There has been a surprisingly large amount of information on dragons preserved in either oral or written form as far back as mankind has kept records of any kind. In fact there is so much information that we are going to break it up geographically to manage it.
This is by no means encyclopedic and much more will be added as time goes by. Most stories have multiple versions and all tend to go on at great length so are summarized here for the sake of space. A complete bibliography will be listed at some point for those who wish to research this further. But this is a good start on the subject of what earlier civilizations recorded on dragons. We estimate that we will have to add 10 times what is here to cover all the know dragon historical records.
Let's first look some
of the earlier stories about Dragons. The very first "written" stories
(that we have uncovered so far) on the creation of the world is from the Sumerian
civilization generally in the area we call Mesopotania. This area which later
became Persia and then part of various Middle East civilization is generally
found between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is now Iraq and Iran.
The actual word "dragon" comes from the Greek language much later
than this time so any mundane interpretation of creatures by this name before
the Greeks must be by descriptions and attributes and not by name. They were
generally considered "monsters" even if they had divine attributes.
The very origins and foundations of the entire Mesopotamian culture comes from
the stories, culture, and ethics of these Sumerians. The later civilizations
of the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and then Grecians all got much of their
philosophy, cosmology, and religion from the earlier stories/ myths of the Sumerians
so it behooves us to first look at these early very early stories and pay particular
attention to them.
In fact so many of the stories sprout the same type of general story line that
we can actually divide them into two categories; Gods versus monsters (dragons)
before creation and heros versus monsters after creation. Later versions of
the stories often change the names of the parties about but maintain the basic
story line. Is it possible that all these stories came from a single source
and was later simply adapted, adopted, and some elements changed to suit the
civilization telling it? This is a possibility to be considered about these
first stories. Many later dragon stories will also be changed in the same manner
by different areas or countries but with the same original tale.
The earlier myths often have a god, usually a storm god or a god armed with
thunder and lightning bolts, chasing a dragon that has something to do with
water. Examples are almost all of the Mesopotamian stories, the Indian god Indra,
both Chinese and Japanese myths, the Mayan Rain Gods, the Egyptian sea dragon/serpent
Apophis and pursuer Re, and even many early Semitic stories.
From the very start Dragons were seen as guarding treasures, holding back the
floods, and dispensing knowledge. They also are battled by gods or heros from
the very beginning. In many cases stories from the Sumerians were borrowed and
slightly changed by the preceding civilizations. These same stories were very
similar in content but with the actual names of the participants changed.
The first written commentary, found on clay tablets, uses the names of Asag,
a monster/dragon (sometimes named as Kur) and Ninurta, a god/hero. Later we
are introduced to this same god/hero as Marduk by the Babylonians and the dragons
name has been changed to Tiamet. There is some confusion here as the preserved
evidence is not in good shape or complete.
In the Babylonian version called the "Enuma elish" Tiamet is one of
the original pair of god and goddess at the founding of the universe. From these
two all later creatures, good or bad, came into creation. This Goddess is in
effect the "mother of all."
In the beginning of the tale Tiamet defends her offspring and all of creation
from all the minions and forces of evil. But later, when her husband Apsu is
killed, she apparently goes mad and decides to end all creation in her grief.
This irrational action pits her against all the other Gods and one of her offspring,
named Marduk, is talked into opposing her.
In the fight that ensues Marduk finally kills her by shooting an arrow into
her mouth as she tries to swallow him. She is a shape shifter as most or all
early Dragons are assumed to be so fought him in different guises. Even time
seems to be effect which will come up again in the dragons versions. After the
battle he uses her dragon body to form the earth and from death we have life
and substance.
The first epic of the hero or human and dragon encounter is the "Epic of
Gilgamesh." This we know of by clay tablets from Semitic origin. But these
tablets are telling about much earlier versions of the story. Here the hero
is pitted against a Dragon named Humbaba who also has shape shifting abilities.
Gilgamesh with the aid of the god Shamash finally kills the Dragon but gets
in trouble with those other gods who were friends with or supported the Dragon
and so has a pyrrhic victory and some penalties for his action are imposed.
Not much later we find the Egyptians with a similar story of either Re the sun
god or Seth the hero destroying the snake or Dragon named Apophis. Again there
is much confusion and contradictions. In this story both the side of good and
the side of evil have attributes of the dragon. So once again we see the idea
that the winner of the contest with the dragon take on the attributes of the
dragon.
The Hittites have a story of the battle of a storm god with the Dragon named
Illuyankas which also has contradictions and different versions but also follows
the earlier stories in general details.
Later on we get several versions from the Grecian civilization. There is the
story of Zeus fighting Typhon. Typhon is described as "Up from his shoulders
there grew a hundred snake heads, those of a dreaded dragon." We will deal
with the relationship between snakes and dragons a little latter. But suffice
for now to say they are essentially the same. And again this monster/dragon
is slain by a mighty thunderbolt from Zeus.
