Dragonslayers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saint George slaying the dragon, as depicted by Paolo Uccello, c. 1470

Dragonslayers are people who slay dragons for various reasons. Dragonslayers and the creatures they hunt have been seen in many popular books and films. They also are generally portrayed as heroes. Most common among Dragonslayers would be the knights of Middle Ages fiction, who slew dragons to save princesses. They have been popular in fantasy series. Typically, a Dragonslayer would embark on a quest, usually given by a king, to slay a dragon and rescue his daughter, the princess. Common Dragonslayers also included Christian Saints, described as conquering a dragon. The "dragon" is possibly a reference to a triumph over Satan.

Similar in many ways is the story of the famous viking Ragnar Loðbrók killing a giant serpent (rather than a dragon), thereby saving Þóra borgarhjörtr whom he later married.

Dragonslayer characters

Susanoo slaying the Yamata no Orochi, by Kuniteru
antiquity
medieval and early modern legend
Tolkien's legendarium

References

    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.