#jaculus

[dwollsadventures]

A jaculus token I made for a future Tomb of Annihilation game. The design is applicable to the legendary variety as well, so I'll also use it for that. Trying to turn the face into a piercing weapon presented a little challenge. I knew I wanted to make it into a spear-like shape, but figured that horns or ear-like flaps on the skull seemed counterintuitive. After all, the jaculus doesn't want to get stuck in its prey. After some sketching I noticed the similarity between older spearheads and the pattern of scales on snake heads.

For this jaculus, the scales on the head have been reduced in number and enlarged in size and strength. It smacks into prey like a true javelin, passing straight through unarmored bits. The elasticity of snake skulls allows it to open up, exposing the eyes and mouth. When flying, these are protected beneath the scales for the impact. The colors are mostly the same as my first pass, but with the spots.

[snototter]

A lesser Egyptian jerboa (Jaculus jaculus) in Kzi'ot, Palestine

by jonathanbensimon

[draconesmundi]

Happy Dracones Monday: Jaculus!

A serpent that flies from the trees like a javelin, written about (briefly) by Lucan, Pliny the Elder, Aelianus, Giaus Julius Solinus and Isidore of Seville - a venomous and quick dragon. In the world of Dracones Mundi they are small dragon that perches in trees, resting, before enacting a speedy magic-propelled flight, using four fanlike wings as stabilizers. Their main prey are small fast-moving birds, but groups of them do mob larger animals.

For a new dragon every Monday follow @draconesmundi to learn more about my project! :3

[briefbestiary]

A snake that launches itself at high velocities to kill its prey. The jaculus is a flying snake that is sometimes considered to be a dragon.

[saucylobster]

Jaculance are typically seen fluttering high in the sky, undulating through the air as they look for a target. Upon spying worthy prey, they fold their wings tightly to their bodies and dive with incredible speed towards the target. Their reinforced snouts are sharp enough that with enough speed, they can pierce their target and exit out of the other side. When perched, a Scyvern resembles a vulture of sorts and this image combined with their bladed face and limbs has associated them with death since time immemorial. Their small wings seem to have no use in their ability to fly but seem to be used by the pokemon to express itself. — Ability Info — — Attack Info —

[astralabraxas]

My own interpretation of the Jaculus creature from myth!

[a-book-of-creatures]

This was named after the mythical jaculus! Although the jaculus itself was most likely the saw-scaled or carpet viper.

Javelin Sand Boa (Eryx jaculus), family Boidae, Lebanon

photograph by Rami Khashab

[ver-caster]

What B'runi was doing while I was on vacation

[florilegia-or-what-you-will]

Reading Middle English poetry is like reading Jabberwocky only it’s supposed to actually make sense.

I’m fully expecting something to gyre and gimble in one of these.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Medieval Beasts

for your next poem/story (pt. 1)

Aeriophylon - a bird seldom seen because it flies above the clouds; if it is captured while still young, it can be trained as a hunter, and will stay with the person who raised it without being confined

Barnacle goose - grow from trees; the young birds hang from their beaks from the trees; when the birds are mature enough, they fall from the trees; any that fall into the water float and are safe, but those that fall on land die

Caladrius - an all-white bird that lives in the king's house; if it looks into the face of a sick man, it means that he will live, but if it looks away, the sick man will die of his illness; to cure the sick man, it looks at him, and drawing the sickness into itself, flies up toward the sun, where the disease is burned up and destroyed

Dipsa - a serpent so small it is not seen before it is stepped on, and so poisonous, anyone it bites dies before he feels the bite

Echeneis - a fish, half a foot in length, that clings to ships and delays their passage; when this fish attaches to a ship, even in the high winds of a storm the ship will not move, but seems to be rooted in the sea; found in the Indian Sea

Goldfinch - a bird that eats thorns and thistles

Hercinia - a bird that serves as a beacon for travelers because its feathers glow so brightly in the dark that they light up the path

