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Norse dragons are snake-like legendary creatures in Germanic mythology and folklore. Many dragons in Germanic tales are portrayed as large venomous serpents however, especially in later tales, they share many common features with other dragons in European mythology.

Origin, appearance and terminology

In early depictions, as with dragons in other cultures, the distinction between Germanic dragons and regular snakes is blurred, with both being referred to as Old Norse ormr or Old English wyrm from Proto-Germanic *wurmiz. Wyrm has since been borrowed back into Modern English to mean "dragon", while the cognate worm is uncommonly used in Modern English to refer specifically to wingless dragons.^[1]^[2]

In Fáfnismál, the dragon Fáfnir is described as flightless and snake-like, and is referred to as an ormr.^[3]^[4] In the later Völsunga saga, however, he has shoulders, suggesting legs, wings or both, and is referred to as both a dreki and an ormr.^[5] Similarly, the dragon in Beowulf is referred to as both a wyrm and a draca, although in some sources such as Ketils saga hœngs and the 14th century romance saga Konráðs saga keisarasonar, ormar and drekar are portrayed as distinct beings, with winged dragons sometimes specified as flogdreka (flying dragons).^[6] Old Norse dreki and Old English draca mean "dragon, sea serpent or sea monster" and are in turn derived from Proto-Germanic *drakō, an early borrowing from Latin draco "huge serpent or dragon".^[7]^[8]^[9]

The evolution of wingless and legless worms and lindworms to flying, four-legged romanesque dragons in Germanic folklore and literature is most likely due to influence from continental Europe that was facilitated by Christianisation and the increased availability of translated romances. It has thus been proposed that the description in Völuspá of Níðhöggr with feathers and flying after Ragnarök is a late addition and potentially a result of the integration of pagan and Christian imagery.^[5]^[10]^[11]^[12].

To address the difficulties with categorising Germanic dragons, the term drakorm has been proposed, referring to beings described as either dreki or ormr.^[13]

List of Norse dragons

Níðhöggr is a dragon attested in the Eddas that gnaws at the roots of Yggdrassil and the corpses of Náströnd.^[4]^[14]
Jörmungandr, also known as the Midgard Serpent, is described as a giant, venomous beast and the child of Loki and Angrboða.^[12]^[15]^[16]
Fáfnir is a widely attested dragon that has a prominent role in the Völsung Cycle.^[5] Fafnir was originally a dwarf who took the form of a dragon after claiming a hoard of treasure, including Andvaranaut, from his father. He was later killed by Sigurd (Sigfried) who hid in a pit and stabbed him from underneath with a sword.^[17]^[18]
The Gesta Danorum contains a description of a dragon killed by Frotho I.^[19] The dragon is described as "the keeper of the mountain." After Frotho I kills the dragon, he takes its hoard of treasure.^[19] The Gesta Danorum describes another dragon fight where a dragon is slain by Friðleifr and it is similar to the story of Frotho I.^[19]^[20]

There are several sagas with dragons in them, including Þiðreks saga, Övarr-Odds saga, and Sigrgarðs saga frækna, among others.^[21]

Common traits

Guarding treasure

The association between dragons and hoards of treasure is widespread in Germanic literature.

In the Völsung Cycle, Fáfnir was a dwarf who, upon claiming a hoard of treasure, including the ring Andvaranaut, transforms into a dragon. Fáfnir's brother, Regin reforges the sword Gram from broken shards and gives it to the hero Sigurd who uses it to kill the dragon by waiting in a hole until the worm slithers over and exposes his underbelly. While dying Fáfnir speaks with Sigurd and shares mythological knowledge. Sigurd then cooks and tastes the dragon's heart, allowing the hero to understand the speech of birds who tell him to kill Regin, which he does and then takes the hoard for himself.^[4] In Beowulf, it is Sigmund (the father of Sigurd in Old Norse tradition) who kills a dragon and takes its hoard.^[6]

In Beowulf, the dragon that the poem's eponymous hero is awoken from the burial mound in which it dwells when a cup from its hoard is stolen, leading it to seek vengeance from the Geats. After both the dragon and Beowulf die, the treasure is reinterred in the king's barrow.^[6] The Old English poem, Maxims II further states:

Sweord sceal on bearme,
drihtlic isern. Draca sceal on hlæwe,
frod, frætwum wlanc. Fisc sceal on wætere
cynren cennan. Cyning sceal on healle
beagas dælan.^[22]

The sword must be in the lap,
the lordly iron. The dragon must be in the barrow,
aged, proud in treasure. The fish must be in the water,
propagating its kind. The king must wait in the hall,
dealing in rings.^[23]

In Ragnars saga loðbrókar, Thóra, the daughter of a Geatish earl, is given a snake by her father which she puts on top of a pile of gold. This makes both the snake and the treasure grows until the dragon is so large its head touches its tail.^[24] The image of an encircled snake eating its own tail is also seen with Jörmungandr.^[25] The hero Ragnar Lodbrok later wins the hand of Thóra and the treasure by slaying the dragon.^[24] The motif of gold causing a snake-like creature to grow into a dragon is seen in the Icelandic tale of the Lagarfljót Worm recorded in the 19th century.^[26]

Breathing fire and poison

Dragons with poisonous breath are believed to predate those who breathe fire in Germanic folklore and literature, consistent with the theory that Germanic dragons developed from traditions regarding wild snakes, some of whom produce venom.^[5] The Nine Herbs Charm describes nine plants being used to overcome the venom of a slithering wyrm. It tells that Wōden defeats the wyrm by striking it with nine twigs, breaking it into nine pieces.^[27]

In Eddic poetry, both Fáfnir and the sea serpent Jörmungandr are described as having poisonous breath.^[4] In Gylfaginning it is told that during Ragnarök, Thor will kill Jörmungandr however after taking nine steps, he will be in turn killed by the worm's venom.^[25] A similar creature from Orcadian folklore is the poisonous stoor worm which was killed by the hero Assipattle, falling into the sea and forming Iceland, Orkney, Shetland and the Faroe Islands. As in the English tale of the Linton worm, the stoor worm is killed by burning its insides with peat.^[28]

