Jan 198 min read

Dragons Everywhere

Updated: Jan 29

Few creatures capture the imagination quite like dragons. Serpent-like and wise, these mythical creatures appear in many forms around the globe. Dragons, the original overachievers of the fantasy realm, have managed to dominate our collective nightmares with an efficiency that should make corporate marketing executives jealous. These mythical marvels have been giving errant knights and fire insurance agents sleepless nights for centuries.

Sometimes, they’re terrible monsters, while others are friends to humankind. Not all are fire-breathing lizards; some dragons are furred, the bringers of rain and good fortune. So, what do the dragons of the world have in common, and what sets them apart? Do they have a common ancestor? And what if, in the quiet moments when we’re alone with our thoughts, we wonder whether dragons might be more than just a figment of our overactive imaginations?

Spoiler alert: they’re not. But let’s dive headfirst into the world of dragons – a place where scales gleam, wings span, and the real question isn’t if they exist, but how we managed to turn reptiles into the original rock stars of folklore.

Two major theories have attempted to explain the origin of dragons. The first, and perhaps most widely accepted, is the presence of dinosaur bones. People of the past had no way of knowing these bones belonged to ancient reptiles over 65 million years ago. Enormous bones and fearsome skulls may have inspired most dragon stories. And, let’s face it, what’s more awe-inspiring than the idea of a prehistoric, fire-breathing T-Rex?

A separate theory posits that dragons are a construct of universal human fears and local wildlife. Ancient humans, this theory suggests, were naturally afraid of animals like snakes, leopards, and eagles, and so our collective subconscious combines them into a dragon-like form. Animals like crocodiles and large snakes may also have factored into local depictions of dragons. However, this theory doesn’t account for myths where dragons are benign and lucky beings, guardians of humanity rather than their predators.

Joseph Campbell, perhaps the foremost authority on world mythology and author of many books including the classic “The Hero’s Journey”, will be assisting us in our journey today through the many varied worlds of dragons. Campbell’s concept of the monomyth (one myth) refers to the theory that sees all mythic narratives as variations of a single great story. This is based on the observation that a common pattern exists beneath the narrative elements of most great myths, regardless of their origin or time of creation.

And dragons are possibly the most common magical creature to appear in myths throughout history and legends the world over, with each culture interpreting the dragon in their own unique ways and in accordance with their own societal preoccupations and anxieties. We find dragons everywhere. From the monstrous serpents of Mesopotamian antiquity, the wyrms of northern Europe, the many varied forms seen in Viking legends, the demonic dragons of Christian medieval western Europe, to the all-powerful dragons of China and Japan this mythical reptilian beast seems to have a special resonance with the human psyche.

Mesopotamian Dragons

Some of the earliest dragon myths come from the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia. Several different serpentine and lion-based dragons figure in Mesopotamian worship and mythology. Tiamat, for example, is a goddess representing the chaos of the seas and creation. She is sometimes depicted as a sea serpent.

Her consort, Abzu, was a benevolent serpent of fresh waters. Together, they gave birth to a generation of younger deities. Then there is the Mushhushshu, a creature that combines the traits of a snake, lion, eagle, and scorpion.

Egyptian Dragons

Serpent monsters and deities also feature heavily in the mythology of Ancient Egypt. The most notable of these is Apep, another serpent deity associated with darkness and primordial waters.

The great enemy of the sun god Ra, Apep is said to have been born of Ra’s umbilical cord. The snake lurked in the deep waters of the underworld, through which Ra passed each night to bring the rising sun. During the kingdom’s long history, one of the major duties of ancient Egyptian priests was to pray for the safe passage of Ra each night.

Aboriginal Dragons

In Aboriginal Australian cultures rainbow serpents, a dragon-like deity, feature prominently and are seen as the giver of life due to their association with rain and water, shaping the earth with their movements.

There are many Dreaming stories about rainbow serpents, and not all agree about their nature and characteristics. They travel between watering holes, their paths marked by rainbows. According to regional beliefs, there may be a single rainbow serpent or many. The Dreaming stories featuring rainbow serpents take place in the past, present, and future all at once, making these entities an eternal presence in the lives of Aboriginal Australian people who practice traditional worship.

“The dragons of the mountains have scales of a golden color,

and in length excel those of the plain,

and they have bushy beards,

which also are of a golden hue.

And their eye is sunk deep under the eyebrow,

and emits a terrible and ruthless glance.”

- Greek Scholar Philostratus (AD 170-245)

Viking Dragons

In Norse mythology, creatures referred to as “dragons” were called Ormr which meant snake, worm, serpent, as well as dragon. They didn’t breathe fire and were considered neither good nor bad. They were simply a part of the understood universe. Dragons were powerful and could bring about destruction, but they also played a part in constantly progressing cycles. Viking ships were decorated with large dragon heads on the front of their vessels.

When these were spotted on the horizon, they immediately sparked fear and awe. Thanks in part, perhaps, to the Vikings, it was Christianity that changed views of dragons to beasts associated with evil and hell with Christian figures like Saint George tasked with slaying dragons.

European Dragons

Which brings us to the version of the dragon we’re most familiar with today which comes from medieval European lore as a wicked, dangerous, scaly, fire-breathing wyrm – the old English word for dragon.