Very similar to this is the story of Apollo and Python. Python is alternately
described in different versions of the story as a giant snake or a female dragon
with many coils. In any case in some versions she is killed by Apollo when the
young god shoots an arrow down her throat. But in other version she is taken
into his service and becomes a protected oracular serpent at Delphi. It is interesting
to note that both Grecian and Romans had serpents or dragons that were kept
at various temples including Delphi that were considered to have great knowledge.
It is also interesting that Hercules himself consulted the Oracle of Delphi
and was directed on his "12 labors" by the advice he got their. Included
in his labors were the destroying of the dragons Ladon and Hydra of the Seven
heads.
A good example of another Greek hero is Perseus who instead of fighting for
good versus evil killed a dragon that was about to devour the princess Andromeda
in order to marry her and gain a kingdom. The dragon was sent by the god Poseidon
or Neptune to avenge an insult.
Another hero dragonslayer was Jason who along with his companions the Argonauts
had to overcome the unsleeping "dragon of a thousand coils" who guarded
the golden fleece. In one version the dragon is ensorcelled into sleeping and
they stole away unharmed with the treasure. In another Jason fought the dragon
who was a sea dragon and lost the fight and so was swallowed. it was only by
intersession of the god Athene that the dragon gave up her prey.
An interesting story related to Jason is that of Cadmus who later went on to
be the King of Thebes. He was also given advice by the Oracle of Delphi (who
was herself a dragon) that eventually led him to fight and kill a golden crested
dragon at the spring of Ares. For killing this dragon Cadmus was forced to serve
the god Ares for a year but was then allowed to found his city from the children
of the dragons teeth.
It has been often said
that the finding of dinosaur bones by ancient Chinese was the original basis
for their "dragon" stories and myths. In reality there is no definitive
proof that this is so. It does seem to make sense as large bones from an unknown
large creature (i.e. dinosaurs) would cause a superstitious people to believe
in large mythical beast such as dragons.
But this story actually appears to belong to the category of “folklore”,
rather than anthropology. The Chinese were a highly civilized peoples and had
definite ideas on Dragons which were studied, written about, and philosophized
on as if they were rather common creatures to these peoples. This is an attribute
that often pervades dragons stories worldwide; offhanded casual acceptance of
their presence but debate on what it meant.
The reality in ancient China actually appears to be that Dragons were believed
in for far longer than peasants were finding large petrified bones. Some of
the earliest writings from the Far East mention Dragons, long before it was
reported that bones from this creature were found.
In many early mythologies from Asia we find Dragons as either God's or messengers
to the God's. Again like in earlier Mideast stories the Dragons are most often
associated with water and wisdom. But unlike the Mideast and later European
stories we find little to no fighting and killing of or between Dragons &
Gods or normal people and Dragons.
Instead of fear and loathing or even outright worship, here we find Dragons
as being desirable to an area and good luck rather than ill falls to those areas
where dragons abide. They are often prayed to for deliverance from bad fortune,
bad weather, and even bad men. In fact, very early in China's history the emperors
are said to be communing with the Dragons to get the advice of the Gods on how
to govern their peoples. But somewhere along the way things changed.
One very widespread story is of the Dragon Kings. They were known as the Four
Brothers when they traveled together. All were water dragons and served the
August Personage Jade who commanded them when, where and how much rain to deliver
to the earth.
Each lived in a Crystal palace and ruled one of the Four Seas via an army of
crabs and fish, watchman, and ministers. Their names were Ao Ch’in, Ao
Jun, Ao Kuang, and Ao Shun. There is no indication that these kings directly
communicated with mundane humans. But their ministers, who are presumably all
dragons, apparently did.
In Chinese society individualism was strongly discouraged for most of their
history. Instead, one was to subjugate ones will to the gods or their representatives
including the authorities in power. And that power usually started with the
emperor. The emperor himself was to have received his authority and blessings
from the heavens and used it for the betterment of all the peoples. But how
often in our human histories was this arraignment going to last?
Originally it was believed that the dragons were the ones who talked directly
to the Gods. The Emperor was given the God's will for his people and he in turned
passed on this message to the people through his growing bureaucracy. In this
way the Emperor was seen to be sitting on the throne by the will of the Gods
and thus divine himself as long as he passed on the god's will as spoken to
him.
As time went on the Emperors apparently decided to cut the Imperial Dragons
out of the deal and claimed to be able to communicate directly with the God's.
Of course to protect this monopoly no one but the Emperor was allowed to try
and communicate with the Dragons.
This is a subtle but definite indication of the strength of the belief that
dragons did exist and needed to be communicated with. Otherwise there would
have been no reason to give the “no communication” decree and the
harsh follow up with strict enforcement.
At this point the Imperial Dragons were said to have 5 claws and other lessor
Dragon's 4 or even 3 claws. It was now death to try and "communicate with
an imperial Dragon." But there were still those who did not believe that
the emperor was the only one who should be allowed to gain wisdom by talking
to the wisest of the God's messengers, the Dragons.
