Dragonslayers
From Beowulf to St. George
Author: Joseph McCullough
Illustrator: Peter Dennis
This 80 pages paperback book is the 2nd book in the Myth & Legends series available from Osprey Publishing.
With its fiery breath, scaly armor, and baleful, malevolent stare, the dragon became the ultimate symbol of evil and corruption in European folklore and mythology. Often serving as a stand-in for Satan, or the power of evil gods, dragons spread death and hopelessness throughout the land. Only heroes of uncommon valor, courageousness, and purity could hope to battle these monsters and emerge victorious. Those that did became legends. They became dragonslayers. The list of dragonslayers is small, but it is filled with great and legendary names.
- Hercules
- Beowulf
- Sigfried
- Saint George
all battled to the death with dragons. Other heroes such as
- Cadmus (founder of the city of Thebes)
- Dieudonné de Gozon (the Knight of Rhodes)
- Dobrynya Nikitch (the Russian warrior)
might be less well known to western readers, but also fought and defeated dragons. This book retells the greatest legends of this select group of warriors, while examining the myth of the dragonslayer in a historical, mythological, and even theological context.
The contents of this book are;
- Introduction
- Ancient Dragonslayers
- Norse Dragonslayers
- Holy Dragonslayers
- Medieval Dragonslayers
- Dragonslayers from Around the World
- Select Bibliography
The color plates and color photographs, especially of the stained glass windows, add a nice touch and detail to this Myth and Legend book. Any reader who may be a fantasy gamer or enjoy the legends of the Dragonslayers will enjoy this book immensely.
