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Dragon Myths
Greece
Well known for it's pantheon of gods and goddesses, not to mention fabulous creatures, Greece has many wonderful examples of dragons to list here. Most of their dragons are fierce, terrifying creatures that are some of the earliest Western Dragons known. However, both the Greeks and the Romans believed that they had the ability to understand and to teach mortals the secrets of the earth. Because they were so deadly, while still being thought of as wise, they were often used as military symbols. Greek dragons appeared to be Guardian Dragons of gigantic proportions. They weren't usually there just because they liked it. They were used most often by the gods to either further their plans, or to guard items the gods found too precious for others. There are, of course, a few exceptions. Punishments could get someone turned into a dragonish creature, or they could just be a dragon like the Lernean Hydra. Mostly though, they existed for a purpose.
~Typhon~
Typhon was the son of Gaia(Earth) and Tartarus(Underworld). He had a hundred dragon heads and scaled legs and thighs, was taller than mountains, had wings, and breathed fire. Sometimes it is said that his body had feathers, other times that his body was all snakes. Typhoons are named after him. At one point, he attacked and imprisoned Zeus, who had to be rescued by Hermes and Pan. Zeus then imprisoned Typhon. Some myths say he was trapped in the underworld and others that he was placed under Mt. Aetna. He was believed to cause dangerous winds and earthquakes. He was the father of the Chimaera, the Lernean Hydra, Cereberus(Cerberus), the Nemean Lion, and the Sphinx. Their mother was Typhon's own sister, the monster Echidna.
~Delphyne~
The dragoness that guarded Zeus while he was held captive by Typhon. Her mate is said to have been named Delphynes.
~The Lernean Hydra~
The Lernean Hydra is from the species water dragon that lived in the swamp of Lerna in Argolis. It was said that it had nine heads, (or five, or a hundred...although nine is standard,) one of which was immortal and could not be harmed by weapons. To make things even trickier, for each head you cut off two more grew in it's place. In some myths, it is said that it merely regrew a new one. It had deadly venom, and it's blood was poisonous. The stench from it's breath was just as deadly as it's venom, and it was huge. Standing at least twice the height of Hercules/Herakles himself, it would rise from the swamp to slay men and cattle to feed itself.
~Ladon~
A multi-headed dragon said to guard Hera's wedding present...The Apples of the Hesperides. He was killed by Hercules' shooting an arrow at him from over the wall.
~Scylla or Skylla~
Scylla was once a beautiful nymph, but she spurned the attentions of a suitor. The suitor ran to Circe, who also loved him, and told her about his hopeless quest for the lovely nymph. Circe became jealous of Scylla, and decided to get even. She filled the sea where Scylla was bathing with serpents, and using magic, transformed her into a sea-monster that had six heads, with a ring of barking dogs around her waist. Ashamed of how she looked, Scylla hid in a cave in the strait of Messina. She seizes sailors as they pass through and eats them.
~The Wyvern~
This is a small, vicious, two legged creature who was said to bring pestilence not only to the people of Greece, but also Africa and Europe. It has a dragon body, two legs that are shaped like eagle's talons, and has wings. In later depictions, it lost it's fierceness, and no longer brought pestilence.
~Dragons of Demeter's Chariot~
The earth goddess Demeter (Roman-'Ceres') had a wonderful chariot pulled by two winged serpents. At the top of the page is a picture of her riding in this fabulous vehicle. They were huge, and were faithful and safe only to Demeter and those she gave permission to drive her chariot. Anyone else could expect a swift death.
~The Amphisbæna~
This creature is not truly a dragon, but is more of a strange serpent. It's name means 'goes both ways' in Greek. It is described as having two heads, one on each end, and a snake's body. Pliny wrote that if you wear a live amphisbæna and you are pregnant, it will protect you. He also said that if you wear a dead one it will cure your rheumatism.
~Oroboros -Tail-biter~
A dragon-ish creature pictured biting it's own tail. It is meant to represent the cycle of life as it is simultaneously eating, fertilizing and giving birth to itself. Usually, we think of this picture as only being a snake, but many pictures show the creature with four feet instead of none. ~ Greek Dragon Myths ~ Hercules/Herakles
Hercules was passing through Troy one day, when he spied a beautiful maiden chained to a rock by the sea. After finding out that she was the king of Laomedon's daughter, Hesione, and that she had been chained as a sacrifice to a sea dragon who was terrorizing the city, Hercules offers to save the girl. The king agrees to pay him with some extraordinary horses, and Hercules sets out to kill the beast. He succeeds in killing the dragon and rescuing the girl, but the king refuses to pay. Because of this, Hercules sacked Troy.
