Dragons and Snakes in Traditions

Dragons are common motifs in myths, legends, and folklore of many ancient cultures. They are usually depicted as serpent-like or reptilian creatures, with elongated bodies covered in scales, large wings and eyes, and the ability to breathe fire.

They represent certain qualities and strengths that humans need to express, certain trials or limitations that need to be overcome. In Western cultures, dragons generally have a negative connotation as terrifying monsters and symbols of evil, while in the East, they are symbols of strength, power, and change.

Dragons are underground, water, and celestial creatures. They are closely related to snakes and have similar symbolism. As a combination of a snake and a bird, they represent the connection between Heaven and Earth. In many traditions, such as Tibetan and Indian, snakes called Naga represent enlightened beings, great kings of humans who have transmitted to humanity the total knowledge of the world and the universe.

In many myths, legends, and fairy tales, we encounter a hero who battles a dragon. They must defeat it in order to reach the immeasurable. The treasure that the dragon guards – whether it be the Golden Fleece in the West or the pearl in China. This treasure represents true knowledge, the light of wisdom that illuminates the meaning of life.

The Dragon in Chinese Culture

The dragon is deeply embedded and ubiquitous symbol in Chinese tradition and culture, which is why the Chinese are called the descendants of the dragon. It is a symbol of rulership and represents the governing functions that ensure order and a just social order. It is associated with the concepts of Tao, Chi, and Feng Shui.

According to one legend, the Jade Emperor punished four dragons, the Long, Yellow, Black, and Pearl, by imprisoning them beneath four mountains because they drank water from the Eastern Sea and released it onto the land in the form of rain to help the people. Undeterred by their punishment, the dragons continued to aid the people and transformed into the four greatest rivers in China.

The dragon is the main character in Chinese cosmogony as well, where the creator of the cosmos, P’an Ku, is depicted as a dwarf with two horns or with a dragon’s head and a snake’s body. A common portrayal of the dragon is as a long, mythical creature with a winding body, representing the power of transformation and the unification of heaven and earth.

aith of the Dragon holding the yin and yang symbol in its hands, also known as the Dragon’s Pearl.

The Snake in Central American Culture

In Central American myths, the snake is a common symbol. The Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl, corresponding to the Mayan deity Kukulkan, is depicted as a feathered snake symbolizing two forces, the force of matter (snake) and the force of spirit (bird). The snake is a symbol of transcending the limitations of matter, the visible world, through transformation or shedding of the old skin. By discarding the old and worn-out, we create conditions for receiving something new or, in symbolic language, we gain wings to ascend to the heights and become closer to God.

In the legacy of the Maya, Toltecs, Aztecs, and other peoples of the region, depictions of feathered snakes with human heads emerging from their wide-open jaws are often found, suggesting awakening or birth on a new plane of existence as a result of transformation or the soul’s passage through the darkness of matter. Such snakes are usually coiled in spirals or stretched along staircases, evoking the evolutionary path. The beginning of transformation is present. There is also a motif of two intertwined snakes, closing the circle with their heads facing each other, in an eternal battle of polarities.

The Dragon in Christianity

The Christian legend of St. George, who slays the dragon to save the beautiful princess, is well known. He is often depicted on a white horse in the attire of a Roman soldier, wielding a sword (as the legend originates from the early Christian period), with the wounded dragon lying beneath his feet. Sometimes, the remains of the victims who perished in the battle with the dragon are depicted at the scene, and the princess appears in prayer for St. George’s victory.

This archetypal scene points to the common motif of the internal struggle between higher and lower forces within a person for their true being, embodied by the princess. The remains of the victims indicate that the dragon cannot be defeated without a decisive battle and inevitable losses.

The Dragon in Greece

Jason, the hero of the myth of the Argonauts, gathered fifty of the most renowned Greek heroes and set sail in a ship into the wilderness. lovinu, in search of the Golden Fleece. The Golden Fleece hung from a tall oak tree, guarded by a perpetually vigilant dragon who, upon spotting the arrival of Jason and Medea, let out such a terrifying roar that it echoed through the river banks and the great grove. Medea put the dragon to sleep with her magical song, and Jason took the fleece as they both returned to the ship.

The path that leads to the fleece is like a life full of trials, twists, and turns. If the higher part of our consciousness steers the helm of our lives, we will eventually reach the Golden Fleece, the light that shines within us like a little Sun.

The Dragon in Slavic Mythology

Slavic mythology tells of the eternal struggle between the thunder god Perun and the god of nature Veles. At the top of the world tree is Perun, with bees, doves, and birds in the branches, while in the underworld, among the roots, is Veles in the form of a dragon, serpent, or otter. Veles, as the force of the underground and darkness, constantly challenges Perun to a duel by stealing his livestock. Perun, as the supreme god, manages to defeat Veles and drive him away. The Earth sleeps, but Veles periodically returns renewed, in a new skin like a snake. This battle repeats every year and symbolizes the cyclical nature of life, the return of seasons, and the struggle of opposites.

The Croatian Dragon

The dragon exists in our cultural tradition, in fairy tales, monuments, and cults.

A fragment of interlaced ornamentation from the church in Biskupija near Knin, dating from the 9th to the 11th century, depicts the Croatian dragon. From its mouth and tail, a characteristic Croatian interlace – the triplet – emerges. It signifies the dynamic of the number three and is associated with the triple division of the world: the sky, the earth, and the underworld; or with the human spirit, soul, and body. Emerging from the mouth and tail, the interlace forms the symbol of the infinity-eight.

