A History of Dragons

On the culture, origins, and symbolism of one of the most prominent mythical creatures.

            Here are some things that are difficult to explain: life, religion, love, puberty, dreams, tragedy, death, and dragons. Dragons have carried a lot of weight throughout history, but their meaning is unclear to most. Dragons of United States’ society are of interesting note, because of their diversity. The dragons of this culture symbolize many things from fear, power, and evil to wisdom, morals, and cooperation. The explanation of these contrasting symbols will illuminate the significance of dragons and the culture they reflect. But first, what are dragons and where do they come from?

Dragons are usually depicted as ancient, all knowing, scary beings. They are snakes, lions, and raptors all lumped together. They have scales, needle sharp teeth, four legs with pointy talons, a long tail, bat-like wings, and their sizes vary greatly. They are powerful, yet intelligent, something most people aspire to achieve. Dragons are also unpredictable. If they take interest in an individual they may choose to communicate or attack (they are also very hungry). If they attack, they could do any number of things including: talon slashing, tail swipe, rip flesh with pointed teeth, or breathe fire; from the ground, sky, or water; most of which would be deadly. Anthropologist David Jones discusses the unpredictability of dragons in An Instinct for Dragons. He states:

The raptor call elicits an immediate life-saving response, whereas a general predator call �" dragon in this case �" would simply freeze the hearer with a signal that means ‘very, very dangerous’ or ‘be very afraid.’ This call would give no specific escape information … but the resulting freezing would, in most cases, give the advantage to the attacker. (61)

These three elements, power, knowledge, and unpredictability, make dragons very frightening. A higher authority with these attributes is also frightening. It cannot be neglected that, although dragons are frightening, they are also inspiring and represent a challenge to overcome.

            The frightening aspect of dragons provides some evidence to their origins. They have a very long history and have shown up in most cultures across the world but their source is very perplexing. David Jones did extensive research on the origin of dragons and developed a theory. “The composite predator beast, the dragon, originates from three different animals �" snake, raptor, cat �" that have been in a predatory/prey relationship with primates for millions of years” (55). Jones provides evidence that the brain simplifies information by combining items into smaller, more detailed, blocks and at some point these three predators were grouped together to represent a simpler, universal threat that has been recently termed dragons. He notes studies that show recent evidence to these universal fears, such as phobias. He discusses one such study, “Most animal phobias begin in early childhood. Between two and six years of age, children most commonly fear snakes, birds, and cats �" the dragon complex” (63).

            David Jones also goes into great detail about the formation of each part of the dragon. The face is usually similar to that of lions, including the beard. This image of the lion’s face is seen by prey as it approaches to strike (74). Dragons are mostly reptilian in nature because our ancestors have been dealing with snakes as a threat far longer and more often than the raptor or cat (77). Their large size stems from the most threatening, memorable adversaries being the largest. Dragons roar just as snakes, lions, and eagles elicit a death call just before they strike. This sudden noise causes the prey to freeze, thus granting the attacker a distinct advantage (80). The toes of a dragon are separated and taloned as the most dangerous feet of our “dragon-complex” belongs to the raptors. These talons are often the last thing seen by prey when being captured (82). The treasure hoards guarded by dragons bear likeness to “the riches of trees’ upper branches, the location of the most succulent leaves and flowers, which are the hunting zones of the raptors,” or the dangerous treasure, just within reach (93). But why do they breathe fire? Perhaps, “The smoky look of the dragon’s breath might be related to the condensation of the carnivore’s hot breath being expelled into the relatively cool air of the early morning or evening when the big cats hunt” (90). These images all pulled together over many years, deep in the recesses of our minds, waiting to be spectacularly revealed.

            This dragon idea had been dormant in humans for a long time, but where did it first surface in physical form? Grafton Smith discusses the first dragons in his book The Evolution of the Dragon. He talks about the very first dragon-like figures appearing in India. One of their mythical creatures, called the makara (fig. 1), was a fish that resembled a dragon (105). The gryphon (half eagle half lion) was another dragon ancestor originating from Persia (107). The Nâgas were also similar to today’s dragon. They were snakes with spiny backs and heads like an ox (108). Many ancient, mythical creatures, such as the gryphon and Nâga, have been combined in various ways to form new mythical creatures. These combinations, along with surfacing fossils of pterodactyls, t-rexes, and stegosauruses, eventually created the image of the dragons we see today.

 

 

Fig. 1. Varuna, the Indian God of Waters, rides a makara, one of the earliest mythical creatures that resembled a dragon (“Varuna, the God of Waters”).

 

Recently, most dragons look similar, but fall into two main categories: dragons of the west, and dragons of the east. As aptly summarized in the novel Tea with the Black Dragon, western dragons are “Terror on bat wings. Fire and cold stone. Gold and jewels in heaps. Raw power!” and Chinese dragons “had a reputation for wisdom” (MacAvoy 50). Western dragons sometimes symbolize power, greed, and evil and usually have wings. Eastern dragons are ancient, wise, sometimes benevolent, wingless (although they can still fly), and control the weather. Western dragons are lizard-like and eastern dragons are more like long snakes (fig. 2).

