> I was reading through FNN, and I saw a reference to Fafnir the
> Fire Drake.
>
> Which immediately brought to mind a line from "Once Upon a
> Mattress"- "And so it was, that not long after his encounter with
> the dragon Fafnir, young Prince Valdere fell into the enchanted
> mud, and before long, his head grew back."
>
> My question is, is Fafnir the Fire Drake derived from Fafnir the
> dragon, or is it all a coincidence, or does it come from another
> source that possibly was borrowed for Once Upon A Mattress?
>
> -Rifty

Well, I'm no C. Patrick, but I think I can take a stab at this one:

Fafnir is a dragon commonly mentioned in Norse mythology. He was once a humanoid (giant or dwarf, depending on the source) who was transformed into a dragon covered with impenetrable scales. Fafnir's blood was caustic, but when his blood is tasted it gives one the ability to hear another's thoughts and understand the language of birds.

I suspect that this predates "Once Upon a Matress", but having never heard of that before, I can't be entirely sure.

winter"Wooo... dragons!"mute