Beowulf is one of the earliest examples of a fire-breathing dragon yet it is also referred to as "the poison scourge" (attorsceaðan). After burning homes and land in Geatland, it fights the eponymous hero of the poem who bears a metal shield to protect himself from the fire. The dragon wounds him but is slain by the king's thane Wiglaf. Beowulf later succumbs to the dragon's poison and dies. The other dragon mentioned in the poem is further associated with fire, melting from its own heat once slain by Sigmund.^[6] Both fire and venom are also spat by dragons in the Chivalric saga Sigurðr saga þögla and in Nikolaus saga erkibiskups II, written around 1340 AD, in which the dragon is sent by God to teach an English deacon to become more pious.^[5]

Material culture

Carved dragon heads

Drakkar were ships used by Vikings in the Medieval period that featured carved prows in the shape of dragons.^[12]^[29]^[30] One version of the Icelandic Landnámabók states that the ancient Heathen law of Iceland required any ship having a dragon figurehead in place on one's ship "with gaping mouth or yawning snout" to remove the carving before coming in sight of land because it would frighten the landvættir.^[31]

Stave churches are sometimes decorated by carved dragon heads which has been proposed to have originated in the belief in their apotropaic function.^[10]^[32]

Depictions of entire dragons

Medieval depictions of worms carved in stone feature both in Sweden and the British Isles. In Sweden, runic inscriptions dated to around the 11th century often show a lindworm bearing the text encircling the remaining picture on the stone.^[33] Some Sigurd stones such as U 1163, Sö 101 (the Rasmund carving) and Sö 327 (the Gök inscription) show a Sigurd thrusting a sword through the worm which is identified as Fáfnir.^[34] The killing of Fáfnir is also potentially pictured on four crosses from the Isle of Man and a now lost fragment, with a similar artistic style, from the church at Kirby Hill in England.^[35]^[36]^[37]

Wooden carvings from the Hylestad Stave Church of scenes from the Völsunga saga include Sigurd killing Fáfnir, who is notably shown with two legs and two wings.^[38]

The fishing trip described in Hymiskviða in which Thor catches Jörmungandr has been linked to a number of stones in Scandinavia and England such as the Altuna Runestone and the Hørdum stone.^[39]^[40]^[41]

Visual depictions of Germanic dragons

One of the four dragon heads adorning the ridges of the Borgund Stave Church.
Sigurðr killing Fáfnir, from the Jurby cross on the Isle of Man.
Lindworm from the U 871 runestone.
U 1163, the Drävle runestone, showing Sigurðr slaying Fáfnir.
Jörmungandr on the Altuna Runestone.
Sigurd slaying Fafnir, depicted on the right portal plank from Hylestad Stave Church, from the second half of the 12th century.

This article relating to a Norse myth or legend is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

References

^ "wyrm". Wiktionary. 5 January 2022. Archived from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
^ "worm". Wiktionary. 20 February 2022. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
^ "Fáfnismál – heimskringla.no". heimskringla.no. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Bellows, Henry Adam (2004). The Poetic Edda : The Mythological Poems. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. ISBN 0486437108.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Acker, Paul (2013). "Dragons in the Eddas and in Early Nordic Art". In Acker, Paul; Larrington, Carolyne (eds.). Revisiting the Poetic Edda: Essays on Old Norse Heroic Legend. Routledge. p. 53-57. ISBN 978-0-415-88861-5.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Beowulf on Steorarume [Beowulf in Cyberspace]: Bilingual Edition (OE text & translation)". heorot.dk. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
^ "dreki". Wiktionary. 20 February 2022. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
^ "drake | Etymology, origin and meaning of drake by etymonline". www.etymonline.com. 20 February 2022. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
^ "dragon | Etymology, origin and meaning of dragon by etymonline". www.etymonline.com. 20 February 2022. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
^ ^a ^b Simek, Rudolf (1993). Dictionary of northern mythology. Cambridge [England]: D.S. Brewer. pp. 64–65. ISBN 9780859915137.
^ Somerville, Angus A.; McDonald, R. Andrew (2013). The Vikings and their Age. Companions to Medieval Studies. University of Toronto Press. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-4426-0522-0.
^ ^a ^b ^c Fee, Christopher R. (2011). Mythology in the Middle Ages. Praeger. p. 8-10. ISBN 978-0-275-98406-9.
^ Johansen, Birgitta (1997). "Ormalur. Aspekter av tillvaro och landskap". Stockholm Studies in Archeology. 14.
^ Young, Jean (1992). The prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson : tales from Norse mythology. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press. p. 89. ISBN 9780520273054.
^ Thompson, Ben (2015). Guts & Glory: The Vikings. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780316320559.
^ Young, Jean (1992). The prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson : tales from Norse mythology. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press. p. 89. ISBN 9780520273054.
^ Bane, Theresa (2016). Encyclopedia of beasts and monsters in myth, legend and folklore. Jefferson, North Carolina. ISBN 978-0-7864-9505-4. OCLC 930364175.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ The Saga of the Volsungs : the Norse epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer. Jesse L. Byock. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1990. ISBN 0-585-08136-0. OCLC 44964973.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^ ^a ^b ^c Rauer, Christine (2000). "The Dragon Episode". Beowulf and the Dragon: Parallels and Analogues. D. S. Brewer. p. 24-51. ISBN 0-85991-592-1.
^ Saxo (Grammaticus) (1894). The First Nine Books of the Danish History of Saxo Grammaticus. Nutt.
^ Acker, Paul (2012). "Death by Dragons". Viking and Medieval Scandinavia. 8: 1–21. doi:10.1484/J.VMS.1.103192. ISSN 1782-7183. JSTOR 45020180.
^ "Maxims II (Old English)". sacred-texts.com. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
^ "Maxims II, Old English Poetry Project, (Modern English)". oldenglishpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
^ ^a ^b Crawford, Jackson (2017). The Saga of the Volsungs : with the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok. Indianapolis: Hackett. p. 89-91. ISBN 9781624666346.
^ ^a ^b Young, Jean (1992). The prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson : tales from Norse mythology. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press. p. 89. ISBN 9780520273054.
^ Árnason, Jón (1862). Íslenzkar Þjóðsögur og Æfintýri. Vol. I. Ormurinn í Lagarfljóti.
^ "Nigon Wyrta Galdor: "The Nine Herbs Charm"". Mimisbrunnr.info: Developments in Ancient Germanic Studies. 20 February 2022. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
^ Marwick, Ernest W. (2000). The folklore of Orkney and Shetland. Edinburgh: Birlinn. ISBN 978-1-84158-048-7.
^ Jesch, Judith (2001). "Ships and Men in the Late Viking Age: The Vocabulary of Runic Inscriptions and Skaldic Verse". Ships and Men in the Late Viking Age. pp. 119–179. ISBN 9780851158266.
^ E. Magnússon (1906). Notes on shipbuilding & nautical terms of old in the North. Magnússon. p. 45.
^ de Vries, p. 260, referring to Ulfljót's Law, at Google Books (Old Norse) [1] Archived 2022-02-17 at the Wayback Machine
^ Bugge (1994), s. 48
^ Düwel 2005, p. 114-115.
^ Millet 2008, p. 163.
^ Millet 2008, p. 160.
^ McKinnell 2015, p. 62.
^ McKinnell 2015, p. 61.
^ Gunnar Nordanskog, Föreställd hedendom: tidigmedeltida skandinaviska kyrkportar i forskning och historia, 2006, p. 241. ISBN 978-91-89116-85-6
^ Meulengracht Sørensen (1986) p. 260, (2002) p. 123.
^ Kopár, Lilla (2018) [2016]. "Eddic poetry and the imagery of stone monuments". In Larrington, Carolyne; Quinn, Judy; Schorn, Brittany (eds.). A Handbook to Eddic Poetry: Myths and Legends of Early Scandinavia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 203–08. ISBN 978-1-316-50129-0.
^ Fee, Christopher R.; Leeming, David A. (2001). Gods, Heroes, & Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain. Oxford University Press. p. 36. ISBN 0-19-513479-6. Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-23.

