Is the Draogontooth Buried Treasure Still Out There to Find? Six Questions with Forest_Blight on this Unsolved 1994 Armchair Treasure Hunt

Quest: In Search of the Dragontooth by Michael Green was published in 1994. This book included an armchair treasure hunt for a Dragontooth treasure, buried somewhere in Britain. But like its prelude, Unicornis, published in 1983, the hunt remains unsolved.  Is this treasure out there to discover yet today?

I was so excited for the chance to chat with Forest_Blight about this enchanting hunt.  I actively worked on the Unicornis Treasure Hunt, and Quest was produced with many of the same mystical overtures.  Which makes sense since they both were inspired by the lost journals of ‘a wandering sixteenth century artist-mystic named Magnalucius – from the secret brotherhood of the Collegium Gnosticum.’ 

While Unicornis released pages from the journals to search for the Silver Bound Unicorn Horn, Quest released pages to discover the ‘Perilous Dragontooth’!   This treasure waits to be found by its, ‘One Rightful Finder.’ When might it be discovered?   Let’s learn more about the Quest for the Dragontooth from someone who is dedicated in the search. 

Six Questions with Forest_Blight! Enjoy!

• 1Q) I feel Armchair Treasure Hunting is a fascinating hobby.  Many of these hunts offer unique challenges and encourages searchers to explore amazing places. Do you feel the same?  When did you first begin participating in these adventures?

That has certainly been the case for me. I have learned an incredible amount about a huge variety of topics through my involvement in armchair treasure hunts. For me, this began in 2004 with Michael Stadther’s A Treasure’s Trove (the source of my peculiar nickname). Even before that hunt ended I knew I wanted to try more like it, and this led to a deep involvement with The Secret, The Golden Apple Tale, The Buried Treasure Game, Fandango, The Whistle Pig, and a number of other hunts. I have been very active on Quest4Treasure and tweleve.org. (And have granted permission to add the Dragontooth material on the MW Forum)

• 2Q) As mentioned, the Quest for the Dragontooth is a charming hunt, but remains unsolved.  I know some have been concerned an actual ‘treasure’ isn’t buried out there to find.  They feel it is only ‘spiritual’.  What do you think?  Do you think there is an actual physical item out there hidden for someone yet to discover?

Yes, I believe there is an actual, physical item hidden out there, waiting to be discovered. The author made and hid a unicorn horn for the first book, Unicornis, so there is every reason to believe the dragontooth exists as well. There are even two full-color photographs of it in the 1996 edition, which also contains a new afterword emphasizing that the Tooth is real and out there to be found.

• 3Q)Would you provide a summary of the hunt and clues involved?  Can you share some of the journey you went on in search for the Dragontooth? What type of clues are searchers supposed to follow?

Michael Green published Quest: In Search of the Dragontooth in 1994 as a sequel to his 1983 book De Historia et Veritate Unicornis (On the History and Truth of the Unicorn), or simply “Unicornis” to its fans. The purple hardback came in a fold-out box that also contained two loose-leaf parchment prints and a small glass sphere mounted in a copper wire on a leather lanyard (this sphere would be familiar to Unicornis fans). The book was reissued in 1996 as the paperback The Book of the Dragontooth, without the accessories, and with some changes to the art.

The book is framed as excerpts from the journal of a Renaissance-era Gnostic scholar named Magnalucius, who is also the main character of Unicornis. His task is to locate an evil artifact known as the “perilous Dragontooth” by tracing its path from its last sure location. As the plot unfolds, his journey takes him to fifteen key locations, or stations, spread across Europe. Along the way, Magnalucius encounters a number of other characters, some fictional and some real, one of whom we can infer from various clues is Leonardo da Vinci. The reader’s task is to identify those fifteen stations correctly and contact Green with a complete solution. Throughout, the book is lavishly illustrated by Green himself, who is an accomplished artist with mastery of many styles recognizable from medieval illuminated texts to the Renaissance paintings of da Vinci.

As one example, consider Station III in the journey of Magnalucius. He is told that his next stop involves locating an important relic (a “periadam,” the glass sphere included in the boxed set), and that it resides at a monastery at _____, which lies at some distance from Station II (which we identified as Brescia, Italy). Magnalucius reaches the monastery, only to find that the Abbot and his servant were killed in a mountain slide “returning from Lemieux.” This could be the modern village Limeux or De Limeux, in the ancient department of Cher in the Somme, but other clues are more compelling and lead us elsewhere.

A week into his stay at the monastery, Magnalucius finds the relic in the antiquarium of the monastery. So what monastery is it? Also among the antiquarium relics is a Celtic broach which provides a connection back to the Irish clerical diaspora into Gaul and Italy during this time period. The Irish Columbanus established a monastery in Bobbio in c. 613. There are seven St. Columbanus monasteries, scattered throughout France and Switzerland, but only one in Italy. The mountains have yet to be crossed in the story (that happens later), which helps to eliminate France and Switzerland. The new Abbot spoke in the vernacular Italian.

The monastery at Bobbio was renowned for its library, and is a few days’ journey from Brescia. The reader is also told that the antiquarium “started the year of their blessed founder’s death, that being all of nine hundred and two years ago.” We know from other clues that the journal of Magnalucius was written in approximately 1517, which means the antiquarium was begun circa 615 AD, when the monastery’s founder died. Columbanus died in 615; Bobbio was founded in 614, within a year of Columbanus’ death. So, the third Station can be identified as the monastery at Bobbio (Bobbio apparently served as one inspiration for the monastery Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose).

The whole book is like this. Magnalucius knows very well where his journey takes him, but the reader must piece it all together from clues in both the text and numerous illustrations. It’s a tortuously complex logic puzzle that requires careful historical research.

• 4Q) What do you enjoy most about this Quest for the Dragontooth?  Have you discovered interesting things along the way? Are you enjoying the journey?

The best thing I took from this hunt was the experience of working closely with stercox, a pair of veteran hunters. Together we did a ton of historical research as we pieced together our best answers to the riddles embedded in the text. They have been my collaborators on several hunts over the years. I very much enjoy the journey and I hope to continue until someone unearths the Dragontooth. Together our team very nearly solved the puzzle, identifying most, perhaps all, of the fifteen stations. All of our progress was posted on Q4T years ago for the community to ponder.

• 5Q)Why do you feel this hunt remains unsolved? What do you feel is needed to bring closure to the hunt and the Dragontooth found?  Is it meant to be solved?

I think this hunt has been essentially forgotten by the armchair treasure-hunting community. That is a terrible shame, because it is a really well-crafted puzzle, and the prize has yet to be claimed. This year marks the 25^th anniversary of Dragontooth. I think its time has come.

• 6Q) How much time did you devote to the hunt?  Will you continue your search?  Do you believe you will find it some day?

I spent about 3 years (2005-2007) pursuing the Dragontooth before I ran out of ideas. I do not think I will be the one to find it (I never am!), but I do believe the riddles will be solved and the Dragontooth located. The community simply needs to rediscover this wonderful hunt.

To anyone who wants to search for the Dragontooth – read Unicornis first. This will put you in the proper frame of mind to understand and appreciate Dragontooth.

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