There are more than a few stories from the Far East about various men who sought
out this draconic source of wisdom. But to try and discredit them the Imperial
court called them "four-men" or those who talked to less than Imperial
Dragons. The implication was that only the Emperor could talk to a real messenger
from the God's.
Later on these same individuals who learned and used dragon wisdom became derided
as Foemen. But all of these outlawed individuals seeking out Dragons were supposed
to prove their worth to talk to these wise creatures by helping out villagers
against bandits or oppressive bureaucrats and such.
The tales told of these dragon inspired warriors were very much like the quests
and deeds done by the much later heros and the Knights of the Round Table.
The Japanese also had
Dragon Kings. One of these was named Rinjin or Ryujin. Like the Chinese Dragon
Kings he also had a palace under the sea. Like many other dragon stories this
one has several versions. In one case it is about his queen and octopus and
in another it is about his daughter and jellyfish.
In the more popular version the jellyfish was a handsome creature with strong
bones, ornate fins, and walked on four feet. The princess had a craving for
monkey liver and Rinjin liking to spoil his only daughter sent the jellyfish
out to acquire one monkey.
To oblige his king the jellyfish found a monkey and invited him to dine at the
kings palace. The monkey agreed but on the way back seeing that the monkey was
a fine creature confessed why the king really wanted him.
The monkey said that it was alright but that he had left his liver in a special
jar at home and would go and fetch it. Eventually it became apparent that the
monkey wasn’t coming back and the jellyfish returned to the Dragon King
and told his story.
In his rage for the incompetence shown the Dragon beat the jelly fish into a
pulp and exiled him from his palace. That is why to this day jellyfish are in
the shape they are in.
The Koreans also had their
very own dragon kings as did the Vietnamese. According to the Chinese their
“true dragons” had five claws. All others had 4 or 3. Japanese dragons
were said to have 4 claws while Korean and Vietnamese dragons had 3.
A Vietnamese story of the
Dragonkings starts when a kindly man named Slowcoach finds a cute little animal
named Cibet. But his mean brother in jealousy kills the little critter who is
then buried under a tree.
Every time that Slowcoach visits the grave silver rains down on him. This does
not get missed by the brother who also goes to the grave only to be rained on
by mud.
In anger he cuts down the tree and leaves. Slowcoach decides to sue the fallen
tree so shapes it into a food trough for his pigs. They of course do marvelously
well and this also is noticed by the brother who burns the trough.
Only a little piece of wood escapes the fire and this is fashioned into a fish
hook by the gentle Slowcoach. But when he puts the hook into the lake the water
raises, the pole and line disappear into this turbulence, the waves and almost
drown him. Out of the water walks a beautiful woman who says she is the dragon
kings daughter and that the hook is caught in her fathers mouth.
Slowcoach agrees too free it and she turns him into a bubble and takes him to
her father. The fish hook removed the dragon king rewards him with a bottle
containing a little blue fish.
After returning home with his reward which he sits next to his bed life goes
on. But one day Slowcoach realized that every time he left his home and came
back afterwards it was cleaned. To solve this mystery he came back unexpectedly
one day and caught the little blue fish turning into the dragon kings beautiful
daughter and cleaning the house.
In order to keep her there forever Slowcoach broke the bottle and asked her
to marry him. She agree on the condition that he make her some bones which he
did. They lived happily ever after.
As a side note the jealous brother wanting to also get a beautiful wife jumped
into the lake in search of the dragon king, but knowing him for what he was
the dragon king turned him into a fish. And that was the last anyone saw him
except that Slowcoach seemed to spend a lot more time fishing when he wasn’t
with his new bride.
Another Japanese story
tells of a dragon named OGoncho who lives in a deep but small fissure lake not
far from the Kyoto castle named Ukisima. The area of Japan where the white dragon
lives is called Yama-shiro and is reputed to be a former home of some demi-god.
Every half century the dragon changes into a golden bird and flies around. If
anyone hears this bird calling it is a warning that famine will soon be upon
the land.
Another interesting tale
comes from the Island of Borneo about a dragon named Kinabalu. He lived at the
summit of a mountain of his name. He was the possessor of a fabled pearl of
immense size. The Emperor of China heard about the pearl and sent an army to
get it for him but the dragon killed all but a few. These survivors return and
told the emperor about the disaster and said he could not be overcome by strength
of arms. So the emperor sent his two clever sons named Wee San and Wee Ping
to get the pearl.
Wee Ping could not find any way to get the pearl but his brother came up with
an idea. When the dragon went away to hunt for food they would steal the pearl
and replace it with an identical looking one.
The first part of the plan worked as Wee San used a kite to get to the top of
the Mountain to steal and replace the pearl. Unfortunately Kinabalu was not
fooled and went after the two sons who were sailing away in a large junk with
the real pearl.
A fight ensued and Wee San ordered the sailors to heat up a cannon ball red
hot and shoot it at the fast approaching dragon. The dragon thinking it was
the pearl swallowed it and in doing so was killed and fell into the sea.