In the Dragon’s Cave on the island of Brač, on a rock about 5 meters long and 3 meters high, there is a relief depicting a dragon in full flight, emerging from its hiding place with open jaws containing a sharp, jagged, and fiery tongue. It appears as though it will swallow the face of a woman within In the shape of a crescent moon, next to which there is the face of a man. Above the dragon is the figure of a leopard with a lion’s head between its paws. It is not known how old the relief in Dragon’s Cave is, nor who carved it, but it is assumed that on the island of Brač, besides the cult of St. Vitus, the cult of caves was also worshipped.

The Dragon in German Mythology

A similar symbolism of dragons can be found in German mythology. Like Jason, the Germanic hero Sigurd embarks on a quest for the gold guarded by the dragon Fafnir. Fafnir was once a man, according to some versions, even a dwarf, who, out of greed for gold, killed his father and drove away his brother. Fafnir’s brother Regin adopts the boy Sigurd, then learns the craft of blacksmithing and forges a sword with which Sigurd will slay the dragon. This myth served as a basis for the famous German Song of the Nibelungs from the 13th century, where Sigurd acquired a much more well-known variant of the name – Siegfried – and other elements of the myth were incorporated into the poem. The work is also the theme of Wagner’s opera, The Ring of the Nibelung. Dragons are an important part of Germanic stories and legends. dragons.

The Dragon in Celtic Mythology

Celtic mythology also abounds with dragons as symbols of power and wisdom or as allegories for real threatening circumstances. In one legend, in the book “Reading the Dragon’s Belly”, the wizard Merlin interprets the fight between the white and red dragon, or the fight between the Germans and the Britons, to the British king, Vortigern. Merlin says that things don’t bode well for the red dragon because the white dragon will soon occupy his cave. However, King Arthur will come and oppose the white dragon.

The red dragon on the Welsh flag has its origins in the Welsh god Dewi, who was depicted as a red serpent. It is also the symbol on King Arthur’s helmet.

The dragon was the one who opened the doors to the other world and knew and protected great secrets. As a symbol of power and wisdom, it is visible on many coats of arms.

Dragons in Celtic art are often portrayed biting their own tails, symbolizing the circle as the cyclicality of nature and immortality.

The Dragon in Viking Mythology

In Norwegian myths, dragons are faithful guardians of warrior graves, and Vikings often painted them on their shields and carved their heads on the bows of their swift warships. In a Roman record from the 4th century, the triumphant entrance of Constantine the Great into Rome is described. The emperor was surrounded by countless cohorts of soldiers who carried the likenesses of purple dragons, “through whose throats the wind whistled as if they were alive, threatening total destruction…” In more recent history, flags with the image of dragons fluttered in the wind.

Dragon in India

Just like Slavic mythology, Indian mythology also tells of the battle between the thunder god Indra and the demon/dragon Vritra. Vritra was created by the god Tvastr, using fire and soma, a ritual divine drink, to avenge Indra for killing his son and consuming a large amount of soma.

It was a huge dragon without legs and arms. It sprawled on a mountain, imprisoning the cows beneath it, and drank all the rivers, growing in size, pushing back the oceans, and devouring enormous amounts of food. At the request of the gods, Indra sets off to confront Vritra. The fight against the dragon and eventually defeating it with Vishnu’s weapon was Indra’s greatest achievement. Since Vritra had consumed all the water, after his death, rain began to fall and the cows, which symbolize fertility, were liberated. According to some versions of the myth, Indra repeats this act at the end of every summer drought, thus confirming the symbolism of cyclicality in this myth.

The Dragon in Babylon and Mesopotamia

The supreme Babylonian deity is Marduk, the conqueror of the original chaos, the dragon Tiamat. His symbol is a horned dragon whose reliefs were found on the interior of the Babylonian walls. By defeating Tiamat, Marduk subjugated the passive primal forces and enabled the creation of the universe – the world and humanity.

The Serpent in Egyptian Mythology

The Egyptian deity Apophis or Apep was depicted in the form of a serpent. It is a symbol of darkness and chaos and is the opposite of the Sun god – Ra, the creator. During twelve daylight hours, after the sun rises, Ra travels the sky on the boat Manjet. – on a boat of a million years.,
During twelve night hours, Ra travels in another boat called Mesektet. Apep, who lives in the depths of the celestial Nile, tries to swallow his celestial boat. Ra always defeats Apep and thus reappears every morning as the newborn Sun.
The principle of cyclicity, eternal return is also represented through the ouroboros – an ancient symbol that depicts a snake or dragon biting its own tail.
Tolkien’s dragons.
J.R.R. Tolkien, inspired by Nordic, Germanic, Celtic, Icelandic and Finnish mythology, created his own in the works Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings. In The Hobbit, Smaug is a particularly greedy and powerful dragon attracted to the treasure of the dwarves, whom he kidnaps, collects in a pile, and guards by sleeping under the Mountain. He is killed in flight by Bard, with an arrow inherited from his ancestors, knowing his weak spot on the belly. Glaurung from Silmarillion is the father of the dragons, the first Morgoth’s dragon. Tolkien depicted him so vividly, both physically and characteristically, as if he were a living being. The care was woven with the strength, grandeur, and malevolence of all the dragons in the world. We follow him through the story of the hero Hurin and his children whose destinies were intertwined with the dragon’s until their deaths. The final blow was dealt by Turin Turambar, Hurin’s son, who himself succumbed to the wounds sustained in battle.