I decided to look into Celtic dragons first because I am partly Irish and have been interested in this culture. It started when I was about 12 and my family went to this dancing event. There was this stall that had Celtic jewelry on it and my eyes were drawn to this necklace that was a dragon. Sadly I don’t have a picture of it. I wore this necklace everyday until it broke. This started my journey on looking into this subject.
On my source that was written by CelticLife, there was a story about a sea serpent called Master Stoorworm. He would rise from the sea every morning and yawn 7 times. Every time he yawned his tongue would snatch up a random object from the town near where he rested. As you could guess the townspeople grew tired of this and a reward was offered for him to be slain. The reward was the king’s daughter. Most men were scared away because of his size. A young boy stole a boat and took a pot and peat with him. In the morning when Master Stoorworm yawned he swallowed the boy. The young boy then rowed his way to Master Stoorworm’s liver then lit it on fire. Which as you can guess killed Master Stoorworm.
Dragons were the protectors of life so much so that wherever they traveled or landed anywhere the land became more powerful in essence. Their beliefs regarding how they are protectors of life led these people to believe Earth was shaped like a dragon.
These dragons were gatekeepers to other worlds and guardians of treasures. They were seen so powerful and respected that they were depicted next to their gods. Celtic dragons represented power and wisdom. . It was believed that they had the power of wisdom, prophecy, and vision. In Celtic symbolism, the dragon is the most powerful.
When you look at Celtic symbols the dragons are usually in a circle and have their tails in their mouths. The first image represents this. The body parts weave in and out of each other. It is in a circle because the circle represents nature and immorality.
There are two different physical descriptions. The one above is an example of what could have been seen as a heraldic symbol. The other description is of a typical dragon we would normally think of which is with four legs. Both of these descriptions always had wings that looked like bat wings, a tail , and ears. The tail could be barbed or smooth. The ears are what varied greatly.
I found it extremely interesting to learn about this culture a little more. Especially because this culture is a part of me. I think I may have found another reason why I love dragons so much it’s in my blood. These creatures were seen in such a beautiful light and their art represented that beauty. I’m wondering what you guys think of Celtic dragons and their history? Is there any type of dragon or culture you guys want me to explore?
Here are the links to the sources where I found all this information:
