The Menu Is Located On The Left Of The Screen. Put Your Mouse On The Box And It Should Slide Open. Safe Journey! c,") INTRODUCTION: The planet Pern lies in the Rukbat solar system in the Sagittarian sector. The golden G-type star, Rukbat has five planets, two asteroid belts and a stray planet within its solar system. The only habitable planet for humans in the Rukbat system was its third planet, P.E.R.N (Parallel Earth Resources Negligible) as human explorers had called it. Pern had the breathable air, greenery and clear blue skies to attract humans to colonise the planet and soon two large space ships carrying six thousand colonists, were sent to colonise the planet. The colonists came in hope of a new life; they discarded many of their advance technologies in favour to living off the land. What the explorers had failed to take a lot of notice, was the stray planet Rukbat attracted and held in the recent millennia. The explorers did not deem the stray planet to be of much importance (so they did not explore it), but rather a curiosity. When the humans colonised Pern, they too took little notice of the stray planet, nicknamed the Red Planet. Pern was a dream planet, but it soon revealed its terrors and the reasons for the strange barren grass circles became evident. Out of the skies and from the Red star, came silvery 'Threads' that consumed any carbon-based forms whether human, animal or plant. These 'Threads' were merciless, anything it touched died, and those who survived were scarred for life. What could the people of Pern do? They had abandoned most of their technology and help from Earth was remote. In the mist of this terror a new breed was genetically engineered from the local 'firelizard' species . . . dragons. Creatures named after Earth's mythical creatures. They breathed fire to kill the thread. The dragon riders were special men and women with special bonds between their dragon. Together, both dragon and rider protected the skies of Pern. Thus the Chronicles of the Dragonriders of Pern began . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BETWEEN: The strange, cold, black area of nothingness dragons go through when they teleport. DRAGONRIDERS: Particularly empathic humans chosen as partners by their dragons at Hatching. The only female dragonriders are those who bond with the queens and an occasional green rider; all the others are male. When a queen has laid a clutch of eggs, the dragonriders will fly out on Search, looking for likely candidates to attend the Hatching. Those chosen by the young dragons in a moment called Impression come to live in the Weyr, where they learn to ride and care for their dragons, and to fight Thread. The dragonriders are the heroes of Pern. DRAGONS: Huge, winged, fire-breathing creatures able to communicate telepathically with their riders, as well as to teleport instantaneously from one location to another. Originally bred from Pern's native fire-lizards, dragons come in the same variety of colors as their small forebears: gold, bronze, brown, blue, and green. · Gold: Only the female queens are gold. By far the largest of the dragons, the gold queens are also the only ones to lay eggs and bear young. Queens cannot chew the firestone that enables the other dragons to breathe flames. Instead, their riders must use flame-throwers. · Bronze: The largest and strongest of the male dragons, the bronzes are the most likely to catch the queen in her mating flight; the successful bronze not only fathers the next clutch of dragon eggs, but is looked to as the lead male dragon (his rider assumes the title of Weyrleader). · Brown: The next largest size. Occasionally a brown will actually beat out the bronzes to catch the queen in the mating flight. · Blue: The mid-size dragons, stronger though not as fast as the smaller greens. · Green: The green dragons are the smallest dragons, fast and sometimes a bit flighty. Although female, they do not produce any eggs. HARPERS: The information and teaching network on Pern. Harpers are assigned to individual Holds and Weyrs to teach the children basic reading, writing, mathematics, and history. Much of this teaching is done by way of Teaching Ballads. The Harpers and their assignments are coordinated and run by the Masterharper of Pern, perhaps the single most important person on the planet. HATCHING: The public event during which a clutch of baby dragons emerge from their shells and choose their riders. HOLDS: Fortified estates, generally built into a cliff or a cave system, where the common people live and work. A Hold is administered by a Lord Holder. A hold (with a lower-case h) is a more modest human dwelling place. The common people tithe to the Lord Holder in exchange for sanctuary during Threadfall; the Lord Holder tithes to the local Weyr in exchange for protection of the hold by the dragons during Threadfall. IMPRESSION: The choice of rider made by a newly-hatched dragon, which occurs at a Hatching. The dragons choose their riders, rather than the other way around; their choices are made known with telepathy, and the lifelong bond between dragon and rider begins. INTERVAL: The period, usually about 200 years, during which no Thread falls. Occasionally a Long Interval can last up to 400 years. PASS: The period, usually about 50 years, during which the Red Star is close enough to drop Thread on Pern. PERN: An Earthlike planet of the star Rukbat. It is peopled by the descendants of the original colonists, who immigrated to Pern with a dream of building a new, simpler life on a far lower technological level. RED STAR: A celestial body whose erratic orbit periodically brings it too close to Pern. The Red Star is the carrier of Thread. THREAD, THREADFALL: Thread is the parasitic organism that comes from the Red Star to fall on Pern like silver rain from the sky, devouring every living thing in its path, people, plants, and animals alike. Only stone and metal are impervious to Thread. The best way to fight Thread is to burn it out of the sky before it can hit ground; but water can also destroy the silver strands by drowning them. The dragons and dragonriders of Pern fight thread in midair to protect the land, holds, and weyrs. WEYRS: The homes of the dragons and their riders, often situated in the bowl of a dormant volcano. A weyr with a lower-case w is the living quarters of an individual dragon and his or her rider. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MAP OF PERN: "Were not ballads constructed to inform? To teach those who could not read and write? So that the young Pernese, whether he be dragonman, Lord, or holder, might learn his duty toward Pern and rehearse Pern’s bright history?" (Dragonflight, ch.2, sc.1, p.92)
The Menu Is Located On The Left Of The Screen. Put Your Mouse On The Box And It Should Slide Open. Safe Journey! c,")
INTRODUCTION:
The planet Pern lies in the Rukbat solar system in the Sagittarian sector. The golden G-type star, Rukbat has five planets, two asteroid belts and a stray planet within its solar system. The only habitable planet for humans in the Rukbat system was its third planet, P.E.R.N (Parallel Earth Resources Negligible) as human explorers had called it. Pern had the breathable air, greenery and clear blue skies to attract humans to colonise the planet and soon two large space ships carrying six thousand colonists, were sent to colonise the planet. The colonists came in hope of a new life; they discarded many of their advance technologies in favour to living off the land.