       

Fig. 2. Top: A typical western dragon by Lars West. Bottom: A typical green Chinese dragon.

 

            A grand multitude of western dragons live in contemporary American literature. Many great examples can be found in the books Inheritance Cycle (Eragon series), The Hobbit, Beowulf, and Harry Potter; the kids’ shows American Dragon Jake Long and Dragon Tales; the movies The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Shrek, and How to Train Your Dragon; and various other media such as video games (Skyrim), card games (Magic the Gathering), and board games (Dungeons and Dragons). With all this material, there are many variances, but some similarities hold. Generally, the image remains the same and they are usually immortal, powerful, and wise.

In medieval times, all dragons were evil, treasure hoarding beasts, that wreaked havoc on local villages. They represented the ultimate challenge for heroic knights. J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, critiques a dragon from a famous literary piece, “In Beowulf, … it had these two primary features: the dragon, and the slaying of him as the chief deed of the greatest of heroes. … A dragon is no idle fancy” (16). He also talks of the dragon representing death and is thusly put at the end of the protagonist’s story. “The placing of the dragon is inevitable: a man can but die upon his death-day” (32).

Dragons have since outgrown this stereotype. Within her article, “Dragons in Twentieth-Century Fiction,” Sandra Unerman depicts the diversity of dragons in recent literature. She discusses the evolution of ideas surrounding dragons and evaluates their symbolism. The characteristics of these dragons vary widely, including: evil, greedy, treasure hoarding, powerful, frank, intelligent, telepathic, vocal, indifferent, friendly, peaceful, glamorous, simple, and complex. Unerman focuses on the purpose of these dragons and notes that in most cases they represent more than a simple battle between good and evil. She states, “The changing role of dragons in modern fiction expresses deeper changes in society, as well as in approaches to fiction” (100). In the Inheritance Cycle dragons are allies to mankind and help them to maintain peace. They are also very wise. The Hobbit depicts the dragon Smaug as cynical tyrant, massacring innocent civilizations for fun and basking in a massive treasure hoard that once belonged to the dwarves, before they were forcibly evicted by him. Harry Potter shows dragons as wild and uncontrollable, but the characters never consider killing them. Humans transform into dragons and must protect the magical world in American Dragon Jake Long. And perhaps the opposite of The Hobbit, Dragon Tales is a show about children that travel to a magical land to learn important life lessons from the harmless, human-like dragons (fig. 3). Video games almost always show dragons as evil beasts that must be defeated by the player. But, possibly the most interesting of the bunch, How to Train Your Dragon introduces dragons in the stereotypical way: ferocious, terrible monsters, and gradually transitions their image into friendlier creatures, interested in a partnership with humans when they are finally shown respect.

                   

Fig. 3. Top: Smaug from The Hobbit. Bottom: Ord from Dragon Tales.

 

            With so many dragons and so many meanings, it can be difficult to uncover their contemporary symbolism. As stated earlier, there are a few constants that can be analyzed. Strength, reptilian appearance, wisdom, fire breath, and flight are the most common. Fear is also seen, but is not universal. Often times, characters are only initially afraid of dragons they encounter. When venturing beyond the bounds of these definitions, however, dragons are almost too diverse to pull any conclusions from (as seen from the numerous examples). There is another species that is just as unique and difficult to study: humans. Today, dragons are created to reflect people. Individuals like Smaug can represent the evil, greed, and sadism in society and those from the Inheritance Cycle can symbolize proper use of leadership, knowledge, and authority.

According to Jones, dragons were created out of fear, but they mean so much more now. Dragons almost always yield power, wisdom, and unpredictability, and people often fear them (even in Dragon Tales, the children are frightened when they first meet the dragons). Most individuals seek power and wisdom. Being unpredictable is often said to make someone more interesting. People who carry these traits usually hold positions of authority (just as dragons do) and those underneath them usually have some degree of fear or concern as it relates to their wellbeing. In the Inheritance Cycle, dragons share thoughts telepathically and have personalities, opinions, and knowledge, just like humans. The difference between dragons and humans becomes even more insignificant in American Dragon Jake Long where some humans are also dragons. They are usually in human state, but transform into dragon state on a whim. In Dragon Land (from Dragon Tales) there are no humans and the dragons go to schools and learn life lessons just like humans do and even stand upright like people. Dragons represent the good and bad side in humans but most of all, they represent power, wisdom, authority, and sometimes fear, traits that humans consider desirable. Dragons are the personification of the model individual.

Outside literature, the dragons’ namesake is used in many different ways. “Corporate dragon” denotes a corporation that has too much power. A female who is always negative, aggressive, or oppressive, is sometimes called a dragon lady. “Tickling the dragon’s tale” is a scientific phrase used to describe a risky experiment where two halves of a radioactive core are brought together, causing a near supercritical reaction. And “Chasing the dragon” means smoking heroin. These phrases all have related meanings. They refer to something that is dangerous, powerful, or scary, obviously typical characteristics of dragons.

