Spiritually, a dragon symbolizes power, strength, wisdom, and transformation across many cultures. While the interpretation varies, in Eastern traditions, they often represent positive forces like good fortune and prosperity, whereas in Western traditions, they can symbolize chaos or challenges to be overcome. They also embody natural forces and inner struggles, representing a path to personal empowerment and growth.
St. Augustine’s view: Even early figures like St. Augustine, who wrote about dragons, may have been referring to other creatures, such as flying snakes, which did exist, rather than the mythical beast we picture today.
Literal creatures: The Bible does not teach that dragons, as we imagine them today, were real creatures.
Distinction: The symbolic meaning of the dragon in scripture is separate from the modern concept of dragons in fantasy and mythology. Just as one can like snakes (which are used symbolically in the Bible) without being evil, one can also like mythological dragons.
Don’t worship them: It is not a sin to like dragons, but it is important not to “worship them” or put them above God.
Be mindful of your thoughts: Avoid getting so wrapped up in dragon-related fantasies that you neglect your responsibilities and spiritual life.
Appreciate God’s creativity: The act of creating stories, art, and other forms of fiction can be seen as an expression of God’s gift of creativity.
Consider the source: Some dragons may be depicted as evil, while others, particularly in Eastern cultures, are often portrayed as benevolent or wise. It is helpful to consider the context and how the dragons are portrayed.
Christians can like dragons, as they are a mythological creature and not inherently evil. While the Bible uses dragons symbolically to represent forces of evil like Satan, this doesn’t make the mythological creature itself evil or off-limits to admire. The key is to avoid placing dragons or any fantasy above God or getting lost in them to the neglect of one’s faith.
Symbol of Christ’s victory over sin and death.
The Knightly Challenge: For knights and heroes, the battle with the dragon was the ultimate test of courage, faith, and virtue. Slaying the dragon demonstrated the triumph of good over evil, order over chaos, and piety over temptation. The legend of Saint George and the Dragon is the most famous example of this archetype, where the knight’s faith and purity (often aided by a holy relic or symbol like the sign of the cross) subdue the beast.
Some biblical passages, like Psalm 104:26, mention creatures like “Leviathan” which is sometimes translated as sea monster or dragon, but these are not necessarily portrayed as evil.
Dragons: Serpents, Sea Monsters, and Satan
Dragons appear very frequently in the Bible, or only in a single book, depending on which version you’re reading. It’s a bit convoluted, but serves as an instructive example of how theology influences Bible translation.
The English word “dragon” comes from the Greek drakon. The word originally simply meant “snake” or “serpent” but became associated specifically with large, mythical serpents — both in pagan Greek writers and, in the Septuagint, as a translation for the Hebrew word tannîn (which can also mean “serpent” as well as “sea monster”).
Then, because of its use in the book of Revelation, drakon became associated with Satan and/or the Antichrist, which was then read back into many of the Hebrew references to serpents throughout the Old Testament.
Today, some English Bible versions (e.g., KJV, NRSVue, NLT, NABRE) still translate tannîn as “dragon” to solidify those Old Testament connections and possibly identify them with Satan. Others (e.g., NIV, ESV, NASB) stick with a more literal “sea monster” or “serpent” to reflect the original meaning of the word, leaving their it to Satan ambiguous. (Interestingly, the NKJV sometimes changes the KJV’s use of “dragon” to “monster” or another synonym.)
Either way, the dragon(s) of the Bible are much more varied than the scaled, fire-breathing monsters that they inspired, and which have become common in modern fantasy. Depending on your interpretation, they can be anything from snakelike serpents to chaos monsters to fallen angels and more.
Scriptural References:
Genesis 1:21; Exodus 7:9-12; Deuteronomy 32:33; Job 7:12; Psalms 74:13; 91:13; 148:7; Isaiah 27:1; 51:9 ;Jeremiah 51:34; Ezekiel 29:3; 32:2
https://www.biblegateway.com/…/explainers/bible-monsters
The narrative of Bel and the Dragon is incorporated as chapter 14 of the extended Book of Daniel. The original Septuagint text in Greek survives in a single manuscript, Codex Chisianus, while the standard text is due to Theodotion, the 2nd-century AD revisor.
