Dot The Dragon's Eyes

[Creggan]

I recently heard a piece of music written and performed by Hanneke Cassel titled Dot The Dragon's Eyes. Aside from being just a stellar fiddle tune, the title itself intruiged me. It seems like something from that comes straight from a fantasy book. I figured, if I read it in a book, it could be either a feat of dexterity, or a warrior's feat (lethal or not!). I posed this question to a friend and he suggested also that it could be a gambling maneuver, like rolling snake's eyes on dice, for instance.

Any other thoughts? What does "dot the dragon's eyes" make you think of?

 

[goldhawk]

I makes me think of the Chinese artist that says to dot the eye to make the dragon look alive. Chinese Idiom: 'Paint the Dragon, Dot the Eyes'

 

[Orc Knight]

Sound's kind of like a feat for an archer. It'd be quite the thing to be able to pull off in the middle of a fight with one.

 

[Creggan]

I makes me think of the Chinese artist that says to dot the eye to make the dragon look alive. Chinese Idiom: 'Paint the Dragon, Dot the Eyes'

Thanks for the share on that one Goldhawk. I didn't know about that idiom. I appreciate it!

 

[ShadeZ]

I makes me think of the Chinese artist that says to dot the eye to make the dragon look alive. Chinese Idiom: 'Paint the Dragon, Dot the Eyes'

^ This exactly. In some cases it makes me think of "To bring something to life that isn't naturally". Such as what happens in some versions of this story where the painting comes to life when you dot the eyes.

 

[Creggan]

Sound's kind of like a feat for an archer. It'd be quite the thing to be able to pull off in the middle of a fight with one.

Indeed it would be quite a feat to feather a dragon in the eye during a battle...much like Bard the Bowman did!

 

[Creggan]

^ This exactly. In some cases it makes me think of "To bring something to life that isn't naturally". Such as what happens in some versions of this story where the painting comes to life when you dot the eyes.

It's a good point ShadeZ. The link Goldhawk shared could be straight out of a fantasy story by itself. Perhaps Paint the Dragon, Dot the Eyes could be a powerful spell?

 

[Creggan]

I have another question in the same vein. In a Scottish folktale I read read titled Am Bas Tearlach Mor, the author refers to a champion of the MacAskill who sings "the song of the sword" during his final battle. Any thoughts on whether that should be taken literally, as the man was singing a death chant? Or does it refer to his exceptional skill with a sword?

Or both?

 

[Prince of Spires]

It is actually an idiom that means "to finish a task"

It comes from the dragon beauty parlours, where dragons go to get their scales polished and their make-up done and what have you. The last step in the beauty treatment is to dot the dragon's eyes. And since there's a lot of dragons around, they are very vain, and they are very influential in the world the phrase found itself into every day usage.