1.
Balaur bondoc
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Balaur bondoc is a species of theropod dinosaur which lived in what is now Romania during the late Cretaceous period. It is the species of the monotypic genus Balaur which was described by scientists in August 2010, and was named after the balaur. The specific name bondoc means stocky, so Balaur bondoc means stocky dragon in Romanian and this name refers to the greater musculature that Balaur had compared to its relatives. The genus is known from two partial skeletons including the type specimen, as with other dinosaurs from Hațeg, such as Magyarosaurus, a dwarf sauropod, its strange features have been argued to show the effects of its island habitat on its evolution. Balaur is a genus of theropod dinosaurs estimated to have lived about 70 million years ago in the late Cretaceous, the bones of this species were shorter and heavier than those of other basal paravians. In addition to its feet, the type specimen of Balaur is unique for its status of being the most complete theropod fossil from the late Cretaceous of Europe. It also possesses a number of additional autapomorphies, including a reduced and presumably nonfunctional third finger. The partial skeleton was collected from the red floodplain mudstone of the Sebeș Formation of Romania and it consists of a variety of vertebrae, as well as much of pectoral and pelvic girdles, and a large part of the limbs. It is the first reasonably complete and well-preserved theropod from the Late Cretaceous of Europe and it is similar in size to Velociraptor, with Balaurs recovered skeletal elements suggesting an overall length of around 1. 8–2.1 metres. Balaur had re-evolved a functional first toe used to support its weight and it had short and stocky feet and legs, and large muscle attachment areas on the pelvis which indicate that it was adapted for strength rather than speed. Csiki et al. describe this novel body plan as a example of aberrant morphology developed in island-dwelling taxa. The stocky feet are exemplified by the length of the metatarsus being only two times its width and it is 1.5 times wider than the lower leg. Both traits are unique in the Theropoda, the skeleton of Balaur also shows extensive fusion of limb bones. Wrist bones and the metacarpals are fused into a carpometacarpus, the shinbone, calf bone and the upper ankle bones have been fused into a tibiotarsus and the lower ankle bones and the metatarsals into a tarsometatarsus. The degree of fusion is typical for the Avialae, the branch of the birds. The first small bones belonging to Balaur bondoc consisted of six elements of the front limbs, later it received the holotype inventory number EME VP.313. The discovery was made by the geologist and paleontologist Mátyás Vremir of the Transylvanian Museum Society of Cluj Napoca who sent them for analysis to Zoltán Csiki of the University of Bucharest. The findings were described on August 31,2010, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the 1997 specimens indicate an individual about 45% longer than the holotype, they were also found in a younger stratum
2.
European dragon
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European dragons are legendary creatures in folklore and mythology among the overlapping cultures of Europe. Some depictions show dragons with feathered wings, crests, ear frills, fiery manes, ivory spikes running down its spine, others have no legs or multiple heads. In folktales, dragons blood often contains magical properties, keeping them alive for longer or giving them magical power, for example, in the opera Siegfried, dragons blood allows Siegfried to understand the language of the Forest Bird. The typical dragon protects a cavern or castle filled with gold, an evil dragon is often associated with a great hero who tries to slay it, and a good one is said to give wise advice. Though a winged creature, the dragon is generally to be found in its underground lair, possibly, the dragons of European and Mid-Eastern mythology stem from the cult of snakes found in religions throughout the world. Dragon is derived from the Latin word draco, as in the constellation, Draco, roman dragons evolved from serpentine Greek ones, combined with the dragons of the Near East, in the mix that characterized the hybrid Greek/Eastern Hellenistic culture. From Babylon, the muš-ḫuššu was a representation of a Near Eastern dragon. Johns Book of Revelation—Greek literature, not Roman—describes Satan as a dragon, flaming red, with seven heads. Much of Johns literary inspiration is late Hebrew and Greek, with the jaws facing into the wind, the silken body inflated and rippled, resembling a windsock. Several vague incarnations of evil in the Old Testament were given the translation draco in Jeromes Vulgate, to changes in meaning. Dragons in Greek mythology often guard treasure such as Ladon, a hundred headed dragon which guarded the tree of Herdias until he was slain by Heracles, likewise Python guarded the oracle of Delphi until he was likewise slain by Apollo out of revenge for Python tormenting his mother. The Lerneaen Hydra, a multiple headed serpentine swamp monster is said to be a dragon, being killed by Heracles later, but the matter if hes a true dragon or not is still over controversy. Dragons are usually shown in modern times with a body like a huge lizard and this traces back to the continental dragon, commonly referred to as a fire-breathing dragon. The continental, like many other European dragons, has bat-like wings growing from its back and it has been speculated that accounts of spitting cobras may be the origin of the myths of continental dragons. In Western folklore, dragons are usually portrayed as evil, with the mainly in Asturian and Welsh folklore. This is in contrast to Asian dragons, who are depicted as more benevolent creatures. In the modern period, the European dragon is depicted as a huge fire-breathing, scaly and horned lizard-like creature, with wings. It is sometimes shown with feathered wings, crests, fiery manes, ivory spikes running down its spine, Dragons blood often has magical properties, for example, in the opera Siegfried it let Siegfried understand the language of the Forest Bird
3.
