Skip to main content

history of - Where did the notion that Dragons could speak originate?


There are different sources in which dragons are able to speak and not speak.


Speaking examples:



  • Smaug in The Hobbit

  • Skyrim

  • DragonHeart



Non-speaking examples:



  • Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire

  • Beowulf poem


Where did this notion that a dragon could speak come about? Or is it more that it was always seen as speaking and the non-speaking dragons are "newer"?



Answer



TL;DR: The oldest mention of a talking dragon would be from Chinese mythology.




It's important to note that the modern concept of dragons is an amalgamation of two primary sources - the European "Classic" dragon myth, and the Chinese Dragon of Asian mythology. Both are tales of large, serpent-like creatures but that's about where the similarities end.


In classic European mythology, dating back to at least the 8th century, the dragon was seen as a large, hostile creature which did not speak or fly. These creatures were typically seen as the embodiment of evil, and may have had their origins in the Middle East (where both the Muslim Quran and the Christian Bible make mentions of evil manifesting as large serpents).


Going even further, however, we find that the Chinese dragon first appeared in Asian mythology some time between 5000-2000 BC. In contrast to the evil creatures found in Western culture, Eastern culture depicts dragons as benevolent and wise creatures who represent celestial power. Eastern dragons almost always talk, and in some traditional stories it was, in fact, dragons who first taught mankind to speak. Eastern dragons also flew, albeit without wings. As part of their celestial power, they "rode the winds".


Modern dragon depictions have, for the most part, kept the traditional two modes separate. The "classic" dragon is still depicted as a large, dinosaur like creature with wings. Over the centuries, however, the classic dragon has begun to take on aspects of its Eastern counterpart - intelligence, ancient power, and (sometimes) benevolence. Although much of this merger has been popularized by recent depictions, aspects of the Asian dragon can be seen in Western culture as far back as Roman battle standards from around 270 AD.


The Chinese dragon, on the other hand, has changed very little in over 5000 years. Numerous Yangshao clay figurines & statues from the Neolithic Period have been found which bear a remarkable resemblance to the modern Chinese dragon. Even in modern Asia, dragons are seen as wise, benevolent, ancient creatures who represent good luck & success. They are almost never seen as evil or hostile, however, unless provoked by extraordinary circumstances brought about by men.


So, to summarize, modern dragons like Smaug are about 80% classic European dragon (looks & intent) with maybe 20% Chinese dragon thrown in (speaks & possesses ancient knowledge).


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

game of thrones - Is Syrio Forel dead?

In the episode 'The Pointy End' (Season 1 Episode 8) when Arya runs from the Lannister guards you hear the sound of a sword being dropped (around 4:56): [embedded content] After that neither Syrio or Ser Meryn Trant is never mentioned or seen in the show again, except when Arya mentions to the Hound that Ser Meryn Trant killed Syrio. Is there any mention in the books that Syrio actually dies?
Post a Comment
Read more

tolkiens legendarium - Difference between elves and dwarves blacksmithing in the Lord of the Rings

Both the elves and the dwarves were famous for their metal work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but what is the difference between what they made, and which one had the better skill of making amours and swords? Answer James Christopher's answer sums up the second part of your question well, but as to the difference in what they made, a little more detail is needed. Once the Elves learned to forge with steel, the shape of the sword changed, now being able to take on the form of a great broadsword or a light and agile curved sword. Additionally, they took great pride in decorating their swords. As we see in the Lord of the Rings , some swords like Sting had magical properties such as glowing blue when orcs are near. As far as the use of Mithril, lotr.wikia has two contradictory passages: Thus, Elven blades became renowned as great weapons, capable of performing deeds beyond the skill of their handlers and were even more glorious when the use of Mithril was allowed to the Elves. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How do Pokemon trainers collect their winnings?

According to Bulbapedia , Prize money is the money that a Trainer pays out at the end of a battle. So we know that the money comes directly from the trainer that just lost, and not some third-party committee or sponsor. But how is this done? It can be easy seeing the random trainers who challenge you along the way wanting to wager and then, after admitting defeat, sticking to their word and handing over their hard-earned pokebucks. Then there are the likes of Team Rocket and Giovanni, who also give money once they lose. This doesn't seem like something people in a criminal organization would willingly do. From this it appears that trainers have no say in whether or not they cough up the dough after losing, but I can't find anything on how exactly the funds are transferred from loser to winner. So how do Pokemon trainers receive their winnings?
Post a Comment
Read more