chain Link Belt
to use as a necklace 

Cinch Belt

Smaug Tussles with Stephen Colbert

by Catherine Giordano





Smaug on The Colbert Report





Did you see the Colbert Report on Thursday December 11, 2014?  Stephen Colbert interviewed Smaug, the dragon from the Hobbit movies. There is a new movie opening soon The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, the third movie in the series. (Not counting the original Lord of the Rings trilogy.) 

Smaug is not cute like the dragons of “How to Tame Your Dragon.” He's not a sparkly pet on a leash like the dragons on Game of Thrones. This is a real dragon, the dragon of your nightmares. Smaug says he is an ”old .school worm,” and he looks terrifying.

The segment begins with Smaug bursting through the wall, and ends with the studio going up in flames. In between, Smaug juts his ferocious snout into Colbert’s face.  (I wonder, do dragons have bad breath?) Smaug has teeth as long as my forearm, but Stephen is undaunted.  Nothing scares Colbert. After all, he has interviewed Bill O’Reilly and survived. So why should he cower before a mere dragon?

It was a great segment. Next week is the last week of “The Colbert Report.”  I will miss the show so much. Stephen Colbert played his part of a conservative talk show host so well. When the show first started seven years ago, he fooled conservatives into thinking he was one of them.  (It just went to prove that it is really hard to satirize people who are already so far over the top that it is hard to believe that they are for real. 

Next year Colbert will take over “Late Night” when David Letterman leaves. We won’t hear Colbert roar anymore—he will be dropping the persona he used on "the Colbert Report.".  He will be his charming and intelligent self.  I can’t help but wonder if he will occasionally slip back into character. A dragon can’t change his skin you know. 

If you get to missing Stephen Colbert--his new show won't start for months--you can snuggle up with Stephen Colbert's book: America Again: Re-Becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't.

Enjoy the clips below.  

Below is a video of the trailer for The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies.

You might like to have some dragons on DVD.

CLICK HERE to order the DVD



CLICK HERE to order the DVD

P.S. Check out some of my other posts about Dragons.

The Dragon Files: Do Humans Have Dragon DNA?

Who is Perseus? Ancient Greek Dragon Slayer

Hercules: Mythical Hero and Dragon Slayer

Shape –Shifting Dragons of Folklore: Three Love Stories



Dragon Anatomy 101

by Catherine Giordano

A dragon has the characteristics of many other animals.

 Head

The head is fierce-some with a very strong jaw and long sharp teeth. It looks something like a crocodile. The dragon has two fangs in its upper jaw and two fangs in its lower jaw.

A dragon has two horns at the top of its head.  On some dragons, the horns point backwards which makes them useful for grooming.  With other dragons, the horns point forward and can be used to attack.

Dragon Skull Trinket Box

It has a long massive neck that allows the head to be upright even when the dragon walks on all four legs. It is somewhat like a horse in this regard, but the neck is longer relative to the body size. The neck often has a sort of ruff going down from the back of the head to the body.  This ruff has sharp spikes protruding from it.

Dragons have huge brains which accounts for their intelligence and cunning.

Body

Dragons have the massive body and legs of a large land beast, similar to a lion, although they are much larger than any of the jungle cats.

A dragon’s body is covered with hard scales like a snake. The scales overlap protecting the body like a suit of armor. The scales increase in number and grow in size as a dragon gets larger; a dragon does not shed its skin like a snake.  A dragon’s skin is very thick and tough.

The body of some types of dragons has regularly-spaced spikes that protrude from the body.

 



CLICK HERE
to look inside

Wings

A dragon has huge wings that spring from its back. The wings are like those of a bat. The wings have a skeletal frame like fingers. The finger tips end sharp claws.

A dragon’s bones are hollow and thus very light and its muscles are very strong, so it can fly with ease.  Dragons can soar for hours with little effort.

Tail

A dragon has a long tail similar to that of a lizard. It uses its tail to steady itself in flight or to propel itself in water. The tail like the body has regularly-placed spikes making the tail ideal to be used as a weapon.

Feet

A dragon’s feet have three or four toes facing forward. One toe faces outward to the side allowing it to operate like a human thumb. It can use its foot to perch as a bird does, but it can also grasp objects with its toes. The toe nails are sharp claws. 

