Dragons: Myth and Reality 🐉

Dragons... from myths to fantasy novels, we’ve been obsessed with them for thousands of years, but what is a dragon and where do their stories originate? From 21st Century London to Ancient Mesopotamia, join Classicist Jasmine Elmer on a quest to investigate the Indo-European Dragon.   Jasmine begins on the incredible Dragon Hill in Oxfordshire and then heads via the City of London’s boundary dragons to the majestic Exeter Cathedral to meet one of the only dragon experts in the world, Professor Daniel Ogden.   With Daniel, Jasmine finds out how medieval Christianity is integral to the formation of the winged dragon we know today. Then as we venture further into the medieval world. We examine an iconic dragon tale through two incredible artworks by Jacopo Tintoretto and Paolo Uccello.   At St Lawrence’s Church, Cambridge we meet Dr Sam Riches who uncovers a special 14th century wall painting that explores the portrayal of the dragon in art and specifically how you can gender the dragon in the late medieval world.