Handout: Legendary Dragons of Mythic Europe

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

The players in my saga wanted to do some research into legendary dragons, so I prepared a handout as a result of their efforts (after some Magic Lore rolls and off-screen research). I thought I'd share what I compiled (it's translated from Swedish but I tried to make it look good after a GPT run).

It was really for story reasons (and where I figured I could take the saga if they ran the pipe). Basically they figured that an option to "restart" the regio of Muspelheim they needed potent magical fire of some sort (and dragon fire was one option of many fun mythical options or they needed a calculated 15+ magnitude CrIg effect). The lava fires (and fire giants, including Surtr) had died out due to their action of sending the winter-kings powerful possessed knights there. Bad idea, which also screwed up their magical aura (as Muspelheim is one of 9 worlds feeding a vim-flow of magic in my saga, no more Ignem boost in the covenant or forest area!). Very long story (and fun) for another time.

Anyway, the handout below (translated). The dragons chosen are combined from real myth and Ars supplements and I selected what the characters actually knew about them (darn good Magic Lore roll, and the player has specialty beasts of legend...)
Would be happy to hear about additional legendary dragons (from RAW, myth or your sagas).

Legendary Dragons

Leviathan Kete

In the realm of Aethiopia, Queen Cassiopeia's claim that she and her daughter Andromeda surpass all of Poseidon's Nereids in beauty provokes the god's wrath. He unleashes the dragon Kete, commanding it to ravage the kingdom's shores and harbors. The Oracle of Ammon decrees that only by sacrificing Andromeda to the beast can relief be found. Thus, she is bound naked to a seaside rock. Perseus, the valiant hero, slays the beast and claims Andromeda in marriage. Tales of the Leviathan persist even after its defeat by Perseus. Rumors swirl that Kete still haunts the Red Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, whimsically flying between the two, tormenting local sailors with fear and superstition.

Pan Caudarax

Around a millennium ago, the dragon Pan Caudarax left Flanders for "The Island," abandoning a legendary treasure, including the Rosewood Crown, a divination tool for oracles. It vowed to return on the day of the Crescent Sun to defend its treasure against the legendary Sorcerer De Panne.

The Golden Serpent Impathis

In the 5th and 6th centuries, the dragon Impathis, known as the Golden Serpent for her splendid golden scales, ravaged cities and kingdoms around the Alps in her ceaseless quest for gold and gems. Many brave knights sought to slay her but never returned. Eventually, Impathis retreated to a hidden location in the Alps and has not been seen since the 7th century. Only mad mundane knights still search for her, lured by tales of her immense treasure and reputed wisdom. She was known to converse with scholars, blending wisdom with avarice.

The Dragons of Mont Pilatus

Mont Pilatus, a majestic mountain near Lucerne in Switzerland, is steeped in dragon lore. These beings, more than mere beasts, are shrouded in magic and mystique. Dwelling in the fog-enshrouded caves and deep chasms, they exhibit power and majesty, with scales shimmering in every conceivable hue and vast wings that stir the clouds and echo through the mountains. These dragons wield control over weather and winds, with breath either icy cold or scorchingly hot. They are revered as guardians of wisdom, with eyes glittering with ancient knowledge. Their scales' morning dew is sought for its magical healing properties. However, these dragons can also be perilous, particularly when their domain is encroached upon. Many have sought to challenge them, often meeting grim fates.

Fafnir

In the 5th century, Siegfried, a knight from Xanten, hears of Kriemhild's unmatched beauty and seeks her hand. He first claims a vast treasure from the Nibelungs by slaying them and taking the Tarnkappe from their dwarf treasurer, Alberich, becoming ruler of Nibelung's land. Siegfried slays the dragon Fafnir in Westerwald, bathing in its blood, rendering his body invulnerable except for a spot on his back. He aids King Gunther in winning Brünhild's hand by deceit, stealing her ring and girdle for Kriemhild. This tale culminates in tragedy and the Nibelung's treasure remains lost, allegedly sunk in the Rhine by the traitor Hagen.

Nameless Scandinavian Dragon

In 6th century Ultima Thule, Beowulf, endowed with the strength of thirty men, slays Grendel in King Hrothgar's hall Heorot. Later, as king, he faces a dragon awakened by a thief in a cave. With only his kin Wiglaf's aid, Beowulf confronts the dragon, but ultimately succumbs to his wounds. He is honored posthumously with a sea-visible burial mound in Götaland [land of the Goths, southeast Sweden]. The dragon's fate and resting place remain a mystery, with few clues to Beowulf's grave.

