Dragons: Reflections of Human Nature

Written by Damien Rudy

An illustration of the dragon from The Hobbit trilogy: Conversation with Smaug, by J.R.R. Tolkien

Dragons. We all know them. Massive creatures found in movies, mythologies, shows, books, legends, and more. Whether they are guarding a treasure hoard, ravaging a countryside, or nibbling at the roots of an interdimensional tree, they are always relatively important in their stories.

But what exactly does a dragon personify in myth beyond their physical appearances? Most creatures and characters in myths and legends represent something beyond their physical aspect so, food for thought, what do dragons represent? 

One of the better explanations for what dragons represent in my opinion is that they are reflections of humanity, namely humanity's tendency to lean towards instinct and evil, along with the idea that power corrupts humanity and causes them to act like monsters. 

A quote in a well known book that refers to and characterizes dragons is, “The Dragon has three heads.” This is a quote from A Song of Ice and Fire, written by George R.R. Martin, said by several characters throughout the book. I found a quote that builds off of that quote (Though I have no idea how the quote evolved, the end result is still good), “The Dragon has three heads. One to be a murderer, who will unleash death. One to be a monarch, whose crown will weigh heavy. And one to be mad, whose ideas will change history.” This quote can be interpreted in several ways. It can be taken as a reference to certain characters in the book, each representing one of the “heads”, or it can be taken as a statement on dragons as a whole. 

Each one of the descriptions brought by the quote accurately describes a stereotype for dragons in stories, but it also describes villains that have to do with royalty. A murderous, mad king, burdened by the weight of the crown is a classic trope in medieval literature and even in modern day. Dragons likewise, can be seen as an empire led by one of these kinds of rulers. A dragons’ breath attacks and immense wealth are reflected in empires after all, with an empire's wealth and use of siege machines and artillery, it isn’t hard to see the resemblance. So it is such that dragons are demonized versions of humanity and the empires they represent.