This chapter, along with chapter 13, is considered deuterocanonical: it was unknown to early Rabbinic Judaism, and while it is considered non-canonical by most Protestants, it is canonical to Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians, and is found in the Apocrypha section of some Protestant Bibles.
The dragon
According to the brief companion narrative of the dragon (Daniel 14:23–30), “there was a great dragon which the Babylonians revered”. Some time after the temple’s condemnation the Babylonians worship the dragon. The king says that, unlike Bel, the dragon is a clear example of a live animal. Daniel promises to slay the dragon without the aid of a sword, and does so by baking pitch, fat, and hair (trichas) to make cakes (mazas, barley-cakes) that cause the dragon to burst open upon consumption. In other variants, other ingredients serve the purpose: in a form known to the Midrash, straw was fed in which nails were hidden, or skins of camels were filled with hot coals. A similar story occurs in the Persian poet Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, where Alexander the Great, or “Iskandar”, kills a dragon by feeding it cow hides stuffed with poison and tar.
Earlier scholarship has suggested a parallel between this text and the contest between Marduk and Tiamat in Mesopotamian mythology, where the winds controlled by Marduk burst Tiamat open and barley-cake plays the same role as the wind. However, David DeSilva (2018) casts doubt on this reading.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bel_and_the_Dragon
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Merlin is portrayed in various ways in Christianity, as he is not a figure from the Bible but a legendary figure whose stories were adapted by Christian writers. Early Christian writers, such as Robert de Boron, reshaped the pagan-influenced Merlin into a Christian prophet, linking him to the Holy Grail. Later adaptations, however, integrated his demonic origins by portraying him as a figure who overcomes his evil heritage to become a righteous hero. Medieval Christians often reconciled his magical abilities with their faith by portraying his prophecies as God-given or by seeing him as a wisdom figure who embraces Christian truth.
Christian adaptations of Merlin
– A Christian Prophet: Robert de Boron and other 13th-century writers Christianized Merlin by making him a prophet of the Holy Grail and an advisor to King Arthur, emphasizing his role in preparing the way for Christianity.
-A Figure of Redemption: Some interpretations, like the one in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Vita Merlini, portray Merlin as a figure of mixed heritage who is conceived by demons but ultimately chooses to work for good, effectively overcoming his demonic origins to become a Christian hero.
– A Wisdom Figure: Many versions depict Merlin as a pre-Christian wisdom figure who exists on the cusp of embracing Christian truth, symbolizing the transition from pagan to Christian belief.
– Prophecy and God’s Will: Gerald of Wales and others reconciled Merlin’s prophecies with Christianity by suggesting that God could speak through various figures, just as he did through biblical prophets.
* Burial and Sainthood: Some legends, such as the one in Jocelinus of Furness’s account, state that Merlin requested a Christian burial, further integrating his story with Christian tradition.
How Christians reconcile Merlin with their faith
– Integration: The assimilation of Merlin into Arthurian legend and Christian literature was a process of integrating pagan and Christian beliefs.
– Allegory: Some writers used Merlin’s story as an allegory to teach moral and spiritual lessons.
– Spiritual Wisdom: Merlin’s connection to the supernatural and his knowledge of the future were seen by some as a form of spiritual wisdom that could be aligned with Christian concepts of prophecy and divine guidance.
Christian Interpretation of Merlin
– Demonic Origin, Divine Purpose: In Robert de Boron’s 13th-century romance Merlin and the later Vulgate Cycle, Merlin is the son of an incubus demon and a mortal woman. The demons intended for him to be the Antichrist. However, his mother’s piety and his subsequent baptism saved him from Satan’s control, allowing God to subvert his dark origins for good.
