>Bandur n. 1. The eldest of the five High Gods of the Uria, and greatest of the Earth Dragons. Also called the All-father, he is wise and clairvoyant, as well as being the largest of the family. He is a god of earth, stone and mountains and a protector of forests. His avatar is a man called Bannor, and always accompanied by his griffins; Eldis and Aldor, who sometimes appear as young girls. Bandur is arguably the oldest living being in Antellonia, barring the Bangle Trees, at approximately 500 million years (most of them spent in hibernation). 2. The largest and most populated island of Uria, with busy ports and a prolific farming community. Most reisdents live near the coast, or the Cadolund Delta and Andarian Fields. The interior is harsh and mountainous with wild forests guarded by a peculiar race of intelligent bears. It is named after the Earth Dragon Bandur, who is said to have raised the island at the beginning of Time.
>See also: Menim, Tuänu, Huänen, and Nandero.

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And, at long last, here he is in all his rocky glory: Bandur, Lord of the Earth Dragons, High God of Uria, and the forerunner of all dragons in Antellonia. It must be said the original idea for the Earth Dragons (dragons so huge they could be mistaken for mountains, burried in the eath) came from a book I read once. The book was written by Diana Wynne Jones, and refered to the White Dragon of Englad, who went to sleep under the earth. From her description he was rather bigger than the largest Dinosuar, and Bandur is a great deal bigger than that, but it was the spark that set me off on creating what would become the Earth Dragons.

Bandur is the classic Earth Dragon; he hasn't woken in over 4,000 years, allowing forests to sprout up all over his body. The white rock on his right forepaw is the home of the White Griffin, Eldis; the black rock on his left is the resting place of the Black Griffin, Aldor. Oh, and that li'l brown speck in his mouth is one of those Bannorian bears.

This concludes my Earth Dragons series. It's been a blast, and a lot of work. Hope you like it!

Oil on 11"x14" canvas. Bandur and the Earth Dragon Mythology are © myself. All rights reserved. (10/6 Edit: waxed and scanned and re-uploaded.)