To slay a dragon you must understand two things: what a dragon is and that you are wasting your time. There are no such things as dragons! However, the dragon does come in many forms in gaming, books, history and media. We will explore the dragon in these mediums and look at how the myth of the creature has evolved and why. Or, we'll just crack some dragon jokes and keep on going.
The image of the evil dragon, burning villages and eating livestock was standard to European literature. Many of these tales involved damsels in distress and vast treasure troves collected by the monsters. One interesting point though was how the "beasts" managed to carry coin if they were so large. Myths don't always account for everything.
Eastern dragons were known to be kind, wise creatures that would help heroes on quests and often act as teachers to them. Asian dragons have been noted throughout Asian mythology as being able to take human form at will and possessing vast amounts of magic. This is quite a departure from the standard European take on the creature!
The story of St, George is one of the first dragon stories to be popularized in European literature. George was a strong and powerful Roman cavalry officer who became a Christian. To prove Christians were not weak, he sought out and killed a dragon that was causing a bit of trouble. Stories of knights slaying dragons became prolific in Europe and the term "slaying the dragon" is still used today to describe someone who has to overcome huge odds.
Dragons of myth come in many sizes, shapes and colors. European dragons of yore were large reptile-like creatures and generally considered green, though the friendly dragon of Wales was reported as being red. This was most likely because he was embarrassed at being a friendly dragon in Europe. Asian dragons were winged and un-winged serpents generally of all different colors and sizes. The five-toed flying serpent was even used as the crest for the Chinese Emperor. Indian dragons looked a lot like Shi-zu puppies but much bigger.
J.R.R. Tolkien's book the Hobbit helped re-popularized the concept of a flying reptile laying waste to the countryside and eating sheep and burning villages. This dragon could speak though and is considered the template for the modern concept of dragons.
The popular game Dungeons and Dragons revolutionized the way western culture thinks of dragons. The concept of "good" dragons was introduced into the culture to help balance out the power of the "evil" dragons. Most dragons possess speech and a high level of intelligence as well as magical abilities not always ascribed to the original dragons of western lore.
The mystical power of the dragon most likely lies in the longevity of the myth. For centuries man has fought with and against these creatures in stories and mythology in hopes of accomplishing some great task. Even though technology has moved beyond the mythos dragons represent, on some level man needs beasts such as these to slay and conquer. - 32403
The image of the evil dragon, burning villages and eating livestock was standard to European literature. Many of these tales involved damsels in distress and vast treasure troves collected by the monsters. One interesting point though was how the "beasts" managed to carry coin if they were so large. Myths don't always account for everything.
Eastern dragons were known to be kind, wise creatures that would help heroes on quests and often act as teachers to them. Asian dragons have been noted throughout Asian mythology as being able to take human form at will and possessing vast amounts of magic. This is quite a departure from the standard European take on the creature!
The story of St, George is one of the first dragon stories to be popularized in European literature. George was a strong and powerful Roman cavalry officer who became a Christian. To prove Christians were not weak, he sought out and killed a dragon that was causing a bit of trouble. Stories of knights slaying dragons became prolific in Europe and the term "slaying the dragon" is still used today to describe someone who has to overcome huge odds.
Dragons of myth come in many sizes, shapes and colors. European dragons of yore were large reptile-like creatures and generally considered green, though the friendly dragon of Wales was reported as being red. This was most likely because he was embarrassed at being a friendly dragon in Europe. Asian dragons were winged and un-winged serpents generally of all different colors and sizes. The five-toed flying serpent was even used as the crest for the Chinese Emperor. Indian dragons looked a lot like Shi-zu puppies but much bigger.
J.R.R. Tolkien's book the Hobbit helped re-popularized the concept of a flying reptile laying waste to the countryside and eating sheep and burning villages. This dragon could speak though and is considered the template for the modern concept of dragons.
The popular game Dungeons and Dragons revolutionized the way western culture thinks of dragons. The concept of "good" dragons was introduced into the culture to help balance out the power of the "evil" dragons. Most dragons possess speech and a high level of intelligence as well as magical abilities not always ascribed to the original dragons of western lore.
The mystical power of the dragon most likely lies in the longevity of the myth. For centuries man has fought with and against these creatures in stories and mythology in hopes of accomplishing some great task. Even though technology has moved beyond the mythos dragons represent, on some level man needs beasts such as these to slay and conquer. - 32403
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Zeeman Haus enjoys writing articles online on a variety of subjects. You can check out his latest website on Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures which provides deals Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures & Accessories.
