NaslundsWorld.com

Like to write medieval fantasy?

Why not post yours here? Send me your work and I'll create a link to a page dedicated exclusively to you!

Please submit short stories, not full volume novels.

(Note: All work submitted will retain copywrite of the original author - DO NOT send me copywrited material that is not yours!)

[All submissions are subject to approval. Sexually explicit or vulgar material will not be accepted]

Let's keep it clean, folks...and have fun!

This weeks featured artist is: David Naslund (myself) :) hehehe

A hearty Huzzah to all who find this place!

Well it was bound to happen and it has - I'm adding <gasp!> advertising to these revered pages. Yes, it's a sign of the times and it's time to put this site to work to help pay the bills. I figure if this site can earn enough to cover its ISP expense, then why not? The bright side is I'm going to be working even harder in making sure this site has content that people will want to read in order to keep them coming back.

The Guest Book has been discontinued due to porn bots crawling my site and leaving inapporpriate messages and links to pornographic web sites. Good grief!

About me:

Yea there be Dragons here!

"...With fiery breath it casts its lot against men to pull asunder... For ne're were lives so deftly sought, as those who disdain it's thunder!"

--Maelstrom (Dragon Chronicles)

Dragons! In the Western world, the very word conjures up images of fiery, winged beasts circling high over lonesome mountaintops, guarding their hoards of plundered treasure deep within. While this may be the image many of us like to entertain, there are many facets to this remarkable, and wonderful mythical creature - it just depends upon the cultural background you're viewing from. The accepted Western dragon is invariably one of thick scales and massive claws with which to carry away livestock and other creatures. Even the American Indians had their version; the Piasa Bird, although slightly less than one would expect from the appearance of the commonly accepted physical anatomy of a dragon. Nevertheless, they believed in it, and they feared it all the same.

Chinese dragons, on the other hand, appear much different and are most often symbols of great events in Chinese mythology. The dragons of Anne McCaffrey lore are probably the most famous and widely accepted versions of dragons in both appearance and character, as well as size, color, and magical attributes.

Many stories of the fantasy genre have included dragons, and each tale adding its own particular trait to define and hone our perception of dragons. There are dragons of every size and color, each denoting the type of dragon it is. Some spew flame, while others drench their enemies in acid, or ice-cold blasts of air. About the only thing agreed upon is dragon anatomy - they all fit the popular design that we all recognize. Most dragons can fly, and all are shrouded in a mystery of their own. Some can converse with humans through thought transference, put to work as herders or modes of transportation, and others remain untamed and dangerously wild.

Dragons have been a part of just about every cultural history on the planet. Just as every culture has a god, so they also have dragons.

But were dragons ever real creatures?

That depends upon what you would consider a real dragon. Were there ever any of the fire-breathing sort? Doubtful, but not necessarily impossible. Of course we have the Komodo Dragon, and various other creatures we call dragons (not very exciting, to say the least), but what about the kind of dragons that grace our story books with tall tales and legends of fable and lore? As with most stories, the tales (no pun intended) of the dragon are most likely elevated and exaggerated. Some more than others - and some will even go to great lengths to prove the dragon myth to be real.

Back in January of this year, a Russian web site (here's the english version) Pravda ran an interesting article about a so-called "baby dragon" preserved since the late 1800's in a jar of alcohol. The current owner of said "dragon" exclaims (and I quote),

"The winged pangolin is absolutely perfect. His tiny teeth, his face, the umbilical cord, everything appears stunning. I am inclined to believe that it is..." (more)

Well, it just goes to show you what lengths some people will go...heheh

In a study conducted by Occult Forums.com (I am NOT endorsing this site, btw), they discovered that 77% of those polled do indeed believe in dragons. (of course, I have no knowledge of their target group, or any other factors which outlined the details of the poll).

Whether they exist (or existed) or not, we like'em and so for now, let's pretend they do exist, and there are, at this very moment, a thousand dragons sleeping deep within a hundred mountains all over the world...waiting...waiting.

~dnaslund

Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA)

The Society For Creative Anachronism, is an educational, non-profit organization whose purpose is to re-create the Middle Ages. What is an "Anachronism?" An anachronism is something that is out of its proper time (from the Greek ana meaning backwards or reversed, and khronizein, to belong to a particular time). The time period that the SCA is endeavoring to recreate is from 600 to 1600 A.D.

View the events calendar here, then choose your Kingdom, and choose your fate!