What the explorers had failed to take a lot of notice, was the stray planet Rukbat attracted and held in the recent millennia. The explorers did not deem the stray planet to be of much importance (so they did not explore it), but rather a curiosity. When the humans colonised Pern, they too took little notice of the stray planet, nicknamed the Red Planet.
Pern was a dream planet, but it soon revealed its terrors and the reasons for the strange barren grass circles became evident. Out of the skies and from the Red star, came silvery 'Threads' that consumed any carbon-based forms whether human, animal or plant. These 'Threads' were merciless, anything it touched died, and those who survived were scarred for life.
What could the people of Pern do? They had abandoned most of their technology and help from Earth was remote. In the mist of this terror a new breed was genetically engineered from the local 'firelizard' species . . . dragons. Creatures named after Earth's mythical creatures. They breathed fire to kill the thread. The dragon riders were special men and women with special bonds between their dragon. Together, both dragon and rider protected the skies of Pern. Thus the Chronicles of the Dragonriders of Pern began . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BETWEEN: The strange, cold, black area of nothingness dragons go through when they teleport.
DRAGONRIDERS: Particularly empathic humans chosen as partners by their dragons at Hatching. The only female dragonriders are those who bond with the queens and an occasional green rider; all the others are male. When a queen has laid a clutch of eggs, the dragonriders will fly out on Search, looking for likely candidates to attend the Hatching. Those chosen by the young dragons in a moment called Impression come to live in the Weyr, where they learn to ride and care for their dragons, and to fight Thread. The dragonriders are the heroes of Pern.
DRAGONS: Huge, winged, fire-breathing creatures able to communicate telepathically with their riders, as well as to teleport instantaneously from one location to another. Originally bred from Pern's native fire-lizards, dragons come in the same variety of colors as their small forebears: gold, bronze, brown, blue, and green. · Gold: Only the female queens are gold. By far the largest of the dragons, the gold queens are also the only ones to lay eggs and bear young. Queens cannot chew the firestone that enables the other dragons to breathe flames. Instead, their riders must use flame-throwers. · Bronze: The largest and strongest of the male dragons, the bronzes are the most likely to catch the queen in her mating flight; the successful bronze not only fathers the next clutch of dragon eggs, but is looked to as the lead male dragon (his rider assumes the title of Weyrleader). · Brown: The next largest size. Occasionally a brown will actually beat out the bronzes to catch the queen in the mating flight. · Blue: The mid-size dragons, stronger though not as fast as the smaller greens. · Green: The green dragons are the smallest dragons, fast and sometimes a bit flighty. Although female, they do not produce any eggs.
HARPERS: The information and teaching network on Pern. Harpers are assigned to individual Holds and Weyrs to teach the children basic reading, writing, mathematics, and history. Much of this teaching is done by way of Teaching Ballads. The Harpers and their assignments are coordinated and run by the Masterharper of Pern, perhaps the single most important person on the planet.
HATCHING: The public event during which a clutch of baby dragons emerge from their shells and choose their riders.
HOLDS: Fortified estates, generally built into a cliff or a cave system, where the common people live and work. A Hold is administered by a Lord Holder. A hold (with a lower-case h) is a more modest human dwelling place. The common people tithe to the Lord Holder in exchange for sanctuary during Threadfall; the Lord Holder tithes to the local Weyr in exchange for protection of the hold by the dragons during Threadfall.
IMPRESSION: The choice of rider made by a newly-hatched dragon, which occurs at a Hatching. The dragons choose their riders, rather than the other way around; their choices are made known with telepathy, and the lifelong bond between dragon and rider begins.
INTERVAL: The period, usually about 200 years, during which no Thread falls. Occasionally a Long Interval can last up to 400 years.
PASS: The period, usually about 50 years, during which the Red Star is close enough to drop Thread on Pern.
PERN: An Earthlike planet of the star Rukbat. It is peopled by the descendants of the original colonists, who immigrated to Pern with a dream of building a new, simpler life on a far lower technological level.
RED STAR: A celestial body whose erratic orbit periodically brings it too close to Pern. The Red Star is the carrier of Thread.
THREAD, THREADFALL: Thread is the parasitic organism that comes from the Red Star to fall on Pern like silver rain from the sky, devouring every living thing in its path, people, plants, and animals alike. Only stone and metal are impervious to Thread. The best way to fight Thread is to burn it out of the sky before it can hit ground; but water can also destroy the silver strands by drowning them. The dragons and dragonriders of Pern fight thread in midair to protect the land, holds, and weyrs.
WEYRS: The homes of the dragons and their riders, often situated in the bowl of a dormant volcano. A weyr with a lower-case w is the living quarters of an individual dragon and his or her rider.
MAP OF PERN:
"Were not ballads constructed to inform? To teach those who could not read and write? So that the young Pernese, whether he be dragonman, Lord, or holder, might learn his duty toward Pern and rehearse Pern’s bright history?" (Dragonflight, ch.2, sc.1, p.92)