Polycephaly
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Polycephaly is the condition of having more than one head. The term is derived from the Greek stems poly meaning many, a polycephalic organism may be thought of as one being with a supernumerary body part, or as two or more beings with a shared body. Two-headed animals and three-headed animals are the type of multi-headed creatures seen in the real world. In humans, there are two different forms of twinning that can lead to two heads being supported by a single torso, in dicephalus parapagus dipus, the two heads are side by side. In craniopagus parasiticus, the two heads are joined directly to other, but only one head has a functional torso. Survival to adulthood is rare, but does occur in forms of dicephalus parapagus dipus. There are many occurrences of multi-headed animals in mythology, in heraldry and vexillology, the double-headed eagle is a common symbol, though no such animal is known to have ever existed. Two-headed people and animals, though rare, have long known to exist. In humans, as in animals, partial twinning can result in formation of two heads supported by a single torso. Two different ways this can happen are dicephalus parapagus, where there are two side by side, and craniopagus parasiticus, where the heads are joined directly. In dicephalus parapagus dipus, the two heads are side by side, on a torso with two legs, with varying levels of twinning of organs and structures within the torso, the shared body may have four arms altogether, or three arms, or two arms only. There are Greek-based medical terms for the variations, e. g. dibrachius means two-armed, both heads may contain a fully formed brain, or one may be anencephalic. If carried to term, dicephalus parapagus twins are usually stillborn, survival to adulthood does however occasionally occur in cases where the twins are born with three to four arms. Chances of survival are improved if two complete hearts are present, separation surgery is contraindicated, except in cases where one of the twins is clearly dying. Giacomo and Giovanni Battista Tocci, were dicephalus parapagus dipus twins who survived to adulthood, each had his own pair of arms. They learned to speak several languages, but never learned to walk, Abigail and Brittany Hensel, born in 1990, are another instance of dicephalus parapagus dipus twins who grew up. They were born with two arms, plus a vestigial third arm, which was surgically removed. Each twin has her own head, heart and spine
4.
Wallachia
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Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians, Wallachia is traditionally divided into two sections, Muntenia and Oltenia. Wallachia as a whole is referred to as Muntenia through identification with the larger of the two traditional sections. In 1417, Wallachia accepted the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire, in 1859, Wallachia united with Moldavia to form the United Principalities, which adopted the name Romania in 1866 and officially became the Kingdom of Romania in 1881. In the Early Middle Ages, in Slavonic texts, the name of Zemli Ungro-Vlahiskoi was also used as a designation for its location, official designations of the state were Muntenia and Țara Românească. The traditional Hungarian name for Wallachia is Havasalföld, or literally Snowy Lowlands, in Ottoman Turkish, the term Eflâk Prensliği, or simply Eflâk افلاق, appears. Mavrovlachi is another name of the Balkan Vlachs or Aromanians, both names could come from a confusion, Kara Iflak, the Turkish name of Wallachia, means land of Wallachians, but later kara was misconstrued as kara. Later, the Turks renamed Moldavia and Wallachia as Kara Iflak and Ak Iflak according to the Turkish cardinal points symbolism, north is symbolized by black, and west is symbolized by white. Ardeal/Erdel was the name of Transylvania, and Kara Iflak, Northern Wallachia was either Wallachia, north of the Balkan territories inhabited by Vlachs, the second explanation is typologically better. In the Second Dacian War western Oltenia became part of the Roman province of Dacia, the Roman limes was initially built along the Olt River, before being moved slightly to the east in the 2nd century—during which time it stretched from the Danube up to Rucăr in the Carpathians. The Roman line fell back to the Olt in 245 and, in 271, in 328, the Romans built a bridge between Sucidava