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The dragon is a well-known mythical beast with various interpretations across cultures. Its origins are debated, but it is often associated with power and luck. Dragons can be depicted as evil or benevolent, and have become popular in modern fantasy literature and films.
The dragon is one of the most easily recognized mythical beasts. It is also a pervasive symbol in a variety of cultures, giving rise to many interpretations as to what exactly a dragon is, what it represents, and how it behaves. It can be associated with good luck, luck and wisdom, or with bad luck, elemental evil and heresy. Carl Jung would have called the dragon a symbol of the universal unconscious, since so many cultures have myths associated with a dragon, or dragon like beasts.
The origins of the dragon lore are a matter of debate. It is known that as early as 300 BC some prehistoric animal bones were labeled as being from dragons. This is a chicken/egg argument. Did the misidentification of the bones create the dragon, or did the concept of a dragon exist before archaeological finds? No explanation adequately addresses how the dragon lore became so widespread.
Some credit the Chinese as the inventors of dragons, and this causes an interesting concept. If at some point some aboriginal Chinese crossed the land bridge from Asia to North America, and brought with them some of the beliefs held by Chinese culture, then the origins of the dragon myth could be traced back to prehistoric times. Among cultures that have myths about dragons, Native American perceptions of dragons are most closely tied to Chinese perceptions. Yet there is no way to “prove” such a theory.
Dragons are usually depicted as serpents or related to reptiles. Yet most can also fly. Some have feet and others are shown without legs. A dragon can have one or more heads, usually hatch from eggs, and can be extremely ferocious and powerful. European dragons tend to be perceived as evil, which may explain their many uses in Christianity to represent heresy. Legends such as St. George and the Dragon focus on the cruelty of dragons and their antithesis to what is divine. Some legends tell that dragons were once good, but fell out of favor when Adam and Eve were exiled from Eden.
Dragons in Europe weren’t necessarily big. Some are depicted as smaller than butterflies or no larger than the average black bear. They were also not considered particularly intelligent, as evidenced in literature such as Beowulf. One of the most famous English dragons of the 20th century is undoubtedly JRR Tolkien’s Smaug, from The Hobbit. He is seen as completely corrupted but also quite cunning and able to converse in human speech.
Dragons in China are seen as good luck charms and are associated with power. I am a sign of the Chinese zodiac and can affect the weather and tides. Dragons were often associated with royalty, and many Chinese emperors used dragons as part of their crests or to denote power. Vietnamese dragons are very interesting. All people according to ancient Vietnamese legends are descended from dragons. Most dragons in Asia are kind and gentle, though a few specific dragons are the exception to this rule.
In all cases, dragons represent power and have become beloved in modern fantasy literature and films. Even though JK Rowling describes dragons as ferocious in the Harry Potter series, one of her main characters, Hagrid, can’t help but love them. Other fictional treatments of dragons in recent years include Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon, Cornelia Funke’s Dragon Rider, and the films Dragon Heart, Dragonslayer, and Reign of Fire. Each fictional interpretation of dragons takes their own position on whether dragons are evil. Many dragon stories for children feature rather benevolent and charming creatures. My Father’s Dragon written by Ruth Stiles Gannet is an excellent book for young readers interested in dragons.