 

A dragon’s bones are very light and its muscles are very strong so it can fly with ease.  Dragons can soar for hours with little effort.

 

Senses 

Dragons have exceptionally good sight. They can see in the dark. They even have “blind-sight” which means they can see with their eyes closed. They also have exception good sense of smell. Their sense of hearing and taste is similar to that of humans. Their sense of touch is poor because of their thick skin, scales and clawed feet. 

Dragons can speak.  They have no difficulty speaking human languages, although among themselves, they prefer to speak Latin or the local dragon language.

 

Organs 

The most amazing body organ of a dragon is its fundamentum.  It is located just below the heart. The dragon’s blood passes through this organ before going to the other organs.  Chemicals made in this organ pass to the lungs which is what allows the dragon to breathe fire. 

Unlike reptiles dragons are warm-blooded and can control their internal body temperatures.  This allows them to survive in many climates and be active both day and night.

 

Shape-Shifting 

Some dragons can shape-shift into human form, but dragon biologists do not yet understand how they do this.

Here are some more posts about dragons that I think you will like.

The Dragon Files: Do Humans Have Dragon DNA?

 

Who is Perseus? Ancient Greek Dragon Slayer

 

Hercules: Mythical Hero and Dragon Slayer

 

Shape –Shifting Dragons of Folklore: Three Love Stories

 

 

Dragons and the Humans Who Love Them

CLICK HERE
for info on dragon figurines

by Catherine Giordano

Who knew? Dragons sometimes take human form and have love affairs with humans.  Their inter-species lover can even bring forth progeny—fortunately human progeny and not some animal human hybrid. No one would want to see that. 

Folklore abounds with love stories about the love between humans and dragons. I found three of these tales which take place in France during the Middle Ages.  

Why the Middle Ages? There were lots of dragons around back then.   

Why France? The country and its people are known for l’amour.  

In these sweet love stories a lonely dragon who has shape-shifted into human form, encounters a human and they fall in love and marry. Who knew? Dragons can be quite charming. And it doesn’t hurt that they only shape-shift into extremely good-looking humans.

I wrote up these stories in another posting. Read them at  Shape-Shifting Dragons of Folklore: Three Love Stories 



CLICK HERE
for dragon romance

There are also modern-day tales of dragons who shape shift into human form. These stories are less sweet, but no less romantic. It is just that we get lots of steamy, erotic, sexual encounters between the dragon and his lady love. (It is usually a male dragon and a female human who couple-up.) Dragons are evidently quite skilled in the arts of love.   

These novels are a sub-genre of a sub-genre: Romance –Paranormal romance–Dragon romance. Take a look at the offerings on amazon.com.

 

Thank you for liking, sharing, tweeting this post.

 

Dragon Halloween Costumes for Kids

Adorable baby dragon costume
CLICK HERE

by Catherine Giordano


Why do kids love dragons?

Maybe because they are big and scary and carnivorous. Maybe because they are awesome--flying in the sky with their ginormous wings and breathing fire. Maybe because they are cool--movies like movies like  How to Train Your Dragon, and dragon-themed books and games have upped the wow factor.

The answer is all of the above.

However, the big, scary and carnivorous reason my need an explanation. Dragons are like dinosaurs and kids have been fascinated with dinosaurs forever. When you are a little kid, everything is big and scary and possibly out to do you in.  Little kids like to own the power of these ferocious beasts for themselves. If I were a dragon everyone would be scared of me and no one would be telling me what to do.




Baby Dragon Costume
CLICK HERE

And one more reason little kids and great big kids (also known as adults) love dragons--they are so gosh-darn cute. Like the little baby in the picture above and to the left. Click the link below the picture to see the costume and a bunch of other dragon costumes for babies, little kids and great big kids (also known as adults.)

If you would like to learn more about why kids love dragons, click this link. Dragon Toys Your Kids Will Love  You will also see a detailed explanation of the psychology of dragon-love and enough dragon-themed gift ideas to fill a dragon’s lair.




