Dragons & Serpents

From the Welsh dragons of Dinas Emrys to the wyrms and 'worms' of northern England and the lake serpents of the Highlands, the dragon of British and Irish tradition is usually earthbound and territorial — a guardian of a well, a hill or a hoard, slain by a local hero whose deed is still tied to a named place.

DragonsSockburn WormCounty DurhamA dragon or wyrm slain by Sir John Conyers near Sockburn on the River Tees. The Conyers falchion, said to be the weapon used, became part of local ceremonial tradition. DragonsStoor WormCaithness, ScotlandThe greatest of all sea serpents in Scottish legend, so vast its body encircled the earth. When the hero Assipattle slew it, its teeth became the Orkney islands and its coiled body became Iceland. DragonsWorm of LintonScottish BordersA venomous border worm that laired in a hollow near Linton, poisoning the countryside with its breath. Somerville of Lariston slew it with a lance tipped by a burning peat or wheel of pitch. DragonsY Ddraig GochSnowdonia, WalesThe Red Dragon of Wales, buried beneath Dinas Emrys, locked in eternal battle with a white dragon. The young Merlin prophesied that the red dragon — the true Britons — would ultimately prevail.

← Browse all legends