Description:Two thousand years of legend and lore about the menace and majesty of dragons, which have breathed fire into our imaginations from ancient Rome to Game of Thrones
A Penguin Classic
From classical antiquity to the dawn of the modern age, dragons have proved to be the most popular mythological creature in the human imagination, featuring prominently in heroic literature around the world. Giant serpents guarding forbidden springs, venomous monsters ravenous for human flesh, fire-breathing wyrms slumbering atop great mounds of gold—the examples are fearsome and unfailingly fascinating. Ranging from ancient Greece and India to medieval Europe and China to the badlands of modern America, The Penguin Book of Dragons uncovers hidden traditions about dragons from around the world and explores the meaning of these monsters in religious myths and popular folklore, the perils of encounters with them, and the virtues of the heroes who vanquished them.