Author: Lynn Reilly Publisher: ISBN: 9781945026324 Category : Juvenile Fiction Languages : en Pages : 30
Book Description
Andrew and his grandmother are best friends and spend their time together telling stories of conquering imaginary dragons (fear) by being brave (looking fear in the eye). As Gram ages and her life ends, Andrew is left to battle the dragons alone until he discovers that Gram has been with him all along.
Author: Calvert Watkins Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA ISBN: 0195085957 Category : Comparative linguistics Languages : en Pages : 630
Book Description
In How to Kill a Dragon Calvert Watkins follows the continuum of poetic formulae in Indo-European languages, from Old Hittite to medieval Irish. He uses the comparative method to reconstruct traditional poetic formulae of considerable complexity that stretch as far back as the original common language. Thus, Watkins reveals the antiquity and tenacity of the Indo-European poetic tradition. Watkins begins this study with an introduction to the field of comparative Indo-European poetics; he explores the Saussurian notions of synchrony and diachrony, and locates the various Indo-European traditions and ideologies of the spoken word. Further, his overview presents case studies on the forms of verbal art, with selected texts drawn from Indic, Iranian, Greek, Latin, Hittite, Armenian, Celtic, and Germanic languages. In the remainder of the book, Watkins examines in detail the structure of the dragon/serpent-slaying myths, which recur in various guises throughout the Indo-European poetic tradition. He finds the "signature" formula for the myth--the divine hero who slays the serpent or overcomes adversaries--occurs in the same linguistic form in a wide range of sources and over millennia, including Old and Middle Iranian holy books, Greek epic, Celtic and Germanic sagas, down to Armenian oral folk epic of the last century. Watkins argues that this formula is the vehicle for the central theme of a proto-text, and a central part of the symbolic culture of speakers of the Proto-Indo-European language: the relation of humans to their universe, the values and expectations of their society. Therefore, he further argues, poetry was a social necessity for Indo- European society, where the poet could confer on patrons what they and their culture valued above all else: "imperishable fame."
Author: Sandra Kischuk Publisher: ISBN: 9780615685588 Category : Languages : en Pages : 158
Book Description
For decades, traditional medicine had very little to offer for individuals suffering from multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases. Today, medical science has brought us wave upon wave of immunomodulatory medications to try to slow disease progression. Unfortunately, these medications come with their own health- and life-threatening side effects. And sometimes, they just stop working."Fighting the Dragon: How I Beat Multiple Sclerosis" is the story of one woman's thirty year battle with multiple sclerosis and what she did to reclaim her life when she realized she would need an assisted living facility within a few years. The book contains detailed descriptions of what worked and what did not, where she got the help she needed (and how the reader can locate these resources within his/her own community), and the logic behind the non-conventional therapies."Fighting the Dragon" is a narrative of courage-courage driven by desperation, a story written by a patient who decided, when her neurologist told her, "You will never walk normally again," that she would dance."Fighting the Dragon" is also a book the MS patient can take to his/her physician . . . it contains well-researched, easy-to-follow guidelines for what to do and how. The information is also applicable to a wide range of other autoimmune conditions, cancers, and AIDS. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Excerpt: . . . if your car kept breaking down and the mechanic you took it to kept doing the same thing to fix it-but it did not stay fixed, you would question the mechanic's competence. Maybe the mechanic pulled out a technical manual. "See. I fixed it exactly as the manual said. This is the industry-approved way to solve this problem." When the car broke down again a week later, would you be satisfied? Probably not. You might decide it is time to replace the car. But that might be too expensive. So, what to do? If you were smart, you would probably try to find a new mechanic. You might ask your friends who they would recommend. You might search on the Internet to see if other people had the same experience with their cars . . . and what caused the problem. You might telephone some repair shops to get some idea of what they thought the problem might be. If you found a new mechanic and that mechanic looked over the car and said, "I have a solution that is not in any industry-approved repair manuals, but it is safe and it works,"-would you walk away and go back to the first mechanic who never got it right? Why is your health worth any less than your car?