Ladon

Trianoma, of House Bonisagus, is said to have located Bonisagus by heeding advice from Ladon, guardian of the Hesperides' golden apples. Others speculate she used magical coordinates from remnants of Ptolemy's lost "Geography." The dragon, deemed invincible and ever-vigilant, might still exist.

The Wawel Dragon

This dragon, residing under Kraków's Wawel Hill, terrorized the region until outwitted by a cobbler's apprentice, who fed it a sulfur-laden sheepskin, leading to its demise.

Unknown Dragon on Isle of Man

In 1160, a powerful dragon destroyed the nascent covenant Servus Maris on the Isle of Man, sparing only one magus to warn others. The dragon's affiliation remains unclear, with speculation about Diedne, the Scandinavian Odin's Order, or another power.

Unknown Dragon on Iceland

In 1224, a Loch Leglean magus investigating ghostly occurrences on a Scottish island learns they stem from Hadrianus of House Flambeau, slain a decade prior while probing Odin's Order rumors in Iceland. Hadrianus' spirit speaks of a formidable dragon summoned by the Order before finding rest. This incident stirs calls for revenge and action against Odin's Order.

5 Likes
2

It looks like GPT4 too a ton of liberty in shortening translation and reducing quite a few details. I really started to notice towards editing it at the end. However, I guess I leave it as it can work nicely as a slightly lower result. Below is a hand-polished much more accurate translation by GPT3-turbo (which also includes better hints for future adventure):

Legendary Dragons of Mythic Europe

Leviathan Kete

Queen Cassiopeia of the kingdom of Aethiopia claims that she and her daughter Andromeda are more beautiful than all of Poseidon's nymphs. The angered god responds by releasing the dragon Kete (or Ketos) and ordering it to ravage the country's coasts and harbors. The oracle in Ammon predicts that no relief would be found until the king exposes his daughter Andromeda to the monster, so she is chained naked to a cliff by the shore. Perseus kills the monster and, by freeing her, claims Andromeda in marriage.
Even after Perseus defeated it, stories about Leviathan persist to this day. It is said that Kete still hunts in the Red Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, flying between them as whim strikes, and torments local seafaring to sailors' fear and superstition.

Pan Caudarax

Approximately one thousand years ago, the dragon Pan Caudarax left Flanders for "the Island." It left behind a legendary treasure, including the Rosewood Crown, an oracle tool. It swore to return on the day of the Crescent Sun to defend its treasure against the Witchmaster De Panne.

The Golden Serpent Impathis

The dragon Impathis, called the Golden Serpent for her marvelous golden scales, burned down cities and kingdoms around the Alps in the 5th and 6th centuries in her continued pursuit of gold and gemstones.
Many brave knights were sent to kill her but never returned. Eventually, it seems that the dragon withdrew somewhere in the Alps and has not been seen since the 8th century. Only mad mundane knights still search for her as she is said to be the greediest and richest dragon of all with an enormous treasure. However, it is also said that she was wise and cultivated, enjoying conversations with the learned.

The Dragons of Mont Pilatus

Mont Pilatus harbors beings of great power and mystery, deeply rooted in the mysteries of the Alps. Mont Pilatus is a majestic mountain near Luzern (in Switzerland) and has been surrounded by legends and tales of dragons since time immemorial. Not just simple beasts, but creatures surrounded by magic and mysticism. Residing in the misty caves and deep ravines of Mont Pilatus, a place that is both alluring and feared by those who dare to approach. These mighty creatures have been described as powerful and majestic, with scales shimmering in all imaginable colors and large, powerful wings that, when spread out, can create winds that alter the movement of clouds and echo through the mountains.
The Dragons of Mont Pilatus can control weather and winds. Their breath is said to be either icy cold or scorching hot, depending on their mood and needs. The dragons are also known as guardians of wisdom, with their eyes sparkling with knowledge from an ancient time. They are said to possess healing powers as well, and dew collected on their scales under the first light of morning is believed to have magical and healing properties. Brave souls, often healers and physicians, make pilgrimages to Mont Pilatus in hopes of gathering this dew, despite the risks involved in approaching the dragons' lairs.

But these dragons are not only friendly guardians. They can also be dangerous and devastating, especially when their territory is violated. Many stories and legends tell of brave knights and adventurers who tried to prove their courage by challenging the dragons, often with disastrous results.
Mont Pilatus and its dragons have long fascinated and inspired the people in the region as well as visitors from distant lands.