– A Christian Prophet: After his redemption, Merlin is presented as a servant of God and a Christian prophet. His power of prophecy, in particular, is portrayed as a gift from God, allowing him to see the past, present, and future and to guide King Arthur’s realm toward a Christian moral order.
– Advisor and Kingmaker: Merlin uses his wisdom and powers to advise Uther Pendragon and Arthur. He is instrumental in events like the “Sword in the Stone” test, which reveals Arthur as the rightful king, and the establishment of the Knights of the Round Table.
– Link to the Holy Grail: Medieval Christian writers like Robert de Boron integrated Merlin into the legend of the Holy Grail, casting him as the prophet who foresees the quest for the sacred vessel (believed to be the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper).
– Bridge Between Worlds: Merlin often stands as a liminal figure, a blend of pagan wisdom (sometimes associated with Druids or “wild man of the woods” figures) and Christian belief. This duality made him a compelling character for medieval audiences navigating the transition between older Celtic traditions and established Christianity.
Despite his demonic heritage and use of magic (which could be viewed as heresy), Christian Arthurian literature generally portrays Merlin as a force for good, symbolizing the triumph of faith over evil and the idea that even a dark destiny can be altered by divine grace and moral choice.
PENDRAGON
From Middle English Pendragon, borrowed from Welsh pendragon (“chief war leader”), from pen (“head; chief; principal, supreme”) (ultimately from Proto-Celtic *kʷennom (“head”)) + dragon (“dragon; commander, war leader”) (from Latin dracō (“serpent, snake; dragon”), from Ancient Greek δρᾰ́κων (drắkōn, “serpent; dragon”), possibly from δέρκομαι (dérkomai, “to see, see clearly (in the sense of something staring)”), from Proto-Indo-European *derḱ- (“to see”)). Compare Late Latin īnsulāris dracō (literally “dragon of the island”), used by the monk Saint Gildas (c. 500 – c. 570 AD) in De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae (On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain) as an epithet of Maelgwn Gwynedd (died c. 547), the king of Gwynedd.
Pendragon literally means ‘chief dragon’ or ‘head dragon’, but in a figurative sense: ‘chief leader’, ‘chief of warriors’, ‘commander-in-chief’, generalissimo, or ‘chief governor’), is the epithet of Uther, father of King Arthur in the Matter of Britain in medieval and modern era and occasionally applied to historical Welsh heroes in medieval Welsh literature such as Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd.
In the Historia Regum Britanniae, one of the earliest texts of the Matter of Britain, only Uther is given the surname Pendragon, which is explained by the author Geoffrey of Monmouth as literally meaning dragon’s head.
In the prose version of Robert de Boron’s Merlin, the name of Uther’s elder brother Ambrosius Aurelianus is given as Pendragon. At the same time, Uter (Uther) changes his name after his brother’s death to Uterpendragon.
The use of “Pendragon” to refer to Arthur, rather than to Uther or his brother, is of much more recent vintage. In literature, one of its earliest uses to refer to Arthur is in Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem “Lancelot and Elaine”, where, however, it appears as Arthur’s title rather than his surname, following contemporary speculation that “pendragon” had been a term for an ancient Welsh war-chief.[citation needed] In C. S. Lewis’s 1945 novel That Hideous Strength, the Pendragon leads a national moral struggle through the centuries; bearers of the title include Cassibelaun, Uther, Arthur, and Elwin Ransom.
Mark Twain in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court makes various satirical and scathing remarks about “The Pendragon Dynasty” which are in fact aimed at ridiculing much later British dynasties. The story of The Pendragon Legend by Antal Szerb revolves around a Welsh noble family called Pendragon.
Excalibur https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excalibur_(film)
Taking Guenevere’s form, Morgana seduces Arthur and gives birth to a son, Mordred, infecting the land with famine and sickness. Struck by a magical bolt of lightning, a weakened Arthur sends his knights to search for the Holy Grail, hoping to restore the land and himself. Many knights die on their quest or are bewitched into Morgana’s service, but Perceval resists her attacks.
