Dragons have long taken part in many cultures all over the world, spanning from the Celtic people in Ireland to ancient Japanese and Chinese beliefs. Their roles in history have affected wars, traditions, and many of our modern folklore and fairytales. These beliefs and ideas have long been subtly woven into our culture here in North America; and even though we no longer train warriors to fight and slay dragons, or listen for birds to point out weak spots in dragons armor, we are still surrounded by their tales, from flags to videogames, they are sleeping in the caves of our minds. A strong theory about how the idea of dragons was fabricated involves ancient discovery of dinosaur bones, or large mammal bones. Dragons were known all over the world, before communication between continents existed, so that leads some people to believe that dragons were not “made” or “discovered” in one area and then spread to the rest of the world, but were known uniquely by individual cultures . Dinosaur remains are present on every continent, making this a likely explanation of the creation of dragons, when a little imagination is added. These creatures were changeable, making them an …show more content…
The fairytales we know of dragons today are mostly adapted versions of old ones. Such as Bard, slayer of Smaug in Tolkien’s, “The Hobbit”, and Beowulf, slayer of the evil Scandinavian dragon. Both dragons were angered when a cup was stolen from its hoard of treasure, but “The Hobbit” was written nearly one thousand years later. The flag of Wales is a red dragon, a symbol of the story of King Arthur, and the lake under the land where King Vortigern attempted to build a tower but kept failing due to disruption from a red dragon and a white dragon fighting in the lake. The red dragon represented the Welsh and the white dragon represented the Saxons. The red dragon wins, showing the power of
(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
Dragons lie in the realm of fantasy; legendary creatures who are deeply rooted in magic and have captivated audiences for centuries. The depiction
After fighting and winning many battles, Beowulf's life enters a new stage when he finally becomes king of his homeland, Geatland. Even in his old age, his code of honor still obligates him to fight against an evil, fiery dragon. For fifty years he has governed his kingdom well. While Beowulf is governing, the dragon "...kept watch over a hoard, a steep stone-barrow" (Norton 55). Under it lays a path concealed from the sight of men. Over centuries no one had disturbed the dragon’s kingdom until one day when a thief broke into the treasure, laid hand on a cup fretted with gold, which infuriated the dragon. "The fiery dragon had destroyed the people's stronghold, the land along the sea, the heart of the country" (Norton 57).
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.
In contrast, Beowulf is seen as a hero, even when exemplifying the violent and dangerous qualities the dragon is feared for. Anglo-Saxon society prized loyalty, personal valor, and fame. In order to be a hero, one must recognize the need to act, and not shy away from it. The dragon, based on that definition, embodies the Anglo-Saxon idea of a hero: it is loyal to its cause, it is a good warrior, and it recognizes the need to act. It even has a sense of justice and a sense of wrong, shown by the way it reacted to the theft of the chalice. The dragon becomes vengeful and defensive, using cruelty as a means to correct the wrong. Described as “the guardian of the mound” (2302), the dragon’s intent is identical to Beowulf’s. Beowulf is seen as a hero not only because of his actions, but because he is human. The only thing that makes the dragon different is its inhuman qualities, and therefore it is a monster, a “ground-burner” (2713). Heroism in Anglo-Saxon society is a concept embodied by warriors and guardians, who would vie to be the most well-known. Heroism, to the Anglo-Saxons, is an excuse to use cruelty as a way to further one’s fame. It is a social crutch of sorts, leaned on for the vain chance to be immortal. When Beowulf agrees to fight the dragon, it is to have a heroic death, so he may be remembered. In the battle, just as with Grendel and Grendel’s mother,
Dragons represent human greed but amplify this sin tenfold as this is a monstrous creature whose only interest is in gathering gold and hoarding it. Before Christianity rebranded dragons simply as a manifestation of Satan, they were the ultimate embodiment of power, ferocity, and mystery.
In many European traditions, dragons are viewed as villains because they represent the antithesis of a good king. Good kings share their wealth; dragons hoard it. However the dragon’s actions against society in Beowulf can be justified. After Beowulf becomes the ruler of Geatland and all seems well and peaceful, the dragon enters the story. His appearance is provoked: one day while the dragon quietly guards his ancient hoard, an unnamed Danish slave manages to enter the hidden lair and awaken the dragon’s dormant rage.
Throughout early English literature, it is highly apparent that novels and poems had much deeper meaning than just a story for entertainment. Many of these stories were great works used for religious purposes to show that good will always triumph over evil. Two great works that utilize this are the epic poem, Beowulf and the great allegorical poem, the Faerie Queene. Though these literary works were written almost eight centuries apart, it is apparent through biblical allegories, symbolism, and descriptions that both were written for similar purposes of religious influence, but they were written to different Christian audiences. Through their comparison, there are many similarities and differences in the biblical allegories pertaining to each fight with the dragon. In each story, the dragon is meant to symbolize the epitome of evil, but they symbolize two different types of evil. They are very different in their descriptions of the two dragons and the fight. Through acknowledgement of these similarities and differences, it becomes very obvious to whom the work is directed towards.
Grendel and Saint George's dragon, then to the mermaids, trolls, and one-eyed giants of our fairy and
world we live in. Mythical creatures are created by people’s imaginations, hopes, fears, and most
This serves as proof of the reality of dragons through geography and language. All countries had dragons in their mythology. Countries in Asia and countries in Europe that had no way to communicate or share ideas at the time dragons became prevalent in their mythology had
Beowulf’s life was truly epic struggle. The monsters he battled made it so. Grendel and the dragon, capable of crushing men physically, stood for evils that could just as easily crush men in spirit. These two beasts represented society’s greatest fears, as well as detriments, and Beowulf fearlessly took them on. Grendel taught the hero a valuable lesson about maintaining one’s humanity in a world dominated by the dogs of war. The dragon, showed Beowulf’s mortality, his imperfection, but the hero eradicates it nonetheless, saving his people from not only physical threat, but sin. Bringing in such spiritual and moral dimensions, these two beasts certainly give the story of Beowulf depth.
The digression begins as a story of a legendary king named Sigemund who is very similar to Beowulf. Sigemund and Beowulf have the same characteristics that earn them glory and fame; both of the men are admirable warriors known for bravery, high moral values and leadership qualities. The digression also is foreshadowing Beowulf’s destiny to become king of his people and his future battle with a dragon; the details of Sigemund’s fight with the dragon and Beowulf’s match up almost perfectly. The dragons are massive beings that guard an enormous hoard of treasures and valuable metals; the Kings feel fight honorably to protect the people and defeat the beast. Sigemund enters the dragon’s lair by himself in hopes of killing the dragon and winning the hoard for his people. Similarly, Beowulf will go into the dragon’s den by himself because his warriors are cowardly and hide behind a rock.
They can be worshipped, feared, abhorred, respected. Their chief adjectives may divaricate from place to place, but it can be agreed that all of the dragon portrayals evoke one word that can be linked to them: power. They are supreme beings that cannot be messed with or the consequences must be come up against. The sole essence of these enormous, snake-like beasts where enough to use them as an indicator of power and strength. Their portraits come into sight on the pages of the ancient medieval lexicons, on the Viking vessels, or even on the flags of the Chinese Qing