Fafnir

At some point during the 5th century, by the river Rhine, Siegfried, a knight from the city of Xanten near the lower Rhine, hears about the great beauty Kriemhild - the world's most beautiful woman, sister to Gunther, the king of Burgundy - and decides to propose to her.
Siegfried first won a great treasure from the Nibelungs (two princes and brothers named Schilbung and Nibelung) by killing them. After taking the Tarnkappe (an invisibility cloak) from Alberich, the dwarf treasurer of the Nibelungs, he became ruler over their land.
Siegfried is said to have killed the dragon Fafnir in Westerwald and bathed in its blood, which made his body vulnerable. (He only had one vulnerable spot between his shoulder blades where a large leaf had rested on his skin when he was submerged in the dragon's blood.)
King Gunther allows Siegfried to marry Kriemhild on the condition that he helps him win the hand of Brünhild, the legendary strong queen of Iceland. Siegfried does this by cheating and deceiving Brünhild, as well as stealing her ring and girdle - and giving them to Kriemhild.

Brünhild's humiliation remains, and many years later everything ends in tragedy with death for all leading participants. The treasure of the Nibelungs remains lost; it is said to have been stolen and sunk in the Rhine by traitor Hagen.

Unnamed Scandinavian Dragon

In Ultima Thule during the 6th century: Beowulf, enchanted with thirty times a man's strength, kills Grendel in King Hrothgar's hall Heorot. Rewarded with gifts from the Danish king, Beowulf becomes king of the Geats.
Fifty years into his rule, a farmer carrying a golden object accidentally awakens a dragon from a cave, which begins to destroy everything in its path. Together with his young kinsman Wiglaf, the only one of his warriors brave enough to stand by his side, Beowulf decides to take up his sword and shield for one last time and try to defeat the Dragon. Unfortunately, the elderly king is injured and dies from the wounds he sustains in battle. After his death, he is ritually burned on a great pyre while his people mourn and weep for him. Afterwards, a burial mound is built in his memory, visible from the sea.
The question still remains: Does the dragon live? Where is its resting place? There are only a few possible locations in Scandinavia for Beowulf's burial mound.
Beowulf is said to have received his weapons and armor from the master blacksmith Regin [or Weland], apprentice to Mimir.

Ladon

The story of House Bonisagus tells that Trianoma found Bonisagus by following the advice of Ladon, guardian of the golden apples in the garden of Hesperides. Others say she used magical coordinates from surviving fragments of Ptolemy's lost major work "Geography" to find him.
The Hesperides were nymphs and daughters of Atlas, and their garden was located at the western end of the world according to myth. Here grew a tree that bore golden apples, a gift from the goddess Hera to Zeus on their wedding day.
In the story of Heracles' twelve labors, one of Heracles' tasks was to steal the golden apples from the garden of Hesperides. There are different versions of how Heracles accomplished this mission. In some stories, he distracts the dragon while stealing the apples; in others, he seeks help from Titan Atlas, who holds up the sky. Atlas agrees to fetch the apples if Heracles holds up the sky in the meantime. When Atlas returns with the apples, he tries to trick Heracles into continuing to hold up the sky, but Heracles tricks him back and escapes with the apples.
If Trianoma truly spoke with Ladon as recently as 500 years ago, there may be hope that the dragon still exists. Rumor has it that it is invincible and never sleeps.

Dragon of Wawel

The Dragon of Wawel, also known as the Wawel Dragon, is widely known for living in a cave beneath Wawel Hill, where Wawel Castle is located in the significant trading city of Kraków.
The dragon ravaged the countryside around Kraków and terrorized both its inhabitants and King Krakus' court. It ate livestock and even people. King Krakus offered a reward to anyone who could kill the dragon. Many brave knights tried and failed.
In the end, the dragon was outsmarted by an apprentice shoemaker who filled a sheepskin with sulfur and other flammable materials and placed it near the dragon's cave. The dragon ate the sheep and became so thirsty from the sulfur that it drank water from the Vistula River until it burst. Since then, the hero has been celebrated as a savior of the city.

