How Dragons Breathe Fire

With great apprehension, the white-bearded patriarch pulled back the curtain, and entered the richly decorated, leather topped tent that would later come to be known as The Holy Tabernacle.  Bright flames flickered from the seven spouts of the imposing, intricately wrought candelabrum of gold, and their reflections danced like a thousand points of light on the iridescent, blood-red scales of the great creature whose coiled body perfectly filled the antechamber. Well-sated by a substantial meal of several sacrificial calves, lambs, and the first born children of those who could not pay the prescribed ransom in precious metals, the beast noisily snored until the man neared the tent.  Now there was a deathly silence.

The patriarch went to his knees, and in a whisper implored, "Lord of Lords, your servant speaks".

With the acute senses of a consumate predator, the beast had heard the man's tread even on the soft desert sand the tent was pitched upon, and was now wide awake. The cat-like, but intelligent golden orbs were open, and bore down upon the fearful man. Great scaly lips parted, revealing rows of teeth, each as large and sharp as a fine Egyptian dagger, and an oily black, forked tongue, as long and as broad as man's leg, tasted the air, withdrew, and then in a deep, resonating voice, the creature replied, "Why do you disturb my rest, Moses?"

With an unsteady voice, the old white beard stammered, "Lord of Lords, the people grow disaffected again. They complain of the monotony of the manna you feed them, while you daily consume their finest livestock. Few still have treasure from Egypt to ransom their first-born, as you demand, and the harshess of the desert becomes unbearable. They wish that members of their own tribes would be among your priests, and not all from the Levites.  Some think they were better off as slaves in Egypt, and wish to return ithere, if they are not brought soon to the Promised Land."

The great reptile tasted air again, detecting the scents of many men,  and said,  "I sense people outside the Tabernacle who are not my priests.  Are they the disaffected ones?"

The Patriarch replied with unease. "Y-yes oh Lord, and they request an audience to voice their displeasure."

"So be it", the reptile flatly stated. "Let them feel the fiery wrath of their Lord".

Moses shook his head in affirmation, and asked, "The oil skin, Lord?".

The dragon gave a grunting nod and then gaped wide it's terrible jaws. Moses entered the second, smaller room, partitioned by a curtain,  and removed the lid to the magnificent gold-sheathed, wooden ark that reposed in honor there.  Along with the device that the old man sought, the ornate chest housed original copies of the laws the creature had imposed upon His people, as well as his finest treasures.  Among the dragon's baubles of  silver, gold, and lapis lazuri,  he lifted out a large, heavy, liquid-filled vessel, fashioned from the entire skin of a young calf, but where the head would have been was a fine bronze spigot, bound to the calf's neck with sinew and pine resin. He also removed a polished white object that looked all the world like one of the great creature's teeth, only this one was hollow and fashioned from elephant ivory.

The Patriarch hefted the heavy calfskin into the dragon's mouth, carefully positioning it on the base of the forked tongue where it broadened considerably, with the bronze spigot facing outwards. Then he loosened the hardwood cork, and filled the hollow ivory tooth with the highly volatile mixture of naptha, pitch and oil, taking care not to let the bitter fluid soil his master's tongue.  Replacing the stopper, he then  carefully inserted the ivory tooth in an empty socket in the very front of the reptile's bottom jaw. He then inserted a common lamp wick of twisted linen into the tip of the faux tooth and set it alight with a small branch that he ignited with the flame of the wondrous, seven branched oil lamp. The dragon carefully closed its jaws just enough to conceal the calfskin, but not enough to extinguish the flickering lamp,  and with his snout, pushed Moses toward the tent flap.

The Patriarch strode out before the assembled dissidents, each of whom had carried  a smoldering bronze censer that burned aromatic incense in respect for their Lord.  Moses rebuked them, saying, "Woe to you for your disaffection and ingratitude to the God who delivered you from Egypt.  Now feel the wrath of your Lord!"

With that, the great 'fiery and flying serpent" uncoiled out of the tent entrance like a flowing river of glistening red scales.  Rising up upon his haunches, He spread  its great wings, lowered its head, and gently squeezed the calfskin with its tongue against its pallete, causing the cork to pop out, and a great stream of oil to spew forth, igniting when it reached the flaming ivory tooth-lamp.

The dissidents screamed as the plume of flames enveloped them. The multitude of Israelites who witnessed the event were awed by the seemingly magical power of their Lord, and for a long while, complained no more of their hardships. So memorable was the event that it would be recorded in the scriptures that we now call the Holy Bible.


" And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense."  Numbers 16:35

And to confirm where the fire came from:

"Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth."  Pslams 18:8