Child Dragon Costume
CLICK HERE

Red dragon mask
CLICK HERE 

Toddler dragon costume
CLICK HERE



Be sure to save your kids costumes after Halloween. I kept all of my son's old costumes and props in a big box. During the year, he would play dress up and pretend games with the costumes. Costumes are fun all year long. 

















Perseus: Demi-God and Dragon Slayer

Statue of Perseus
holding the severed head
of Medusa

by Catherine Giordano


Perseus is a demi-god of Ancient Greece.  (Literally, half -god: His father was Zeus, and his mother was a mortal woman, Danae.)

Perseus slays Medusa. Medusa was a Gorgon, technically not a dragon. But dragons are sometimes depicted as creatures with multiple serpent heads spring from their neck. Medusa with her serpent hair may be based on dragon legends. 

When Perseus is returning home he comes upon Andromeda, a young princess chained to a rock about to be attacked by a sea serpent, Cetus. She is being sacrificed because the Delphi oracle has said it was the only way to rid the kingdom of a rampaging dragon. Perseus kills this sea dragon. The rescued maiden becomes Perseus' bride

See a detailed discussion about why I consider these two beasts to be dragons at The Dragon Files: Do Humans Have Dragon DNA?

You can also read a detailed account of the Life of Perseus at  Who is Perseus? Ancient Greek Dragon Slayer


A movie, The Clash of the Titans tells the story of Perseus.




Perseus costume
child size
adult size



CLICK HERE



CLICK HERE

What Color is Your Dragon?

by Catherine Giordano

 
Red dragons are fearsome creatures known for their fiery tempers.

CLICK HERE for a red dragon tapestry
 

Dragons have reptilian scaly skins of one dominant color. It is generally agreed among those who study dragon lore that dragons of a particular color have certain traits. Here is some important information you should know before you go on a dragon quest.

Black Dragons

Black dragons are the nastiest of dragons, evil vicious fire-berthing creatures. They will not hesitate to kill anyone who gets in their way, even their own kind. You encounter them at your peril, but if you want to find one, look in dark underground places like dungeons or mines.

 

 

Red Dragons

Red dragons are fire dragons. They can not only breathe out fire, but shape that fire at their will. They are ferocious, easy to anger, and unpredictable.  You probably should steer clear of them, but should you want to find one, check out the nearest volcano.

Blue Dragons

Blue dragons prefer watery habitats like underwater caves. They can shoot pressurized water or boiling steam from their mouths ad nostrils. They are shy, but curious. They keep to themselves, but since they like to collect bright shiny objects. You might tempt one from its hiding place with something bright and shiny.

Bronze Dragons

Bronze dragons are superior beings. They can speak human languages; they can cast spells, and are masters of alchemy. If you encounter a bronze dragon, you might be given a philosophic riddle to solve. You will usually find them in a castle, living under the protection of a king or lord.

 

Gold Dragons

Gold dragons have many gifts. They can speak human languages, do magic, shape-shift and prophesize. They are wise honorable and brave; they do not attack humans unless provoked. They prefer to dwell in castles and will loyally serve their king or lord.

 

Silver Dragons

Silver dragons are powerful dragons, rarely seen by humans because they prefer to live in secluded places. They are lovers of knowledge and can travel trough space and time. They are peace loving creatures who avoid war and violence.

 

White Dragons

White dragons live in the frozen arctic wilds deep within snow caves; they prefer icy and snowy terrains. The can breathe snow, spit out icicles, and cause avalanches. They hoard shiny objects and are selfish creatures. A site dragon will not help others unless there is something in it for him.

 

Yellow Dragons

Yellow dragons are the least intelligent of the dragons. Just like humans of low intelligence, they are boastful and egotistical. They don’t interact much with humans because they prefer the upper atmosphere. When they fly low, their giant wing spans can cause tornados.

Green Dragons

Green dragons are the smallest dragons.  They live in natural caves in forests. They have short wings and tend not to fly very high. They can breathe fire, but they use the fire as a tool and not as a weapon. They are skilled and climbing and burrowing and have excellent night vision. They are peaceful, even affectionate creatures.

 

Memorize the characteristics of each dragon so you will know what to expect should you encounter any of these magnificent creatures.


The above is myth and fantasy. If you would like to know the truth about dragons read

The Dragon Files: Do Humans Have Dragon DNA?