Unknown Dragon on Isle of Man

In 1160, a powerful dragon destroyed the newly established covenant Servus Maris on Isle of Man. This was the fourth attempt to establish a covenant on the island since 866. Only one magician is allowed to live to deliver a message not to return.
There is uncertainty about whether it was Diedne, Odin's Scandinavian Order, or some other power. But if they can control dragons, there is no possibility of attacking them. However, it seems unlikely that it was Diedne this last time; they are extinct and probably wouldn't have given any warning.
In 1145, a conclave between Stonehenge, Hibernia, and Loch Leglean decided that the island and its wisdom sources should remain untouched but belong to the Tribunal that can first establish a covenant there.

Unknown Dragon on Iceland

As recently as 1224, a magus from Loch Leglean investigated disturbances on a northern Scottish island and concluded that the ghost was Archimagus Hadrianus of House Flambeau who had perished during an expedition a decade earlier to investigate rumors about Odin's Scandinavian Order.
Hadrianus gave an unclear account of the battle but made it clear that he and his filia were killed by powerful forces and a dragon summoned by Odin's Order. After delivering this message, his spirit found rest. Attempts to summon his spirit again for further information only led to its final fading away. The news of the dragon's attack spread quickly throughout the Order. The Primus of House Flambeau demands revenge for his fallen comrades, and members of House Guernicus, who have long advocated action against Odin's Order, push their cause. Everyone expects this matter to be brought up at the Grand Tribunal in 1228.

4 Likes
3

Since you are playing in the Rhine, Drachenfels is the putative location of Fafnir's lair. Finding a man from Xantem named Siegfried yonhelp them in their quest could work.

4 Likes
4

Indeed! However, in my saga funnily enough, the players found a little ugly dwarf bound in massive chains hidden in their basement. It took them 70+ sessions but they've finally figured out it's the dragon Fafnir (who their predecessors chained, and forced to eat "the stone of destruction" - a magical artifact, and the setup attract and stabilizes their magical aura at a great level). The covenant charter has a very strict rule no one can utter Fafnirs name in the covenant. The ancient magic that binds him is permanent but conditional geas/curse, and one of the chains is broken each time that happens. There aren't too many left from original 9 and it could become quite destructive if the final chain snaps.

3 Likes
5

The dragon of Euchaïta (in northern Anatolia) threatened the city since the beginning of the first millenium, but was reportedly:
a) vanquished by the the patriarch of the city (see Vita Beniamini),.
b) killed by Saint Theodore, at the end of the 3rd century or beginning of the 4th (see the Vita educatio et miracula S. Theodori, and the S. Theodori Passio Altera).
c) Killed by Kihdr probably some time around the 6th or 7th century. See tCatC p.137 for this legendary figure of Islam, even though his killing of the dragon of Euchaïta is not mentioned there - but the dervishes of a sufi lodge in the area reported this fact to Hans Dernschwam in the 1550s.

In reality all these legends are variations of the same myth, with different protagonists (notably, all armed mystical power from a Divine source). But in Mythic Europe this dragon could well be an immortal figure that can never be permanently defeated, just vanquished for a time - only to rise again when a new hero is ready to challenge him with the power of True Faith.

The dragon of Silene (Lybia), killed by St.George as reported e.g. in the Legenda Aurea, has many elements of the same myth and is likely derived from it... so in Mythic Europe it may well be the same dragon.

And here's an interesting, dark, twist. St. George is venerated by Islam, too. According to Muslim legend, he was martyred under the rule of Diocletian and was killed three times but resurrected every time. What if ... he who kills the dragon, becomes the dragon? The dragon of Silene and Euchaita might then be a sequence of semi-immortal heroes. Each of them kills the Dragon, and inherits in the process immunity to True Death except at the hand of another True Hero (a Death Prophecy) as well as the Curse of eventually turning into the Dragon in wait for that hero (a draconic variant of Gruagach Transformation). The "Fountain of Life" from which Kihdr allegedly drank may well refer to this process, and either him or a successor of him might be waiting for a PC...

3 Likes
6

Great resource! Another can be the dragon Sathanas, who in a mythic europe would have been encountered during the first crusade.

Crusade cycle - Wikipedia

2 Likes
7

So, this is interesting. For one, De Panne is the name of a town on the Flemish coast. And about 40 km to the nord-east lies Ostend, which used to have an island protecting its natural harbor. However the island has sunken since, probably due to ecological mismanagement. Or possibly magic?

Around the year 600 Saint Gaugericus, a bishop from Cambrai, France, travelled up north and founded one or two churches in what about three centuries later would become the city of Brussels. This bishop, St Géri as he is known locally, is rumored to have chased away a dragon that lived in the marches of the area. Neither the dragon's name nor its fate are known.