Upon arriving home in China Wee Ping lied to his father about who had actually
succored the pearl and was given palaces and rewards. Rather than fighting with
his older brother Wee San left his homeland and went back to Borneo where because
of his good deeds and wisdom eventually became a king.
The lying brother Wee Ping did not get to enjoy his rewards as he was either
punished by the Gods or else there was a curse on the possessor of the stolen
dragon pearl. Nothing but sadness and misery befell Ping and he died a broken
and poor man.
Another tale from the
Orient is of one of the only Dragons ever to be converted to a human religion.
This Dragon was named Apalala and lived in the Swat river. Supposedly this young
dragon was converted by the Buddha himself. He then went around teaching others
until he tried it with other dragons who drove him away but allowed him to continue
teaching the humans which is why dragons were here in the first place.
From the islands of Hawaii
come stories of the mother of all dragons called MO-O-INANEA. She is know as
the “self reliant” dragon and not much is known of her other than
all others come from her. The natives are very reluctant to talk about this
dragon and some speculate she may still be around and is being protected by
the Hawaiians.
From the Island of New
Zealand Polynesians comes a story of a dragon monster (called a taniwha) by
the name of Hotu-puku. It seems that travelers going between Rotorua and Taupo
started disappearing.
Thinking that neighboring war parties were responsible these people sent out
their own war band. At a place called Kapenga they instead encountered the dragon
Hotu-puku and were attacked. During the fight several warriors were killed and
eaten and the war band had to flee.
Organizing a new dragon hunting party was a man named Pitaka. His plan was to
hang a noose across a trail and using himself as bait. The plan worked and when
Hotu-puku tried to grab the man he was caught in the rope and strangled.
Just to be sure this was the right dragon the party cut open the dragon and
sure enough founds the remains of the earlier victims. These victims were buried
and then the dragon was roasted and eaten.
For his bravery and daring Pitaka became known as a taniwha expert and was rewarded
as well as in great demand. His next exploits come at a place called Te Awan-hou
where a fierce sea dragon named Peke-haua lived.
This dragon lived in a deep water filled lair called Te Waro-uri and could not
be easily approached. For this adventure Pitaka used some companions and some
magic. He descended alone into the watery lair and tied a magic vine onto the
dragon while he slept. He then escaped up to his fellow dragon hunters. Other
magic vines and traps were set above the dragon and then he was hauled unceremoniously
up out of his home and in the fighting became further entangled and then finally
killed. This ended the second adventure of our hero.
Next Pitaka went to a place called Kataore near Rotorue in Tiki-tapu. Here some
disgruntled villagers told him they were being preyed on by a dragon that had
been named Kataore by other locals.
This proved to be a simple execution as the dragon did not flee when the group
approached it and it was easily killed. Unfortunately this dragon was actually
the pet and friend of chief Tangaroa-mihi and he immediately set of after Pitaka
and party and chased them out of the area while killed some of the so called
dragon slayers in this battle. This was the last we heard of about Pitaka the
dragon slayer.
Perhaps the most famous
of the European dragons is the tale of St. George's dragon. There are two versions
of the incident. The first was told by the frightened villagers and appears
to be somewhat of a cover-up.
In it a dragon appears at the village of Cappadocia and threatens to destroy
the region. In fear they first feed off the villages sheep and then finally
start feeding the maidens via a lottery until only the princess is left.
She is tied to a stake and this is when George came by and killed the dragon.
But there is another version that was first repressed by the villagers. But
as the older people died their children started telling a different tale.
In this version a dragon moved into the region as often happens when they are
driven out by a more powerful dragon or are young ones looking for a territory.
Being used to catching and eating whatever he can this dragon starts first with
deer and wild game but then discovers the easy pickings the farm animals in
the area are.
No people are bothered but eventually someone (no one remembers exactly who)
comes up with a plan to feed the relatively tame dragon at a certain place and
at a certain time with the villagers sheep. The idea appears to make this a
more predictable dragon. Not knowing knowing any better the intelligent but
inexperienced dragon goes along with the plan. Then as he grows he needs even
more sheep to fuel his growing body. Eventually this growing young dragon finishes
all the available sheep and comes into this now small town and starts looking
around for some food.
This same bright individual (likely having only sons) who came up with the sheep
plan now comes up with a lottery for feeding off the unmarried maidens in the
town. Since after sheep they were the most expendable asset the town agreed
to the plan.
Unfortunately the town had no idea how much food a dragon needs and how protective
of his hunting territory he could become and eventually the princess was the
only maiden left. So she went out in her turn to the sacrificial pole. Here
St. George came along and rather than slay the young and ignorant beastie lectures
him on the evils of eating people and the values of christianity in general.
He and the princess then put the tame but confused dragon on a rope and lead
him back to the town where he is officially converted to christianity, leaves
the area, and troubles the town no more.
An interesting and almost
“Asian” philosophy on dragons seemed to pervade the Rhine River areas
of Austria. Here there were many tales told of the “Butz” which was
a goblinesk creature and the “Nachtvolk” which we would call elves.
