The Tale of the Dragon
Origin and Folklore
Dragons. Ah yes, those beautiful, mystical fire-breathing creatures of glory are truly a sight to behold! As fierce as they are magnificent, these mythical beasts derive their name from the Latin word ‘draconem’ , which in turn was derived from the Greek word ‘drakon’ meaning ‘serpent or giant seafish’. They are usually depicted with gargantuan, long and scaly bodies with spiky tails. With a mouth full of long sharp teeth spewing flames large enough to engulf entire buildings, these majestic creatures would make any brave knight think twice before embarking on that perilous dragon slaying quest to save the pretty princess.
Dragons are no isolated fable. Various renditions of the beast have been observed worldwide, from Greek to Roman and even Chinese mythology and folklore. It has even become a symbol of identity for the people of Wales (a country that’s part of the UK) by having a red dragon on their flag. In China, dragons are a symbol of power and strength of will. Emperors wore robes adorned with dragons to symbolize their authority. The Qing dynasty (1889–1912) had a dragon on their imperial flag and has been featured on Chinese emblems many times. Worship of the ‘Dragon God’ is traditionally done throughout China, and several historical Chinese texts talk of over 100 different ancient dragon names, each having control over a certain distinct domain of nature.
In Europe, each country has their own slightly unique version of the legend, from the evil Germanic dragons referred to as Wyrms, to Slavic dragons which are three headed beasts. In Armenia, ‘Vahagn the Dragon slayer’ was a God worshipped anciently and historically. Iberian dragons are evil, immortal creatures often found in caves guarding treasures. Even Italian dragons are considered to be on the far end of the dark side with many myths of dragon slaying being glorified. European lore also talks of the Wyvern, a creature easily confused with a dragon, for it has a dragon’s head, but only two legs opposed to the four that dragons have. The difference in treatment of the legend by the Chinese as opposed to the Europeans is quite stark indeed.
Dragons in the modern world
Apart from its mammoth historical and cultural significance, dragons have effortlessly made their way into pop culture and continue to be of extreme relevance even in modern times. As CGI and animation crossed the boundaries of photorealism in cinema, we saw many adaptations of the beast, from the ‘Hungarian Horntail’ chasing around Harry Potter in Hogwarts and the ‘Night Fury’ Toothless befriending a young unsuspecting Hiccup and changing Viking history, to the chilling depiction of ‘Smaug’ in the Hobbit series to name a few. It comes as no surprise that the most expensive TV show ever made, ‘Game of Thrones’ has many of its iconic scenes involving these massive fire-breathing beauties. Coming over to Japan, one of the most successful and iconic anime series of all time, ‘Dragon Ball’ involves searching for 7 magical ‘Dragon Balls’ to summon a celestial dragon which can grant any wish. Even Disney has made several successful attempts to portray likeable dragons with the series ‘American Dragon’ and the movie ‘Pete’s Dragon’ among others.
In the gaming world, franchises such as ‘Skyrim’ and ‘The Witcher’ brought out a fantasy world of these mythical creatures to life. In the massive hit, ‘Spyro: The Dragon’ series, the main protagonist was the legendary dragon Spyro who makes up for his small size by being able to control several elements of nature. The franchise has sold millions of copies worldwide. From Charizard (Pokémon) and Yoshi (Super Mario Bros.) to Bahamut (Final Fantasy), the industry as we know it today wouldn’t be the same without these iconic characters. As we’ve come to see, dragons have evolved from just mythological constructs to become an unstoppable global phenomenon which has had an innumerable number of interpretations and creative portrayals that have transcended all barriers of time and space throughout the history of mankind and will continue to do so far beyond the foreseeable future.
