The Dragons of Somerset: And Their Relation to Dragons of the World

By Roy Snelling

This is a highly illustrated book that looks deeply into the myths, legends and folk-tales of dragons. The first part of the book examines twenty-two accounts of dragons in Somerset, such as the ‘Gurt-Vurm’ of Shervage Wood, who, when cut in half by a woodsman, had the half with the fire-breathing hewad running off to Kingston St. Mary. In the next part of the book dragon stories are examined from all continents, in some cases going back into far antiquity. The Somerset dragons are then compared with dragons from around the World, under different headings such as: - eats people – has two legs – has many heads – kills hero – etc. to see if the Somerset beasts are part of a World-wide pattern. Finally, the meaning behind the dragon stories and what they reveal about Man’s psyche and understanding of Life is examined. We look at such things as a possible race memory of dinosaurs, the serpent Satan in the Bible, and Jung’s theories of Man’s symbols and archetypes in the collective unconscious. The book contains numerous photos, drawings, map and timeline. A reading delight for young and old alike, It would make an ideal Christmas or birthday present

• Language: English
• Publisher: Spiritual Genesis Books
• Release date: Jan 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781783016327

Book preview

SNELLING

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

Many books have been written about dragons, including books and internet sites about dragon stories in the British Isles. Reference to Somerset dragons have been made in books about the legends and folk-tales of Somerset, such as that by the author Sally Jones 28 years ago. What I have attempted to do in this book is to review as many of the extant stories and references specifically to dragons in Somerset as possible and present such in one volume. I have also taken the liberty of expanding this to include dragons in other forms, such as hunky punks carved in the form of dragons on the towers of many medieval churches in Somerset, bench-end carvings and stained-glass windows in the same, and also dragon lines (Ley-Lines) that cross the Somerset landscape. I have then extended our area of search to review stories of dragons, serpents and snakes World-wide to see if there are common features in all these stories, as related to the Somerset stories.

In such a subject as this we are inevitably dealing with myths, legends and folk tales. But what is the difference between such? The Oxford Modern English Dictionary defines them as follows:

MYTH – traditional narrative, usually involving supernatural or imaginary persons and embodying popular ideas on natural and social phenomena.

LEGEND – A traditional storey, sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated.

FOLKLORE – Traditional beliefs and stories of a people.

From the stories of this book it will be seen that there is no distinct boundary between the three and one often merges into the other.

In Chapter 2 – ‘What is a Dragon? ‘ – I have attempted to describe what a dragon is supposed to look like, how it lives, and its relationship to Man. I have taken a broad-brush approach to show how dragon stories come from many cultures across the World and also from different literary sources. In Chapter 3 – ‘Dragons in Somerset’ – I present twenty two stories of dragons in Somerset in various forms, each storey being identified geographically on a location-map. In Chapter 4 – ‘Dragons from around the World’ – I present numerous stories and accounts of dragon and serpent myths from all Continents, some going back into ancient Greece and China. Chapter 5 – ‘Common features in Somerset and World Dragon Myths’ – various Somerset and World dragons are listed under headings such as ‘has wings’ – ‘has many heads’ – ‘breathe fire’ and so on. 26 such headings are given. In Chapter 6 – ‘An Overview’ – I have attempted to examine whether there is a spiritual or psychological interpretation one can make of these stories. Are they related to Ley-Lines. What is the Germanic/Norse myth of the storey of Sigurd/Siegfried trying to tell us? How does this relate to the Human Psyche? I have also attempted to show where a ‘dragon’ is sometimes seen as a symbol of evil, sometimes as a raw energy that needs taming, sometimes as something that is benevolent or a symbol of wisdom. In doing this I have drawn upon the theories of the psychologist, Carl Gustav Jung.

Chapter 2 WHAT IS A DRAGON?

The word ‘Dragon’ is defined in the Oxford Modern English Dictionary as a ‘mythical monster like a reptile, usually with wings and claws and able to breath out fire’. The etymology of the word is from the Latin ‘DRACO’ which derives from the Greek ‘DRAKON’ meaning ‘SERPENT’. But the same Oxford Dictionary defines ‘Serpent’ as ‘a snake, especially of a large kind or a scaly, limbless reptile’. As the ancient Anglo-Saxons sometimes used the word ‘Worm’ to denote a serpent it is interesting to note that this word derives from the old Anglo-Saxon word ‘WYRM’ which is of Germanic origin. If one looks at the various legends of dragons from around the World, especially those of Indo-European and Chinese origin there would seem to be a consensus of interpretation that would give the following picture: A dragon is a very large reptile like creature with a long scaly body, four legs ending with feet with long claws, an ugly or fearsome head with cruel, savage teeth. Many dragons were reputed to have a pair of wings, often of a leathery nature like those of a bat. Most European dragons breathed fire whereas most Chinese dragons did not. In fact some Chinese dragons were thought to have been ‘Water-Dragons’. A Wyvern has the shape halfway between a worm and a four-legged dragon. It is often shown with two legs and small wings. The Wyvern is not exclusively British but can be found also in other parts of the World. The name comes from the French ‘Wivere’ meaning ‘viper of the World’. Some wyverns were thought to have the ability to hypnotise their prey with the stare from their emerald eyes.