But dragons were in another category altogether. They were not considered supernatural
but rather simply an unwanted part of nature like wolves, bears, and mountain
cats.
There are portions of manuscripts found in the area of Vorarlbeg (Western Austria)
that mentions them in the same breath as losing a sheep to a pack of wolves.
It appears they occasionally took a horse, cow, or some sheep but were rather
shy about confronting mankind and were thus never seriously feared or hunted.
They were discussed in conclaves of the nobles and determined to be “no
threat to the cities and castles” and thus it was though better to leave
them to the occasional wandering wise-men and scholars just like in China and
Asia. In short they were just another hazard faced by people living in the area
but not to be especially feared.
Tarasque was said to be
a dragon of a different kind. She was reputed to be the daughter of Onachus
(a giant serpent) and Leviathan (a water dragon). She came from the sea up the
river Rhone and decided to make her home in Southern France. In size she was
said to be bigger than 12 elephants, with teeth as large as swords, scales harder
than iron, and with a fiery breath.
Here she settled and was said to terrorize the region for many years. Many knights
and heros attempted to kill her. She was , however, too powerful and destroyed
or drove off all that came against her.
After seven years had gone by a farmer found her skin with nothing left inside
it and everyone rejoiced that she had died. But she was a reptile and every
7 years had to shed her skin so quickly reappeared bigger and meaner than ever.
After putting up with her another seven years the villagers tried to lure her
into a swamp and to her death, but she refused to be so tricked and destroyed
all the remaining bridges in the area in her anger.
Finally, after twenty one years of failure St. Martha was traveling in the area
and heard about the villagers plight. She went out to face the dragoness alone
in a white dress and armed only with her faith and a jar of holy water. Apparently
that was enough as she led Tarasque back to the town where the now docile and
trusting creature was hacked to pieces.
In honor of the event a church was build in Martha’s honor and the town
was renamed Tarascon.
The village of Brand was
a remote village in Germany in a mountainous valley. One day a dragon appeared
and began eating the villagers cattle and performing mischief toward the poor
villagers. Every effort to destroy this dragon ended in failure.
Finally a traveling scholar arrived at Brand and was told of the creature. Warning
them that the cure could be as devastating as the dragon this personage gave
them the choice of a water or fire to be rid of their nemesis. They chose the
water.
The next evening the skies boiled with thunderstorms and the fiercest storm
in memory descended on the mountains above the village. At about midnight the
storm had increased to a veritable tempest and the whole hillside where the
dragon dwelt collapsed. He could be seen outlined in lightning still attempting
to stay above the landslide until a massive bolt of electricity struck him and
he disappeared into the muddy torrent.
In the morning the valley at its end was completely covered in a landslide of
rocks, trees, giant boulders, and mud. Of the dragon there was never again a
sight and the area became known as the “dragons grave.” The scholar
was also never seen again.
A famous Norse story was
of the dragon Fafnir and Sigurd the dragonslayer. As usual with dragon tales
there are several versions of the story. This one starts with the telling of
the order of the world and the great serpent Nidhogger which lives at the foot
of the tree of life Yggdrasil. Of his kind come the dragons. But the Norse believe
that a dragon can be a state of mind also and this tale explores the evils of
the human condition.
Once there were two brothers named Regin and Fafnir. They were dwarves. Fafnir
was recruited by the gods to kill an enemy of the gods Otter. Having done so
he was rewarded by an immense hord of gold. But Fafnir's excessive delight and
greed for this gold slowly turned him into a great dragon.
The brother Regin wanted this gold and so persuaded Sigurd (also called Siegfried
in some tales) to kill this evil dragon. Together they dug a hole and as Fafnir
walked across it Sigurd stuck his sword into the dragon’s unprotected belly
and killed him.
It was apparently good luck to eat of certain parts of the dragon and so after
Regin cut out the dead creatures heart Sigurd cooked it. As he was taking the
heart out of the fire Sigurd burned his fingers and put them into his mouth.
The dragons heart had magical properties and even this little taste of the heart
allowed the hero to understand the speech of the birds.
The birds told Sigurd that Regin was planning on killing him and take all the
gold so the hero loaded all the treasure onto his horse and rode away.
Other versions have the dragon giving the treasure to Sigurd for his nobility
and honesty and departing in peace. It is likely that other versions were made
into the story of Drachenstein.
Another of the many stories
having to do with the power of dragon parts and dragon blood is that of the
Wilser dragon. The town of Wilser has a village named Helvetia near it. In this
area a dragon came and was playing the usual havoc they apparently can when
undupervised by the gods.
The town magistrate approached a convicted murderer and said that if he killed
the dragon his banishment would be lifted. The man was called Winckelriedt and
he was handy with a sword and so he agreed. In the ensuing fight the dragon
was killed, but as the victor caused his sword to be raised in triumph the blood
trickled down onto him and he died immediately.
There is a village in
Germany called Bezau that apparently has had more than one run in with dragons.
In the first tale there was once a very prosperous farm on a hill named Jolerbuhel.
