[Hermes]
Average Body Shape: 1.7 - 2.0 m / 70 ~ 100 kg
Food: Golden apples
Main Discovery Area: Mainly found on secluded roads frequented by travelers.
Time of Discovery: Impossible to know when it will appear.
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Species: Hermes
Element Type: Wind, Dream
Type: Trickster Dragon
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A naturally born trickster with the wind and their ally. They are often found messing with trainers and dragons alike. Ranging from wagers to playing hide and seek with stolen valuable items, Hermes stops at nothing to play pranks on others. The more chaotic the situation becomes, the better it is!
Egg:
“This egg radiates an air of mischief.”
One can often hear faint hisses as the snakes bicker back and forth. Wrapped by a pair of wings, a strong wind surges when it feels threatened. The patterns begin to glow as the egg gets ready to hatch.
Hatch:
“Another day, another fall. But it's okay because I am great and mighty!”
Without markings of the wind, it’s not yet able to fully grasp the powers of the breeze. As a result, it often stumbles and falls on the ground. Still, not even scrapes and bruises can keep a Hermes hatch from causing trouble. However, due to a lack of experience, it is often caught in its attempts at trickery.
Hatchling:
"This hatchling loves a good running start. "
Having earned the majority of its markings, it is able to soar into the skies with no issue. It is often found crafting more and more elaborate schemes before quickly soaring away with joy. With the snakes at the base of its tail on look out, it can almost get away with anything.
Adult:
“The whole world shall know trickery!”
To Hermes, other than tricking others, nothing is more fun than the freedom to fly endlessly amongst the clouds. For that reason, it rarely stays in one place and is even more difficult to track down. As unpredictable as a gust of wind, Hermes appears and disappears at whim. They say that the streaks of clouds in the air are traces of Hermes passing by.
Dragon Story: What Elation Means
As an infamous trickster blessed by the wind, there is nothing Hermes can’t do. With speed as his getaway, Hermes loves to spend their time toying with wandering creatures of all kinds.
Although Hermes finds sporadic joy in igniting the frustrations of others, Hermes also secretly wishes to understand what true happiness means. So occasionally, Hermes would offer to grant others wishes as a reward. Through fulfilling their desires and witnessing their joy, Hermes hopes to discover the answers to his own wish.
One such encounter was when Hermes encountered a lost child wandering in the woods alone and decided to approach her.
“Oh? What’s a child like you doing all the way out here?”
“Wahh please help me mister dragon! I came here with my mother, but I saw some pretty flowers and wandered off.. Before I knew it, I was all alone! Wah!”
Confronted by the bawling child, Hermes is suddenly at a loss for words. In an attempt to calm her, he shows her a little magic trick with his favorite lucky coin. The pair of snakes reveal their presences carefully to avoid startling the child further before joining in.
“Shhh don’t cry! Do you see this coin?”
“Hiss yesss, don’t cry!”
“Don’t cry! Look what we can do!”
Hermes tosses the coin into the sky with a flick of his claws. Before the coin falls to the ground, it seemingly disappears.
“Now you see it, and now you don’t! I wonder, where could it have gone?”
Hermes motions for the child to reach into her pocket, where the coin reappears along with a small bundle of Crocus flowers the girl had picked previously.
“Huhhh! How did you do that mister dragon! Oh! You can have some of the flowers too, they are pretty just like you!”
The child looked up at Hermes in awe as she reached the hand with the coin and flowers towards Hermes and slowly wiped away her tears with the other.
“Huhu, is that so? Then I won’t refuse, but you can keep that coin in exchange. I shall bring you to your mother and reward you with a gift. What is it that you wish for, child?”
Hermes lifts a single flower from the girl's palm with a gust of wind and is caught by one of the snakes. Upon this, the child falls silent for a moment while looking in the distance.
“Hmm, then I wish to tell my sister how much I love her! She’s far away from home and hasn’t returned in many years. But as long as she’s happy, then I’ll be happy!”
The rest of the exchange is lost to the winds and known only to Hermes and that child. Yet, Hermes sought to fulfill his promise and brought her back to her mother safely before swiftly disappearing into the skies along with a single Crocus flower drifting in the wind.
Other sketches and some thoughts behind the design:
- *couldn't tell if I liked it with the Crocus flowers xD
I picked Crocus flowers as it is closely associated with Hermes from greek mythology. The dragon story is inspired by this flower as well since it symbolizes rebirth and joy.
I thought it would be interesting if the Hermes dragon, as a dragon of thieves and trickery would ponder what it means to be truly happy. I left the story open ended as I feel like there is no correct answer to that question.
For the design itself, I tried to incorporate as many ties to the Hermes from mythology as possible while also keeping it relatively simple and unique (though I'm unsure if I was able to convey it well). It was quite difficult choosing the color pallet for this little guy though, there were so many good colors!
I focused on showing the childish and mischievous side of Hermes in all the growth stages since I felt that it fits the themes the best (also because it looks absolutely adorable when it smiles)!
:D
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