Eroica
Character Profile[edit]
| Name: | Eroica |
| Date of Birth: | |
| Breed: | |
| Captain: | Dyhern |
| National Loyalty: | Prussia |
| Appearance: | Heavy weight; scales give armored appearance |
| Special Abilities: | |
| Status: | Captive |
Biography[edit]
Eroica (Italian for "heroic") was considered one of Prussia's finest dragons. He was very disciplined and performed well as a military dragon. His strict sense of order clashed with Temeraire's free spirit when he arrived in Prussia, and Temeraire referred to him as a "booby" in a fit of temper.
Both Eroica and his captain, Dyhern, initally refused to accept that there were problems with their formation-flying. Although they eventually relented and agreed to give Temeraire's ideas a try, there was insufficient time to implement them before Eroica was captured by the French in the Battle of Jena-Auerstadt.
Trivia[edit]
The best-known use of the Italian word "Eroica" in German culture is probably as the alternate name for Ludwig von Beethoven's Third Symphony. Ironically, the symphony had originally been composed in honor of Napoleon Bonaparte, but Beethoven violently slashed out the title "Bonaparte" from his manuscript in May 1804 on learning that its namesake had declared himself the Emperor of France. The symphony was first performed in the summer of 1804; when the music was published in 1806, it was with the new title "Sinfonia Eroica" ("heroic symphony").