One day a beggar came asking for a little money or food. The farmer did not
approve of begging so drove him scornfully away.
The stranger shouted back that the stingy farmer was going to be sorry and that
he was going to bring back something for the farmer shortly to prove it. The
sky suddenly turned dark and black and a cascade of water and debris suddenly
came down the nearby creek. In the middle of the flow was the beggar leading
a large dragon on a red cord.
As the farmer stood and watched in astonishment the flow of boulders, trees,
and mud was being herded toward him by the dragons deft tail. In a matter of
minutes the rich farm was destroyed and all within killed by the fraging debris.
Next the stranger took the dragons red cord and led him through the village
of Bezau and out the other side never to be seen again.
In the next tale there is also a lake no more than an hours stroll from Bezau.
There has always been a legend that there was a large dragon who made the lake
his home. The lake is very deep and no one had ever found out exactly how deep
it really was.
One day several of the braver youths of the area decided to become heros and
find out the exact depth. In the middle of the lake they attempted to fathom
the lake bottom . But they changed their minds when a low booming voice said
“If thou fathomst me, I will devour thee.”
No one to this day has ever tried to measure the depth of this enchanted dragon
lake. This is true even though another story of this same dragon says that he
guards a fabulous hord and most believe it is at the bottom of the lake.
There is a deep cleft
in the ground in Sussex England named after the dragon who had resided there.
His name was Knucker and he was reputed to do the usual mischief that most European
Dragons are said to do. In short he wasn’t wanted by the locals.
As usual there are several versions of how he was killed. One is the tried and
worn one of the king offering the princess to anyone capable of killing this
dragon. And eventually some knight prevailed, killed the dragon and got his
reward.
The other two versions are interesting in that they both involved locals poisoning
Knucker. One had a local farmer’s son named Jim Pulk who put poison in
a pie that the dragon ate and then died. And of course reusing a classic theme
the boy then also died from sucking on his hands and forgetting there was still
poison on them.
The third version is that the Mayor of the closest city named Arundel offered
a reward and a man named Jim Puttock accepted. In this tale Jim put some poison
in some pudding and then when confronted by Knucker talked him into trying the
pudding. According to an article in the Sussex County Magazine Jim lived to
a ripe old age after killing the dragon.
An ancient Teutonic myth
of unknown origins tells the tale of The Black Worm which is another name for
a dragon. In this tale the Black was discovered sleeping on a hoard of gold
when discovered by a local couple. Since the gold pile was immense the dragon
could not quite curl all the around it and this man took advantage of that fact
to climb up and pick out choice pieces.
But after grabbing all he could he got greedy and called to his female companion
to come up and get her share. Unfortunately this noise woke the dragon and he
roared his wrath at their thievery. The man threw down his ill gotten gains
and fled. Looking back over his shoulder he saw the dragon and the gold sink
out of sight into the ground, never more to be seen.
Another ancient German
tale is about a hoard left by a scholar under three large boulders. Scholars
were often believed to be magical and found in or near the company of dragons.
Atop these boulders was another large rock now called the Galina gorge outcrop.
Shepherds used to shelter from the heat or rain under this rock. The story tells
of a young shepherd boy who kept finding pieces of silver and gold under them.
Eventually the boys father found out and surmised that they were part of the
scholars hoard which was now guarded by a dragon.
Going to collect this hoard and climbing under the three boulders the father
suddenly encountered a terrible thunderstorm. He escaped but the three boulders
were buried until only the large rock on top was left flat on the ground.
Locals still believe that someday there will be another great storm with lightning,
terrible winds, and water. Whoever is brave enough to be waiting on the bridge
below will become heir to this hord as the dragon leaves.
The most famous of the dragons of Ireland went by the name of Ollipeist. The story goes that when St. Patrick came to Ireland the first thing he did was rid the island of snakes. But then he turned his attention to the dragons and started imprisoning them. Knowing his fate if he stayed Ollipeist fled the country and in so doing left his mark with his tail in what is now called the Shannon Valley.
On the Island of Largo
was a ruler by the name of Ypocras. Somehow he angered an unnamed goddess who
turned his beautiful daughter into a fierce looking dragon. But still her people
loved her and called her “The lady of the land” and her father built
her a cave inside her former castle.
It was said that if any hero was brave enough to kiss her on the mouth she would
revert to the beautiful princess once more. Many would be heros came calling
but all went away in fear and died miserably shortly thereafter. The lady is
still waiting for her true love.
The German village of
Sonntag was a prosperous mountain village until one day a dragon appeared. The
death and destruction to the region was typical of dragon stories told at this
time. Nobody could kill or drive the dragon away.
But one day a Venediger appeared, befriended the dragon and rode away with him.
A Venediger was the German word for supernatural being and could be a dwarf
or goblin with a love for crystals and rare minerals. It is also the word for
the rock merchants from the city of Venice so it was either a small Venician
or a dwarf, both with a love of crystals and dragons.
