Degree Name

Department

English

College

Humanities

Defense Date

2024-02-26

Publication Date

2026-03-14

First Faculty Advisor

Ann Dee Ellis

First Faculty Reader

Steven Peck

Honors Coordinator

Aaron Eastley

Keywords

creative writing, short story, dragons, fantasy, falconry

Abstract

“Flight of the Gods” is a fantasy short story that portrays a religious relationship between humans and dragons to explore themes of religious questioning. In doing so, “Flight of the Gods” unites with modern dragon literature by adapting the dragon motif to address real-world issues. Drawing from research on falcons and falconry, the dragons in this short story exhibit a complex relationship with their human counterparts that emphasizes themes of religious doubt and the complexity of belief. The thesis begins with a critical introduction discussing these topics and then presents the short story.