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The dragon motif is known in Celtic art in diverse styles, and is presumed to have derived from a serpent-like creature in ancient folklore of the Middle East and Greece. Both the Greeks and the Romans considered the serpent to be a guardian spirit, represented on their altars. [ 28 ]
The Pictish Beast (sometimes Pictish Dragon or Pictish Elephant) is an artistic representation of an animal, distinct to the early medieval culture of the Picts of Scotland. The great majority of surviving examples are on Pictish stones .
The Welsh Dragon (Welsh: y Ddraig Goch, meaning 'the red dragon'; pronounced [ə ˈðraiɡ ˈɡoːχ]) is a heraldic symbol that represents Wales and appears on the national flag of Wales. Ancient leaders of the Celtic Britons that are personified as dragons include Maelgwn Gwynedd , Mynyddog Mwynfawr and Urien Rheged .
Writing in the Celtic Review in 1908, the folklorist E. C. Watson described the beithir as a "venomous and destructive creature". [9] She suggested the basis of the legends were founded in the destructive characteristics of lightning and serpents. [9] The beithir was said to be sighted on summer nights when lightning strikes occurred. [13]
Chuvash dragons are winged fire-breathing and shape shifting dragons, they originate with the ancestral Chuvash people. [4] Celtic dragons Beithir: In Scottish folklore, the beithir is a large snakelike creature or dragon. Depicted with different numbers of limbs, without wings. Instead of fiery breath, Beithir was often associated with lightning.
An early appearance of the Old English word dracan (oblique singular of draca) in Beowulf [1]. The word dragon entered the English language in the early 13th century from Old French dragon, which, in turn, comes from Latin draco (genitive draconis), meaning "huge serpent, dragon", from Ancient Greek δράκων, drákōn (genitive δράκοντος, drákontos) "serpent".
Issued from Celtic and Asian traditions, the dragon starts appearing in early Christian art. They can be found in Byzantine art, Slav icons, gargoyles, and illuminated manuscripts. [32] The medieval dragon is depicted as an evil, hideous monster always associated with evil.
Early Celtic art is another term used for this period, stretching in Britain to about 150 AD. [2] The Early Medieval art of Britain and Ireland, which produced the Book of Kells and other masterpieces, and is what "Celtic art" evokes for much of the general public in the English-speaking world, is called Insular art in art history. This is the ...