Mythical+creatures

A larger than life creature with big, leathery wings that breathes acidic fire is the average connotation of a dragon. During the medieval era, not all dragons were the same. In this time period, dragons ranged greatly in size, color, habitat, and their behavior or personality. When these mythological creatures wrecked havoc in villages and towns, knights slew them to prove their bravery and courage. Dragons were seen as vile and ill-tempered creatures, but they also played an important role in history and of what we believe of them today.

The exact origins of these mysterious creatures are unknown, but there is a common idea about they came about in the middle ages. “People were fearful of dragons during this time, because many parents would scare their children by creating fictional stories about such dragons, so they would not run off into the forest at night.” (Castles para.5) As time passed, and events such as missing people occurred, more and more people began to believe in dragons. After belief of dragons increased, much folklore about dragons was also believed. Knights began inventing stories about them defeating these creatures, and many books started to be published about dragons. When tales of these battles between dragons and knights were heard and passed through generations, the dragon soon became a very real, terrifying creature that men, women, and children alike feared.

__** Characteristics **__
The appearance of this particular dragon is different from that of other dragons. While many people believe that they were h uge, the size of mammoths, they were actually smaller. Many dragons could only reach the size of buses, and possibly, a little bigger. They have four legs and could live over 300 years. The largest dragons could reach forty five feet tall and fifteen feet long. They had thick, leathery wings, larger than their bodies, which enabled them to fly, and also had an arrowhead at the end of their tails which they used to kill prey. They breathed acidic fire from their mouths, and many had crests, fiery manes, and ivory spikes running down their spine in various exotic colors. Male dragons also had prominent nose horns and horned frills around the cheeks. Earlier representations portrayed them as reptilian, hatching from eggs with scaly bodies and large eyes. (World Book 318)

These dragons differed even more in their color. They tended to be darker colors, mostly red, green, black, or gold. As the dragons got older their color turned much lighter, and they could turn almost pure white. The personality of these dragons differs from that of the Chinese. They were evil-minded creatures that cared only for themselves. As stories of dragons began to surface and people began blaming dragons on people who disappeared, they were viewed as evil creatures sent by Satan. Dragons were believed to be Satan’s pet, sent to destroy the Earth. They were very greedy, because they stored hoards of gold and silver in their lairs. They had no mercy for the humans and animals they killed, and would pick them to the bone.

Dragons during this time lived in various places all around the world. They lived in wild and mountainous regions, peat bogs, coniferous forests, and remote islands. Their caves were usually situated on the edge on a mountain or hill and had only one entrance. All dragons lived out of sight of humans, and only appeared in their presence to kill. In their lairs, they hoarded piles of gold, diamonds, and other jewels. (Monster para.1) A dragon nest is very similar to a birds, but also different. It was in the middle of the cave, so it could be protected, and was made of groups of rocks. The eggs were a mottled brown and purple, with blue spots or swirls. Dragon mothers were very protective of their jewels and eggs, and would kill anything that threatened them, especially humans. (Flashcards)

**__ Knights and Dragons __**
Throughout the middle ages, there were many knights who took on the battles of slaying dragons, and became dragon slayers. Most dragon slayers killed dragons to save princesses. There are many stories of knights killing dragons to save the princess and her castle. The earliest known dragon slayer was the warrior Siegfried, or Sigurd. He slew one of the most well-known dragons, Fafnir, to rescue a princess. After he killed Fafnir, he roasted the dragon’s heart and drank the juice, giving him the ability to speak to animals. (History para.15) However, the first notable battle between knight and dragon was between St. George and a dragon. St. George lived before the time of Constantine and was also known as the Red Cross Knight. He rescued Una, a princess, and her village from a gigantic dragon, who was never named. This battle was eventually written down and turned into a book, __St. George and the Dragon__. From here, we go to a darker time of the middle ages, the Dark Ages. Gerolde was the only famous dragon slayer of the Dark Ages. The first dragon he killed was very small, only the size of a dog. He killed many other dragons and other “evil” creatures, and also burned any books featuring him. “He was appointed as knight for his courage and bravery, and became Gerolde-the-Good. His death was by incineration in his last battle, in which the dragon also died.” (History para.18) Two other famous dragon slayers are Beowulf and even the god Apollo, who slew a dragon when he was only four years old! Christian saints often became dragon slayers, to protect the church, and the pope. Many thought the dragons were Satan disguised to corrupt the church.

