Dragons and Dragon Lore

Ernest Ingersoll’s Dragons and Dragon Lore (1928) is a scholarly exploration of the places dragons have occupied in human imagination rather than in nature. With wit and insight, Ingersoll traces how these fantastical creatures slithered, soared, and stamped their way from the flood myths of ancient Babylon to the treasure hoards of medieval Europe. Along the way appear rain-bringing serpents of the East, monstrous chaos beings of the Near East, and fire-breathing adversaries of Christian saints. More than a catalogue of legends, the book examines how a single mythical creature could be feared, worshipped, demonized, and revered across civilizations and centuries. Engaging, strange, and full of unexpected connections, it reveals how dragons—though never real—have shaped real-world history, art, and belief in ways more powerful than fire or fang.