Dragon Lore: The Mannar
by R Prior
A chance finding of a short note in a post World War 2 newspaper article leads Tarrin Wolfe, an archaeologist who specialises in War archaeology, on an incredible adventure.
While searching a universities newspaper archives for stories about battles in the South Pacific, he finds a snippet which outlines the discovery of three Japanese soldiers living on a small island two years after the war had ended.
The half-staved men were thought to be deranged as they talked about fanciful sightings of a Dragon. One of the men said the Dragon spoke to him and told him that Dragons would once again come into the world of man.
There were two images included in the article, one of the men standing with their hands up in the air as they were marched at gun point to a waiting patrol boat. The second was a zoomed-in shot of a medallion hanging around one of the men’s neck. The caption reads, 'The soldiers are escorted from the island and returned to Japan for treatment. One has a solid gold medallion around his neck depicting a Dragon.'
The men are committed to a mental institution in Japan until their deaths in the late 1990's. The gold medallion was purchased by an undisclosed collector from the family of the soldier in 2001, for an undisclosed amount.
The little-known island was later renamed Dragon Isle after the discovery and fanciful stories told by the three soldiers. There have been several exploratory searches of the Island since the men’s story but nothing of consequence other than Japanese artifacts have been uncovered. The island remains uninhabited because of its mountainous landscape and the treacherous coastline.
As he reads the report Tarrin is filled with the desire to see the island for himself. He feels in his gut that there are questions still to be answered about the Island and the stories the men told.
While searching a universities newspaper archives for stories about battles in the South Pacific, he finds a snippet which outlines the discovery of three Japanese soldiers living on a small island two years after the war had ended.
The half-staved men were thought to be deranged as they talked about fanciful sightings of a Dragon. One of the men said the Dragon spoke to him and told him that Dragons would once again come into the world of man.
There were two images included in the article, one of the men standing with their hands up in the air as they were marched at gun point to a waiting patrol boat. The second was a zoomed-in shot of a medallion hanging around one of the men’s neck. The caption reads, 'The soldiers are escorted from the island and returned to Japan for treatment. One has a solid gold medallion around his neck depicting a Dragon.'
The men are committed to a mental institution in Japan until their deaths in the late 1990's. The gold medallion was purchased by an undisclosed collector from the family of the soldier in 2001, for an undisclosed amount.
The little-known island was later renamed Dragon Isle after the discovery and fanciful stories told by the three soldiers. There have been several exploratory searches of the Island since the men’s story but nothing of consequence other than Japanese artifacts have been uncovered. The island remains uninhabited because of its mountainous landscape and the treacherous coastline.
As he reads the report Tarrin is filled with the desire to see the island for himself. He feels in his gut that there are questions still to be answered about the Island and the stories the men told.
