1 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:06,359 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:12,160 Speaker 2: Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and This is the 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 2: Monster Fact, a short form series from Stuff to Blow 4 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:19,680 Speaker 2: Your Mind, focusing in non mythical creatures, ideas and monsters 5 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:26,759 Speaker 2: in time. Our recent Weird House Cinema episode on the 6 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 2: nineteen eighty one film Dragon Slayer got me thinking once 7 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:34,519 Speaker 2: more about dragon flight. In this film, noted for its 8 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 2: superb dragon effects, we get to see Vermathra's pejorative soar 9 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:43,120 Speaker 2: terrifyingly across the sky like a fighter jet, as well 10 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:46,880 Speaker 2: as swooped down from craggy Peaks, but we don't see 11 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:51,200 Speaker 2: the creature engage in vertical takeoff. In the special features 12 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 2: for the excellent twenty twenty three remastered Blu Ray release, 13 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 2: the effects team indicated that they intentionally avoided depicting the 14 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 2: dragon taken to flight in order to avoid challenges in 15 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 2: making the feat seem believable, because, of course, dragons, while 16 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:10,680 Speaker 2: creatures of fantasy, should feel believable on the screen, and 17 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 2: that may often mean choosing what to depict and what 18 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:17,760 Speaker 2: to leave to the audience's imagination. But in raising the 19 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 2: specter of believable dragonflight, I was reminded of an older 20 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:23,680 Speaker 2: episode of Weird House Cinema in which I discussed the 21 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 2: nineteen eighty two animated film The Flight of Dragons with 22 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 2: Seth Nicholas Johnson. The film from Rankin in Bass was 23 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 2: based on the nineteen seventy nine book by Peter Dickinson 24 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 2: and illustrated by Wayne Anderson. Part coffee table fantasy art 25 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 2: book and part speculative natural history of dragons. The book 26 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 2: is an absolute delight, and affordable used copies are still 27 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,480 Speaker 2: very much in circulation. Dickinson lays out one of the 28 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 2: more intriguing models for dragon biology and flight, which I'll 29 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 2: briefly summarize here. For starters, the dragons of flight of 30 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 2: dragonagons are quote flying bricks. They have thick bodies and 31 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 2: short wings, but are very capable of flight. The wings 32 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:10,080 Speaker 2: for starters are too small to support their weight and 33 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:13,960 Speaker 2: are not proper limbs, but rather webbed spines that evolved 34 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 2: from their ribs. The dragons only use these wings for 35 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 2: propulsion and maneuvering because their large bodies contain lighter than 36 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:27,640 Speaker 2: air gas, specifically hydrogen, which the dragon produces via digestion 37 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 2: of limestone. The fiery breath then is a byproduct of 38 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 2: their mode of flight. They must regularly vent hydrogen as 39 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 2: a means of lowering their altitude when in flight, or 40 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 2: as a matter of course, when not engaged in flight. 41 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 2: Via structure known as thors thimble and the roof of 42 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 2: their mouth, the dragons are able to ignite the hydrogen 43 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 2: as a great burst of flame. The film does a 44 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,520 Speaker 2: fine job relating all of this, and the book ruminates 45 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:58,959 Speaker 2: on the speculative evolution, life cycle, and biology of fire 46 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 2: breathing dragons as well as dragon slayers. It's a great 47 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 2: deal of fun, but also rather insightful and clever. I 48 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 2: highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the 49 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 2: monster sciences. While we don't have any terrestrial organisms that 50 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:17,639 Speaker 2: engage in this mode of flight, science fiction contains numerous 51 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 2: other examples of creatures that fly via bladders of lighter 52 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 2: than atmosphere gas. Artist and author Wayne Barlow, a legend 53 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 2: in his field, for example, envisioned the Eosapiens in his 54 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 2: nineteen ninety book Expedition. Barlow envisioned them as the most 55 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 2: advanced life form on the planet Darwin four, floating in 56 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 2: the atmosphere via two bladders of methane in the planet's 57 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 2: oxygen rich atmosphere. Tune in for additional episodes of The Monster, Fact, 58 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 2: The Artifact, or Anamalia Stupendium each week. As always, you 59 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:57,840 Speaker 2: can email us at contact at stuff to Blow your 60 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 2: Mind dot com. 61 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind is a production of iHeartRadio. 62 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:13,800 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 63 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.