Maybe it resettled somewhere in Flanders?

3 Likes
8

On the topic of Bishops having chased away Dragons:

La Gargouille of Rouen (Normandy)

The Gargouille was a dragon/serpent like creature whose breath killed and gave diseases. Saint Romain, the local bishop, aided by one volunteer convict went and defeated it with nothing but the power of faith.

It was not a fire breathing dragon though, more akin to a lindorm or a vouivre than a "proper" Smaug like being.

1 Like
9

One of my players made a dragon-slaying nun for a companion, so I needed a dragon for her to hunt. Research turned up a promising dragon off the coast of Brittany who was, you guessed it, tamed by a bishop. It was awoken by Iasper of Tytalus (see the covenant of Exspectatio in Normandy) and is currently dwelling in its lair, appeased by an annual human sacrifice determined by lottery.

Here’s the stats I wrote up.

“The Infinite Terror”
Aka The Dragon at the End of the Earth (L: Draco in Fine Terra)
Magic Might 30 (Ignem)
Season Winter
Size +10
Confidence Score 2 (5)
Virtues & Flaws Magic Animal, Magical Monster; Greater Immunity (heat and fire), Puissant Brawl, Self-Confident, Tough; Essential Flaw (Greedy, Major)
Magical Qualities & Inferiorities Greater Power x3, Improved Attack x4, Improved Defense x7, Improved Fatigue x3, Improved Initiative x9, Improved Powers, Improved Soak x4; Susceptible to Deprivation
Characteristics Int +1, Per +3, Pre +10, Com -4, Str +22, Sta +10, Dex +2, Qik -7
Abilities Area Lore: Brittany (caves) 3, Athletics (flying) 6, Awareness (scent) 5, Brawl (large teeth) 7+2, Dominion Lore (saints) 3, Faerie Lore (dragons) 3, Hunt (men) 5, Latin 5, Magic Lore (magical beasts) 4, Stealth (in lair) 4, Survival (caves) 3, Swim (underwater) 3
Combat Init Atk Dfn Dmg

  • Large Teeth +2 +20 +10 +25
  • Large Claws +2 +20 +9 +26
  • Evasion +2 — +8 —

Soak +21
Fatigue OK, 0/0/0/0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious
Wound Levels Light (1-15), Medium (16-30), Heavy (31-45), Incapacitated (46-60), Dead (61+)
Powers
Fiery Breath, 2 points, Init -12, Ignem
R Voice, D Mom, T Ind
The dragon belches forth a stream of fire 50 paces long which it breathes in a fan shape 20 paces wide at its end. Anyone caught in the fire takes a stress die + 40 damage from the flames; a character may attempt to dodge with a Qik + Athletics roll; if the roll succeeds against an Ease Factor of 12, the character is only singed for +15 damage. CrIg 50 (Base 40, +2 Voice). Greater Power (50 levels), Improved Powers (partial, -3 Might cost)
Invulnerability, 0 points (constant), Herbam, Terram
R Pers, D Sun, T Ind
The dragon is immune to mundane weapons of metal or wood. Weapons that are enchanted, have any active magical effect, or which are otherwise supernatural (such as the weapons of a faerie or ghost) affect the dragon normally, but may have to penetrate magic resistance according to the normal rules. ReTe(He) 35 (Base 5, +2 Metal, +2 Sun, +1 constant, +1 Herbam). Greater Power, 15 levels to reduce Might cost.
Swallow Whole, 0 points, Init -11, Corpus or Animal
R Touch, D Mom, T Ind
The dragon makes a Large Teeth attack on a single human or animal of Size +1 or less. If the attack total exceeds the defense total, the defender is instantly killed, swallowed whole by the dragon. PeCo(An) 40 (Base 30, +1 Touch, +1 Animal). Greater Power (40 points, 10 points to reduce Might cost), Improved Powers (partial, -2 Might cost)

The Dragon at the End of the Earth first came to the attention of history in the 6th century when the creature was tamed by St. Paul the Aurelian, who cast the dragon into a pit and went on to found a monastery on the island of Batz. That pit, known to locals as the Monster’s Hole, has been home to the dragon ever since.

3 Likes
10

I used to have bookmarked the wiki page for "dragons of northeast england" but that page seems to have disappeared, so now I use European Dragons as my default list.

5 Likes