What do you think?
Rate this book
Introducing the Medieval Dragon
The figure of the dragon loomed large in the medieval imagination. Dragons were intended to frighten and also to fuel fantasy by providing a suitably threatening, evil creature for the hero to overcome. Yet their cultural role went far beyond that of monstrous reptilian adversaries.
Introducing the Medieval Dragon explores the characteristics of the dragon and the multifarious views found in the relevant medieval writings. Through insightful textual study, Thomas Honegger presents new interpretations of religious and literary works, visual imagery, and other depictions of these mythic beasts to illuminate the social value of these representations. From the basis of this study within everyday medieval mythology, Honegger reveals how the figure of the dragon is constantly revived—from Beowulf to Tolkien, Disney to Harry Potter.
Introducing the Medieval Dragon explores the characteristics of the dragon and the multifarious views found in the relevant medieval writings. Through insightful textual study, Thomas Honegger presents new interpretations of religious and literary works, visual imagery, and other depictions of these mythic beasts to illuminate the social value of these representations. From the basis of this study within everyday medieval mythology, Honegger reveals how the figure of the dragon is constantly revived—from Beowulf to Tolkien, Disney to Harry Potter.
144 pages, Paperback
Published January 22, 2020
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 11, 2020
A brief sensible introduction to the subject. Note that the body of the book is only 102 out of the 185 pages. Most of the remainder is endnotes.
October 10, 2023
Absolutely phenomenal book.
My review of this book for The Folklore Podcast can be found here and my interview with the wonderful Thomas Honegger can be found here.
Introducing the Medieval Dragon by Thomas Honegger is part of a series dedicated to medieval animals published by the University of Wales Press. The medieval animals series is dedicated to providing a deep analysis of the naturalistic, folkloric, theological, and literary understandings of these animals to the medieval mind, as well as how such understandings can still resonate with modern audiences through contemporary artistic examples. While covering a complex topic, Introducing the Medieval Dragon proved to be an engaging and accessible read rife with fascinating insights into etiological discussions that I found highly revelatory.
The book is divided into the following sections: Scholarship, Religion, Folklore, and Literature. The introduction and first section are mainly concerned with the origins of the dragon in human consciousness and what people think of when they hear the word dragon - a more complicated thing than you might think! While the book acknowledges the prevailing theories as to how dragons arose in consciousness (finding unusual fossils, genetic memory from our ancestors, an amalgamation of the predators most dangerous to man, misinterpreted reports of other big reptiles, or the personification of weather phenomena) the book also benefits from reiterating that the origin of dragons is not the most interesting thing about them. Dragons exist within the “Cauldron of Story”; how they first got in there is only a singular part of our fascination with them.
Once draconic origins are out of the way the book is free to shine. It compares the Western dragon with the Eastern dragon, and then presents a deeper look into why the Western dragon is the fearsome beast that it is, while the Eastern one is primarily a wise and benevolent spirit. It next examines the naturalistic dragon found in medieval bestiaries and how it evolved from a peculiar but real animal into the allegorical creature representative of Satan and his minions. The religious dragon then gains prominence, and through tales of Jesus and Mary giving power to the knights that smite him, it then becomes a Folkloric creature representative of the ruling class, bad neighbours, and human greed.
By the time that the Dragon in Literature chapter is reached the reader has a good understanding of just what the dragon represents in the Medieval mind, and therefore is ready for those expectations to be subverted by the writers of the day. Of course the texts primarily dealt with in this chapter are Beowulf and Sir Bevis of Hampton – the two texts from which J.R.R. Tolkien himself plucked Smaug, arguably the best known of modern dragons. The book does a good job examining how the tropes have been subverted in later texts, notably in Sir Bevis of Hampton and how this is still a conversation continuing to this very day.
I found this book to be engaging and informative. The illustrations peppered throughout were gorgeous and the inclusion of the Old English text above the modern translation was a very nice touch. Being slim, well-researched, and succinct this book was exactly the introduction that it set out to be. Based upon this book, I believe that the series could be a valuable resource for the layperson interested in attaining a better understanding of the Medieval Mind, and how modern works continue to build and grow from the foundation set all those many centuries ago.
My review of this book for The Folklore Podcast can be found here and my interview with the wonderful Thomas Honegger can be found here.
Introducing the Medieval Dragon by Thomas Honegger is part of a series dedicated to medieval animals published by the University of Wales Press. The medieval animals series is dedicated to providing a deep analysis of the naturalistic, folkloric, theological, and literary understandings of these animals to the medieval mind, as well as how such understandings can still resonate with modern audiences through contemporary artistic examples. While covering a complex topic, Introducing the Medieval Dragon proved to be an engaging and accessible read rife with fascinating insights into etiological discussions that I found highly revelatory.