One of the most recognizable and famous dragons is Fafnir, as previously stated. The story of Fafnir, his brother Regin, and the hero Siegfried is of Norse and Germanic origin. Like many old stories, there are a large number of different versions of this legend. In some versions Fafnir begins like as a dwarf, in others as the son of a human magician, in others even as a giant! There are many variations; however there is a basic plot. Fafnir and his brother Regin were sons on Hreidmar. Hreidmar had received a large amount of gold. - Some say it was blood money for the death of another son, others that Hreidmar stole the gold. Fafnir was greedy. Acting alone - or together with Regin according to version - Fafnir killed his father and stole the gold. He then refused to share it with his brother. Fafnir then hid away, guarding his hoard jealously. His greed and the fact that he cared more for gold than humankind slowly turned him into a dragon. Some versions of the legend say Fafnir had no control over this change, others that he welcomed and encouraged it. The hero Siegfried heard of the dragon and Regin persuaded him to slay his brother and recover the gold. In some versions, Regin tricks Siegfried and attempts to betray him, only to be himself slain by the hero. Fafnir was one of the only well-known dragons, but others are: The dragon in __St. George and the Dragon__, and the dragon in __Beowulf.__

 In other cultures, like Chinese, the dragon represented good. They meant good fortune and health throughout the kingdoms, but in the European culture, it was opposite. The dragons represented evil and misdoing. They symbolized treachery, anger and envy. Because dragons hoarded gold and treasure in their lairs, a greedy person would be called “dragon-like.” In most cases they represented sin, and Satan. (Fairies para.6) In myths and folklore, dragons were monsters to be conquered. As dragons may be seen to represent the dark side of humanity, including greed, lust, and violence. The conquest of a dragon represents the confrontation and extinguishment of those evil instincts. The dragon has also been used as a symbol of war. The Viking longship, also calle ﻿ d a //drakkar// or dragon ship, was used to transport Viking warriors on their raids across Europe. Often, sea-going dragon ships would have a dragon head mounted at its stern to ward off sea serpents and evil spirits. (Fairies para.7)

**__ Appearance in Art & Literature __**
 Dragons in other origins and cultures, such as Chinese, are featured more prominently in art then European dragons. Painter Raphael painted a painting called St. George and the Dragon, depicting the story of St. George fighting a dragon. After this, many other artists also painted this scene. Dragons were not only found on paintings, but many other things too. Flags, such as the Welsh flag, depicted a red dragon to ward off evil, and to give them good fortune in battle. You would also see dragons as mastheads on Vikings’ boats, also. In literature, most representations of the European dragon were negative. In Beowulf, when its golden goblet was stolen, the dragon ravaged through towns killing innocent people. This story is the oldest written tale, or epic, of a battle between human and beast. In __St. George and the Dragon__, St. George was summoned to kill a ferocious dragon who had taken capture of a princess and her village. When the belief of dragons first came into being in the middle ages, every story was negative. Knights wrote stories of how these beasts were malicious and evil, and how they would kill them to protect their people. Because of the stories, the belief was that dragons were evil, and that’s how stories would begin to depict them, as evil.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 200%;">In the Bible however, they are no direct references to dragons. There are passages that give us a clue that they are referring to dragons, but nowhere does it refer to as a “dragon.” In the books of Job chapter 41, the sea monster it refers to has characteristics of a dragon. In Revelation 12:3, there is a red beast with seven heads whose tail sweeps stars down from heaven. It has been decided that this description has the same appearance as a dragon in Chinese mythology. (Bartleby para.3) The Medieval Church associated dragons with evil, because of the similar characteristics to the snake in the Garden of Eden. In Revelation 20:2, it states, “He seized the dragon, the ancient, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” This passage does not refer to the dragon, but is comparing Satan to the dragon. It was believe that Satan had taken the dragons’ soul, and manipulated them to his doing.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 200%;">Throughout the centuries, people have viewed the European dragons in different ways, but the people of this time saw them the same. They saw them as evil. With years’ worth of studying this time period, and these creatures, we can come to the conclusion that these beasts were very malicious and wicked. Our collection of facts on their appearance, behavior, and habits help enforce our conclusion. Many innocent people were killed by these beasts, but they also helped shape the civilization for years to come.

__<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Works Cited __
"Dragon History46-47." //Lair2000 For Dragons, Chinese Dragons, Mermaids, Unicorns, Pegasus, Fantasy, Wizards, Nightmare Before Christmas, Pooh Bear, And Toy Story//. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. <http://lair2000.net/Dragon_Lair/Dragon_History/Dragon_History.html>. "Dragons — FactMonster.com." //Fact Monster: Online Almanac, Dictionary, Encyclopedia, and Homework Help — FactMonster.com//. Web. 03 Mar. 2011. <http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0768948.html>. "Dragons." //The World Book Encyclopedia.// Chicago: World Book, 2005. 318-19. Print. "European Dragon Flashcards | Quizlet." //Flash Cards, Vocabulary Memorization, and Study Games | Quizlet//. Web. 01 Apr. 2011. <http://quizlet.com/1352603/european-dragon-flash-cards/>. "Folklore." Web. 08 Mar. 2011. <http://medieval-castles.org/index.php?cat=29>. "Medieval Dragons, Where They Came From." //Pixies Fairies Elves and Other Mythical Creatures//. Web. 04 Mar. 2011. <http://www.all-about-fairies.com/medieval-dragons.html>. "Revelation 12. The Holy Bible: King James Version." //Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More//. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. [].

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