There are many stories told of Jormungand by the Norse people. He is said to be the offspring of the god of mischief Loki and his bride Angurboda. He is also called the Midgard serpent who lives in the sea and is so long that he encircles the whole planet and has swallowed his own tail. This is why he is also prominent in their stories as the World Serpent. There are to many stories and versions to tell here. But they are another example of dragon and serpent stories told at this time.
The city of Heidelburg
has always had a love affair with dragons unlike most other parts of Europe.
For much of the early middle ages this city seemed to be the very epicenter
of friendly dragon activity.
Dragon eggs were first found in the Neckar river nereby. When incubated in the
home and raised properly they were grew into loyal protectors of the hearth
of the home. The dragons all had the ability to breath fire and so were especially
loved by the local blacksmiths who produced the finest steel in the region because
of their reptile helpers.
The males of this larger species could fly and a few of the especially brave
of the city residents actually became dragon riders. The female dragons were
more water lovers and often helped the fishermen. The females were also said
to be highly intelligent and some could converse in the human tongues which
made them very popular with the scholars and wise-women who would spend much
time learning philosophy from them.
In addition to the big dragons there was a race of dwarf flying dragons who
nested in the warm hillsides near the city. They were very popular with the
city dwellers who did not have the room of the country residents and farmers.
AQ small dragon would be a better asset to an apartment dweller than their larger
cousins.
All this happy interactions and love affair between the people of Heidelburg
and the dragons came to an end when the christian church moved into the area
and the clergymen convinced the people that dragons were actually the offspring
of the creatures of hell. When they were turned away from and even killed by
their former friends the dragons saddly all left the area and were not seen
again. Many in Heidelburg wish they would come back and festivals commemorate
this ancient friendship.
In the Austrian capitol
of Innsbruck of the province of Tyrol was a narrow gorge carved by the Sill
river. The Sill ran through a mountain forest that was shunned by the locals
because of the rumors of a dragon living there guarding a huge horde of gold.
The locals knew this was true because after floods they would find pieces of
the dragons hord washed out of his lair by the high waters.
Problems arose when the dragon found out that some of his gold was missing and
went on a rampage to find where it was. He would destroy fields, farms, orchards,
and houses until he found his missing gold. No one could stand against the dragon
and the region became impoverished and desolate.
A nobleman of royal birth by the name of Haymo lived some distance away but
heard of the cities plight. He was a giant of a man standing some 12 feet in
height. He gathered up his armor and weapons and came searching for the dragon.
When he found the creature the battle began.
The tide quickly turned against the dragon and he fled to the refuge of his
cave in the forest. But Haymo pursued his foe into his very lair and after a
fierce struggle killed the dragon and cut out his tongue to bring back to the
waiting locals.
Upon seeing this proof the locals asked their new hero to become their leader
and he accepted. Many more adventures befell this dragonslayer but in later
years he regretted all the killing he had to do and founded the monastery of
Wilten on the spot where he had killed the dragon years earlier.
Another dragonslayer was
St. Margaret. She lived in Antiochia and the story says that she converted to
christianity and was then tempted by the governor Olybrius who wanted her as
wife. She was imprisoned in a tower and tortured when she refused his advances.
She was also tortured and tempted by satan who finally sent a dragon against
her. But she was strong in her belief in the Lord and made the sign of the cross
over the dragon and he was killed. After this the governor lost patience with
this christian virgin and dragonslayer and had her beheaded. This is still another
example of stories that show dragonslayers have a short life after killing a
dragon.
This is the story of St.
Magnus and his exploits against dragonkind. As a historical figure Magnus is
known to have been born between 1698 and 1702 and is variously claimed by the
Irish, Romans, and Alemannians. He died sometime between 1750 and 1772.
With some companions he traveled into the then pagan or neo pagan areas of Southern
Germany where he constantly battled on behalf of his christian beliefs. He was
credited with founding several notable churches and monasteries.
Magnus had his first encounter with a dragon at the city of Kempton. This city
was originally founded by the Roman’s around the time of Christ but over
the intervening years became a battleground for beliefs. It was repeatedly conquered
and occupied by both pagan and christian armies only to be lost again. It was
certainly an interesting place to live in if you liked war.
When Magnus came to the city it was said to be empty of men and filled with
dragons and snakes. Against his companions advice he decided to sleep in the
open just outside the city and was predictably attacked that evening by the
dragon (worm) Boas. Calling on the power of his God Magnus was able to kill
this powerful boss dragon and chase the rest of them out of the city. The humans
moved back in right after this of course.
His next encounter was in a valley called the Rosshaupten on his way to the
city of Fussen. Here he had to pass by a dragon who allowed no one to leave
his valley unmolested unless he was out hunting. This dragon lived in a cave
next to a beautiful apple tree. Everything else was said to be bare and desolate
because of the dragons wrath.
Trusting again in his God Magnus walked up to the lair and challenged the beast.
The dragon rushed out to eat this impudent holy man whereupon the human tossed
resin and pitch into the dragons mouth which erupted in flame and burned the
creature to death.