[1] "wyrm". Wiktionary. 5 January 2022. Archived from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.

[2] "worm". Wiktionary. 20 February 2022. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.

[3] "Fáfnismál – heimskringla.no". heimskringla.no. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.

[The_Poetic_Edda_:_The_Mythological_Poems-4] Bellows, Henry Adam (2004). The Poetic Edda : The Mythological Poems. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. ISBN 0486437108.

[Acker-5] Acker, Paul (2013). "Dragons in the Eddas and in Early Nordic Art". In Acker, Paul; Larrington, Carolyne (eds.). Revisiting the Poetic Edda: Essays on Old Norse Heroic Legend. Routledge. p. 53-57. ISBN 978-0-415-88861-5.

[Beowulf_on_Steorarume_[Beowulf_in_Cyberspace]:_Bilingual_Edition_(OE_text_&_translation)-6] "Beowulf on Steorarume [Beowulf in Cyberspace]: Bilingual Edition (OE text & translation)". heorot.dk. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2022.

[7] "dreki". Wiktionary. 20 February 2022. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.

[8] "drake | Etymology, origin and meaning of drake by etymonline". www.etymonline.com. 20 February 2022. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.

[9] "dragon | Etymology, origin and meaning of dragon by etymonline". www.etymonline.com. 20 February 2022. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.

[Dictionary_of_northern_mythology-10] Simek, Rudolf (1993). Dictionary of northern mythology. Cambridge [England]: D.S. Brewer. pp. 64–65. ISBN 9780859915137.

[11] Somerville, Angus A.; McDonald, R. Andrew (2013). The Vikings and their Age. Companions to Medieval Studies. University of Toronto Press. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-4426-0522-0.

[Fee-12] Fee, Christopher R. (2011). Mythology in the Middle Ages. Praeger. p. 8-10. ISBN 978-0-275-98406-9.

[13] Johansen, Birgitta (1997). "Ormalur. Aspekter av tillvaro och landskap". Stockholm Studies in Archeology. 14.

[14] Young, Jean (1992). The prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson : tales from Norse mythology. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press. p. 89. ISBN 9780520273054.

[15] Thompson, Ben (2015). Guts & Glory: The Vikings. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780316320559.

[16] Young, Jean (1992). The prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson : tales from Norse mythology. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press. p. 89. ISBN 9780520273054.

[17] Bane, Theresa (2016). Encyclopedia of beasts and monsters in myth, legend and folklore. Jefferson, North Carolina. ISBN 978-0-7864-9505-4. OCLC 930364175.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[18] The Saga of the Volsungs : the Norse epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer. Jesse L. Byock. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1990. ISBN 0-585-08136-0. OCLC 44964973.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

[Rauer-19] Rauer, Christine (2000). "The Dragon Episode". Beowulf and the Dragon: Parallels and Analogues. D. S. Brewer. p. 24-51. ISBN 0-85991-592-1.

[20] Saxo (Grammaticus) (1894). The First Nine Books of the Danish History of Saxo Grammaticus. Nutt.

[21] Acker, Paul (2012). "Death by Dragons". Viking and Medieval Scandinavia. 8: 1–21. doi:10.1484/J.VMS.1.103192. ISSN 1782-7183. JSTOR 45020180.

[Maxims_II_(Old_English)-22] "Maxims II (Old English)". sacred-texts.com. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.

[Maxims_II,_(Modern_English)-23] "Maxims II, Old English Poetry Project, (Modern English)". oldenglishpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.

[The_Saga_of_the_Volsungs_:_with_the_Saga_of_Ragnar_Lothbrok-24] Crawford, Jackson (2017). The Saga of the Volsungs : with the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok. Indianapolis: Hackett. p. 89-91. ISBN 9781624666346.

[The_Prose_Edda_of_Snorri_Sturluson_:_tales_from_Norse_mythology,_Gylfaginning-25] Young, Jean (1992). The prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson : tales from Norse mythology. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press. p. 89. ISBN 9780520273054.

[Ormurinn_í_Lagarfljóti-26] Árnason, Jón (1862). Íslenzkar Þjóðsögur og Æfintýri. Vol. I. Ormurinn í Lagarfljóti.

[Nigon_Wyrta_Galdor:_"The_Nine_Herbs_Charm"-27] "Nigon Wyrta Galdor: "The Nine Herbs Charm"". Mimisbrunnr.info: Developments in Ancient Germanic Studies. 20 February 2022. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.

[28] Marwick, Ernest W. (2000). The folklore of Orkney and Shetland. Edinburgh: Birlinn. ISBN 978-1-84158-048-7.

[29] Jesch, Judith (2001). "Ships and Men in the Late Viking Age: The Vocabulary of Runic Inscriptions and Skaldic Verse". Ships and Men in the Late Viking Age. pp. 119–179. ISBN 9780851158266.

[Magnússon1906-30] E. Magnússon (1906). Notes on shipbuilding & nautical terms of old in the North. Magnússon. p. 45.

[31] Vries, p. 260, referring to Ulfljót's Law, at Google Books (Old Norse) [1] Archived 2022-02-17 at the Wayback Machine

[:bugge1994a-32] Bugge (1994), s. 48

[FOOTNOTEDüwel2005114-115-33] Düwel 2005, p. 114-115.

