Dragons

A Dictionary of Fabulous Beasts

Among the oldest of mythological creatures, dragons appear in the traditions of virtually all peoples back to the beginning of time. Because of this widespread adoption the dragon appears in numerous forms, and local traditions have been created around any of them, crediting this tribe of monsters with many attributes. In their earliest form dragons were associated with the Great Mother, the water god and the warrior sun god; in these capacities they had the power to be both beneficent and destructive and were all-powerful creatures in the universe. Because of these qualities dragons assumed the roles take by Osiris and Set in Egyptian mythology.

The dragon’s form arose from this particular power of control over the waters of the earth and gave rise to many of the attributes singled out by different peoples as the whole myth developed. They were believed to live at the bottom of the sea, where they guarded vast treasure hoards, very frequently of pearls; rain clouds and thunder and lightning were believed to be the dragon’s breath, hence the fire-breathing monster. The significance of the dragon was its control over the destiny of mankind. As the myth developed in the western world dragons came to represent the chaos of original matter with the result that with man’s awakening conscience a struggle arose, and the created order constantly challenged the dragon’s power. This type of dragon was considered by many to be the intermediate stage between a demon and the Devil and as such came into Christian belief. However, in the Eastern world the dragon adopted a rather different significance; he was essentially benevolent, a son of heaven, and controlled the watery elements of the universe. These dragons were companions of kings, and particularly guarded royal treasures...

The dragon is the enemy of the sun and the moon both in Eastern and Western mythology, and is believed to be responsible for eclipses. These occur when the dragon is attempting to swallow either of the heavenly bodies; which accounts for the dragon’s appearance in primitive astronomy. In Armenian traditions, however, the fire and lightning god had powers to stay the dragon’s control of the heavens... A quite general belief was the dragon’s association with death. A dead man was thought to become a dragon, while dragons were believed to be the guardians of treasures in burial chambers (In Norse myth, one of the sons of Hreidmar, Fafnir, who with his brother slew his father out of greed for his golden treasure, turned himself into a dragon and lay on the gold, only to be slain by the hero Sigurd (Wagner’s Siegfried). Anglo-Saxon burial mounds which held treasure became known as the ‘Hills of the Dragon’. Dragon’s teeth planted, would grow into an army of men, a strange association with reincarnation; In the Greek legend of Cadmus his army was decimated by a serpent; he slew the monster and on Athene’s orders planted the teeth, whereupon a host of armed men, the Sparti, sprang up...

Because the dragon was the natural enemy of man, his death became the ultimate goal; consequently there are innumerable battles between gods and dragons, saints and dragons, and , in the medieval world, knights and dragons. The dragon eventually became associated with chivalry and romance, and tales of knights’ feats in emulating St George and gaining a fair lady abound. It became a great honour to slay a dragon, and until this feat was achieved a knight could not be considered of the first rank: indeed, dragons almost seem to exist simply so that a hero can kill them…

In Egyption mythology there is the conflict between Horus and Typhon, in Babylonia the Chaldean Tiamat was overcome by Marduk, in Greek legends the dragon fought on the side of the Titans and attacked Athene, who flung him into the heavens, where he became a constellation around the Pole Star; Hercules encountered and killed the dragon Ladon while fulfilling his eleventh labour. In Scandinavian literature Beowulf was slain by a dragon.

The number of saints who encountered dragons is endless, St George being the most famous. St George reputedly had three marks on his body, one being a dragon on his chest. After successful battles against the Saracens he went to Lybia where a dragon was living in a lake near the town of Sylene. This dragon demanded to be fed daily with a virgin. When St George arrived the king’s daughter Sabra was to be sacrificed; he gallantly offered to fight the dragon, wounded it, and attached it to the maiden’s girdle who led it to the city to receive its dues from citizens. The exact reason for St George being adopted as the patron saint of England is obscure. Other saints who encountered dragons include St Keyne, St Guthlas and St Martha. This act in Christian terms symbolised the triumph of Christ over evil. The symbolism associated with the dragon appealed particularly to the medieval world... In medieval alchemy the dragon was the symbol of mercury and subsequently came to be used as the alchemist’s sign...


By Richard Barber and Anne Riches – Macmillan 1971