Bel and the Dragon
- proper noun
- Literature
:
Bel y el Dragón
- Some biblical scholars debate the authenticity of Bel and the Dragon as part of the original scriptures.
Examples
-
The story of Bel and the Dragon explores themes of faith and divine protection.
-
In reading Bel and the Dragon, one encounters legendary tales of Daniel's wisdom.
-
The story of Bel and the Dragon is fascinating.
-
Have you read Bel and the Dragon?
-
In Bel and the Dragon, Daniel demonstrates his faith by outsmarting the king's advisors.
-
The narratives within Bel and the Dragon highlight the consequences of idolatry.
-
Many readers find Bel and the Dragon to be an intriguing addition to the Book of Daniel.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a literal coordination of a proper name and a noun—'Bel' + 'and' + 'the' + 'dragon'—so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it denotes Bel together with a dragon (i.e., a story or pairing of those figures). However, recognizing it specifically as the title of an apocryphal book in the Daniel tradition and its narrative status requires cultural/biblical knowledge beyond the meanings of the words, so the transparency is partial.
Etymology
Bel and the Dragon is a short book added to the story of Daniel. One tale is about a temple statue called Bel and the other is about a real dragon people treated like a god. Daniel shows they are not true gods, so the title names the two stories and their message against 'false gods'.
