Origin: Norse Mythology
History: Regin the dwarf told a man named Sigurd to slay a mighty dragon named Fafnir. What he did not tell Sigurd, however, is that Fafnir was once Regin's own brother. Fafnir killed their father in order to gain wealth and, with his greed, transformed himself into a mighty dragon so that he could protect his horde better. So, unknowingly, Sigurd rode with Regin to the dragon, taking along his broken-sword, Gram, which he inherited from his father.
Sigurd knew, somewhat, about dragons and their hides. He knew that he could not penetrate the dragon's scaly body with any weapon, and so Regin suggested that they stab his under belly. They dug a deep ditch for Sigurd to hide in, and, as the dragon came out for his daily trip to the water hole, Sigurd shoved the huge sword, Gram, into the dragon's soft underbelly.
After the dragon was dead, Regin cut out the heart so that he could roast it. After it was roasted, Sigurd overheard birds speaking and they told him that the dwarf was planning to kill him. When Sigurd looked at Regin, he knew it was true, so he cut off Regin's head. Then he claimed the cave's treasure for his own.
Symbolism: This story is depicted in what is called The Sigurd Runestone. The serpent looks to represent corruption and greed, while his brother, Regin, is no better and is a symbol too. Sigurd, caught in the middle, emerges victorious, and he is also somewhat greedy, for, as the story states, he went to slay the dragon for fame.
Physical Description: When you read the summary, you might lean towards thinking this dragon is a Western dragon. The though outer layer of scales and soft underbelly are not limited to Western dragons, however. In art, this dragon is depicted with having a long, slim body and, with as much as I have seen, no wings.
Origin: English Epic
History: Beowulf was a warrior who had battled many monsters in his youth, two of which being Grendel and Grendel's mother. As he grew older, be became the King of the Geats, and his legend grew. An epic poem, which is indeed historical in some respects, was written containing the story of his struggles with monsters, one of which was the Fire-Drake.
The Fire-Drake was a fearsome dragon that lived in a cave guarding a large horde. Someone crept into the dragon's lair and stole a cup. The dragon awoke and found that his treasure was indeed missing a cup, so it searched for it. It discovered human foot steps, which allowed the dragon to learn who stole the cup: humans. With that, the fire-drake took to the skies and began tormenting a nearby town.
Beowulf, the King, was informed of this creature's wrath, and he, as the legend and the king, was asked to slay the beast. He took with him men, but in the end only one man helped him. They went to the dragon's lair, and Beowulf began to fight the mighty monster.
Unfortunately, the Fire-Drake had a good deal of fiery breath, which made it hard to fight. Beowulf's sword, Naegling, broke during the battle, which made Beowulf quite helpless. Being bitten by a venomous dragon, Beowulf did not die right away, but lived to see the dragon slain with the help of Wiglaf, his relative. However, he died later because of the poison.
Symbolism: The Fire-Drake attacked because something was stolen from it, which makes at least some of this creature's actions warrented. However, Beowulf fought this creature to save his reputation as a beast-slayer, which makes this dragon a symbol of such.
Physical Description: Being fifty "paces" long, the dragon was serpentine in nature and fearsome in presentation.
- The Norse Myths by Crossley-Holland
- Information on Beowulf was obtained reading a translation of the poem.
For more information about these footnotes, please see the bibliography.
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© Kylie 'drago' McCormick.
Last updated: 21 August 2008