Good Dragons are Rare: An Inquiry into Dragons Old and New
Prof. Tolkien once noted: “There are in any case many heroes but very few good dragons.” (M&C 17) Modern readers may wonder what he meant by ‘good dragons’ – certainly not virtuous or ‘morally good’ dragons, which are, basically, a modern invention. As Tolkien himself points out, a ‘good dragon’ is a beast that displays the typical characteristics of draco without becoming a mere (allegorical) representative of draconitas (i.e. the vice of avarice). Yet ‘death by allegory’ is not the only danger literary dragons have to face. My talk looks at the symbolic and narrative functions of dragons in Germanic literature throughout the ages. As will be shown, most dragons before (but also after) Tolkien do not live up to their full literary potential as protagonist, but remain either allegorical figures of evil, devices for testing the hero’s qualities, steeds, or Disney-pets. It is only such dragons as Smaug in The Hobbit or Chrysophylax Dives in Farmer Giles of Ham who live up to Tolkien’s idea of what a ‘good dragon’ should be: a dangerous protagonist in its own right partaking in the rich symbolism of the different traditions without being reduced to these ‘symbolic’ functions only.
Speaker Bio:
Thomas Honegger is Professor of English Medieval Studies at the Institut für Anglistik/Amerikanistik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena. His research focuses on medieval English and Germanic literature, myth, monsters, and the afterlives of medieval narratives in modern fantasy. He is internationally recognised for his work on dragons, legendary creatures, heroism, and the complex relationship between symbolism and storytelling from the Middle Ages to Tolkien and beyond. A gifted lecturer and sharp cultural historian, Honegger is particularly interested in how medieval imagination continues to shape modern fantasy worlds, refusing simple allegory in favour of richly ambivalent, intellectually challenging interpretations.
Curated & Hosted By:
Lena Schattenherz Heide-Brennand is a Norwegian lecturer with a master degree in language, culture and literature from the University of Oslo and Linnaeus University. She has been lecturing and teaching various subjects since 1998. Her field of interest and main focus has always been topics that others have considered strange, eccentric and eerie, and she has specialised in a variety of dark subjects linked to folklore, mythology and Victorian traditions and medicine. Her students often point out her thorough knowledge about the subjects she is teaching, in addition to her charismatic appearance. She refers to herself as a performance lecturer and always gives her audience an outstanding experience
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