Author: Cressida Cowell Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers ISBN: 0316299197 Category : Juvenile Fiction Languages : en Pages : 501
Book Description
Book 12 is the epic finale to the New York Times bestselling How to Train Your Dragon series! The Doomsday of Yule has arrived, and the future of dragonkind lies in the hands of one boy with nothing to show, but everything to fight for. Hiccup's quest is clear... But can he end the rebellion? Can he prove himself to be king? Can he save the dragons? The stakes have never been higher, as the very fate of the Viking world hangs in the balance!
Author: James McIntosh Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1317904583 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 185
Book Description
Suitable for 2nd and 3rd year students taking courses on drug use/misuse principally in departments such as Sociology, Law, Cultural and Media Studies, and Psychology. Also particularly relevant for students taking courses leading to a profession, such as nurses and social workers. The use of illegal drugs is widespread in many societies. Within many western societies particular concern has been focused on the nature and extent of illegal drug use amongst young people. In much of the media coverage an impression is often conveyed that the use of illegal drugs other than cannabis is a one way street leading inevitably to addiction, destitution, family breakdown and death. This impression fails to grasp the fact that most drug users do not become addicts and most addicts do not die. The perception of addiction as a fixed end point characterised by personal and social dissolution fails to recognise that many dependent drug users, even after a period of prolonged dependent drug use, nevertheless still manage to overcome their dependence upon illegal drugs. This process of recovery, either with or without the assistance of helping agencies, has been variously described by researchers, drug counsellors, clinicians and others.
Author: Robin McKinley Publisher: Harper Collins ISBN: 0688025935 Category : Juvenile Fiction Languages : en Pages : 266
Book Description
Robin McKinley's mesmerizing history of Damar is the stuff that legends are made of. The Hero and the Crown is a dazzling "prequel" to The Blue Sword. Aerin is the only child of the king of Damar, and should be his rightful heir. But she is also the daughter of a witchwoman of the North, who died when she was born, and the Damarians cannot trust her. But Aerin's destiny is greater than her father's people know, for it leads her to battle with Maur, the Black Dragon, and into the wilder Damarian Hills, where she meets the wizard Luthe. It is he who at last tells her the truth about her mother, and he also gives over to her hand the Blue Sword, Gonturan. But such gifts as these bear a great price, a price Aerin only begins to realize when she faces the evil mage, Agsded, who has seized the Hero's Crown, greatest treasure and secret strength of Damar.
Author: Keith Ammann Publisher: Simon and Schuster ISBN: 1982122684 Category : Games & Activities Languages : en Pages : 560
Book Description
From the creator of the popular blog The Monsters Know What They’re Doing comes a compilation of villainous battle plans for Dungeon Masters. In the course of a Dungeons & Dragons game, a Dungeon Master has to make one decision after another in response to player behavior—and the better the players, the more unpredictable their behavior! It’s easy for even an experienced DM to get bogged down in on-the-spot decision-making or to let combat devolve into a boring slugfest, with enemies running directly at the player characters and biting, bashing, and slashing away. In The Monsters Know What They’re Doing, Keith Ammann lightens the DM’s burden by helping you understand your monsters’ abilities and develop battle plans before your fifth edition D&D game session begins. Just as soldiers don’t whip out their field manuals for the first time when they’re already under fire, a DM shouldn’t wait until the PCs have just encountered a dozen bullywugs to figure out how they advance, fight, and retreat. Easy to read and apply, The Monsters Know What They're Doing is essential reading for every DM.
Author: Jaimal Yogis Publisher: Scholastic Inc. ISBN: 1338660446 Category : Juvenile Fiction Languages : en Pages : 242
Book Description
Grace and her friends must protect a newly hatched dragon from mysterious evildoers. When Grace moves to Hong Kong with her mom and new stepdad, her biggest concern is making friends at her fancy new boarding school. But when a mysterious old woman gifts her a dragon egg during a field trip, Grace discovers that the wonderful stories of dragons she heard when she was a young girl might actually be real--especially when the egg hatches overnight. The dragon has immense powers that Grace has yet to understand. And that puts them both in danger from mysterious forces intent on abusing the dragon's power. And now it's up to Grace and her school friends to uncover the sinister plot threatening the entire city!
Author: Mark Grondin Publisher: ISBN: 9781928133780 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 212
Book Description
This high-fantasy novel brings to life a lively array of characters ranging from brave knights to talented wizards to powerful elves, bearing ensorcelled weapons and curses, all on personal quests to seek fame and fortune by killing a dragon.