The Lore of Old Reincarnated as a Number One Bestseller
What is the first thing many people think of when they hear the word “dragon?” Most Americans and Europeans probably envision a huge scaly green beast, one that sits on a hoard of golden treasures and breathes fire. Asians are more likely to think of a benevolent snakelike creature, one that controls rains and rivers. And some people will think of the dragons in movies, or in books, which come in innumerable shapes, sizes, and dispositions. Practically every culture on Earth has dragons of some kind. The broadest way of categorizing dragons is by dividing them into Western and Eastern dragons, though some of the dragons in the media have distinct characteristics as well. These ideals of dragons were derived from folktales, legends, and myths. They were then used in modern literature; and depending on who or what influenced the authors, their dragons could be malevolent or beneficial.
Most of the European dragon folklore is derived from the ancient Babylonian creation myth, Tiamat. She is a water serpent who is defeated by Marduk the male creator. Tiamat is “queen of the hideous host[s]” who are “hostile to the gods” (Barton 14).
Fire breathing, scaly, possessive, and ferocious (“Dragon” 1015). These terms describe European dragons flawlessly. European dragons are said to be immense reptile-like creatures with different colored scales (Birkalan, Garry, El-Shamy). The New World Encyclopedia describes European dragons as “malevolent, associated with evil supernatural forces and the natural enemy of humanity”. Most European dragons generally fit in two categories: one has large wings, breathes fire. The other is more of a giant snake that slithers along the ground (New World En...
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...erm dragon was meant as chieftain not beast.
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1966. Print.
Describes Smaug, the dragon, as loquacious, proud, and cunning. He is mentioned before he is even introduced as a character as greedy; evil enemy whose destruction brings about the happy ending.
Unerman, Sandra. "Dragons in Twentieth-Century Fiction." Folklore 113.1 (2002): 94-101. JSTOR. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.
Analyzes dragons in popular culture literature. Unerman takes all popular novels concerning dragons and scrutinizes every detail concerning the dragon and how it connected to folklore.
White, Beatrice. "Review: British Dragons." Folklore 93.2 (1982): 235-36. JSTOR. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.
Reviews Jacqueline Simpson’s book British dragons. White praises Smith’s work as “enthusiastic, and proves an inspiring, reliable guide.”
(blackdrago.com) “Dragon images have been found on the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, on scrolls from China, in Egyptian hieroglyphs and Ethiopian sketches, on the prows of Viking ships, in bas relief on Aztec temples, on cliffs above the Mississippi River and even on bones carved by Inuits in climates where no reptile could live.” (McNeil) Stories of dragons can be found all through history. Over five thousand years ago, ancient Sumerian cultures had dragon legends in their religions. Modernly, few still believe dragons exist, they can still be found in our movies, books and video
My Bearded Dragon, 2011. Web. The Web. The Web. 7 December 2011.
Dragons are large, scaly reptiles with wings and sharp talons. The seven dragon tribes from Tui T. Sutherland’s, Wings of Fire, are similar and special in their own ways. The tribes are the Mudwings, Sandwings, Skywings, Seawings, Rainwings, Icewings, and Nightwings.
When I was little, I used to stay up late at night, watching old movies with my father. He worked at night, so on his nights off, he often could not sleep. Our dad-daughter bond was, no doubt, forged by our love of old black and white and even cheesy films. It was on one of these late nights that I first saw a huge snake coiled next to a tree, draped in a glittery sheep’s fur. I am sure that my eyes were big with awe the whole time, for to this day, when I watch or even read mythological stories, I feel the same childhood awe. The movie Jason and the Argonauts, directed by Nick Willing in 2000, is certainly not as campy as the old black and white, but it is just as awe-inspiring as is Peter Green’s translation of Apollonius of Rhodes’ version of Jason’s story: “Argonautika: The Story of Jason and the
Dragon--even mentioning the word strikes terror into the very center of the hearts of some men. But to others, a dragon is nothing more than a make-believe fairy tale, or a mystical monster. Recently, startling, new, scientific discoveries have shed light on this controversial subject. Dragons, Do They Really Exist? This study, compiled of shocking new facts, seems to prove that the animals known as the dragon, does, in fact, exist.
When the dragon awakes after three hundred years of sleep, he discovers that his cup has been stolen. The dragon, also known as the worm, fills with anger and rage. Even though he is so angry, he does like the idea of battle: “Yet he took joy in the thought of war, in the work of fighting” (Donaldson 40). The dragon cannot wait to ravage the land of the people where one man has stolen from him: “The hoard-guard waited restless until evening came; then the barrow-keeper was in rage: he would requite that precious drinking cup with vengeful fire” (Donaldson 40). The dragon destroys the land and kills everyone around. The dragon even destroys Beowulf’s home.
John Gardner is the author of the story “Dragon, Dragon”.He was a very specific and humorous writer in his stories. Many of his stories were fictional. John Gardner’s stories were all based on humor. In “Dragon, Dragon” John Gardner puts things from the future and puts them in the past for example, at the castle owned cars. In the story the dragon ruins things when he is there.
These monstrous birds had wings, beaks and claws of bronze…”. There is also, “… The Wild Boar of Erymanthus
Cerberus had his whole back covered in snakes and a dragon tail. Both of these are snake-like parts that contribute to Cerberus looking terrifying. His tail is from a dragon which is very similar to a snake and his back is filled with snake-like fur. The Hydra of Lerna is also an important creature, having 9 snake-like heads and the middle head being immortal.... ...
The myth of the Labours of Heracles contributes to the understanding of the monsters it includes, like The Stymphalian Birds and Cerberus. These beasts are fearsome in their own ways. Robert Graves illustrates how the Stymphalian Birds migrated, causing havoc and destruction where ever they wen...
Soar through the sky with dragons, their hot breath on your neck as you hit the ground tumbling. The blistering win cracking your skin from the powerful wings that beat wildly to land with such easy and natural grace. Before your able to catch your breath, after witnessing the beautiful landing, you hear the cries of shock and pain as an arrogant man has mortally wounded one of your lizard brethren. Azhrei, ‘dragon prince,’ is what they called him because of the enhanced cunningness and intellect he used to destroy the life of this beloved beast.
recesses of our oceans. The sphinxes, minotaurs, and sirens of early mythology gave way to Beowulf's
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again. New York: Ballantine, 1982. Print
There are many folktales and myths from ancient civilizations that do not have relevance in modern society. One reason people may think myths have no relevance in modern society is the conflicts that are faced within the myth. For example, the conflict in the myth “Noah’s Ark”, which was that everyone on earth was being bad so God had to cleanse the earth by sending a flood. This type of situation depending on people's, religion will not be faced. However, in the folktale, “The Four Dragons” the characters and themes relate to what people see today.
Hoggart, Simon. “Beauty and the beasts.” The Spectator. ProQuest, 31 July 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.