And then there are dragon tattoos. These are some of most popular and complex tattoos available. According to Rhyan Rhys, they have different meanings depending on whether they are found on women or men. “A dragon tattoo on a woman acknowledges ‘woman as the true creator.’ … Dragon body art also represents a flowing, fluid grace that conceals a reserve of power just beneath the cool surface” and “Men who get dragon tattoos view themselves as being revered for their wisdom but feared for their tremendous power.” Again, dragons are seen as a symbol of power.

            As far as American culture is concerned, dragons are as important as any other real creature, however their symbolism is even greater. With this image presented in so many forms and places, how does it impact and instruct society? The first, obvious, answer, using the medieval dragon as an example, is that dragons teach us what powerful, deceptive evil looks like and to face that evil with valor and courage, even if the foe is all but impregnable. This explanation would suffice, however not all dragons are evil anymore.

            In the film, How to Train Your Dragon, it can be seen that foes are not necessarily evil, but merely misunderstood or have conflicting interests. The story takes place at a Viking village of warriors plagued by dragon pests. The main protagonist of the film, Hiccup, although frail in comparison to his Viking brethren, confronts a dangerous and unusually secretive dragon called “Night Fury.” But being different than the other members of his village, he is unable to slay the creature and obtain his desired glory. He frees it instead and, curiously, it spares his life. The dragon then becomes trapped in a large, deep, bowl-shaped part of the hill as it has become injured and lost the ability to fly. Hiccup returns to the dragon to find out why it had not killed him (as his whole village stereotypically expects of the beasts). He learns to cooperate with the dragon and treat it with respect and they eventually become friends (Sanders, How to Train Your Dragon). The film teaches viewers that violence often perpetuates conflicts and solutions to problems exist through positive reinforcement and cooperative efforts. An article published by the Association for Behavior Analysis International states:

Hiccup uses positive reinforcement to gain compliance from a much larger animal that has traditionally been a sworn enemy. … Here is a popular children's movie that makes positive reinforcement a familiar concept and, in so doing, stresses cooperation over opposition, thus preparing young viewers to readily accept techniques and philosophies to which they might not otherwise be exposed. (Chelsea Wilhite, Chris Wilhite, Williams)

Clearly these dragons teach a more complex lesson than “stand up to bad guys.”

            Still, other literary examples teach us different values. The Inheritance Cycle, four fantasy books involving dragons, emphasizes hardships; self-sacrifice; becoming mature; and knowledge, wisdom, morals, and their development. The books follow the activities of a simple teenage farm boy named Eragon. Eragon’s life suddenly becomes uprooted and he must fight the evil of the land with the help of his new dragon companion, Saphira.  Tom Wolber, an associate professor of MFL, remarks, “Books of this nature can teach young, impressionable minds much about the difference between good and evil and the responsibilities of an individual to society, and humanity as a whole.” He also states that the books teach active participation and commitment, not “escapism and inaction.” These pieces of dragon literature demonstrate the importance of personal development, wisdom, cooperation, standing up to fears, and strength in times of trouble. As dragons remain prominent in our literature they will probably continue to teach us valuable lessons and serve as a social tool for education.

            Dragons were created out of fear; the fear of snakes, large cats, and raptors, the main predators of our ancient ancestors. That fear still carries weight. However, as culture evolved, so did dragons and their typical representation of “the evil beast that must be slayed.” In today’s American culture, their characteristics are as diverse as the individuals who conceive them. Dragons teach both simple and complex lessons to individuals and society. They have a history even older than the U.S. and continue to show prevalence in modern literature. Dragons are an important part of our culture and cultures across the world and do not show any indication of fading from our thoughts, imagination, and creations. Therefore, it is imperative that we take some time to analyze how they influence our culture today and in the future. And thus an explanation of what is known as: The Dragon!

Works Cited

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            <

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Smith, Grafton E. The Evolution of the Dragon. Manchester: UP, 1919. Print.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Dir. Peter Jackson. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2013. DVD.

Tolkien, John R. R., and Christopher Tolkien. The Monsters and the Critics, and Other Essays.

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Unerman, Sandra. “Dragons in Twentieth-Century Fiction.” Folklore 113.1 (2002): 94-101.

            JSTOR. Web. 11 May 2014.

“Varuna, the God of Waters.” 1675-1700. Watercolor. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los

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West, Lars G. Red Dragon. Digital image. Wizards of the Coast. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2014.

 

Wilhite, Chelsea J., Criss Wilhite, and Larry W. Williams. "Dragon Training and Changing

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Wolber, Tom. "Exploring the World of Fantasy Novels." The Transcript. N.p., 4 Apr. 2013.          Web. 11 May 2014.

Author's Note

Let me know what you like/dislike. I hope you guys enjoy the piece!

Reviews

[Clif]

I like the piece! It has a lot of great information about the history of dragons! The part about pterodactyl fossils being a source for some legends. If pterosaurs were still living in the modern age, they might have been called dragons in the middle ages. They would be considered Cryptid creatures today. The Norsemen had legends of dragons when they were in Scotland. Beowulf might have slew a plesiosaur, like a modern day lake monster.