#beithir

Sometimes considered a Scottish dragon, it seems the beithir is a horrible serpent that could be born from any snake whose corpse is improperly disposed of.

Bubbeithir, nicknamed the Professor Pokemon, this large eels are incredibly curious, and tend to collect interesting finds in bubbles they carry with them. There is some debate over whether this is a pre-existing behaviour, or an imitation of human Trainers.

“Just promise me…whatever happens today.  However this battle goes.  Promise me you won’t even think about dying until a hundred,” he said. He lifted her hand from his shoulder and brought it to his lips, pressing a hard kiss into her palm.  He locked eyes with her, his gaze heavy as he kept her hand to his mouth, murmuring into her palm.  “Because I want those years, Ladybug.”

A rough composition paint sketch for an eventual full body painting of Ishka. Digital, Corel Painter 2020

Britain, despite being an enclosed island, has almost more dragons per km^2 than most other countries, except possibly for Greece. No one really knows why dragons are attracted to the place, perhaps because of its culture having several foreign sources or perhaps because they're responsible for shipping their culture and therefore their monsters and faeries and dragons all over the world. To start off, we'll be looking at the wyverns of Britain, of which there are three varieties. The smallest, but arguably most harmful are the strange bat/frog-like Water Leapers (Llamhigyn ydwr). Because of their habit of nesting in ponds and streams, they often come into close quarters with livestock and humans. To protect themselves, they, like many other wyverns, have stings on their tail capable of felling a bull. These are treated more so as pests than anything else. Golden or Mordiford Wyverns (Pendragon buforda) were once a nuisance, raiding farms and cities for prey like stork-sized foxes. But with the revolutionary techniques pioneered by Ms. Maud Wye, the species has been able to coexist peacefully with humans and promoted to a national symbol, much like the noble bin chickens of Australia. Sockburn Wyverns (Pendragon jabberwocky) however, still remain a true threat to small animals and lambs all across Northern England. Their ungainly appearance and habit of sloppily eating their kills where they lay inspired author and mathematician Lewis Caroll, and the name of his trademark dragon is often attributed to the wyvern, or jabberwocky.   But, it's Britain's water dragons that draw most people's attention. The Knucker (Nicor sussex), a smaller, caiman-sized relative of the nicor, are common sights in rivers and ponds, where they create their eponymous knuckerholes. In the North, Beithir (Electroserpens beithir), spirits of lightning in the shape of serpents swim within wells and lakes, their presence only known by their quick, harmless flashes of light beneath the water. And of course their much more harmful bites. Recent studies suggest the traditionally Scottish monsters may be related to the Canadian Haietlik. Ireland, aside from faerie dragons, is devoid of all types of dragons. However, evidence suggests that Ollipheists (Uilepheist patricus) used to crawl on Irish (and to a lesser extent, Scottish) beaches to lay their eggs before making the switch to live birth. They are one of the few dragons to go from semi-aquatic to entirely aquatic. Arguably the most famous British water dragons are the Lambton wyrms (Lambton weara), odd beasts with traits of both amphibians and reptiles. As is true to the legends, a wyrm cut in half will regrow its body with astonishing speed, but most worms are able to evade predators with their slick bodies. A smaller relative of the Greater Sea Serpent, Stoor wyrms (Midgardsormr assipattle) are more similar to orcas, making migratory trips from Iceland to the Faroe and Shetland isles year-round. These serpents are both smaller and less dependent on their venom than Greater Sea Serpents. Ask anyone what British dragon is most famous, and they'll tell you the Welsh Dragon (Ddraig goch). Their large, bull-sized forms are instantly recognizable, and the subject of much fascination, despite not being obligate carnivores. Despite being omnivorous like bears, these beasts are able to coexist quite well with humans. Even shepherds are able to sleep easy when one is sighted in the area, as they primarily eat fish and smaller game. This does not extend to other welsh dragons. Males and females alike will fiercely defend their territory, with fights often resulting in death. Like some birds, welsh dragons come in two different morphs depending on genetics, red morphs (pictured above) and white morphs. Contrary to their name, welsh dragons are found all across the wilder parts of Southern England, and have even been sighted as far North as the Wharncliffe Crags. -- OH BOY. This took less time than I thought to make and write, but dang does my hand hurt from yesterday. The Welsh Dragon has had three forms over its day, but I liked the one from the Tyranno entry the best. Rauisuchians are the coolest.

Suggest a spook.

Ishka the Beithir emerges from her loch to shame mankind