[FOOTNOTEMillet2008163-34] Millet 2008, p. 163.

[FOOTNOTEMillet2008160-35] Millet 2008, p. 160.

[FOOTNOTEMcKinnell201562-36] McKinnell 2015, p. 62.

[FOOTNOTEMcKinnell201561-37] McKinnell 2015, p. 61.

[38] Gunnar Nordanskog, Föreställd hedendom: tidigmedeltida skandinaviska kyrkportar i forskning och historia, 2006, p. 241. ISBN 978-91-89116-85-6

[Sor123-39] Meulengracht Sørensen (1986) p. 260, (2002) p. 123.

[40] Kopár, Lilla (2018) [2016]. "Eddic poetry and the imagery of stone monuments". In Larrington, Carolyne; Quinn, Judy; Schorn, Brittany (eds.). A Handbook to Eddic Poetry: Myths and Legends of Early Scandinavia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 203–08. ISBN 978-1-316-50129-0.

[Battle-41] Fee, Christopher R.; Leeming, David A. (2001). Gods, Heroes, & Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain. Oxford University Press. p. 36. ISBN 0-19-513479-6. Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-23.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 <noinclude>{{User:RMCD bot/subject notice|1=Germanic dragon|2=Talk:Norse dragon#Requested move 28 February 2022}}
 </noinclude>[[File:U 887, Skillsta.jpg|thumb|Runestone U 887, Skillsta. Formerly located in Sweden. Shows a dragon with wings and two legs. ]]
+'''Norse dragons''' are snake-like [[legendary creatures]] in [[Germanic mythology]] and [[Germanic folklore|folklore]]. Many dragons in Germanic tales are portrayed as large venomous serpents however, especially in later tales, they share many common features with other [[European dragon|dragons in European mythology]].
-[[Norse mythology]] has several references to '''[[dragons]]''' ({{lang-non|[[wiktionary:dreki|dreki]]}}).<ref name="Acker">{{cite book |author-last=Acker |author-first=Paul |editor1-last=Acker |editor1-first=Paul |editor2-last=Larrington |editor2-first=Carolyne |editor2-link=Carolyne Larrington |date=2013 |title=Revisiting the Poetic Edda: Essays on Old Norse Heroic Legend |publisher=[[Routledge]] |chapter=Dragons in the Eddas and in Early Nordic Art |page=53-57 |isbn=978-0-415-88861-5}}</ref><ref name="Rauer">{{cite book |author-last=Rauer |author-first=Christine |date=2000 |title=Beowulf and the Dragon: Parallels and Analogues |publisher=[[D. S. Brewer]] |chapter=The Dragon Episode |page=24-51 |isbn=0-85991-592-1}}</ref>
+== Origin, appearance and terminology ==
-The word ''dreki'' is a [[loanword]] from the Greek and Latin form of dragon and is used in Old Norse in different ways: It is a [[heiti]] (synonym) for the great earthbound serpent-monster appearing in [[Germanic mythology|Germanic]] tradition as ''ormr'' or ''linnormr'' ([[lindworm]]). But it also refers to a more recent romanesque winged dragon, that often breathes fire and has four legs.<ref name="Acker"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Somerville |first1=Angus A. |last2=McDonald |first2=R. Andrew |date=2013 |title=The Vikings and their Age |series=Companions to Medieval Studies |publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]] |page=125 |isbn=978-1-4426-0522-0}}</ref><ref name="Fee">{{cite book |last=Fee |first=Christopher R. |author-link=Christopher R. Fee |date=2011 |title=Mythology in the Middle Ages |publisher=[[Praeger Publishing|Praeger]] |page=8-10 |isbn=978-0-275-98406-9}}</ref> The term ''dreki'' was also applied to the great [[Longship#Drakkar|Viking longships]], where the prow, when carved in the likeness of a dragon, was meant to protect and impart ferocity upon the sailors.<ref name="Fee"/> There are several sagas with dragons in them, including [[Þiðreks saga]], Övarr-Odds saga, and [[Sigrgarðs saga frœkna|Sigrgarðs saga frækna]], among others.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Acker|first=Paul|date=2012|title=Death by Dragons|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45020180|journal=Viking and Medieval Scandinavia|volume=8|pages=1–21|doi=10.1484/J.VMS.1.103192|jstor=45020180|issn=1782-7183}}</ref>
+In early depictions, as with dragons in other cultures, the distinction between Germanic dragons and regular snakes is blurred, with both being referred to as [[Old Norse]] {{lang|non|ormr}} or [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|wyrm}} from [[Proto-Germanic]] *wurmiz. ''Wyrm'' has since been borrowed back into [[Modern English]] to mean "dragon", while the cognate ''worm'' is uncommonly used in [[Modern English]] to refer specifically to wingless dragons.<ref>{{cite web |title=wyrm |url=https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wyrm |website=Wiktionary |language=en |date=5 January 2022 |access-date=23 February 2022 |archive-date=29 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129034745/https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wyrm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=worm |url=https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/worm#English |website=Wiktionary |language=en |date=20 February 2022 |access-date=23 February 2022 |archive-date=20 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220145848/https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/worm#English |url-status=live }}</ref>
+In [[Fáfnismál]], the dragon [[Fáfnir]] is described as flightless and snake-like, and is referred to as an {{lang|non|ormr}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fáfnismál – heimskringla.no |url=http://heimskringla.no/wiki/F%C3%A1fnism%C3%A1l |website=heimskringla.no |access-date=20 February 2022 |archive-date=23 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220223215849/http://heimskringla.no/wiki/F%C3%A1fnism%C3%A1l |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="The Poetic Edda : The Mythological Poems/>  In the later [[Völsunga saga]], however, he has shoulders, suggesting legs, wings or both, and is referred to as both a {{lang|non|dreki}} and an {{lang|non|ormr}}.<ref name="Acker"/> Similarly, the [[The dragon (Beowulf)|dragon in Beowulf]] is referred to as both a {{lang|ang|wyrm}} and a {{lang|ang|draca}}, although in some sources such as [[Ketils saga hœngs]] and the 14th century [[romance saga]] [[Konráðs saga keisarasonar]], ''ormar'' and ''drekar'' are portrayed as distinct beings, with winged dragons sometimes specified as {{lang|non|flogdreka}} (flying dragons).<ref name="Beowulf on Steorarume [Beowulf in Cyberspace]: Bilingual Edition (OE text & translation)">{{cite web |title=Beowulf on Steorarume [Beowulf in Cyberspace]: Bilingual Edition (OE text & translation) |url=https://heorot.dk/beo-intro-rede.html |website=heorot.dk |access-date=20 February 2022 |archive-date=20 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120162408/https://heorot.dk/beo-intro-rede.