Why The Colchian Dragon?

Why name this blog The Colchian Dragon? The Colchian Dragon is a beast of Greek mythology. It guarded the golden fleece, sought after by Jason and his Argonauts and it never slept. In many versions of the tale, the key to defeating the Colchian dragon was not to kill it, but to lull it to sleep - a humane and peaceful solution.

Carving of Jason with his prize, the golden fleece. Cesi Collection; Boncompagni Ludovisi Collection Image by Marie-Lan Nguyen CC BY 2.5.

While thinking about a name for the blog, I wanted something that would encompass my many interests: parasites (worms), dragon fantasy (wyrms), science, history. Fiction and non-fiction. Oh, and public speaking:


...he saw the maiden [Medea] take her stand, and heard her in her sweet voice invoking Hypnos, the conquerer of the gods to charm him... the giant snake, enchanted by her song was soon relaxing the whole length of his serrated spine and smoothing out his multitudinous undulations... (Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4. 121 ff) 

An example of rhetorical excellence if ever there was one!

I think the Colchian dragon is a fitting figurehead for all these themes, and readers will find them scattered through my posts. 

Parasite enthusiasts, visit my website Rosemary Drisdelle
Follow me on Twitter @rdrisdelle

My nonfiction book - a natural and social history of parasites - is Parasites: Tales of Humanity's Most Unwelcome Guests, published by the University of California Press, 2010.