2.2. European Dragons
There are several different parts of Europe, and all have distinct dragon myths. The Norse dragons will be the first I discuss here, followed by the French. I soon hope to have additional countries as well.
Norse dragons mostly seem to be assosciated with water, and most seem to be sepent-type dragons. Chaotic though Norse dragons may have been, it was always so that something new could be made, and the Norse had great respect for them. Norse people used dragons as guardians for many things, carving them on boats, and buildings to scare away their enemies and stave off the elements. Many of their towns and cities are even named after dagons. (Drakelow, Drakeford, Draconis, Draga, etc.,)
{Note: Even though Orkney is located on the Northern end of Scotland, tales from that particular place have more Norse elements than Celtic, which is why I will list them here}
Mester Stoor Worm
Inhabiting the region of Orkney, the Mester Stoor Worm was said to have been one of the nine curses of mankind. His breath was poisonous, his forked tongue could sweep away ships ansd entire cities, and he was enourmously huge. Any time the Mester Stoor Worm laid his head near a kingdom, it was expected that his horrible appetite be satiated by the people of that unfortunate land. The only thing said to satisfy the great hunger were seven virgin maidens. The people of this land were tired of watching their daughters be devoured, and wanted a permanent solution to the problem. Upon asking the advice of an old wizard, the King was told that if he fed his daughter to the Mester Stoor Worm, it would leave. The King asked for a respite, that he wouldn't have to choosse his country over his daughter, for he loved her more than anything. Within ten weeks, the king had to find a hero to slay the dragon and save his daughter. The King promised his kingdom and the Sikkersnapper, a sword given him by Odin himself, to the one who could slay the dread beast. Many valiant men tried, but all but twelve fled before even attacking the beast. The twelve who tried were unsuccessful. The King despaired of his daughter being saved, for there seemed to be no one else willing to risk their life. However, at the last minute a lazy young farmer named Assipattle showed up. His ideas of heroism were large, and he was absolutely certain he would be what the King had been looking for in a hero. He arrived carrying only a bucket containing a smouldering chunk of peat from his father's hearth, and armed only with that, he set out in a boat toward the dragon. He could see the mountainous head of the monster as he approached, and he watched as the monster yawned. As it yawned again, he steered his boat toward the huge maw, and upon the third time, the young man and his boat were swept into the monter's mouth, down it's throat, and through it's body until the boat finally grounded. At this point, Assipattle knew that he didn't have a lot of time, and he took off running as he had never run before. After turning corners for what seemed like an eternity, he finally reached the beast's liver, and Assipattle cut a slit in the huge organ. He shoved his chunk of smouldering peat into the wound, and quickly tried to fan it into flame. For a while, it seemed as though it wasn't going to work, but he finally succeeded. As soon as he realized that the liver was on fire, he ran back to his boat. Not a moment too soon, he reached it, for the burning sensation aused the dragon to retch, spewing Assipattle and his boat out of the Stoor Worm's body and back to shore. From shore, he watched the fire grow bigger and bigger. From the monster's nostrils came clouds of thick black smoke, and in his pain, his forked tongue shot out and caught hold of the moon. Fortunately it slipped from moon and fell with such a crash that it made a deep crevice on the earth. The tide rushed into the rift and became the Baltic Sea. As the Stoor Worm twisted and writhed, it flung his head up into the sky. Every time it fell back to the ground, teeth dropped from the mouth. The first of the falling teeth became the Orkney Islands, and the next formed the Shetland Islands. Finally, almost dead, the Stoor Worm dropped the Faroe Islands with a huge splash. It's last action was to coil into a tight mass, becoming the country of Iceland. As soon as the sky cleared, the King took Assipattle as his son, and Assipattle and the Princess were wed, in a celebration like that country had never seen, nor would ever see again, for the dread Mester Stoor Worm was dead, to trouble them no more.
The Maeshowe Dragon
One of the most easily recognized symbols of Orkney, the Maeshowe Dragon was carved into the walls of the Maeshowe tomb by a Norseman who had broken into it in the twelfth century. There is some question of whether or not it actually repesents a dragon, but most people agree that it is, due to the fact that it was carved by a Norse crusader.
Fafnir
He is shaped more like the Western dragons. Four feet, terrifying red eyes, able to breathe fire, etc., etc. According to the Old German Tale of the Volsungs, this dragon guards the treasures of light. Originally human, he murdered his father for treasure and was changed into a dragon due to his greed. Fafnir and Sigurd have a very long talk during which Fafnir tells Sigurd a lot of information that mortals shouldn't normally know. He told of the treachery of Regin, who was truly evil. In addition, he gave Sigurd good advice about the curse of gold, but Sigurd would not pay attention. Sigurd hid in a trench and stabbed into Fafnir's belly when he came to drink from the river. A drop of Fafnir's blood got into Sigurd's mouth, and he was able to understand the language of birds. Sigurd took the birds' advice, bathing in Fafnir's blood, which made him invulnerable. Only one place on him wasn't protected, for there was a leaf on his leg, and it prevented the blood from touching him there. Fafnir was very wise, and though all of his advice came as he lay dying, he still gave it. Sigurd had been trained by an evil dwarf, and tricked into killing the dragon so that the dwarf could get his hands on the treasure.
