The Chessmen Museum has got some terrifying chess games on display. Fire-breathing dragons, murky monsters and…dinosaurs. These creatures have got some traits in common. A coincidence or not?
According to modern day science, dinosaurs became extinct some 65 million years ago when a meteorite hit the earth. The strike changed the planet’s climate, which caused a shortage of food for the enormous animals. They starved to death. Men, who have only been walking the earth for 3 million years, therefore can never have seen a live dinosaur. Not everyone agrees on this theory though, like the Creationists. The followers of this movement believe in the story of the creation of mankind as it is written in the Bible. Therefore they believe that mankind was created at more or less the same time as animals, including dinosaurs.
Biblical dragon
Even though science denies the simultaneous existence of men and dinosaur, dragons are proof for the people who do believe it to be true. Dragons can be found in many cultures across the whole world. They don’t always have the same presence in culture: the Chinese consider the dragon a wise creature and pay tribute to it while in European legends dragons are evil monsters. As a result, in western mythology a warrior gained a lot of prestige if he was able to slayer a dragon.
Dragons do not only appear in literature but also in art, such as cave drawings, tombstones and pottery. From the Old Greeks to the Celts and from the Incas to the Chinese. Even the Old Testament speaks of gigantic monsters. This description does remind us of dinosaurs. The same goes for a lot of the old legends in which dragons are usually reptile-like beasts with scales and wings, or spines on their backs. It is no surprise that we cannot find the name ‘dinosaur’, which means horrible lizard, in the classic writings. The word dinosaur wasn’t coined until the nineteenth century. So when a person living in the Middle Ages found a huge bone, he would think of a dead dragon and not a dinosaur. The fear of inexplicable natural phenomena could explain the universal presence of dinosaur-like creatures in the different cultures of the world. This fear would be projected on mythical figures such as dragons and demons.
Chess dragon
Whether they existed or not, dragons have enjoyed popularity for many centuries. These creepy animals are still an important part of our culture. They are present in films and in literature, like The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Dragons were also the inspiration for the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, created in the seventies. This game is set in a world reminiscent of the Middle Ages, full of monsters, midgets, dragons and wizards. You create your own character and take it out on an adventure trip during which you have to fight ghastly opponents, with the help of seized weapons and handy tricks. The game, that can also be played on a board, using dice, was an instant success among American students. In the eighties it had already been exported to other countries and had even won some prizes.
In 1985, creator Gary Gygax developed a three dimensional Dungeons & Dragons chess game. The two opponents have to play on three different game boards at a time, each board representing a different world with its own natives. The top board for example, represents the sky and the chess pieces are creatures that can fly. This three piece chess game finds itself in good company among the traditional Dungeons & Dragons chess games.
The chess pieces consist of dragons and other terrifying beings from the role-playing game. There are various versions of this dragon game at the Chessmen Museum, along with the dinosaur chess set. Look at the similarities…. Could it be, after all…..?
You must be logged in to post a comment.