Campbell explains, “…European dragons represent greed, really. The dragon guards things in his cave, and what he guards are heaps of gold and virgins. And he can’t make use of either of them, but he just guards. There’s no vitality of experience, either of the value of the gold or of the female whom he’s guarding there.”

These creatures are generally portrayed as large reptiles having a fiery, poisonous breath with four legs, bat-like wings, and a long neck and tail.

They are likely descendants of the Mesopotamian dragons, Greco-Roman dragons, and Biblical monsters. These influences in highly Christian societies gave European dragons an evil reputation. They were seen as demonic creatures and it took a brave and virtuous warrior to defeat them and claim their treasures.

Mesoamerican Dragons

Ancient American civilizations ranging from the Mayans to the Aztecs and Incas all had their own dragon myths. One of the most famous is the Quetzalcoatl from Aztec culture.

Quetzalcoatl was a god known as the Plumed Serpent: a mix between a bird and a snake. He was the creator of the world and mankind. He was also associated with the wind and was the bringer of rain clouds. In Incan mythology, the Amaru is a huge double-headed serpent that lives at the bottom of lakes and rivers. In paintings, it often has bird-like feet and wings.

This mysterious dragon was able to cross between the boundaries of the spiritual and mortal realms.

Campbell explains that the dragon figure represents our own greed. “Psychologically, the dragon is one’s own binding of oneself to one’s ego, and you’re captured in your own dragon cage. And the problem of the psychiatrist is to break that dragon, open him up, so that you can have a larger field of relationships. Do you see what I mean? This is killing the dragon. And you have fears and things, this is the dragon; that’s exactly what’s that all about. 'Killing the dragon' is getting rid of your own fears.”

Chinese Dragons

“None of the animals is so wise as the dragon.

His blessing power is not a false one.

He can be smaller than small, bigger than big,

higher than high, and lower than low.”

- Chinese scholar Lu Dian (AD 1042-1102)

Chinese dragons have an ancient literary tradition, going back 5,000+ years. Unlike in Western culture, Chinese dragons symbolize imperial authority and good fortune. They’re powerful beings connected to the innate magic of the earth, commanding power over water, rainfall, typhoons, and floods. The Chinese consider dragon years to be the most auspicious.

Campbell says, “The Chinese dragon is different. It represents the vitality of the swamps, and the dragon comes out beating his belly and saying “Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.” You know, that’s another kind of dragon. And he’s the one that yields the bounty and the waters and all that kind of thing. He’s the great glorious thing.”

In Chinese folklore, the Yellow Emperor, the first ruler of China, was immortalized as a dragon at the end of his reign. The Yan emperor, another legendary ruler, was said to have been born of this mother’s telepathy with a dragon. Because of this, Chinese people sometimes refer to themselves as the descendants of the dragon. Some myths claim that those born with a dragon shaped birthmark are destined to become future rulers. If you’ve ever attended a Chinese New Year celebration, you’ll surely have seen the famous dancing dragon puppet bringing good fortune to households.

Vietnam

According to Vietnamese legend, the rocky islands of Ha Long Bay were spat out by a dragon that guarded the country in ancient times. The name of the bay means “descending dragon”.

Japan

A dragon king was once said to live in a pond at Shinzen’en, the imperial garden of Kyoto. During times of drought, Buddhist monks held ceremonies there to persuade the dragon king to rise and bring rain.

So, the dragon has been an enduring source of fascination for cultures around the world throughout history. It exercises a unique hold on the human imagination even up to today. But what does it all mean?

“Ultimately,” says Joseph Campbell, “The real dragon is in you. That’s your ego, holding you in. What I want, what I believe, what I can do, what I think I love, and all that. What I regard as the aim of my life and so forth. It might be too small. It might be that which pins you down. And if it’s simply that of doing what the environment tells you to do, it certainly is pinning you down. And so, the environment is your dragon, as it reflects within yourself.”

How do we slay our dragon? According to Campbell, “Follow your bliss, find where it is… and do not be afraid to follow it. If the work that you’re doing is the work you chose because you enjoy it, then you’ve found it. But if you think, “oh I couldn’t do that…” That’s your dragon locking you in.”

As our flight through the vast realms of dragon lore comes to an end, one profound truth seems to have become evident: dragons aren’t just mythical creatures; they are reflections of the dragons within ourselves. Joseph Campbell, our guide through this mythical odyssey, whispering wisdom into the winds of time, reminds us that the real dragon is the ego that binds us. The power to slay our personal dragons, Campbell asserts, lies in following our bliss – the pursuit of what genuinely ignites our passion and purpose.

We should take note of the dragons of legend and identify the dragons that lurk within ourselves, holding us captive in their fiery grip. The most extraordinary adventures often begin with the decision to confront our inner dragons by fearlessly following our bliss. Of course, the quest for self-discovery, much like the legendary tales of knights fighting dragons, is not for the faint of heart. But the rewards are as boundless as the skies these mythical beings call home.

Tell us about dragon's you may have slain in the comments below.

Bill Moyers & Joseph Campbell - “The Power of Myth” - Slaying the Dragon