Dragonslayer

The title of “Dragonslayer” is a recurring motif that represents a flawed, human-centric model of heroism founded on a lie. This motif is central to the theme of deconstructing official histories and manipulated narratives. The entire society of Valor is built upon the myth that Heath bravely slew the SandWing queen, an official history that papers over the truth of a clumsy theft gone wrong. Heath leverages this manufactured title to establish his rule, creating laws that benefit himself and banishing anyone who questions his authority. The myth is so powerful that it inspires the next generation, as seen when Rowan tells a romanticized version of the story to her younger brother Leaf, claiming that Heath “stole all her treasure and rode back home, triumphant” (23). This retelling omits the story’s greed and tragic consequences, instead presenting a simplistic narrative of conquest that motivates Leaf to pursue a violent, misguided path of vengeance. The severed dragon tail, which Heath preserves in a glass box, functions as a grotesque symbol of this motif. It is the tangible “proof” of the lie, a macabre trophy that glorifies a violent, accidental death and represents the moral decay at the heart of Heath’s constructed identity and rule.