Dragons did not emerge at the same time or in the same form around the world. But they are part of the folklore and legends of many societies.
Dragons are thought to have first appeared in China. A series of objects and works chronicle the dragon’s emergence and evolution through time and space.
How do you define an animal that doesn’t exist? What makes dragons different from other imaginary monsters? Although they come in many different forms, dragons seem to share certain common characteristics, no matter where they are found.
Dragons thrive in any environment, and their mastery of the four elements magnifies their power. Sometimes they are said to live underground in mysterious caves or buried in the earth itself, leaving their mark on the landscape or triggering earthquakes. They are a force of nature.
In Asia, dragons are the airborne messengers between humans and the gods; while in the West, they represent Satan, the fallen angel who kept his wings. Ancient texts also describe them as breathing fire, even though this destructive power generally appears in more recent images. Lastly, water is a common theme for dragons of every variety, and they are often thought of as aquatic beasts that can bring rain, which is a source of life, but can also cause floods.
Throughout history, various “proofs” have fueled the legend of the dragon. Belief in dragons was widespread among authors of the past. Aristotle referred to them in Antiquity, and Marco Polo claimed to have seen them in his travels through Asia.
In the 16th century, curiosity cabinets exhibited chimeras as rarities of the natural world. Scientists later proved such displays to be fakes.
When imagining monsters, humans draw on elements of nature that they combine and transform. The dragon is a classic example of such a hybrid bestiary. Its appearance is the result of combinations that vary based on its geographic origins and symbolic role.
Reptiles instill fascination as much as fear and are a common theme in folk beliefs. The dragon’s appearance draws largely on the reptile world. Its name comes from the Greek word drakon, derived from the verb derkomai, which means “to gaze intensely.”
We also attribute it the penetrating gaze of the snake, whose eyelids are fixed and transparent. It was in the 19th century that the fossilized remains of large animals were first interpreted as belonging to the lost giant reptiles of old—the dinosaurs. Human imagination associated them with the legendary dragons that survived the Great Flood and took refuge in remote locations.
The dragon has been given a wide range of missions. An ambivalent creature that is just as often benevolent as it is evil, it adapts to numerous situations. It plays a fundamental role as an intermediary between nature and civilization and between humans and the divine.
An interactive component of the exhibition lets visitors create their own dragon tale. Choose your character (prince, princess, or dragon) and watch as the story unfolds throughout the exhibition.
The exhibition presents dragons dreamt up by Guy Gavriel Kay, Bryan Perro, and Élisabeth Vonarburg, as well as pieces of decorative artwork adorned with the fabulous beast.
In ancient cosmogonies (or creation stories), giant snakes and dragons are often featured prominently. They are synonymous with chaos, from which emerge a tamer version of nature and all-powerful gods.
Humans and demigods sometimes encounter menacing dragons that wreak terror around their lairs. They must defeat them to found or free a town, save a princess, or get their hands on wondrous treasure.
Bitter combat culminates in the demise of the dragon and a hero’s glory. Legends such as these represent various rites of passage. Most symbolize a person’s passage from one stage in life to the next, like a child’s journey into adulthood. “Dragon slaying” heroes abound in Greek and Oriental legends. They later became the models for other religions and literatures.
In Christianity, the dragon is known as the “ancient serpent.” It personifies the devil, the fallen angel. It is a central figure of the Apocalypse of St. John, which recounts the events leading to the End of Days.
The end of the world will come from the dragon, the silver-tongued seducer that leads its victims astray to swallow them up. Luckily St. Michael battles and slays the beast in an aerial duel. But the dragon of evil can also take root inside the human soul. The episode of the monster swallowing St. Margaret represents our own battles against our personal demons.
In China and most Asian countries, the dragon is a symbol of life that represents nature’s rebirth after winter. Asian imagery often depicts it belching forth foliage to announce the coming of spring. On the rooftops of Chinese homes, the dragon faces east toward the rising sun.
The dragon is also believed to watch over the passing of time. According to the European tradition, the disappearance of the dragon marks the end of winter. Processional dragon puppets were paraded through towns during Rogation Days, an ancient rite to bless the fields and ensure a good harvest. This tradition has metamorphosed over the years into a carnival-like festival associated with the legend of St. George.
The dragon’s magical strength and power caused kings and emperors to deify the creature and make it the emblem of their power. The dragon’s image became a symbol of recognition.
In the age of the first Chinese dynasties, the dominant tribes chose the animal—considered to be the embodiment of good—to assert their superiority. This distinction undoubtedly marked the origin of the imperial dragon, a symbol of authority.
Even today, the dragon remains an ambivalent creature. Although more associated with evil in the West, the dragon is seen as an essentially positive creature in Asia. In Bali, dragons are placed above cradles. In Europe, the frightening monster is used to drive away demons, notably on church doors.
In Antiquity, some soldiers carried a dragon-shaped standard known as a draconarius into battle to frighten enemies and protect the troops. The dragon thus became a military emblem.
It is said that dragons never sleep. Ever wary, the dragon jealously guards its often magical treasure. Some authors even claim dragons have a passion for gold.
Like many imaginary creatures, dragons have become appealing decorative motifs on valuable works of art. On jewelry, they also serve as symbols of protection.
Bryan Perro, storyteller, theater director, and author of the immensely popular young readers series Amos Daragon (published by Éditions Les Intouchables), contributed to the Dragons, Between Science and Fiction exhibition, which opens May 9 at Musée de la civilisation in Québec City. He accepted the Museum’s invitation to write a story featuring his famous character Amos Daragon.
Throughout the exhibition, Amos Daragon invites visitors on a twelve-part adventure that starts with the birth and metamorphoses of the noble dragon Maelstrom and then leads us to discover the object of his new quest. This object will allow Amos to reunite Maelstrom with his savage and merciless brother in order to restore the balance between Good and Evil and the powers of Light and Dark.
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