This essay reviews how the Anglo-Saxons and other early Germanic peoples understood dragons and associated beasts. It is not taken from the book Anglo-Saxon Paganism, but is made available here as additional material of potential interest to those attracted to the study of Anglo-Saxon ways of looking at the world.
Introduction: Dragons in Early Germanic Cultures1
Dragons, conceptualised as fiery creatures flying through the air, or as cold scaly serpents of the Underworld, were of great importance in Germanic myth. They have been used as symbols of greed, malice, disease, but also watchfulness and protection. They have been associated with the worlds of the dead, and also with the secrets of buried treasure.
Wyrmas, snakes and dragons appear to have more than one meaning, but are consistently associated with both
- Social turmoil, and
- Treasure, and wealth of various sorts.
The great serpent killed by the mythical Anglo-Saxon hero Beowulf (and which also kills him) is a barrow-dwelling treasure hoarder – a symbol of the selfish side of the heroic life. This is the idea behind the proto-Germanic dragon-word *wurmiz, denoting a monstrous, scaly serpent able to terrorise and terrify humankind. This Germanic dragon-snake is a chthonic, earth-dwelling, underground creature with a strong association with the dead buried in their graves.
In early Germanic cultures this chthonic dweller in darkness, the wyrm or flightless serpent or dragon, stands contrasted with birds, which are celestial, airborne, and associated with the dead rising to the heavens in a pillar of smoke from the balefire cremation. It is no accident that a serpent and bird appear either side of the central boss on a shield from the East Anglian Sutton Hoo Anglo-Saxon ship burial.
The Old English word wyrm covers all manner of serpentine creatures, both real and imaginary. Possible translations into modern English include ‘dragon’, ‘snake’, ‘worm’, and even ‘maggot’. In contrast to southern European Graeco-Roman tradition, where the serpent represented fruitfulness and healing, the essential features of the English and Germanic wyrm are its ability to move without legs, and – its malevolence.
Old English however also recognises another type of dragon, called not a wyrm, but a draca. The draca is very different. It is a magical being capable of fierce combat, fiery breath, and has the ability to fly. No worm this!
Dragons in Scandinavian Culture [click on link to continue reading] or:
1 A major source for information in this essay on Dragons is the book The Elder Gods by Stephen Pollington (Anglo-Saxon Books, 2011)