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Old Norse]] {{lang|non|dreki}} and [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|draca}} mean "dragon, sea serpent or sea monster" and are in turn derived from [[Proto-Germanic]] ''*drakō'', an early borrowing from [[Latin]] ''draco'' "huge serpent or dragon".<ref>{{cite web |title=dreki |url=https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dreki#Old_Norse |website=Wiktionary |language=en |date=20 February 2022 |access-date=23 February 2022 |archive-date=20 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220212826/https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dreki#Old_Norse |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=drake {{!}} Etymology, origin and meaning of drake by etymonline |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/drake?ref=etymonline_crossreference#etymonline_v_15878 |website=www.etymonline.com |language=en |date=20 February 2022 |access-date=23 February 2022 |archive-date=20 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220152943/https://www.etymonline.com/word/drake?ref=etymonline_crossreference#etymonline_v_15878 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=dragon {{!}} Etymology, origin and meaning of dragon by etymonline |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/dragon?ref=etymonline_crossreference |website=www.etymonline.com |language=en |date=20 February 2022 |access-date=23 February 2022 |archive-date=20 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220212822/https://www.etymonline.com/word/dragon?ref=etymonline_crossreference |url-status=live }}</ref>
-* {{lang|non|[[Níðhöggr]]}} is identified as a dragon in the ''{{lang|non|[[Völuspá]]}}''. It is the only winged dragon in the [[Poetic Edda]], and in Paul Acker's view "is likely a late, perhaps even Christian, addition to the otherwise pagan cosmology" of the poem.<ref name="Acker"/>
-* {{lang|non|[[Jörmungandr]]}}, also known as the Midgard Serpent, is described as a giant, venomous beast.<ref name="Fee"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Ben |date=2015 |title=[[Guts & Glory (book series)|Guts & Glory]]: The Vikings |publisher=[[Little, Brown Books for Young Readers]] |isbn=9780316320559}}</ref> Its venom will kill Thor during Ragnarök, but not before Thor kills it.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sturluson|first=Snorri|title=Gylfaginning|year=2016|pages=78–80}}</ref>
+The evolution of wingless and legless worms and [[Lindworm|lindworms]] to flying, four-legged romanesque dragons in Germanic folklore and literature is most likely due to influence from continental Europe that was facilitated by Christianisation and the increased availability of translated [[Chivalric romance|romances]]. It has thus been proposed that the description in [[Völuspá]] of [[Níðhöggr]] with feathers and flying after [[Ragnarök]] is a late addition and potentially a result of the integration of pagan and Christian imagery.<ref name="Acker"/><ref name="Dictionary of northern mythology">{{cite book |last1=Simek |first1=Rudolf |title=Dictionary of northern mythology |date=1993 |publisher=D.S. Brewer |location=Cambridge [England] |isbn=9780859915137 |pages=64-65}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Somerville |first1=Angus A. |last2=McDonald |first2=R. Andrew |date=2013 |title=The Vikings and their Age |series=Companions to Medieval Studies |publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]] |page=125 |isbn=978-1-4426-0522-0}}</ref><ref name="Fee">{{cite book |last=Fee |first=Christopher R. |author-link=Christopher R. Fee |date=2011 |title=Mythology in the Middle Ages |publisher=[[Praeger Publishing|Praeger]] |page=8-10 |isbn=978-0-275-98406-9}}</ref>.
-* {{lang|non|[[Fáfnir]]}}, a slithering ''ormr'' in the Poetic Edda, is turned into a limbed dragon as part of the [[Völsung Cycle|{{lang|non|Völsung|nocat=y}} Cycle]].<ref name="Acker"/> Fafnir was originally a dwarf affected by a curse on his father’s ring Advarinaut. After he took it and a hoard of treasure from his father, he used it to change into a dragon. He was later killed by [[Sigurd]] (Sigfried) who hid in a pit and stabbed him from underneath with a sword.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bane|first=Theresa|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/930364175|title=Encyclopedia of beasts and monsters in myth, legend and folklore|date=2016|isbn=978-0-7864-9505-4|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|oclc=930364175}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/44964973|title=The Saga of the Volsungs : the Norse epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer|date=1990|publisher=University of California Press|others=Jesse L. Byock|isbn=0-585-08136-0|location=Berkeley|oclc=44964973}}</ref>
-* The ''{{lang|la|[[Gesta Danorum]]}}'' contains a description of a dragon killed by [[Frotho I]].<ref name="Rauer"/>  The dragon is described as "the keeper of the mountain." After Frotho I kills the dragon, he takes its hoard of treasure.<ref name="Rauer" /> The Gesta Danorum describes another dragon fight where a dragon is slain by Friðleifr and it is similar to the story of Frotho I.<ref name="Rauer" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Saxo (Grammaticus)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dIgSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR3|title=The First Nine Books of the Danish History of Saxo Grammaticus|date=1894|publisher=Nutt|language=en}}</ref>
+To address the difficulties with categorising Germanic dragons, the term ''drakorm'' has been proposed, referring to beings described as either ''dreki'' or ''ormr''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Johansen |first1=Birgitta |title=Ormalur. Aspekter av tillvaro och landskap |journal=Stockholm Studies in Archeology |date=1997 |volume=14}}</ref>
+== List of Norse dragons ==
+{{main|List of dragons in mythology and folklore#European dragons}}
+* {{lang|non|[[Níðhöggr]]}} is a dragon attested in the [[Eddas]] that gnaws at the roots of [[Yggdrassil]] and the corpses of [[Náströnd]].<ref name="The Poetic Edda : The Mythological Poems">{{cite book |last1=Bellows |first1=Henry Adam |title=The Poetic Edda : The Mythological Poems |date=2004 |publisher=Dover Publications |location=Mineola, NY |isbn=0486437108 |ref=The Poetic Edda : The Mythological Poems}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Young |first1=Jean |title=The prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson : tales from Norse mythology |date=1992 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley, Calif. |isbn=9780520273054 |pages=89 |ref=The Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson : tales from Norse mythology, Gylfaginning}}</ref>
+* {{lang|non|[[Jörmungandr]]}}, also known as the Midgard Serpent, is described as a giant, venomous beast and the child of [[Loki]] and [[Angrboða]].<ref name="Fee"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Ben |date=2015 |title=[[Guts & Glory (book series)|Guts & Glory]]: The Vikings |publisher=[[Little, Brown Books for Young Readers]] |isbn=9780316320559}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Young |first1=Jean |title=The prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson : tales from Norse mythology |date=1992 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley, Calif. |isbn=9780520273054 |pages=89 |ref=The Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson : tales from Norse mythology, Gylfaginning}}</ref>
+* {{lang|non|[[Fáfnir]]}} is a widely attested dragon that has a prominent role in the [[Völsung Cycle|{{lang|non|Völsung|nocat=y}} Cycle]].<ref name="Acker">{{cite book |author-last=Acker |author-first=Paul |editor1-last=Acker |editor1-first=Paul |editor2-last=Larrington |editor2-first=Carolyne |editor2-link=Carolyne Larrington |date=2013 |title=Revisiting the Poetic Edda: Essays on Old Norse Heroic Legend |publisher=[[Routledge]] |chapter=Dragons in the Eddas and in Early Nordic Art |page=53-57 |isbn=978-0-415-88861-5}}</ref> Fafnir was originally a dwarf who took the form of a dragon after claiming a hoard of treasure, including [[Andvaranaut]], from his father. He was later killed by [[Sigurd]] (Sigfried) who hid in a pit and stabbed him from underneath with a sword.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bane|first=Theresa|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/930364175|title=Encyclopedia of beasts and monsters in myth, legend and folklore|date=2016|isbn=978-0-7864-9505-4|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|oclc=930364175}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/44964973|title=The Saga of the Volsungs : the Norse epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer|date=1990|publisher=University of California Press|others=Jesse L. Byock|isbn=0-585-08136-0|location=Berkeley|oclc=44964973}}</ref>
+* The ''{{lang|la|[[Gesta Danorum]]}}'' contains a description of a dragon killed by [[Frotho I]].<ref name="Rauer">{{cite book |author-last=Rauer |author-first=Christine |date=2000 |title=Beowulf and the Dragon: Parallels and Analogues |publisher=[[D. S. Brewer]] |chapter=The Dragon Episode |page=24-51 |isbn=0-85991-592-1}}</ref>  The dragon is described as "the keeper of the mountain." After Frotho I kills the dragon, he takes its hoard of treasure.<ref name="Rauer" /> The Gesta Danorum describes another dragon fight where a dragon is slain by Friðleifr and it is similar to the story of Frotho I.<ref name="Rauer" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Saxo (Grammaticus)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dIgSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR3|title=The First Nine Books of the Danish History of Saxo Grammaticus|date=1894|publisher=Nutt|language=en}}</ref>
+There are several sagas with dragons in them, including [[Þiðreks saga]], [[Örvar-Oddr|Övarr-Odds saga]], and [[Sigrgarðs saga frœkna|Sigrgarðs saga frækna]], among others.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Acker|first=Paul|date=2012|title=Death by Dragons|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45020180|journal=Viking and Medieval Scandinavia|volume=8|pages=1–21|doi=10.1484/J.VMS.1.103192|jstor=45020180|issn=1782-7183}}</ref>
+== Common traits ==
+===Guarding treasure===
+[[File:Siegfried and the Twilight of the Gods p 022.jpg|thumb|Fafnir guards the gold hoard in this illustration by [[Arthur Rackham]] to [[Richard Wagner]]'s ''[[Siegfried (opera)|Siegfried]]''.]]
+The association between dragons and hoards of treasure is widespread in Germanic literature.
+In the [[Völsung Cycle]], ''{{lang|non|[[Fáfnir]]}}'' was a dwarf who, upon claiming a hoard of treasure, including the ring [[Andvaranaut]], transforms into a dragon. Fáfnir's brother, [[Regin]] reforges the sword [[Gram (mythology)|Gram]] from broken shards and gives it to the hero [[Sigurd]] who uses it to kill the dragon by waiting in a hole until the worm slithers over and exposes his underbelly. While dying Fáfnir speaks with Sigurd and shares mythological knowledge. Sigurd then cooks and tastes the dragon's heart, allowing the hero to understand the speech of birds who tell him to kill Regin, which he does and then takes the hoard for himself.<ref name="The Poetic Edda : The Mythological Poems/> In [[Beowulf]], it is [[Sigmund]] (the father of Sigurd in Old Norse tradition) who kills a dragon and takes its hoard.<ref name="Beowulf on Steorarume [Beowulf in Cyberspace]: Bilingual Edition (OE text & translation)" />
+In [[Beowulf]], [[The dragon (Beowulf)|the dragon]] that [[Beowulf (hero)|the poem's eponymous hero]] is awoken from the burial mound in which it dwells when a cup from its hoard is stolen, leading it to seek vengeance from the [[Geats]]. After both the dragon and Beowulf die, the treasure is reinterred in the king's barrow.<ref name="Beowulf on Steorarume [Beowulf in Cyberspace]: Bilingual Edition (OE text & translation)" /> The [[Old English poetry|Old English poem]], [[Maxims II]] further states:
+{{Verse translation|
+{{lang|non|Sweord sceal on bearme,
+drihtlic isern. Draca sceal on hlæwe,
+frod, frætwum wlanc. Fisc sceal on wætere
+cynren cennan. Cyning sceal on healle
+beagas dælan.<ref name="Maxims II (Old English)">{{cite web |title=Maxims II (Old English) |url=https://sacred-texts.com/neu/ascp/a15.htm |website=sacred-texts.com |access-date=20 February 2022 |archive-date=13 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113153642/https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/ascp/a15.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
+|
+The sword must be in the lap,
+the lordly iron. The dragon must be in the barrow,
+aged, proud in treasure. The fish must be in the water,