The book is divided into the following sections: Scholarship, Religion, Folklore, and Literature. The introduction and first section are mainly concerned with the origins of the dragon in human consciousness and what people think of when they hear the word dragon - a more complicated thing than you might think! While the book acknowledges the prevailing theories as to how dragons arose in consciousness (finding unusual fossils, genetic memory from our ancestors, an amalgamation of the predators most dangerous to man, misinterpreted reports of other big reptiles, or the personification of weather phenomena) the book also benefits from reiterating that the origin of dragons is not the most interesting thing about them. Dragons exist within the “Cauldron of Story”; how they first got in there is only a singular part of our fascination with them.
Once draconic origins are out of the way the book is free to shine. It compares the Western dragon with the Eastern dragon, and then presents a deeper look into why the Western dragon is the fearsome beast that it is, while the Eastern one is primarily a wise and benevolent spirit. It next examines the naturalistic dragon found in medieval bestiaries and how it evolved from a peculiar but real animal into the allegorical creature representative of Satan and his minions. The religious dragon then gains prominence, and through tales of Jesus and Mary giving power to the knights that smite him, it then becomes a Folkloric creature representative of the ruling class, bad neighbours, and human greed.
By the time that the Dragon in Literature chapter is reached the reader has a good understanding of just what the dragon represents in the Medieval mind, and therefore is ready for those expectations to be subverted by the writers of the day. Of course the texts primarily dealt with in this chapter are Beowulf and Sir Bevis of Hampton – the two texts from which J.R.R. Tolkien himself plucked Smaug, arguably the best known of modern dragons. The book does a good job examining how the tropes have been subverted in later texts, notably in Sir Bevis of Hampton and how this is still a conversation continuing to this very day.
I found this book to be engaging and informative. The illustrations peppered throughout were gorgeous and the inclusion of the Old English text above the modern translation was a very nice touch. Being slim, well-researched, and succinct this book was exactly the introduction that it set out to be. Based upon this book, I believe that the series could be a valuable resource for the layperson interested in attaining a better understanding of the Medieval Mind, and how modern works continue to build and grow from the foundation set all those many centuries ago.
March 28, 2020
This marvellous little book describes and explains dragons’ appearances in (predominantly) medieval European literature.
Honegger discusses possible geneses of the dragon (including, for example, their being personifications of real-world natural phenomena like volcanoes and thunderstorms, or re-interpretations of real-world dangerous predators like crocodiles and snakes) and tracks their being embraced into early scientists’ taxonomies of the observed animal world.
Honegger proceeds to consider dragons’ appearances in important medieval texts (most notably Beowulf and Bevis of Hampton, although later work, such as that of J.R.R. Tolkien, is mentioned too) and reflects on their possible allegorical significance (particularly as religiously-motivated symbolic representations, including that of the devil or of unchristian ‘pagan’ communities).
Happily, this deeply informative book is written in a style that makes its contents accessible and digestible. Honegger explains fully, clearly, selectively, and thus to great effect.
Dragons now occupy a richly contextualised position in my mind, and I’m inspired to reconsider the valence of all those who I’ve encountered in my literary and filmic pursuits. A deeply valuable read, and one that I’m here recommending without reservation.
Honegger discusses possible geneses of the dragon (including, for example, their being personifications of real-world natural phenomena like volcanoes and thunderstorms, or re-interpretations of real-world dangerous predators like crocodiles and snakes) and tracks their being embraced into early scientists’ taxonomies of the observed animal world.
Honegger proceeds to consider dragons’ appearances in important medieval texts (most notably Beowulf and Bevis of Hampton, although later work, such as that of J.R.R. Tolkien, is mentioned too) and reflects on their possible allegorical significance (particularly as religiously-motivated symbolic representations, including that of the devil or of unchristian ‘pagan’ communities).
Happily, this deeply informative book is written in a style that makes its contents accessible and digestible. Honegger explains fully, clearly, selectively, and thus to great effect.
Dragons now occupy a richly contextualised position in my mind, and I’m inspired to reconsider the valence of all those who I’ve encountered in my literary and filmic pursuits. A deeply valuable read, and one that I’m here recommending without reservation.
November 23, 2025
A short but informative analysis of dragons in medieval literature, tracing the origins and development of its word and appearance, as well its symbolic usage.
April 10, 2024
Full review and thoughts here on the blog!
https://thegrimmlibrarian.wordpress.c...
https://thegrimmlibrarian.wordpress.c...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews