The Penguin Book of Dragons

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For two thousand years, dragons have captivated our imaginations, embodying both menace and majesty from ancient Rome to modern tales. As the most popular mythological creature, they evoke fear and fascination with their lethal venom and crushing coils. Often depicted as avatars of the Antichrist or harbingers of disaster, these creatures have marked the boundary between the known and the unknown across millennia and continents. The accounts within explore their origins in Africa, their battles with elephants in South Asia, and their fear of lightning. They include the world's first dragon slayer from ancient Sanskrit hymns, the colossal sea monster Leviathan, and the seven-headed "great red dragon" from the Book of Revelation. Other tales feature the Loch Ness monster, the dragon in Beowulf that inspired Tolkien's Smaug, and dragons in Merlin's prophecies. Stories also tell of a dragon saved from a centipede in Japan, who rewards its savior with a magical bag of rice, and the feathered serpent of ancient Mesoamerica, alongside a flatulent dragon the size of the Trojan Horse. From the dark halls of the Lonely Mountain to the skies of Westeros, dragons are expected to be gigantic, reptilian predators, yet this book reveals their many surprising facets.