+propagating its kind. The king must wait in the hall,
+dealing in rings.<ref name="Maxims II, (Modern English)">{{cite web |title=Maxims II, Old English Poetry Project, (Modern English) |url=https://oldenglishpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/maxims-ii/ |website=oldenglishpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu |access-date=20 February 2022 |archive-date=20 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220154212/https://oldenglishpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/maxims-ii/ |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
+In [[Ragnars saga loðbrókar]], Thóra, the daughter of a [[Geatish]] [[earl]], is given a snake by her father which she puts on top of a pile of gold. This makes both the snake and the treasure grows until the dragon is so large its head touches its tail.<ref name="The Saga of the Volsungs : with the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok">{{cite book |last1=Crawford |first1=Jackson |title=The Saga of the Volsungs : with the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok |date=2017 |publisher=Hackett |location=Indianapolis |isbn=9781624666346 |page=89-91}}</ref> The [[Ouroboros|image of an encircled snake]] eating its own tail is also seen with [[Jörmungandr]].<ref name="The Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson : tales from Norse mythology, Gylfaginning">{{cite book |last1=Young |first1=Jean |title=The prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson : tales from Norse mythology |date=1992 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley, Calif. |isbn=9780520273054 |pages=89 |ref=The Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson : tales from Norse mythology, Gylfaginning}}</ref> The hero [[Ragnar Lodbrok]] later wins the hand of Thóra and the treasure by slaying the dragon.<ref name="The Saga of the Volsungs : with the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok">{{cite book |last1=Crawford |first1=Jackson |title=The Saga of the Volsungs : with the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok |date=2017 |publisher=Hackett |location=Indianapolis |isbn=9781624666346 |page=89-91}}</ref> The motif of gold causing a snake-like creature to grow into a dragon is seen in the Icelandic tale of the [[Lagarfljót Worm]] recorded in the 19th century.<ref name="Ormurinn í Lagarfljóti">{{cite book |last1=Árnason |first1=Jón |title=Íslenzkar Þjóðsögur og Æfintýri. Vol. I. Ormurinn í Lagarfljóti |date=1862}}</ref>
+===Breathing fire and poison===
+Dragons with poisonous breath are believed to predate those who breathe fire in Germanic folklore and literature, consistent with the theory that Germanic dragons developed from traditions regarding wild snakes, some of whom produce venom.<ref name="Acker"/> The [[Nine Herbs Charm]] describes nine plants being used to overcome the venom of a slithering {{lang|ang|wyrm}}. It tells that [[Wōden]] defeats the {{lang|ang|wyrm}} by striking it with nine twigs, breaking it into nine pieces.<ref name='Nigon Wyrta Galdor: "The Nine Herbs Charm"'>{{cite web |title=Nigon Wyrta Galdor: "The Nine Herbs Charm" |url=https://www.mimisbrunnr.info/nigon-wyrta-galdor |website=Mimisbrunnr.info: Developments in Ancient Germanic Studies |date=20 February 2022 |access-date=23 February 2022 |archive-date=20 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220160440/https://www.mimisbrunnr.info/nigon-wyrta-galdor |url-status=live }}</ref>
+In [[Eddic poetry]], both ''{{lang|non|Fáfnir}}'' and  the [[sea serpent]] ''{{lang|non|[[Jörmungandr]]}}'' are described as having poisonous breath.<ref name="The Poetic Edda : The Mythological Poems/> In [[Gylfaginning]] it is told that during Ragnarök, [[Thor]] will kill Jörmungandr however after taking nine steps, he will be in turn killed by the worm's venom.<ref name="The Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson : tales from Norse mythology, Gylfaginning">{{cite book |last1=Young |first1=Jean |title=The prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson : tales from Norse mythology |date=1992 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley, Calif. |isbn=9780520273054 |pages=89 |ref=The Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson : tales from Norse mythology, Gylfaginning}}</ref> A similar creature from [[Orcadian]] folklore is the poisonous [[stoor worm]] which was killed by the hero [[Assipattle]], falling into the sea and forming [[Iceland]], [[Orkney]], [[Shetland]] and the [[Faroe Islands]]. As in the English tale of the [[Linton worm]], the ''stoor worm'' is killed by burning its insides with peat.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Marwick |first1=Ernest W. |title=The folklore of Orkney and Shetland |date=2000 |publisher=Birlinn |location=Edinburgh |isbn=978-1-84158-048-7}}</ref>
+[[Beowulf]] is one of the earliest examples of a fire-breathing dragon yet it is also referred to as "the poison scourge" (''{{lang|ang|attorsceaðan}}''). After burning homes and land in [[Geatland]], it fights the eponymous [[Beowulf (hero)|hero of the poem]] who bears a metal shield to protect himself from the fire. The dragon wounds him but is slain by the king's thane [[Wiglaf]]. [[Beowulf (hero)|Beowulf]] later succumbs to the dragon's poison and dies. The other dragon mentioned in the poem is further associated with fire, melting from its own heat once slain by Sigmund.<ref name="Beowulf on Steorarume [Beowulf in Cyberspace]: Bilingual Edition (OE text & translation)" /> Both fire and venom are also spat by dragons in the [[Chivalric saga]] ''Sigurðr saga þögla'' and in ''Nikolaus saga erkibiskups II'', written around 1340 AD, in which the dragon is sent by God to teach an English deacon to become more pious.<ref name="Acker"/>
+== Material culture ==
+=== Carved dragon heads ===
