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The Book of the Dragon
Beautifully illustrated survey of the dragon as it appears in are and literature around the world.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 6, 2008
This book works best if read in conjunction with other dragon mythology sources to fill in the gaps that are left in the text. It's well-illustrated, and touches upon the dragon in a very broad range of settings that when taken together, establish that to be a dragon is to be amorphous. This can be a difficult concept to thoroughly convey (much less support), which is why I'd suggest it be read in tandem with other related books (perhaps Here Be Dragons: A Fantastic Bestiary, Hill of the Dragon, or An Instinct for Dragons, to name some). I also found a broader knowledge of singular dragon myths to be helpful (Dragons: A Natural History, Dragons and Dragon Lore, for example).
In short, this is a good book to supplement your draconic research with specifics you may not necessarily find elsewhere.
In short, this is a good book to supplement your draconic research with specifics you may not necessarily find elsewhere.
March 9, 2023
“The Book of the Dragon,” by Judy Allen and Jeanne Griffiths, describes an archetype that C.G. Jung ignored when describing the collective unconscious. Jung believed that behind the personal unconscious discovered by Sigmund Freud there was a collective unconscious shared by all humans. He peopled this collective unconscious with archetypes such as the hero, the wise old man, the anima, the shadow, and so on. These represented human instincts. Jung claimed to find them in the dreams and fantasies of his patients, as well as in myths, legends, and fairytales.
My own study of Jung’s writing, and the myths, legends and fairytales of various cultures has led me to be somewhat skeptical of Jung’s claims.
I continue to believe that the collective unconscious exists, but that it is less extensive than Jung maintains, and that it has little or no influence on mental illness or curing mental illness.
Curiously, Jung gave little attention to the collective archetype of the dragon. According to “The Book of the Dragon,” “the dragon as a symbol has been used by virtually every culture throughout the history of the world.”
Dragons are described as reptilian, serpentine creatures, sometimes described as serpents. In the King James Bible the word “dragon” appears nineteen times; the word “serpent” appears thirty nine times. Dragons and serpents are usually described in the Bible as evil and dangerous, and never as benevolent.
“The book of the Dragon” claims that Chinese dragons are benevolent. This seems to be true. The authors err when they make the same claim of Japanese dragons. The “Nihongi” is one of the two holy books of Shinto. It describes a battle between an eight headed serpent and Susanowo, the Impetuous Male. Susanowo was a deity who had been expelled from Heaven because of his impetuous ways. Wandering on earth Susanowo encountered an elderly couple of Japanese water spirits and their daughter. They are crying. They tell Susanowo that an eight headed dragon has over time eaten seven of their daughters, and is coming to consume the last one.
Susanowo asks if he can marry their daughter if he slays the dragon. They of course give their consent. Susanowo is less daring than St. George in a similar situation, but more cunning. He puts out eight bowls of the Japanese rice wine sake, and hides. When the dragon arrives he drinks the sake, and becomes drunk. At that point Susanowo emerges from hiding, and cuts off the eight heads of the dragon. Then he marries the maiden.
It is usually among the Indo Europeans that heroes slay dragons, although “The Song of Hiawatha” has Hiawatha killing a serpent named “Kenabeek.” Kenabeek is described as emitting fire from his mouth.
“The book of the Dragon” only describes a dragon killed by Beowulf as having fiery breath, but that is a common description of European dragons. “The Book of the Dragon” errs by not mentioning the dragons that appear in nineteenth century anthologies of fairy tales, such as Grimm’s Fairytales.
When trying to explain the ubiquity of the dragon myth Judy Allen and Jeanne Griffiths mention Carl Sagan’s theory that the dragon is an image of the fear our human ancestors felt during the age of the dinosaurs for carnivorous dinosaurs, like Tyrannosaurus Rex. Our ancestors back then were too small to tempt the palate of a Tyrannosaurus. The sixty six million years since the extinction of the dinosaurs is too long for evolution to preserve an instinct.
My theory is that the dragon is the image of the instinctive fear primates, including humans, feels for snakes. We need to learn to fear large felines and wolfs. We fear snakes, even when we have never seen them, and know nothing about them. I interpret the fiery breath of the dragon as the mythical image of a snake’s poison fangs.
My own study of Jung’s writing, and the myths, legends and fairytales of various cultures has led me to be somewhat skeptical of Jung’s claims.
I continue to believe that the collective unconscious exists, but that it is less extensive than Jung maintains, and that it has little or no influence on mental illness or curing mental illness.
Curiously, Jung gave little attention to the collective archetype of the dragon. According to “The Book of the Dragon,” “the dragon as a symbol has been used by virtually every culture throughout the history of the world.”
Dragons are described as reptilian, serpentine creatures, sometimes described as serpents. In the King James Bible the word “dragon” appears nineteen times; the word “serpent” appears thirty nine times. Dragons and serpents are usually described in the Bible as evil and dangerous, and never as benevolent.
“The book of the Dragon” claims that Chinese dragons are benevolent. This seems to be true. The authors err when they make the same claim of Japanese dragons. The “Nihongi” is one of the two holy books of Shinto. It describes a battle between an eight headed serpent and Susanowo, the Impetuous Male. Susanowo was a deity who had been expelled from Heaven because of his impetuous ways. Wandering on earth Susanowo encountered an elderly couple of Japanese water spirits and their daughter. They are crying. They tell Susanowo that an eight headed dragon has over time eaten seven of their daughters, and is coming to consume the last one.
Susanowo asks if he can marry their daughter if he slays the dragon. They of course give their consent. Susanowo is less daring than St. George in a similar situation, but more cunning. He puts out eight bowls of the Japanese rice wine sake, and hides. When the dragon arrives he drinks the sake, and becomes drunk. At that point Susanowo emerges from hiding, and cuts off the eight heads of the dragon. Then he marries the maiden.
It is usually among the Indo Europeans that heroes slay dragons, although “The Song of Hiawatha” has Hiawatha killing a serpent named “Kenabeek.” Kenabeek is described as emitting fire from his mouth.
“The book of the Dragon” only describes a dragon killed by Beowulf as having fiery breath, but that is a common description of European dragons. “The Book of the Dragon” errs by not mentioning the dragons that appear in nineteenth century anthologies of fairy tales, such as Grimm’s Fairytales.
When trying to explain the ubiquity of the dragon myth Judy Allen and Jeanne Griffiths mention Carl Sagan’s theory that the dragon is an image of the fear our human ancestors felt during the age of the dinosaurs for carnivorous dinosaurs, like Tyrannosaurus Rex. Our ancestors back then were too small to tempt the palate of a Tyrannosaurus. The sixty six million years since the extinction of the dinosaurs is too long for evolution to preserve an instinct.
My theory is that the dragon is the image of the instinctive fear primates, including humans, feels for snakes. We need to learn to fear large felines and wolfs. We fear snakes, even when we have never seen them, and know nothing about them. I interpret the fiery breath of the dragon as the mythical image of a snake’s poison fangs.
January 19, 2008
Tremendous resource for the images, but the text is spotty at best.
Read
August 21, 2012acceptable exlibrary
Read
December 8, 2012exlibrary good
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews