What is a (Germanic) Dragon? Flashcards
Why are dragons a fairly common phenomenon in cultures across the world?
Two theories:
Dinosaur bones can be found across the world.
It is in our DNA because we have genetic memories of being hunted by dinosaurs or because we have a very ambiguous relationship to reptiles (unlikely).
Who are the three most important Germanic dragons (excluding the Midgard snake)?
Níðhöggr (the one striking full of hatred): gnawing at the roots of Yggdrasil, has wings, can fly, feeds on the bodies of the dead → also absolute evil and will rise at/after Ragnarok.
Nameless dragon in Beowulf: guards a treasure, upset by a minor theft, wreaks havoc, can fly and breathe fire.
Fafnir: originally a human (?) that kills his father, takes his treasure (which includes a precious ring), and turns into a dragon to guard the treasure.
What is the difference between worm and dragon?
In the beginning, there was no distinction. Dragon is a loaned word and appears later, potentially indicative of southern cultural influences.
The Old Norse word is ormr which describes a very large snake or reptile-like being that is extremely dangerous and doesn’t necessarily breathe fire or fly, but rather breathes poison.
What do dragons do and what are the implications?
- They steal virgin/pure princesses and treasure and then do nothing with them.
- Taking women means that they’ve been taken off the market → they’re interrupting or preventing socially, culturally, and economically vital processes of reproduction, exchange, and circulation. (This is similar to Aesir practices with their own women.)
hat do dragons represent?
- They represent an external threat as they threaten the social and cosmic order from the outside. They belong to (wild) nature as opposed to (orderly) culture.
- However, they also represent an internal threat, evident by the fact Fafnir, a human, turns into a dragon. They represent the destructive and harmful effects of greed.
- Greed is not necessarily bad, but it becomes bad when it’s too much and incompatible with society. To an extent, the dragon represents us because it represents a specific harmful behaviour: the exaggerated display of greed (similar to trolls).
- Additionally, through a Christian lens, they are viewed as demons and represent evil.
Tolkien remains the most important shaper of modern dragon mythology (based in large parts on his expertise in Old Norse mythology)
J.R.R. Tolken combines the dragon of Beowulf (fire and flight) with Fafnir (speech and story) to create Smaug.