+[[Longship#Drakkar|Drakkar]] were ships used by [[Vikings]] in the Medieval period that featured carved prows in the shape of dragons.<ref name="Fee"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Jesch |first1=Judith |title="Ships and Men in the Late Viking Age: The Vocabulary of Runic Inscriptions and Skaldic Verse". Ships and Men in the Late Viking Age |date=2001 |isbn=9780851158266 |pages=119–179}}</ref><ref name="Magnússon1906">{{cite book|author=E. Magnússon|title=Notes on shipbuilding & nautical terms of old in the North  |year=1906|publisher=Magnússon|page=45}}</ref> One version of the Icelandic [[Landnámabók]] states that the ancient [[Old Norse Religion|Heathen]] law of Iceland required any ship having a dragon figurehead in place on one's ship "with gaping mouth or yawning snout"  to remove the carving before coming in sight of land because it would frighten the [[landvættir]].<ref>de Vries, p. 260, referring to Ulfljót's Law, at Google Books (Old Norse) [https://books.google.com/books?id=Tb1GAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA184&lpg=PA184&dq=enna+hei%C3%B0nu+laga+at+menn+skyldu+eigi+hafa+h%C3%B6fu%C3%B0skip&source=bl&ots=U3W9ghFDb8&sig=Ufu6ic89JA0pxH_WCHfM1ojuCZ4&hl=en&ei=irXDSqnSLJHysQPFqIGlCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#v=onepage&q=enna%20hei%C3%B0nu%20laga%20at%20menn%20skyldu%20eigi%20hafa%20h%C3%B6fu%C3%B0skip&f=false] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217221318/https://books.google.com/books?id=Tb1GAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA184&lpg=PA184&dq=enna+hei%C3%B0nu+laga+at+menn+skyldu+eigi+hafa+h%C3%B6fu%C3%B0skip&source=bl&ots=U3W9ghFDb8&sig=Ufu6ic89JA0pxH_WCHfM1ojuCZ4&hl=en&ei=irXDSqnSLJHysQPFqIGlCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#v=onepage&q=enna%20hei%C3%B0nu%20laga%20at%20menn%20skyldu%20eigi%20hafa%20h%C3%B6fu%C3%B0skip&f=false |date=2022-02-17 }}</ref>
+[[Stave churches]] are sometimes decorated by carved dragon heads which has been proposed to have originated in the belief in their [[apotropaic]] function.<ref name="Dictionary of northern mythology">{{cite book |last1=Simek |first1=Rudolf |title=Dictionary of northern mythology |date=1993 |publisher=D.S. Brewer |location=Cambridge [England] |isbn=9780859915137 |pages=64-65}}</ref><ref name=":bugge1994a">Bugge (1994), s. 48</ref>
+===Depictions of entire dragons===
+Medieval depictions of worms carved in stone feature both in [[Sweden]] and the [[British Isles]]. In Sweden, runic inscriptions dated to around the 11th century often show a [[lindworm]] bearing the text encircling the remaining picture on the stone.{{sfn|Düwel|2005|p=114-115}} Some [[Sigurd stones]] such as U 1163, Sö 101 (the Rasmund carving) and Sö 327 (the Gök inscription) show a Sigurd thrusting a sword through the worm which is identified as Fáfnir.{{sfn|Millet|2008|p=163}} The killing of Fáfnir is also potentially pictured on four crosses from the [[Isle of Man]] and a now lost fragment, with a similar artistic style, from the church at [[Kirby Hill, Harrogate|Kirby Hill]] in [[England]].{{sfn|Millet|2008|p=160}}{{sfn|McKinnell|2015|p=62}}{{sfn|McKinnell|2015|p=61}}
+Wooden carvings from the [[Hylestad Stave Church]] of scenes from the [[Völsunga saga]] include Sigurd killing Fáfnir, who is notably shown with two legs and two wings.<ref>Gunnar Nordanskog, Föreställd hedendom: tidigmedeltida skandinaviska kyrkportar i forskning och historia, 2006, p. 241. {{ISBN|978-91-89116-85-6}}</ref>
+The fishing trip described in [[Hymiskviða]] in which [[Thor]] catches {{lang|non|[[Jörmungandr]]}} has been linked to a number of stones in Scandinavia and England such as the [[Altuna Runestone]] and the [[Hørdum stone]].<ref name="Sor123">Meulengracht Sørensen (1986) p.&nbsp;260, (2002) p.&nbsp;123.</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Lilla |last=Kopár |contribution=Eddic poetry and the imagery of stone monuments |editor1-first=Carolyne |editor1-last=Larrington |editor2-first=Judy |editor2-last=Quinn <!-- NOTE: NOT [[Judy Quinn]] -->|editor3-first=Brittany |editor3-last=Schorn |title=A Handbook to Eddic Poetry: Myths and Legends of Early Scandinavia |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |orig-year=2016 |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-316-50129-0 |pages=203–08 }}</ref><ref name=Battle>{{Cite book |last1=Fee |first1=Christopher R. |author-link=Christopher R. Fee |last2=Leeming |first2=David A. |title=Gods, Heroes, & Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2001 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sFlLHEIuVlgC&q=Gosforth+Cross+contains+an+illustration |isbn=0-19-513479-6 |page=36 |access-date=2022-02-23 |archive-date=2022-02-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220223215849/https://books.google.com/books?id=sFlLHEIuVlgC&q=Gosforth+Cross+contains+an+illustration |url-status=live }}</ref>
+{{gallery|mode=packed|title=Visual depictions of Germanic dragons
+|width=220|height=220
+|File:Borgund stavkirke 2016, ute, detalj-5.jpg|One of the four dragon heads adorning the ridges of the [[Borgund Stave Church]].
+|File:Sigurðr_and_Fáfnir,_Stone_cross_from_Jurby,_Redrawn_1907.png|Sigurðr killing Fáfnir, from the [[Jurby]] cross on the [[Isle of Man]].
+|File:U 871 Ölsta.tif|Lindworm from the [[Uppland Runic Inscription 871|U 871]] runestone.
+|File:U 1163, Drävle.JPG|U 1163, the [[Sigurd stones|Drävle runestone]], showing Sigurðr slaying Fáfnir.
+|File:U1161 Altunastenen Tors fiskafänge 2.jpg|{{lang|non|[[Jörmungandr]]}} on the [[Altuna Runestone]].
+|File:Hylestad I, right - Fafnir and Sigurd.jpg|Sigurd slaying Fafnir, depicted on the right portal plank from [[Hylestad Stave Church]], from the second half of the 12th century.
+}}
 {{Norse-myth-stub}}
+==See also==
+* [[Hyrrokkin]], a gýgr in Norse mythology who uses snakes as reins
+* [[Ormhäxan]], a picture stone from Gotland depicting a woman with snakes
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
 {{Norse mythology}}
+{{Anglo-SaxonPaganism}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Norse Dragon}}
+[[Category:Germanic folklore]]
 [[Category:Creatures in Norse mythology]]
 [[Category:European dragons]]

v t e Anglo-Saxon paganism and mythology
Gods and divine figures	Ēse Beowa Ēostre Frige Gefjon Hretha Ing Saxnot Þunor Tiw Wade Wayland the Smith Wōden
Heroic figures	Ægil Beowa Eormenric Finn Hengist and Horsa Sceafa Waldere
Other beings	Cofgod Dragon Dwarf (Dweorh) Elf Ides Eoten/Thurs Mare Neck Wælcyrge Wight
Locations	Middangeard
Sources	Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Æcerbot Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem Beowulf De temporum ratione Deor Ealuscerwen Finnesburg Fragment Franks Casket Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum Nine Herbs Charm Old English language Spong Hill Sutton Hoo Widsith Wið færstice
Society and culture	Bēot Blōtan Burial Early Germanic calendars Folkmoot Frith Germanic paganism Hearg Horses Law Maypole Metrical charms Moot hill Runes Rings Scop Symbel Thegn Thing Thyle Weregild Wicce Wetlands and islands Wilweorthunga Wyrd Yule
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