Children's Lit Titles in Latin (Pt 15): Dragons Quiz

Answer: Socci Draconis

"Socci" is the diminutive of "soccus" and refers to the softer indoor shoes that Greeks, for instance, wore for theatre, as opposed to the heavier "calcei" which were boots. To indicate the possessive, "Draconis" is the genitive case "Dragon".

Jessica Day George's 2007 children's fantasy novel follows Creelisel "Creel" Carlbrun, an orphaned teenage girl who dreams of becoming a professional dressmaker. Creelisel's aunt sacrifices her up to a local dragon, in the hope that a nobleman would come to her rescue and marry her, saving the family from poverty. The dragon name Theoradus however, is much more interested in collecting shoes rather than harming people. Meanwhile, Creelisel has come into possession of a pair of powerful Dragonskin Slippers from Theoradus's collection that can control dragons' minds.

Answer: Quomodo Instituendi Tua Draco

"Quomodo" = "How" or "the way in which". "Instituendi" is a gerundive form meaning "of training" or "for the purpose of training". And "Tua" is the feminine singular of "your", agreeing with the implied feminine noun for "dragon" which is "Draco".

"How to Train Your Dragon" by Cressida Cowell, is about a young Viking named Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III as he faces his tribe's rite of passage, which is to capture and train a dragon to prove his worthiness of full membership in the tribe.

Answer: Series Hereditatum

"Series" is a very common Latin word meaning "a row, chain, sequence, or series." "Hereditatum" is the genitive plural of "Hereditas", meaning "of inheritances." This translates to "A Series of Inheritances," which is very accurate as Eragon deals with multiple inheritances throughout the cycle (Saphira, the Dragon Rider legacy, the struggles of the Varden, etc.). It is simple and direct.

"The Inheritance Cycle" is a fantasy book series by Christopher Paolini, starting with the novel Eragon. The series follows the journey of a young farm boy, Eragon, who discovers that he is destined to be a Dragon Rider in a world where dragons were thought to be extinct. As he embarks on his journey, he uncovers a deep and ancient conflict between the forces of good and evil.

The series is set in the fictional world of Alagaësia and follows the journey of a young farm boy named Eragon and his dragon Saphira as they battle against the evil king Galbatorix.

Answer: Draco Patris Mei

"Draco" is the nominative case, the subject of the implied sentence: "[This is] the dragon of my father", while "Patris" means "of the father" indicating possession, and instead of "the", "Mei" meaning "my" is used as the genitive case of the possessive pronoun.

"My Father's Dragon" won a Newbery Honor back in 1949, being the first book in a trilogy that included "Elmer and the Dragon" (1950) and "The Dragons of Blueland" (1951). It was written by Ruth Stiles Gannett and illustrated by her stepmother, Ruth Chrisman Gannett. Elmer, our narrator, makes friends with an old alley cat, continuing to take care of it, after Elmer's mother rejects taking it in. Grateful for Elmer's care, the cat tells him about Wild Island, a place where a baby dragon is held captive by a group of animals, and forced to transport them animals across a river. Can Elmer rescue the dragon?

Answer: Nova Urbs Draconum

"Nova Urbs" is "New City" (feminine nominative singular), and "Draconum" is the genitive plural for "of the dragons". Even though the English word "Dragon" is singular, the idea of the book's title is really that many Dragons now rule the cities, not just one.

"New Dragon City" by Mari Mancusi is a post-apocalyptic adventure story about a boy named Noah trying to survive in a world now ruled by dragons. A "dragon apocalypse" destroys New York City, so Noah and his survivalist dad join a small group of people scraping by in the rubble environment. People hide underground when dragons wake from hibernation, but then one day Noah's rescues a young dragon named Asha, and discovers he can communicate with her. Word spreads that humans and dragons may just coexist peacefully, but it'll be tough convincing some people, like Noah's Dad.

Answer: Principissa Sacci Papyrei

"Principissa" is a diminutive form of "princess," as she's a young woman and not an older princess. "Sacci" is the genitive form, meaning "of the bag." "Papyrei" is also genitive, indicating "made of paper" when describing the bag.

"The Paper Bag Princess" by Robert Munsch is about a princess who must outsmarting a flying dragon that attacked her castle when she was about to get married, burned her clothes and kidnapped her groom, Prince Ronald. How she schemes to do that involves wearing a paper bag, and flattering the dragon, challenging him to show off to her. Will it work? And if it does will she get what she really wants?

Answer: Locus in Scopa

"Locus" is the nominative masculine noun meaning "a place" in the sense of "room (space)." "In": The ablative case preposition meaning "on" or "upon." "Scopa", is the ablative singular of meaning "broom."

"Room on the Broom" by Julia Donaldson (illustrated by Axel Scheffler) is about a nice witch and her cat fly on a broomstick when wind blows away her hat, her hair bow, and her wand. Helpful animals (a dog, bird, and frog) assist her each time, finding the objects and getting a ride on her broom. Overloaded, the broom snaps and they all fall into a bog, where a hungry dragon awaits.

Answer: Fabula de Costardo Draconi

"Fabula" is a tale or story) with de meaning (about/concerning). "Costardo" in the ablative case and "Draconi" would be Dragon, in the ablative case agreeing with "Costardo".

The English short "u" sound, as in "custard", does not exist in Classical Latin. Latin has no equivalent to the English "uh". When adapting a foreign name like "Custard," a Roman wouldn't try to make an unfamiliar "uh" sound. Instead, they would likely find the closest equivalent such as the short "O" sound, as in the Latin word "costa" (rib).

The whimsical American poet Ogden Nash, first published this poem in 1936, and it was later adapted into a picture book in 1995 with illustrations by Lynn M. Munsinger. The story is about a little girl named Belinda who lives with her four pets, a kitten named Ink, a mouse named Blink, a dog named Mustard, and a dragon named Custard, who ironically is the most timid of the pets. The other pets boast of their courage, but what happens when one day a pirate bursts into the house brandishing pistols and a cutlass!

Answer: Veritas de Draconibus

"Veritas" is the nominative feminine noun meaning "truth" with de being the preposition meaning "concerning" or "about." "Draconibus" is the ablative plural of draco, meaning "dragons."

Julie Leung's "The Truth About Dragons" is a Caldecott Honor book that takes a young biracial boy on a journey discovering two very different but equally magical cultures about dragons from Eastern and Western traditions. Guided by a parent's bedtime story, he visits two enchanted forests representing their grandmothers' worlds. The Western Forest Tale is a European-style woodland with dragons as fearsome, fire-breathing menaces slayed by knights. The Eastern Forest Tale in a Chinese bamboo realm with nine-tailed foxes, a moon rabbit, and benevolent dragons that control rain.

Answer: Alae Igneae

"Alae" is the nominative plural of "ala," meaning "Wings." "Igneae" is the nominative plural feminine adjective meaning "fiery" or "made of fire" (from "igneus", -a, -um).

"Wings of Fire" by Tui T. Sutherland is an epic fantasy series about young dragons fulfilling prophecies to end the wars across two continents. The 16+ books tell of the dragonets escaping captivity, going on treacherous quests, choosing a successor, forging friendships, facing threats from mind-control parasites, uncovering mind-control secrets, and meeting hybrid dragons and ancient evils.