Dragons come in many shapes and sizes. Depictions of them range from the Western ones which are typically four legged with wings, through the two legged wyverns to the legless Asian varieties.
Western Dragons
In the West dragons in culture are normally creatures that cause death and destruction and are to be feared, and the term “Here be Dragons” was sometimes added to early maps to indicate that this were places where dangers were thought to lurk. This interpretation isn’t always the always the case though – we’re thinking of the Ice Dragon from Noggin the Nog, visit the Dragon’s Friendly Society if you’d like to visit, or revisit, this classic animation. They are also represented as defenders of important places and treasure. Joseph Campbell is famous for his concept of the monomyth, that influenced the story of Star Wars. He said, of the protagonist in a “Hero’s Journey”, that
“[f]or those who have not refused the call [to adventure], the first encounter of the hero journey is with a protective figure (often a little old crone or old man) who provides the adventurer with amulets against the dragon forces he is about to pass”.
He also said, later in the journey, in the
“Belly of the Whale”, that “[t]hat is why the approaches and entrances to temples are flanked and defended by colossal gargoyles: dragons …”.
Others say that Western dragons are just going about their own business and generally get a bad press.
Asian Dragons
Asian dragons are however typically associated with the rain, and with good fortune. A Chinese legend says that a horse-dragon, the lung ma, was the inspiration for not only the invention of Chinese writing, but also the I Ching. It says that Fu Hsi was crossed a ring when he saw the horse-dragon with a selection of dots on its face, back and side. He was so inspired by this that when he got home he drew a picture of the horse-dragon complete with the dots, and it was this picture that was used as the basis for both Chinese writing and the I Ching.
Dragons or Dinosaurs
While the origin in the belief in dragons is not known, it has been argued that some of the inspirations for them came from ancient people finding the bones of large dinosaurs. It isn’t hard to imagine ancient people coming across large bones that belonged to no creature that they were familiar with and believing them to belong to large fierce creatures, and being correct!
Learn More
Learn more about: Archaeology
- Ritual Landscapes in Neolithic Britain
- Danebury and South Cadbury: Two Iron Age Hillforts in Southern Britain
- Introduction to Archaeological Techniques: Excavation and Environment
- Introduction to Archaeological Techniques: Science and Theory
- Introduction to British Prehistory: Earlier Period – Post-Glacial to the Neolithic, 16000BC-2500BC
- Introduction to British Prehistory: Later Period – The Bronze and Iron Ages, 2500BC-43AD
- Britain in the Iron Age: Contact, Communication and Trade
(by Learn for Pleasure on 23rd April 2020)