The local version of this is that magnus and his companion Tozzo built a monastery
on this very spot. But the official church version is that the monastery was
built at Waltenhofen a mile further up the valley from the dragon slaying.
Interestingly many other
villages in the area claimed to have had dragons that were driven off by this
saint as well. The village of Ronsberg was one of these. Here it was claimed
that three dragons were ransacking the area. One of the locals was a sorcerer
and he had succeeded in convincing these dragons to spare the village and instead
raid the other areas.
This they did until nothing was left standing or alive except Ronsberg where
they turned their attention to once more. Before the sorcerer could again negotiate
with the dragons they killed and ate him. The villagers offered the dragons
a cow which held them long enough for them to bring Magnus to the village.
He brought with him a tribe of bears that he had tamed and set them on the dragons.
Outnumbered the dragons tried to get back to their lairs but eventually they
were burned out and destroyed by the saint and his tame bears.
In still another story
Magnus killed a family of dragons but spared the young one because he was innocent
of the crimes of his older relatives. The villagers raised the young dragon
and fed him on mice and rats.
In return as the dragon grew he helped to clear the forest of logs and rocks.
He even cut the trees into lumber for the locals. As he continued grow he cleared
snow from the fields and even helped build new roads. But he was constantly
hungry.
The local villagers refused to feed him anything other than the vermin he could
catch and so one night he stole a calf for food. Maddened the villagers attempted
to kill him in his sleep. One of the villagers cut him with an ax and a stream
of milk shot from the wound.
This was by far the best milk ever tasted and so the locals tried to make amends
to their dragon. But he would have nothing to do with them and left the area
and never came back.
This the story about a
well regarded and handsome hero named Dobrynja who lived with his mother who
was very wise. He always had to listened to her sage advice on just about everything.
Thatg may explain why he was always going off on quests and such. She especially
counseled him never to bath in the river several hours away from their home
as it was home to a terrible dragon who killed or imprisoned everyone who went
into the river.
One hot summer day the hero was riding near this same river and forgetting his
mothers warning decided to take a cool bath. Taking of his weapons and armor
he left them on his horse as he strolled leisurely into the river to cool off.
He now remembered his mothers words that the rivers first wave would spit fire,
the second sparks, and the third wave would bring steam. But everything seemed
peaceful and calm.
Suddenly the sky turned black and a three headed dragon with seven tails flew
down at him saying “I am Gorynytch. It was prophesied that a hero named
Dobrynja would be my death, but instead I see a naked fish in my river that
I think I will eat.”
To escape the hero swam under the water and out of sight of the dragon until
he reached the shore where he had left his weapons. Exiting the waters he discovered
the horse and all his possessions had disappeared and the dragon was waiting.
Flames came from one dragon head, steam came from another, and sulfur was thick
in the air. Looking around in his helpless condition the hero saw only his helmet
was still here so he knelt down beside it. The dragon thinking he was begging
for his life did not immediately strike.
In this short interval the hero had filled the helmet with sand and rock and
then jumped up and swung it so mightily that one of the heads was knocked off
and the dragon fell to the shore stunned.
Gorynytch now begged for his life. But not for himself so much as for his own
hatchlings who would starve if he was killed. The noble hearted hero felt sorry
for the dragon and gave him his parole provided he never again attacked him
and the creature agreed.
The dragon had other things in mind now however, and immediately flew up North
to the city of Kiev and kidnapped the High Duke Vladimir’s virgin daughter.
On his way home Dobrynja saw the dragon flying towardhis caves with the Dukes
daughter and changed his course to go straight away to Kiev where he met with
the Duke to see what had happened. It seemed that no one had the courage to
go after the Duke’s daughter and when he was informed that the hero and
the dragon were recently seen together at the river the Duke order Dobrynja
to go to “his friend the dragon” and retrieve the girl.
Not knowing what to do the hero went home and told his mother what had happened.
His mother was very wise and sent her son to bed to rest. That night she made
a special kind of silk whip and in the morning told the hero to go get his grandfathers
horse. He was then to go to the cave which would be unguarded and by laying
the whip to the horse the dragons younglings would be trampled to death.
Doing what he was advised he had just destroyed the brood before the dragon
rushed in to see what was happening. Calling the knight an oath breaker the
fight was joined and the two antagonists fought for 3 days and nights until
Dobrynja remembered the whip. Using it he soon subdued Gorynytch and then quickly
cut off his remaining two heads.
But the knight had been wounded and sorely taxed by the fight so he bathed in
the dragons blood for three days before he recovered and used the whip to remove
any poison in the blood he was soaking in. Next he went out to search for the
Dukes daughter.
One by one the hero searched eleven caves and freed hundreds of the dragons
prisoners. But it was not until the twelfth cave that he found the virgin tied
to the wall with golden chains. He freed her and took her back to her father
where the story ends without telling us what his reward was.
This is currently covered in the BioPark’s Realm of the Rattlesnake, Kingdom of the Boa, and Forests of the Sachamama. It will be added to, edited and moved here in the near future.