Here be dragons...
We have various best selling novelty items - our signature rusty cows, flying pigs etc. But what we sell in every shape and size, day in, day out, are dragons. But what is it about these popular and enduring mythical creatures that we find so appealing?
Where did they come from? This is not entirely clear but stories of flying serpents have been described as far back as the Ancient Greeks. They were thought of as an exotic animal until Christianity spread across the world. From then on they took on a more sinister interpretation and were often associated with Satan and Paganism. St George slaying the dragon is an allegory of Christianity ridding the world of Paganism (according to my Mum....). He arrives in a town threatened by a terrible dragon, rescues the maiden, protects himself with a cross and slays the dragon. Impressed by St George's faith and bravery, the whole town converts to Christianity. If only the crusades had been this easy...
So that's where they came from, but why do we like them so much? JRR Tolkien probably has a lot to answer for (and Peter Jackson) - nothing like helping with the slaying of the dragon to increase Bilbo's status on Middle Earth! And JK Rowling has created a modern image of the dragon in the Harry Potter novels.
Kids love dinosaurs, but they seem to love Dragons more. Maybe it's the chameleon features - we all have ideas of what a dragon should look like, but every one is different in some way. Some have wings, some have lion claws etc. My image was inspired by the late great Terry Pratchett's epic Disc World novel, Guards! Guards! In this novel the dragon is super intelligent, aerodynamically impossible and has a flame like an industrial furnace. Like legends of yore, it also likes to sleep on the 'hoard' - gold, or shiny stuff. That's the other thing about dragons, they like a bit of bling. The penchant for virgin maidens is definitely a downside, but this seems to have been eradicated in recent tales such as 'How to Train Your Dragon' and replaced with a more sympathetic caring side which appeals to the Disney generation.
There might be something about being in Somerset that makes dragons so popular - the symbol of the county is the Wyvern. A red dragon, similar to our fellow dragons across the bridge in Wales but ours has two feet and a barbed tail. Clearly we are a more aggressive part of the UK!
Whatever the reasons behind our continued love of these mythical beasts, the love never seems to dwindle. And if something, that was orginally thought to harm and is now appreciated with ongoing affection, can inspire the imaginations of our children, then long live the dragons wherever they may be....
- 14th July 2016
