It is said that, where Dragons are concerned,
every telling - even accounts of morning croquet and kippers - must begin with a legend. It is the Dragonish way of things. Since they are personally acquainted with more
legends than we, it is best to defer to them on this, and begin by recounting the pivotal meeting between Dragon and humans out of which WAFDE was formed and the world
as we knew it changed. If some of you know this tale, bear with me. I offer it for the young ones, just starting out; for the inspired neophyte and the casually interested.
And I offer it for myself and for my friends, Dragons and Dragon keepers, lest, in the madding swirl, we be ever tempted to forget those who blazed trails and paved the way for the rest of us.
I offer it because it is true as Dragons.
It was a high summer day in the early years of the 20th century. Edward VII was on the throne and all was still right with the world.
Drs. Amerlia Penrhyn-Haile and Portia Featherstone two amazing women of vast curiosity and arcane inclination, were on a walking tour of
Wales. Their particular interest was in the ley lines and Neolithic standing stones, mounds, and dolmen raised about them. To this end, they traveled from Glamorgen
to Ynys Mons (Anglesey), exploring a theory of Amelia's about geophysical energy in relation to sacred sights - something we take for granted today, but which was cutting edge at the time.
WAFDE legend has it that Amelia and Portia were leaning up against a toppled capstan at Trefignath, looking out towards the mist-bound sea and enjoying a rather
tepid cup of flask-flavored Earl Grey, when a great green Dragon poked her head around one of the standing stones. Surprised but not frightened, they offered her a biscuit
and a marmite-and-cucumber sandwich, sat back and delighted in the wonder of her company. The next day, so the legend goes, Teal - for that was her name - showed them around her weyr
and introduced them to the rest of her enchantment.
Trefignath and Teal
In those rare twenty-four hours, with a rip and a snort and a wondrous blaze of Dragonfire, the Dragon Renaissance
too wing. What was to become WAFDE began germinating in Amelia's fertile imagination.* Amelia and Portia promptly bought a cottage adjacent to the weyr. There, with the
aid of the National Trust and various philanthropic individuals, they created Britain's first Dragon sanctuary - and WAFDE HQ - overlooking the Irish Sea: High Wing Tor.
Today, WAFDE's standard flies on every continent. With its 175 branches (and growing), it is the world leader in Dragon conservation and education, spearheading the Adopt-A-Dragon Program and the
Dragon Conservancy. WAFDE also oversees
the licensing of all sanctuaries and lay-bys, and has been instrumental in working with the U.N. and WWF on recent Dragon census efforts.
To encourage membership, dues and other fees are on a sliding scale.
* For a more detailed account of Amelia Penrhyn-Haile's life and the founding of WAFDE see Welcome Home the Dragons: Amelia Penrhyn-Haile and the Dragon
Renaissance by Ally Azdaja. Ladon Imprint. Wyvern-Basilisk Publishing.
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