The dragon, an enduring mythical figure that has captivated imaginations since the dawn of civilisation, is particularly significant in 2024 as we enter the Year of the Dragon.
Dragons manifest in a variety of forms across different cultures, but a common thread linking them is that they are generally described as reptilian or serpentine entities.
One of the most recognised and commonly accepted depictions is the iconic medieval image of the dragon: a formidable, fire-breathing lizard with huge wings and four legs.
Nonetheless, historians and scholars suggest that the medieval dragon's image as we know it today is the result of centuries of storytelling whereby original accounts and images may have been altered or embellished over time. They further argue that the earliest references to dragons may have actually been inspired by encounters with real snakes.
Could this be the case?
Verdict:
TRUE
It is often said that the seeds of myth are planted in the soil of reality, and in this case, it is very likely that the legend of the mighty dragon was born from a simple snake.
In Ancient Greece, the word ‘drakon’, from which the English term ‘dragon’ was derived, was used to describe any large serpent.
Surviving historical texts corroborate the idea that the drakon refers to snakes in ancient literature. Through the ages, these documents consistently connect the mythological dragon with its serpentine origins.
For example, Aristotle noted in his fourth-century BCE History of Animals that the eagle eats drakons. Passages in Homer’s Iliad that mention the drakon also seem to be referring to snakes when put in context.
Pliny the Elder, who is credited with compiling mankind’s first encyclopaedia, wrote that “the jaculus (one of the earliest depictions of dragons) darts from the branches of trees; and it is not only to our feet that the serpent is formidable, for these fly through the air even, just as though they were hurled from an engine,” a descriptor that seemingly fits both land and tree-dwelling snakes.
As humans developed trade routes and civilisations began to converge, so too did the legend of the drakon evolve.
For example, as merchants from India began to visit European shores, bringing with them snakes such as pythons, Greek and Roman texts increasingly described drakons as constrictor-type serpents.
According to a literature review published on JSTOR, one of the first sources that described drakons as flying beasts was Augustine of Hippo, who said dragons were “Earth’s largest animals, living in caves and emerging to spread their wings.”
However, Augustine’s work was written as an exposition of a psalm and was not meant to be a record of natural history. Nonetheless, some naturalists adopted it as a description of an actual, living animal.
This was one of the turning points towards the dragon gaining its wings.
In an era without the Internet, during which common folk were not exposed to exotic animals such as pythons and boas, many people often took the word of respected figures such as elders and record-keepers as the truth.
This, alongside word of mouth, led to the original drakons being grossly misinterpreted until they became outlandish misrepresentations of their origins.
By the time the golden age of taxidermy arrived in the Victorian era, museums were stuffing and preserving animals, especially foreign species, to create displays for the public to see up close.
However, as is the case with any trend, we often see bad actors jumping onto the bandwagon, be it for fame, fortune, or simply for fun.
As the popularity of taxidermy mounts boomed, taxidermy hoaxes emerged. Some of these were ‘chimeras’, such as wings being grafted onto lizards or snakes, leading the public to believe that the winged dragon, previously only depicted in texts and illustrations, was real.
One expert who was fooled was Swiss physician and naturalist Conrad Gessner, who not only accepted that such dragons existed but included them in his efforts to compile an encyclopaedia about every animal on Earth.
This was subsequently adopted by other encyclopaedias and illustrated bestiaries that followed.
And that is how the dragon was born.
Resources:
1. https://www.perseus.tufts.
2. https://daily.jstor.org/a-
3. https://www.britannica.com/
4. https://museumofidaho.org/
