Dragons
Everyone has a first image when they think of dragons, whether it's Smaug from J.R. Tolkien's amazing epic THE HOBBIT, Anne McCaffrey's dragons from her line of PERN novels or one of several dragons featured in different movies and video games. The dragon myth is very much a part of our sulture and almost every other civilization that has ever existed on earth. These dragons come in many shapes and sizes and their differences are largely based on geographic and cultural lines--some breath fire, some hoard wealth, some talk, some fly, some swim, etc... Chinese dragons barely resemble the European variety.
The oldest written record of a dragon was carved on a clay tablet by the ancient Babylonians in their creation epic the Enuma Elish. This record predicates the Bible and is based on a Sumerian oral tradition, so the true beginning of the dragon mythology is unknown. The Babylonian myth relates how the universe was created by the dragon Tiamat and her husband Apsu. They were sea-dragons swimming in the primordial chaos of the universe and created the first gods, who later became man.
Historians believe that certain extinct Saurians, including flying models such as the Pteranadon and Pterydactyl, were probably primitive dragons. Dragons have been proposed to be the last vestiges of such primeval pterosaurs. Most of the legends surrounding the dragon are probably purely fictional, but there is always some truth behind every legend. Matt believes that dragons were merely a large winged reptile or snake that became extinct... or did they?
The dragon myth is central to the Arthurian mythology. The very name Pendragon is obviously linked to the legend. The Druid beliefs of the dragon that tie into this are covered in the script. Matt would recommend anyone interested in reading about dragons to read Anne McCaffrey's magnum opus A DIVERSITY OF DRAGONS. This book is awesome and has some incredible illustrations and covers dragon myths throughout history.
The best of the "dragon" movies, in Matt's humble opinion, is Dragonslayer. It came out in the early 80's and features Peter Mchnichol (spelling?), who now plays Biscuit from Ally McBeal, as an apprentice magician out to slay dragons. If you haven't seen it, Matt recommends it as a rental.
Taken from Lady Pendragon Vol.3, #1
Return to the Reference Guide Page or Return to the Main Page