Isida - a small bird with beautiful green, blue, sapphire and red feathers; it is said that if you remove the bird's skin with the feathers still attached and stick it to a wall, the feathers will continue to change as though the skin was still alive

Jaculus - a serpent that can fly; hides in a tree until an animal passes underneath, and then it throws itself down on the animal and kills it

Kingfisher - a bird that calms sea storms; at mid-winter, when the sea storms are strongest, the kingfisher lays its eggs in the sand on the shore. For 7 days it hatches the eggs, and for an additional 7 days it nourishes them. During those 14 days the sea remains calm, unnaturally for the season. Sailors know that during this time they will not be threatened by storms, and call this the "halcyon days" after the Latin name of the kingfisher, "halcyon".

Source ⚜ Writing Notes & References ⚜ More: Medieval Period

[new-dinosaurs]

Jaculinykus yaruui Kubo et al., 2023 (new genus and species)

(Type specimen and schematic skeletal of Jaculinykus yaruui, with preserved bones in white on the skeletal, from Kubo et al., 2023)

Meaning of name: Jaculinykus = jaculus [small dragon in Greek mythology] claw [in Greek]; yaruui = speedy [in Mongolian]

Age: Late Cretaceous (Campanian–Maastrichtian?)

Where found: Barun Goyot Formation, Ömnögovi, Mongolia

How much is known: Nearly complete skeleton of one individual.

Notes: Jaculinykus was an alvarezsaurid, a group of unusual small theropods with short but powerful forelimbs, each tipped with an enlarged thumb claw. Their other fingers were highly reduced, and in at least one case (Linhenykus), probably lost entirely. Jaculinykus appears to exhibit an intermediate stage in finger loss, having lost one of the smaller fingers on each hand. This makes it the first known example of an alvarezsaurid with two-fingered hands.

Jaculinykus is also one of the most completely known alvarezsaurids. Most of the bones in the type specimen have probably remained close to the original positions that they were held in when the dinosaur died, and they suggest that Jaculinykus slept in a very bird-like posture with the head turned back and tucked close to the body. A similar sleeping pose had previously been found in the troodontid theropods Sinornithoides and Mei, but Jaculinykus provides the first strong evidence that alvarezsaurids (which were more distant relatives of modern birds than troodontids) adopted the same behavior.

Reference: Kubo, K., Y. Kobayashi, T. Chinzorig, and K. Tsogtbaatar. 2023. A new alvarezsaurid dinosaur (Theropoda, Alvarezsauria) from the Upper Cretaceous Baruungoyot Formation of Mongolia provides insights for bird-like sleeping behavior in non-avian dinosaurs. PLoS ONE 18: e0293801. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293801

[unexpecteddinolesson]

Jaculinykus

Jaculinykus is a small alvarezsaurid theropod from the Late Cretaceous of what is now Mongolia. The name is a reference to the Jaculus, a small dragon in Greek mythology. Like other Alvarezsaurids, Jaculinykus had long legs, and enlarged first digit claws on each hand, which were probably used for digging and tearing. It also had a long tube-shaped snout filled with tiny teeth. These adaptations indicate that it probably had an insectivorous diet, feeding on colonial insects such as termites.

[snototter]

A javelin sand boa (Eryx jaculus) basking on a rock in Shirak, Armenia

by cowyeow

[draconesmundi]

What species of dragons are found in Africa? What clades do they belong to?

ooo so I was wanting to do a Smaugust Post about this but I was unsure how, so I'll just reply to this question with 12 very rushed dragon doodles...

(edit; to be clear this is in my creative project Dracones Mundi, not 'real dragons' or a comprehensive list of mythology. Dragon designs inspired by mythology)

Click the 'keep reading' to learn more!

