The Evolution of the Dragon

Dragons appear in the myths of every human civilization, yet their origins have remained stubbornly obscure. Grafton Elliot Smith proposes a radical answer: the dragon evolved from the sacred crocodiles of ancient Egypt, their form and symbolism transformed over millennia as the cult of life-giving water and mummification spread across the ancient world. Based on lectures delivered at the John Rylands Library, this book traces the serpentine path of dragon mythology from the Nile to Greece, Mesopotamia, and beyond. Smith argues that the dragon's associations with water, fertility, and death were not arbitrary but emerged from the very specific rituals of Egyptian religion. Even the burning of incense and libations, he suggests, carry far deeper histories than we typically imagine. For Smith, much of early civilization's religious and political structures stem from a potent combination of practical needs and the symbolic interpretation of life, death, and the natural world. A pioneering work of comparative mythology that asks us to take seriously the idea that our most fantastic creatures carry real historical cargo.