Nebraska Events

6th Annual Nebraska Renaissance Faire
and Medieval Pageant
May 10th and 11th, 2008
Place: Bellevue, NE!

For further information about this and other Nebraska/Iowa Renaissance Faire events, please visit:

What is (or was) the Renaissance?

"Renaissance," French for "rebirth," perfectly describes the intellectual and economic changes that occurred in Europe from the fourteenth through the sixteenth centuries.

During the era known by this name, Europe emerged from the economic stagnation of the Middle Ages and experienced a time of financial growth. Also, and perhaps most importantly, the Renaissance was an age in which artistic, social, scientific, and political thought turned in new directions.

Click here to explore the Renaissance and discover the forces that drove this rebirth in Europe, and in Italy in particular.

Today, Renaissance Faires offer period enthusiasts the chance to get together with like folk and act out in drama, comedy, jousting and tourney. And besides, where else can you dress up in full gala costume and parade around hearing phrases like, "Hearken, O lowly swineful sot of less grace than I...nice cod piece!" ;)

I have been attending the Kansas City Renaissance Festival (in full garb, or course) since 1999. It is one of the best here in the midwest and offers a wide variety of things to see and do. This year is expected to be exceptional, with more acts, more bravado, and much, much more cleavage. ;)

For information, maps, fair times, and more, please visit this link:

Kansas City Renaissance Festival

Click here for a list of Renaissance Faires near you.

Looking for quality Renaissance costumes?

Look no further - Pendragon Costumes - is a site I highly recommend. They carry custom clothing for both men and women, in addition to various assessories to complete your Renaissance wardrobe. Check'em out!

Everybody loves castles!

What is it about the allure of castles that many of us find so compelling? After all, they're just old stone buildings, right?

Over the ages, castles have been a part of warring civilization for hundreds and hundreds of years. They are much more than just old stonework buildings - they are testimonials to past cultures, some of which have long since vanished, leaving only the enduring castles to tell their stories.

Some are fancy and beautiful, even to this day. Some are not so lavish, and never were - serving only the purpose for which all castles were originally built - as a fortress. What castles have survived the eons are found mostly in Europe: Ireland, Scotland, England, and also Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Russia - just about every continent on the planet! They are long-enduring, and those which have been painstakingly restored still offer us a glimpse into not only mankind's bloody and often violent past, but they also tell the tale of form and function.

Castle design wasn't just a mere fashion statement - nearly every facet of a castle served a very important purpose.

Click here to learn more.

If you are looking for information on a particular type of castle, or specific castle heritage or design, try these links below:

Castles of Wales Castles & Fortifications in Germany

Castles of Britain Castles of Germany

Castles of Ireland Castles of Scotland

Castles on the Web More Castles of the World

Castles of the United States

Bishop's Castle (Beulah, Colorado)

Before you click the above link to view castles of America's past and present - follow me to a few sites that tell the incredible tale of one man's journey into building his own castle by hand...yes, stone upon stone, this castle is unique and in a class by itself!

Some may call him eccentric, but all who see what this man has done are astounded at this man's efforts that have taken a lifetime to achieve. I'm speaking of none other than the bizarre, yet interesting, Bishop's Castle of Beulah, Colorado!

I've never been there myself, but a good friend and colleague of mine (thank you, Judyth!) was kind enough to write and send me some photos she took while vacationing in Colorado one year. The pics she took are the ones you see on the left. The amazing thing about this castle isn't it's fire-breathing dragon's head which maintains constant vigil at the apex of the A-frame structure...more than the stained glass windows, the original all-glass ceiling (which has since been replaced due to some rather "fowl" elements, if you know what I mean ;), more than the 160' tall spire dominating the treeline - it's the fact that this entire structure was built by hand by one single solitary man! I encourage you to read further and keep an open mind. This is truly something to see! And pay close attention to Jim Bishop's personal story...there are some interesting points to ponder there as well.

Here is Judyth's first-hand account about her visit to Bishop's Castle, which, since 1969, has been continually under construction:

"...the dragon's head is actually steel and iron and is fire breathing, fueled by one of several fireplaces. I have seen it. It was incredible. The ceiling was originally all glass, but hail, rocks, birds, etc has forced him to rethink that. There are still a lot of glass plates in the ceiling but they are gradually being replaced..."

For more information, please follow these links Judyth also provided ~ thanks again! :)

The official Bishop's Castle web site

Bishop's Castle on RoadsideAmerica.com

More info on Bishop's Castle