'HIC SUNT DRACONES': GETTING TO KNOW HISTORY’S GREAT LITERARY DRAGONS

 

  • SMAUG + FAFNIR

     

    NAME, WORK AND AUTHOR: SMAUG. THE HOBBIT (1937), J. R. R. TOLKIEN

    NAME, WORK AND AUTHOR: FAFNIR. VÖLSUNGA SAGA OF THE SONG OF THE NIBELUNGS (1270), ANONYMOUS, 1270

    Two dragons united by greed, a love of treasure and the influence of a magic ring: Sauron’s One Ring for the former and the evil Ring of the Nibelung for the latter. Both are symbols of the fall of the powerful, victims of their own obsessions.

    Having to deal with Sauron and Loki didn’t do them any favours, either.

    AUTHOR OF THE DRAWING: KAFFA

  • IORMUNGAND (URÒBOR) de SARA CUERVO

     

    JÖRMUNGANDR (OUROBOROS)

     

    NAME: JÖRMUNGANDR/ OUROBOROS

    WORK: VOLUSPÀ

    AUTHOR: ANONYMOUS (8TH AND 10TH CENTURIES)

    The Ragnarök (‘the fate of the gods’) features a description of Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent, daughter of Loki, so vast it can completely encircle the Earth. As the creature was so large, it could never satisfy its hunger and started to eat itself out of desperation. And so the symbol of the infinite circle of creation and destruction (the Ouroboros serpent) was created. 

    ARTIST: SARA CUERVO

  • SHENRON de ELSA VELASCO

    SHENRON

     

    NAME: SHENLONG/SHENRON

    WORK:DRAGON BALL (1984)

    AUTHOR: AKIRA TORIYAMA

    Shenlong (long means ‘dragon’ in Chinese) is a magic dragon that grants wishes to anyone who can gather the seven Dragon Balls. It’s a hybrid of several animals (snake, fish, tiger, eagle, horse, catfish, deer, ox and lion), like all Eastern dragons, and, unlike its counterparts in the West, it does not have wings, is benevolent and is regarded as sacred.

    ARTIST: ELSA VELASCO