CH 6 (7/8) - British Dragon Legends

Part seven of the sixth chapter of Frederick William Hackwood's study of dragonlore.

FULL ILLUSTRATED TEXT
http://www.justgenealogy.plus.com/fwhdd06.htm

In a Salopian legend we have a slight deviation from the usual run of dragon stories by the introduction of Eastern magic, but with reversion to old lines of thought in the dragon guardianship of treasure. The tale runs in this wise. In the year 1344, at Bromfield, near Ludlow, a certain Saracen physician came to Earl Warren to ask permission to kill a dragon which had made its den in Bromfield, and was committing great ravages on all the earl's lands around the Welsh border there. Consent being given, the worm was overcome by the potent spell of an Arab incantation.

Certain words, however, in that strange tongue led to the common belief, which soon spread abroad, that a vast treasure lay hidden in the dragon's den. So a body of men from the neighbouring county of Hereford armed themselves, and went by night to dig for the hidden hoard, led in their nefarious enterprise by a Lombard named Peter Picard.

Just as they had reached the treasure, the earl's men fell upon them, overcame them, and cast them into prison. Then the earl took possession of the treasure, which was very great. The unusual characters introduced suggest an allegory of even deeper significance than some of the other dragon stories.

A worm of prodigious size once upon a time made his lurking-place at Deerhurst, near Tewkesbury, poisoning the inhabitants and devouring their flocks and herds. At last the king proclaimed that anyone who destroyed the obnoxious beast should be rewarded with a fine estate, belonging to the Crown, which lay within that parish.

This brought forth a champion bearing the historic English name of John Smith, who announced his readiness to essay the task. By placing a quantity of milk near the creature's lair he lured him out ; then waiting till he had gorged himself with this very efficacious bait and lay down to sleep, the subtle-witted champion simply stepped forth and cut off his head with his curtal-axe. It is satisfactory to know that the resourceful John Smith was duly awarded the "fine estate."

In the year 1170 appeared at St. Ossythes, in Essex, a dragon of such "marvellous bigness" that it set fire to the houses by merely moving among them.

At Chipping Norton, in Oxfordshire, is said to have appeared in 1349 "a serpent with two heads, each with a face like a woman's, and having great wings after the manner of a bat."

In ancient days, when the greater part of Durham county was covered with forest, a savage beast desolated the region of Bishop Auckland, the ultimate conqueror of which was an heroic member of the Pollard family. Strict inquiry into the details of the legend connected therewith reveals the fact that the Pollard worm was a huge wild boar, or "brawn" - it has been suggested that the name of the neighbouring parish of Brancepeth merely signifies "the brawn's path" !

Category:

Education

Tags:

• treasure
• dragons
• Bromfield
• Brancepeth
• Tewkesbury
• Deerhurst
• Ludlow
• Peter
• Picard
• John
• Smith
• Pollard
• magic
• trickery
• books

[Issacgrimnebulin]

The earliest references to the Pollard creature describe it as a 'worm' not a boar. The whole idea about it being a wild boar came later. The beast was clearly some elongate reptillian creature of the kind dubbed worm or lindorm.

[Issacgrimnebulin]

The earliest references to the Pollard creature describe it as a 'worm' not a boar. The whole idea about it being a wild boar came later. The beast was clearly some elongate reptillian creature of the kind dubbed worm or lindorm.