West African Rainbow Serpent (Dracovermidae: Afroserpens iris)

This dragon is specifically a 'west African rainbow serpent' to differentiate been this and the Australian rainbow serpent. The West African Rainbow Serpent is based on West African folklore (Vodun tradition among other things, deities such as Ayedo Wedo etc.) and the physical design is based on an art sculpture of Ayedo Wedo a friend sent me a picture of (black head, white neck collar) + some snakes I like (spots with dark rims) + rainbow gradient.

Grootslang (Dracovermidae: Afroserpens magnus)

A gigantic dragon with diamond eyes said to live in caves under South Africa - looking into South African caves to discover there are vast bodies of water in huge caves was an experience - the above design is a loose idea, the final Grootslang for the Dracones Mundi project may look different...

Elephant Eating Serpent (Dracovermidae: Afroserpens aethiopicus)

Based on bestiaries saying 'big serpents in Africa wrap elephants in their coils'.

Chicken Headed Serpent (Afroserpens gallocephallus)

I might merge this design with the existing cockatrice design (see further below), only time will tell...

Nile Serpent? (Dracovermidae: Dracovermis hydra)

Huge serpent found in the Nile, and in the Mediterranean. Inspiration for Apep/Apophis in Egypt, but also for the Hydra in Greece.

Congan Plated Dragon (Testudracidae: Stegosuchus monstrum)

Large dragon that lives in the Congo Basin - inspired by Mokele Mbembe, Emele Ntouka and Mblieu Mblieu Mblieu

Dinodrakes (Drakonidae: Dinodrako...? )

Silly dragon I put on Madagascar - not inspired by folklore, these are just funny dinosaur inspired dragons. Mr Razzledazzle and his beautiful big wife.

Green Wyvern (Megaviperidae: Megavipera virida)

Based on Europeans slapping a little green dragon on maps of Africa for 'Aethiopia', 'here be dragons'. Also this is Saint George's dragon, so in versions of the legend where the saint fights the dragon in Libya I decided to put the green wyvern in Libya. Green wyverns therefore have a wide distribution in Dracones Mundi as Saint George has fought the dragon throughout North Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

Kongomato (Megaviperidae: ?)

A swimming dragon that lives in Zambia - it can grab boats with it's powerful jaws, swim with it's powerful tail and has huge wings. I am not certain on this final design, working on it...

Cockatrice (Medaviperidae: Basilliskos gallimimus)

CHICKEN DRAGON. Very deadly. Found throughout the world, including Africa.

Jaculus (Megaviperidae: Pteraserpens jaculus)

Jaculus, the javeline serpent, can fly at intense speeds, stabbing prey with it's sharp face.

Terrorsaur (Megaviperidae: Pteroserpens...?)

Silly dragon based on "what if janky cartoony green pterodactyls are dragons?" and then I found a lot of cryptozoology places 'pterosaurs' in central Africa. Playing with this concept, nothing solid yet.

...

There are some other African dragons that I'm not sure about including - Ninki Nanka is something I have had on my radar for a while but I could not find enough info on it to write or draw something (recently looked it up again and there is more info wow... Okay next draft will include Ninki Nanka!!!!)

and Akhekhu which I had in a previous draft then abandonned. Might put him back in. Not sure if he's dragony enough?

So in this current roster of African dragons we have 6 inspired by African folklore and mythology (Grootslang, Rainbow Serpent, Nile Serpent, Congan Plated Dragon, Kongomato, Chicken Headed Serpent) 4 inspired by European mythology saying 'this lives in Africa' (Cockatrice, Green wyvern, Jaculus, Elephant Eating Serpent) and 2 I made up just for fun (Dinodrakes and Terrorsaurs)

[semolinaart]

Jacula (Якула) — daughter of Hibiscus and Artemisia, mother of Amphisbaena, Chelyder, Chersydros and Dipsas

First generation Sand/Rain hybrid

Status: alive

She is big (very), can breathe fire, has venomous teeth (but is not capable of spitting poison and the poison is closer in composition to the poison of SandWings, and not to the "acid" of RainWings) and a very large almost straight poisonous tail barb. Jacula can also slightly change the color of her scales within the typical colors of SandWings, but she cannot do this as quickly and perfectly as RainWings.

