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The modern western image of a dragon developed in western Europe during the Middle Ages through the combination of the snakelike dragons of classical Graeco-Roman literature, references to Near Eastern European dragons preserved in the Bible, and western European folk traditions.^[11] The period between the 11th and 13th centuries represents the height of European interest in dragons as living creatures.^[12]

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Dragons are usually shown in modern times with a body more like a huge lizard, or a snake with two pairs of lizard-type legs, and breathing fire from their mouths. This traces back to the continental dragon, commonly referred to as a fire-breathing dragon. The continental, like many other European dragons, has bat-like wings growing from its back.

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Gargoyles: Fantastic stories were invented in the Middle Ages to explain gargoyles used as waterspouts on buildings.^[18]^[19] One medieval French legend holds that, in ancient times, a fearsome dragon known as La Gargouille had been causing floods and sinking ships on the river Seine,^[20] so the people of the town of Rouen would offer the dragon a human sacrifice once each year to appease its hunger.^[20] Then, in around 600 AD, a priest named Romanus promised that, if the people would build a church, he would rid them of the dragon.^[20] ^[21]

Romanus slew the dragon and its severed head was mounted on the walls of the city as the first gargoyle.^[20]

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The Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf written in 838, refers to a dragon called Grendel. It is said to have a venomous bite, and poisonous breath; all of these indicate a snake-like form and movement rather than with a lizard-like or dinosaur-like body as in later depictions, and no legs or wings are mentioned; however it shows several dragon features that later became popular: it breathed fire, lived underground, and collected treasure.

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Y Ddraig Goch: Welsh Dragon

The legend of Saint George and the Dragon is recorded as early as the sixth century AD,^[25]^[26] but the earliest artistic representations of it come from the 11th century^[25] and the first full account of it comes from an 11th-century Georgian text.^[27] The most famous version of the story from the Golden Legend holds that a dragon kept pillaging the sheep of the town of Silene in Libya.^[25]

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Y Ddraig Goch: Welsh Dragon

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After it ate a young shepherd, the people were forced to placate it by leaving two sheep as sacrificial offerings every morning beside the lake where the dragon lived.^[25] Eventually, the dragon ate all of the sheep^[28] and the people were forced to start offering it their own children.^[28]

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One day, the king's own daughter came up in the lottery and, despite the king's pleas for her life, she was dressed as a bride and chained to a rock beside the lake to be eaten.^[28] Then Saint George arrived and saw the princess.^[28] When the dragon arrived to eat her, he stabbed it with his lance and subdued it by making the sign of the cross and tying the princess's girdle around its neck.^[28]

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Saint George and the princess led the now docile dragon into the town and George promised to kill it if the townspeople would convert to Christianity.^[29] All the townspeople converted and Saint George killed the dragon with his sword.^[29] In some versions, Saint George marries the princess,^[29] but, in others, he continues wandering.^[29]

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Y Ddraig Goch: Welsh Dragon

The red dragon featured on, and is the name of, the national flag of Wales. The symbol may originate in Arthurian legend, or more likely from the Celtic dragon god Dewi (not to be confused with Saint David). Employed by Gwrtheyrn, Merlin tells of a vision of the red dragon^[30] (representing the Britons) and the white dragon (representing the invading Saxons) fighting beneath Henry VII of England.

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Dragon-like creatures of Slavic mythology hold mixed temperaments towards humans. For example, Drakons in Bulgarian mythology are either male or female, and each gender has a different view of mankind. The female dragon and male dragon, often seen as sister and brother, represent different forces of agriculture.

Zmeys or Slavic dragons

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Zmeys or Slavic dragon:

The female dragon represents harsh weather and is the destroyer of crops, the hater of mankind, and is locked in a never-ending battle with her brother. The male dragon protects the humans' crops from destruction and is generally benevolent to humanity. Fire and water play major roles in Bulgarian dragon lore: the female has water characteristics, while the male is usually a fiery creature. In Bulgarian legend, The drakons are three-headed, winged beings with snake's bodies.

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Polish Dragon: Smok Waweleski

The most famous Polish dragon (Polish: Smok) is the Wawel Dragon or Smok Wawelski, the Dragon of Wawel Hill. It supposedly terrorized ancient Kraków and lived in caves on the Vistula river bank below the Wawel castle. According to lore based on the Book of Daniel, it was killed by a boy who offered it a sheepskin filled with sulphur and tar.

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After devouring it, the dragon became so thirsty that it finally exploded after drinking too much water. In the oldest, 12th-century version of this fantasy tale, written by Wincenty Kadłubek,^[33] the dragon was defeated by two sons of a King Krak, Krakus II and Lech II. A metal sculpture of the Wawel Dragon is a well-known tourist sight in Kraków. The Wawel Dragon appears in the coat of arms of the Polish princes, the Piasts of Czersk.^[34]

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Iberian dragons are almost always evil, such as the Cuélebre, or Cuelebre, a giant winged serpent in the mythology of Asturias and Cantabria in the north of Spain. It usually lives in a cave, guards treasures and keeps nymph-like beings called xanas or anjanas as prisoners.

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Fafnir: In Nordic mythology, name of the great dragon slain by Sigurd. As told in the Völsunga saga (“Saga of the Volsungs”), Fafnir slew his father, Hreithmar, to obtain the vast amount of gold which Hreithmar had demanded of Odin as a compensation for the loss of one of his sons.

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Odin gave the gold but put a curse on it. Full of greed, Fafnir changed into a dragon to guard his treasure and was later slain by the young hero Sigurd. Sigurd was spurred on by another brother of Fafnir, the blacksmith Regin. Once Sigurd, under the advice of Odin, had killed Fafnir, Regin asked him to cook the dragon’s heart for him.

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Sigurd touched the heart as it was cooking to test if it was done and burned his thumb. He put his thumb into his mouth and was then able to understand the language of birds. (In this tale, knowledge is given to one who eats the heart of a dragon.) The birds told Sigurd that it was Regin’s intention to kill him, so instead Sigurd killed Regin and left with Fafnir’s treasure.

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