There were four types of dragon in ancient Greek mythology : the serpent Dracones, the marine Cetea, the fire-breathing Chimaera and the she-monster Dracaenae.The first of these occur in both myth and legend--"legend" meaning the ancients believed such creatures inhabited the far corners of the earth in historical times.
1) Dracones Legendary
The ancients believed the remote, unexplored corners of the earth were inhabited by Dracones. These legendary creatures were similar to their mythical counterparts.2) Cetea Mythical
The second type of dragon was the Cetus or "Sea-Monster." The creature usually featured in myths of a sacrificial princess rescued by a hero.
3) Cetea Legendary
The ancients imagined that Cetea or sea-monsters populated the distant oceans of the world. "Cetus" was also the Greek word for "whale," which was regarded as a type of sea-monster.
4) Chimaera
The third type of dragon was the Chimera, a fire-breathing monster whose form was a hybrid of lion, serpent and goat. Medieval artists used this creature as the template for the Dragon of Saint George.
5) Dracaenae
The fourth type of dragon was the Dracaena or "She-Dragon," a creature with the upper body of a beautiful nymph and the body of a dracon or sea-monster in place of legs. Two of these creatures, Echidna and Ceto, spawned most of the dragons of myth. |
| Example of Dragons in Greek Mythology |
Ive discovered so much about dragons from looking into greek mythology alone! yet I know they are present in so many other cultures, - in many variations. There are so many descriptions and background stories to these creatures that i find them a really appealing and interesting subject; i am already feeling inspired to create some visual interpretations of my own.
- Is the subject of dragons to clique? Did i not want to explore more little known mythical themes? - something a bit grittier? do dragons have the same impressive impact or are they over done? - focus on ancient tales, and stories that are not really heard of.. base around a narrative? but just the visuals?
- http://www.theoi.com/greek-mythology/dragons.html
Refer to this site for more detail.
- Provides full and extensive list of dragons from ancient greek mythology.
- The webiste also provides a section of quotes evolving around dragons, in classic literature. Perhaps this would be a good starting point? If i decide i am interesting in illustration a narrative, or creating/developing my own these quotes will be a good source of reference, and inspiration.
- Greek mythology is something that keeps appearing in all my research. It has so much scoop to explore! I am interested in possibly choosing this to evolve my work around.
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