Jacula is the matriarch of the clan Medusa, which she rules with an iron claw for many years, despite her very advanced age (she is already a great-grandmother).

Clan Medusa (clan Gorgon, клан Горгона) itself is heavily based on the Libyan snakes mentioned in Pharsalia, which spawned from the Medusa's blood, and Jacula's name is reference to Jaculus (which is somewhat ironic because this dragon is non-venomous unlike Jacula).

A few quotes from Pharsalia in English, Russian and Latin:

About snakes that spawned from Medusa's blood:

Yet that earth, In nothing fertile, void of fruitful yield, Drank in the poison of Medusa's blood, Dripping in dreadful dews upon the soil, And in the crumbling sands by heat matured

Этот бес­плод­ный край, не бога­тый доб­рою нивой, Тот­час, одна­ко, впи­тал сте­кав­шие яды Меду­зы, Кро­ви зве­ри­ной ее отра­вою пол­ные брыз­ги: Их ожив­ля­ла жара и в рых­лом пес­ке кипя­ти­ла.

il­la ta­men ste­ri­lis tel­lus fe­cun­da­que nul­li ar­va bo­no vi­rus stil­lan­tis ta­be Me­du­sae con­ci­piunt di­ros­que fe­ro de san­gui­ne ro­res, quos ca­lor adiu­vit put­ri­que in­co­xit ha­re­nae.

About Jaculus:

Lo! Upon branchless trunk a serpent, named By Libyans Jaculus, rose in coils to dart His venom from afar. Through Paullus' brain It rushed, nor stayed; for in the wound itself Was death. Then did they know how slowly flies, Flung from a sling, the stone; how gently speed Through air the shafts of Scythia.

Бро­сив­шись изда­ле­ка, со ство­ла иссох­ше­го дуба, Сра­зу вон­зи­лась змея (что «копьем» зовет афри­ка­нец): Пав­лу она про­шла сквозь гла­ву, вис­ки про­ни­зав­ши. Яд ни при чем: мгно­вен­ную смерть нанес­ла ему рана. Тише гораздо летит пра­щею запу­щен­ный камень, В возду­хе доль­ше сви­стят пре­сло­ву­тые скиф­ские стре­лы.

nil ibi vi­rus agit: ra­puit cum vul­ne­re fa­tum. dep­ren­sum est, quae fun­da ro­tat quam len­ta vo­la­rent, quam seg­nis Scy­thi­cae stri­de­ret ha­run­di­nis aer. ec­ce, pro­cul sae­vos ste­ri­li se ro­bo­re trun­ci tor­sit et in­mi­sit (iacu­lum vo­cat Af­ri­ca) ser­pens per­que ca­put Pau­li tran­sac­ta­que tem­po­ra fu­git.

[tmcficfest]

creatures 101

need a creature for inspiration? find one here:

acromantula alien angel aunt tiger/auntie tigress banshee basilik behemoth bigfoot capelobo centaur chimera chiron chupacabra cockatrice cornish pixie cyborg/robot/synth cyclops dementor demon dragon elf fairy/fae faun fenrir fouke monster frankenstein's monster gargoyle ghost ghoul giant giant squid gingerbread man gnome goblin god(s) godzilla golem gorgon griffin grindylow hatman hellhound hippogriff hydra incubus jackalope jaculus jekyll and hyde jersey devil jörmungandr (world/midgard serpent) kelpie kneazle kraken leprechaun leviathan loch ness monster loveland frog man manitcore mare (nightmare) medusa mermaid minotaur mothman mummy naga niffler nightman/dayman ogre orc ouroboros pegagus phoenix pixie pyramid head satyr scorpion selkie serpent shapeshifter siren slenderman sphinx spider succubus the invisible man thestral thing (addams family) thoth troll unicorn ursula vampire veela werewolf white stag witcher wraith wyvern yeti zombie