Published: October 13, 2024
Translation handout: Dragons!
Add a dash dragon lore to Latin class! This Latin text offers students a fun translation challenge and teachers a quick, ready-to-use resource, with vocab and teacher notes included!
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Translation handout: Dragons!
Do your students need a break from Caesar and Virgil? Check out this Latin passage on dragons!
The passage is an excerpt from a Medieval encyclopedia and is all about dragons. The handout includes a note providing context, latin text double-spaced for students to mark, images of dragons from Medieval manuscripts, helpful vocab for students, and a translation for teachers.
Ideal for more advanced Latin students who are looking for a entertaining translation challenge.
Have fun!
About the text
Isidore of Seville's Etymologies (or Origines) is an early 7th-century encyclopedia, one of the most influential works of the Middle Ages. It seeks to compile and organize knowledge from classical and early Christian sources, covering a wide range of topics, including language, the natural world, and human institutions. The book on animals, where this passage appears, draws on ancient beliefs and myths about creatures like the dragon, blending factual observation with legendary and symbolic elements common in medieval bestiaries.