Jormungand
Also known as: World Serpent, Midgard Serpent, Midgaard Serpent, Jormungandr, Iormungand, and many others
The Midgard Serpent, one of the three children of Loki, circles the earth with his coils. He is so long that he can swallow his own tail. In one of the many myths surrounding the dragon is the almost-disastrous fishing trip of Thor and his companion, Hymir. While fishing, Thor himself caught this serpent and, being mortal enemies, tried to slay it. The Midgard Serpent, of course, would have done the same to Thor. This, however, would have precipitated Ragnarok, the end of the world. Hymir, to save the world, cut the line, freeing the serpent. this angered Thor greatly, and he knocked Hymir out of the boat. Luckily for Hymir, he landed safely on land. The Midgard Serpent and Thor will fight in the great battle of Ragnarok, and Thor is destined to kill the serpent with a great blow of his hammer, Mjollnir. However, Thor himself will die from poison of the serpent. The Midgard Serpent is described as having been small at first, but grew to an enourmous size after being cast into the sea. Eventually, it grew so large that it was able to bite it's own tail, encircling the world. It is said that if he ever lets go of his tail, the world will disintegrate into chaos.
Nidhogg
Also known as: Nidhoggr, Nidhog, Nidhogr, Dread Biter, Tearer/Eater of Corpses
This serpent dragon knaws on the roots of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. Considered a dragon of chaos, he is also the one responsible for stripping the flesh from corpses. During Ragnarok, he will succeed in eating away at the World Tree entirely, killing it. He is assisted in his task by smaller serpents named Graback, Grafvolluth, Goin and Moin. They live in Niflheim (House of Mists) which is in the far northern region of icy fogs and mists, darkness and cold, on the lowest level of the universe. Helheim, or the realm of death, is also part of this region. Niflheim lies underneath the third root of Yggdrasil. Also situated on this level is Nastrond, the Shore of Corpses. This is where Nidhogg eats the corpses and knaws on the root of the Tree.
The French had many dragons as well as some interesting twists in their myths. Almost all French dragons are associated with water. They live in large caverns beneath rivers, streams, lakes, etc. These have more of the attributes of bogeymen. "Be careful near the river, mon cher, or the dragon will get you!" Many tales of the French include the kidnapping of children by dragons for their meals.
Tarasque
Less serpentine and more elephantine in girth, it was covered in armor-plate scales. With six legs, the ability to breathe fire and cause floods by lashing it's tail through the Rhone River, it ate beasts and men alike. No matter what weapon, no matter who used it, nothing could penetrate it's thick hide. Using a cross, a young girl named Martha (St. Martha) tamed it, and then tethered it with her own braids, after she cut them off. She led the dragon back to town, but the townsfolk weren't feeling forgiving, and beat the helpless dragon to death. They then then renamed their town Tarascon and adopted the image of the tarasque as their own.
Drac
Drac, a winged river dragon, lived in the Rhone River during the 13th century. It is said to have snatched children away from non-attentive mothers to eat them. Also, it lured other people into the river for other purposes. This dragon is reputed to have killed over 3000 villagers and knights! Draguignan, a small French town, was named after it. Most of Drac's attacks were aimed at the village of Beaucaire, and occasionally other places if people at this hunting ground became too wary. Over a dozen armies went on campaigns after it but none were successful. The specific campaigns are recorded in the French and early Germanic histories: Ocino, Ragnarold, and Umberto of Guineve. Undefeated, it is said to have eventually died of old age. Some French dragons needed the milk of a mortal women for their hatchlings. There are tales of women captured by dragons and placed under an enchantment that made them forget their mortal lives for a time. In this state, they cared for and nursed the young hatchlings. After seven years, they were released and all memories of the dragons wiped out. However, at one time, one of Drac's released women was able to see the dragon due to the dragon-sight imparted by a magical cream which she had been forced to place on the hatchling's eyes. In rubbing her own, the cream was placed upon her eye too. While everyone else in town was oblivious to the dragon's presence, she could see it. After the dragon determined which eye had been affected by the cream, it used it's claws to rip the eye from her head, thus negating the spell. She did her best to warn the villagers of the dragon in the marketplace, but since they all thought her mad, the mysterious loss of children in the town continued.
Vouivre
Found in the Alpine region of France, the name derives from the Latin vipera, which means viper. Beautiful, this is a rare example of a cyclopean-type. It's scales 'sparkled like diamonds', it wore a crown decorated in pearls, and in the center of it's forehead was a 'red carbuncle', a fantastic gem that served as it's single eye. The gem was so luminous that it looked like the dragon was surrounded by fire when it flew. Shooting stars were said to be this magnificent dragon flying. The Vouivre lived in the ruins of a chateau or abbey, mountain grotto, or cave. It was also invulnerable to attack, and was only able to be killed one night a year. On that night, it would fly to a stream or lake in order to drink and bathe. When it did this, it would have to remove the gem from it's forehead, thus leaving it blind and relatively helpless. Although it would have been the perfect opportunity for a 'hero' to kill the dragon, no one ever even attempted to do so.
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