and Oescus which indicates that there was a significant trade with the peoples north of the Danube. A short period of Roman rule in the area is attested under Emperor Constantine I, the period of Goth rule ended when the Huns arrived in the Pannonian Plain and, under Attila, attacked and destroyed some 170 settlements on both sides of the Danube. Wallachia was under the control of the First Bulgarian Empire from its establishment in 681, in 1241, during the Mongol invasion of Europe, Cuman domination was ended—a direct Mongol rule over Wallachia was not attested, but it remains probable. His successor was his brother Bărbat.1334, Basarab was succeeded by Nicolae Alexandru, followed by Vladislav I. Under Radu I and his successor Dan I, the realms in Transylvania, as the entire Balkan Peninsula became an integral part of the growing Ottoman Empire, Wallachia became engaged in frequent confrontations in the final years of Mircea the Elders reign. Mircea initially defeated the Ottomans in several battles, driving away from Dobruja and briefly extending his rule to the Danube Delta, Dobruja. He swung between alliances with Sigismund of Hungary and Jagiellon Poland, and accepted a treaty with the Ottomans in 1417, after Mehmed I took control of Turnu Măgurele. The two ports remained part of the Ottoman state, with interruptions, until 1829
5.
Bellerophon
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Bellerophon or Bellerophontes is a hero of Greek mythology. Bellerophon was born at Corinth and was the son of the mortal Eurynome by either her husband Glaucus, one possible etymology that has been suggested is, Βελλεροφόντης from βέλεμνον, βελόνη, βέλος and -φόντης from φονεύω. However, Geoffrey Kirk says that Βελλεροφόντης means slayer of Belleros, Belleros could have been a Lycian, a local daimon or a Corinthian nobleman—Bellerophons name clearly invited all sorts of speculation. The Iliad vi. 155–203 contains a narrative told by Bellerophons grandson Glaucus, named for his great-grandfather. Bellerophons father was Glaucus, who was the king of Corinth, Bellerophons grandsons Sarpedon and the younger Glaucus fought in the Trojan War. In the Epitome of pseudo-Apollodorus, a genealogy is given for Chrysaor that would make him a double of Bellerophon, he too is called the son of Glaucus the son of Sisyphus. Chrysaor has no myth save that of his birth, from the neck of Medusa. From this moment we hear no more of Chrysaor, the rest of the tale concerning the stallion only, perhaps also for his brothers sake, by whom in the end he let himself be caught, the immortal horse by his mortal brother. Proetus, by virtue of his kingship, cleansed Bellerophon of his crime, the wife of the king, whether named Anteia or Stheneboea, took a fancy to him, but when he rejected her, she accused Bellerophon of attempting to ravish her. Before opening the tablets, Iobates feasted with Bellerophon for nine days, the Chimera was a fire-breathing monster whose make-up comprised the body of a goat, the head of a lion and the tail being a serpent. This monster had terrorized the nearby countryside, on his way he encountered the famous Corinthian seer Polyeidos who gave him advice about his oncoming battle. Polyeidos told Bellerophon that he would have need of Pegasus, to obtain the services of the untamed winged horse, Polyeidos told Bellerophon to sleep in the temple of Athena. While Bellerophon slept, he dreamed that Athena set a golden bridle beside him, saying Sleepest thou, come, take this charm for the steed and show it to the Tamer thy father as thou makest sacrifice to him of a white bull. It was there when he awoke, Bellerophon had to approach Pegasus while it drank from a well, Polyeidos told him which well—the never-failing Pirene on the citadel of Corinth, the city of Bellerophons birth. Other accounts say that Athena brought Pegasus already tamed and bridled, or that Poseidon the horse-tamer, secretly the father of Bellerophon, brought Pegasus, Bellerophon mounted his steed and flew off to where the Chimera was said to dwell. When he arrived in Lycia, the Chimera was truly ferocious and he felt the heat of the breath the Chimera expelled, and was struck with an idea. He got a block of lead and mounted it on his spear. Then he flew head-on towards the Chimera, holding out the spear as far as he could, before he broke off his attack, he managed to lodge the block of lead inside the Chimeras throat