The second labor of Hercules where he must kill the Lernean Hydra. A multi-headed, highly poisonous, dragon. One head was immortal, and when you cut the mortal heads off two more grew in the place of the cut one. First he drew it from it's lair with flaming arrows, then as he struggled with the heads he called for his young charioteer Iolaus for aid. Not sure what to do, and realizing that Hercules was losing the battle, Iolaus grabbed a torch and began to burn the heads as Hercules cut them off. This worked for the mortal heads just fine, but could not stop the immortal one. Hercules cut off the immortal head and buried it beneath a rock where, according to myth, it should still be alive today. Some myths say he left the head on the body, but crushed the head beneath a rock to kill it. The head was immortal, but the body was not.
The eleventh(some say the twelfth) labor of Hercules was to bring the Apples of the Hesperides back to his cousin King Eurystheus. This was no mean feat, as the apples had been a gift to Hera from Gaia as a wedding present, and she already hated him. They were surrounded by a high fence (too high for normal mortals to ascend), and watched over by Nymphs and a fearsome many-headed dragon named Ladon. Hercules had already been told that he would need Atlas' help in getting the apples, so he went to Atlas right away. Hercules offered to take the burdon of the heavens from Atlas for an hour or so if Atlas would retrieve the apples for him. Atlas agreed but said that even he couldn't get past the dragon. Hercules said that he could get rid of him, and shot an arrow over the wall killing the dragon instantly. Atlas then gave him the pillar that supported the heavens, and went into the garden and got the apples. Upon his return to where Hercules strained with the weight of the heavens, Atlas told him he was not going to return to his former job, at least not for a few more months(he truly had no intention of returning). Hercules then asked him if he would mind holding the pillar long enough so that he could get padding for his head, and Atlas (understanding the need for such a thing) agreed. Once Atlas was back, Hercules grabbed the apples, thanked Atlas, and left.
~Cadmus / Europa / and Draco~
Cadmus was the brother of Europa who had been kidnapped by Zeus. He wanted to set her free, but wasn't sure what he should do. So he did what many Greeks did in those days, he went to the Oracle at Delphi for help. Following her advice, he and his companions went to a spring near Thebes. This spring was guarded by a fierce dragon named Draco who was the son of the god Ares(War) and a personal pet of Zeus. There was a horrendous battle, and Cadmus lost many of his companions, but eventually he was able to kill the beast and save his sister Europa. Afterwards, Athena told him to sow the dragon's teeth in the earth. He did so, and of course an army grew immediately from them. The army fought each other until there were only five left. With these five men, Cadmus founded the city of Thebes.
~Jason and the Argonauts~
In order to take his rightful place as King of Pelias, the usurper (Jason's uncle) insisted that he go on a quest for the Golden Fleece. With his intrepid band of heroes, they set sail on the Argos and had many amazing adventures. One of which concerned Dragon's Teeth.
King Aeetes told him in order to get the fleece, he would have to sow and reap a field full of 'special seeds' by nightfall. So Jason sowed the dragon teeth, and they did begin to sprout immediately, but each seed germinated into a fully-armed warrior, who appeared from the ground. Medea told Jason that if he would just throw a stone into the middle of the throng, they would tear each other apart. Jason did just that, and the Soldiers of the Dragon's Teeth killed each other.
Later, Jason and Medea went to the temple grove where the Fleece was displayed and Jason prepared to duel with the dragon. This dragon never slept, and would have been impossible for young Jason to kill. Thankfully, Medea came to his rescue...again...and sprinkled the dragon with a sleeping potion which enabled them to grab the Fleece and get away.
~Perseus~
Once a king of a distant land came to Perseus and petitioned his help in killing a dragon sent by Poseidon to terrorize his country. In a last ditch attempt to stop the dragon, the king chained his daughter Andromeda to a rock by the sea. (Are we seeing a pattern here?) Perseus and Andromeda were already in love, so of course he offered to help the king. He was able to kill it with the aid of several gods, but mostly thanks to Athena.
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