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Theme trail · 11 stops

Dragons Around the World

“In Europe they fight them, in China they bring the rain.”

The dragon is perhaps the most widespread creature in the world, but it is not the same everywhere. In Italy and in Europe it is almost always a swamp monster to be defeated, often the symbol of a disease or a real danger. In Asia, on the other hand, it is a wise and powerful creature that brings rain and good fortune.

  1. Tarantasio, the Dragon of Lake GerundoLombardy

    We begin in the marshes of Lombardy, where the dragon's breath was malaria.

  2. The Dragon of Terni (Thyrus)Umbria

    In Umbria a green dragon was beaten by a ray of sunlight on a suit of armour.

  3. The Dragon of Saint SylvesterLazio

    In Rome a pope shut a dragon's mouth with a thin thread.

  4. San Fruttuoso and the DragonLiguria

    In Liguria the dragon was one of three signs showing where to build an abbey.

  5. The Rocca del Drago of RoghudiCalabria

    In Calabria all that is left of the dragon is a rock with three eyes.

  6. The Basilisk of GenoaLiguria

    The basilisk is the dragon's poisonous cousin, half rooster and half serpent.

  7. The Hydra of LernaGreek mythology

    In ancient Greece the serpent had many heads, and they grew back.

  8. Sigurd and the Dragon FafnirNorse mythology

    In the North the dragon is born from the greed of a man who would not share his gold.

  9. Yamata no OrochiJapanese mythology

    In Japan an eight-headed serpent was beaten with eight barrels of sake.

  10. The Chinese DragonChinese mythology

    In China everything changes: the dragon is not fought but respected, because it brings rain.

  11. QuetzalcóatlAztec and Maya mythologies

    On the other side of the world, in Mexico, the serpent has feathers and gives knowledge.

Next trail: Thunder Gods

Ciro Simone Irmici

Who's behind this

Ciro Simone Irmici

I build websites, apps and games. I built the Atlas with artificial intelligence and I check every card and every source myself. I am not a scholar of mythology: I tell these legends with respect and always say where they come from. If you know a legend from your town, write to me.

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