I have chosen the constellation Draco as my subject, as it is both one of the largest in the sky and due to its significance one of my favorite childhood movies, Dragonheart. I often find myself looking up at it in the night sky, sprawling out over the clear black. Draco, meaning "dragon" in Latin, is located in the far northern hemisphere, and was one of the 48 constellations to be named by 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy.
There are actually four representations of this collection of stars, only three of which are dragons. The first of these explanations is the Greek tale of Ladon, a dragon slain by Hercules as part of his twelve labors. Ladon was a beast protecting the golden apples of Hesperides, which Hercules was tasked with stealing.…show more content… In mountains to the north of Europe, covered in ice and plagued with snow, there was a small settlement of humans that relied on, in the harsh winters, on the fires and hides of dragons to keep them alive. This settlement became locked in a valley when the rivers froze over, surrounded on all sides by icy cliffs and treacherous drops that claimed the lives of all that ventured too close.
The townsfolk built their houses with thick, insulated walls and sheltered them from the chilly gales as best as they could, and every year, in the harshest colds of each winter, dragons would come to assist the humans so long as they offered the beasts payment. Between livestock, or coins, treasures or even stories, the townsfolk and dragons lived in harmony for generations. The town grew in that way allowed to prosper without fear of freezing to death, and the harsh winters were soon a tradition of sharing tales between man and beast, and the people enjoyed stories from lands beyond reach from the dragons, as the townsfolk, over time, learned how to speak and write with the wyrms. However, as the valley village grew, even more so did the kingdoms to the south. And with it, dragon slaying became a popular sport to the nobles and royals as affirmation of their titles. Every winter, there were less dragons to protect the village from the frozen fury of the mountains. More townsfolk fell ill, and tragically, many died. Despite attempts at pleading with the kingdoms nearby, the sport continued its