Cadmus and the Dragon. According to Herodotus, the battle between Cadmus and the
dragon occurred several generations before the fall of Troy. This artwork depicts Cadmus in
this time period, using weapons and armour appropriate to a warrior of the Aegean Bronze
Age.
Sigurd slaying Fáfnir. While most modern depictions of Sigurd/Sigfried show the hero
wearing primitive skins, this artwork presents him in the dress and armour appropriate to a
Germanic warrior of the sixth century.
Beowulf and the Fire Drake. The Beowulf dragon is the first example in European mythology
of a fire-breathing dragon. Previously, most dragons had poisonous breath. This might be an
early indication of Christianity creeping into the tale, using fire to connect the dragon to
Satan, or, just as likely, it highlights the danger of fire at a time when nearly everything was
constructed of wood.
The Historical St. George. This artwork is an attempt to depict a ‘historical’ encounter
between St. George and the dragon. St. George is shown fighting in a manner appropriate to a
Roman cavalryman of the 3rd or 4th century. The ‘dragon’ is a very large crocodile.
The Redcrosse Knight. In 1590 the English poet, Edmund Spenser, released the first part of
his epic poem, The Faerie Queene. The hero of book one is The Redcrosse Knight, who is
later revealed to be St. George. In the poem, St. George kills a dragon after an epic battle.
This artwork illustrates this battle, one of the last major fights between a hero and a dragon in
English literature before the works of J. R. R. Tolkien.
The Lambton Worm. By the medieval period, most European dragons were depicted as
having four limbs; however, in most English folktales, dragons continued to appear as giant
serpents.
Dobrynya Nikitich and Zmey Gorynych. In most Russian tales, and indeed most Slavic
folklore, dragons are multi-headed creatures. While Eastern Europe contains a wealth of
dragonslayer stories, they are only slowly being made available in English.