Humans and dragons have lived in proximity to one another for a million years or more. It was probably on the African plains that the earliest humans first learned about the use of fire for cooking food by watching dragons. However, we have very little knowledge or information about these early encounters. However, we have very little knowledge or information about these early encounters. We do know that by the time of the early Egyptian period a considerable dragon- and serpent-worshipping cult had developed. This cult gradually spread to Babylon, India, the Orient, the Pacific Islands, and finally the North American continent, as more and more cultures began to recognize and appreciate the special powers and intelligence of dragons. The cult reached its peak during the days of the Roman Empire and disappeared with the advent of Christianity. Gradually the concept of a mother goddess, often in serpent form, was replaced with a father figure that was distinctly anti-dragon. Dragons were especially common in the mountains of Scandinavia. One of the most feared of the early Nordic dragons was named Nidhoggr, or the "dread biter. " He lived for thousands of years and was believed to have spent most of that time gnawing at the root of the universal tree of life, a gigantic ash tree that supported all the living realms. But most of the dragons of Scandinavian lore were large aquatic creatures that lived off the coasts among the swirling waters. It was said that these aquatic dragons, or Krakens, lifted their enormous heads and long necks out of the water to seize sailors right off their ships. Much of the supposed violence caused by the Scandinavian dragons, however, has been confused with that wreaked by the plundering Vikings, who usually placed a dragon's head on the figureheads of their great ships. Their victims believe that an actual dragon had come to destroy them. The viking warriors plundered and pillage over much of the northern lands. Thus, as on numerous occasions, dragons were blamed for the evils that mankind had brought upon itself. Dragons were believed by the Greeks to be great sources of knowledge and wisdom and were considered sacred creatures with oracular abilities by both Greeks and Romans. Small non-venomous snakes were commonly kept in Roman households, where they no doubt kept the mouse and rat population in check and they were called dracunculi, or little dragons. Treated as pets, they slept in various nooks and crannies and were fed at the table like dogs or cats. Serpents were to be found at shrines, where they transmitted their great wisdom through the mouths of priestesses. Python was the name of one such serpent-dragon, which guarded the shrine at Delphi until Apollo killed him. Another dragon, named Ladon, faithfully guarded a tree of golden apples (perhaps a clutch of golden eggs) that belonged to Hera, and the apples contained the secrets of knowledge and immortality. One of the many tasks of Hercules was to kill this dragon and bring back a few of the apples to King Eurystheus. It is from this encounter that we can place the popular image of dragons as the guardians of great treasures and the custodians of forbidden knowledge. The great battle between Ladon (or Draco) and Hercules is forever enshrined in the constellations of the northern skies, where Hercules may be seen trying to step on the dragon's head. Unfortunately, the story is told a little differently in the Old Testament In this version, the "dragon"-the serpent-did not guard the tree of life and knowledge but slyly tempted Eve to eat the apples, resulting in the expulsion of both Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Thanks to Genesis, the dragon serpent became the symbol of temptation, and humans, recalling other legends of the dragon's destructiveness, were provided with ample excuse to seek out and kill every dragon in the land. Dragons soon disappeared from Greek and Roman homes and oracles, and were no longer available for transmitting their wisdom to those who wanted to learn from them. The total decay of the Greek and Roman civilizations followed inexorably. For many centuries thereafter, as the Dark Ages descended on Europe, dragons were greatly feared. Fortune seekers, vainly hunting for the treasures of gold that they thought the dragons guarded, sought out breeding weyrs and stole dragon eggs, and many a knight tried to impress his girlfriend by slaying a dragon or two.
Back to main page
