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The Dark Origins of Mermaids and Other Mysterious Folk Lore

Khalid Elhassan September 30, 2023 29 min

Odysseus and the sirens. Greek Gods and Goddesses

Dragon Lore Exists All Over the World in Different Cultures

Dragon lore is global. It exists in vastly different cultures, thousands of years and thousands of miles apart. A common theme is a dangerous beast that poses a deadly peril, until a heroic figure slays it and saves the day. Dragons and dragon-like huge serpents appear in the mythology of many cultures around the world. Norse mythology has the beast from Beowulf; Albanians have wyverns and pythons; the French have the Grand’Goule; the Hebrew Bible has the Leviathan; and the ancient Greeks had the Hydra. In non-Western lore, Hindus have the Vritra; ancient Egyptians had Apep; and Mesopotamians had mushussu.

Lore - The god Set spears the snake Apep — The god Set spears the snake Apep. Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Dragon lore generally revolves around the hero and monster theme – an archetype that symbolizes the eternal war between good and evil. The tales depict a scary reptilian creature that menaces people. It might fly and breathe fire, or slither and spew poison. Eventually, after a nice buildup that heightens the drama and narrative tension, a bigger than life hero or a god makes an entrance, challenges the beast, slays it, and sets things right. So, what are the origins of dragon lore?

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.