The History of the dragon

Stories about dragons have diverse origins, spanning many different cultures around the world, making it difficult to pinpoint a single place or moment in history as the origin of dragon myths. However, we can trace dragon-like stories and symbols back thousands of years across several major civilizations, each shaping the image of dragons we have today.

Ancient Mesopotamia

Mušḫuššu

One of the oldest known dragon-like creatures is the Mušḫuššu, sometimes called the “furious serpent” or “dragon,” from Mesopotamian mythology. This creature dates back to around 2100 BCE(Before Christian Era) and was depicted on the Ishtar Gate of Babylon. It was associated with deities like Marduk and Ningishzida, symbolizing divine power.

Ancient China

Chinese Dragons

In Chinese mythology, dragons (*long* or *lung*) are benevolent creatures associated with power, wisdom, and auspiciousness. They were believed to have control over water, rainfall, and floods. Chinese dragons have been worshipped for over 4,000 years, with early depictions found on pottery from the Yangshao culture. The Yellow Emperor (Huangdi), a mythic ancestor of the Chinese people, was said to transform into a dragon upon his death and ascend to heaven.

Ancient Greece

Greek Myths

The Greeks had several stories involving dragons. For instance, Ladon was the serpent-like dragon that guarded the golden apples in the Garden of the Hesperides. Similarly, Python was a dragon slain by Apollo at Delphi. Greek dragons were often depicted as serpentine creatures, either guarding treasures or representing obstacles to be overcome by heroes.

Norse and Germanic Mythology

Fafnir

In Norse mythology, the dragon Fafnir was originally a dwarf who transformed into a dragon to guard his hoard of gold, representing greed and corruption. His story is one of transformation fueled by possessiveness and desire for power.

Jörmungandr

The Midgard Serpent (Jörmungandr) is another Norse dragon-like creature. This sea serpent encircled the world and was said to be one of the children of Loki. During Ragnarok (the end of the world), Jörmungandr plays a pivotal role, fighting Thor.

Middle Eastern Traditions

Leviathan

In ancient Hebrew mythology, the Leviathan is a sea monster described in texts like the Book of Job. This enormous, dragon-like creature represents chaos and the untamable power of nature. In early **Canaanite** mythologies, a similar creature called Lotan is depicted as a multi-headed sea serpent, which parallels other dragon myths in nearby cultures.

Celtic and British Folklore

Welsh Dragons

In Welsh mythology, the Red Dragon (Y Ddraig Goch) is an important symbol of Wales, representing the struggle between the native Britons (symbolized by the red dragon) and invading forces, which may have been symbolized by a white dragon. The legend of Merlin also contains tales of battling dragons, with the red dragon eventually emerging victorious.

St. George and the Dragon

The tale of St. George and the Dragon, in which the saint slays a dragon to save a village, is a popular story across Europe. Though rooted in medieval legend, it also draws upon earlier myths of heroes confronting monstrous adversaries.

Mesoamerican Culture

Quetzalcoatl

In Aztec and Mesoamerican mythology, Quetzalcoatl – the “feathered serpent” – is a deity often depicted with dragon-like attributes. This serpent deity was connected to the wind, the sky, and creation, and played a significant role in the culture’s understanding of the cosmos.

Common Themes Across Cultures

The fact that dragons appear in so many different cultures with no direct connection to one another suggests that the idea of dragons might have a universal origin rooted in human psychology. Some possible explanations include:

Fear of Predators: Dragons are often depicted as having characteristics of multiple predators—sharp teeth, claws, scales, wings—evoking a sense of fear and awe. They might represent a combination of the fears our ancestors had about the natural world.

Discovery of Fossils: Some scholars believe that the discovery of **dinosaur fossils** might have inspired myths about dragons. Imagine ancient people unearthing massive bones or skulls with long teeth—without the context of paleontology, it would be easy to imagine these belonged to terrifying, magical creatures.

Symbol of Power: In many cultures, dragons symbolize natural forces like water, storms, and fertility. Their representation as creatures with both beneficial and destructive qualities suggests that they were used to explain phenomena that ancient civilizations couldn’t otherwise understand.

Conclusion

The first references to dragons likely came from ancient Mesopotamia and China, with the Mesopotamian Mušḫuššu and Chinese dragons being some of the earliest dragon-like creatures on record. The symbolism of dragons evolved in diverse ways across cultures—from benevolent water spirits in China to fearsome creatures guarding treasure in Europe. These myths share common threads: dragons are often depicted as powerful, magical beings that symbolize both creation and destruction, reflecting humanity’s awe and fear of the natural world.

References

Leeming, D. A. (2014). *The Handy Mythology Answer Book*. Visible Ink Press.
Warner, E. (2002). *Russian Myths*. University of Texas Press.
Kershaw, K. (2000). *The One-eyed God: Odin and the (Indo-)Germanic Männerbünde*. Journal of Indo-European Studies.
Carrasco, D. (1990). *Quetzalcoatl and the Irony of Empire: Myths and Prophecies in the Aztec Tradition*. University of Chicago Press.