British Dragons

by Jacqueline Simpson

Most say there are no dragons - but this has never stopped poets, artists, story-tellers and musicians from exploiting the fascination these mythical beasts exert on the human imagination. Jacqueline Simpson gathers and examines the material to be found in folk tales in England, Scotland and Wales, together with folk customs using the dragon. In addition there is a brief general history of dragons. This book brings together the various mythic forms of the dragon as treasure guardian, voracious beast to be killed, the luck-giving snake and many others. All of these are drawn from the rich dragon folklore tradition of Britain including the Dragon of Wantley, the Lambton Worm and the Muckle Mester Stoor Worm. A full appendix and a gazetteer of places with dragon legends and a full listing of dates relevant to British dragon lore accompany this revised edition.

Genres: Nonfiction, Dragons, Reference, Mythology, Folklore

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Dr. Jacqueline Simpson (born 1930) is a United Kingdom researcher and author on folklore and legend.
She studied English Literature and Medieval Icelandic at Bedford College, University of London. Dr. Simpson has been, at various times, Editor, Secretary, and President of the Folklore Society. She was awarded the Society's Coote Lake Research Medal in 2008. In 2010 she was appointed Visiting Professor of Folklore at the Sussex Centre of Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy at the University of Chichester, West Sussex. She has a particular interest in local legends (as opposed to international fairytales), and has published collections of this genre from Iceland, Scandinavia in general, and England (the latter in collaboration with the late Jennifer Westwood). She has also written on the folklore of various English regions, and was co-author with Steve Roud of the Penguin Dictionary of English Folklore. She lives in West Sussex, England.
She has been a point of reference for Terry Pratchett since he met her at a book signing in 1997. Pratchett, who was then researching his novel Carpe Jugulum, was asking everyone in the queue how many magpie rhymes they knew; and whilst most people gave one answer – the theme from the TV series Magpie – Simpson stated that she knew "about nineteen". This encounter eventually led to collaboration.

Reviews

[Gillian Kevern · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very dense book, packed with information. So much information, that now only a few things stand out in my mind. Highlights: The Lambton Worm, Norwich's 'Snap' dragon, and the fact that most dragon legends are attached to sites of strategic military importance.

[[ J o ] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two dragons walk in to a bar.
One dragon says, "It's hot in here."
The other says, "Shut your mouth."

[liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars from me because I'm very interested in folklore and dragons separately, so together is ultimate. Also, I picked it out in a second hand bookshop which seems fated 😇