INDIAN DRACONES (Drakones Indikoi) Dragons found in the hills and mountains of India. These legendary creatures were similar to their mythical counterparts.ĮTHIOPIAN DRACONES (Drakones Aithiopikoi) Giant serpents which inhabited the land of Aethiopia (that is, sub-Saharan Africa). The ancients believed the remote, unexplored corners of the earth were inhabited by Dracones. TROJAN DRACONES (Drakones Troiades) A pair of dragons sent by the god Poseidon to destroy Laocoon of Troy and his sons when he attempted to warn his people of the threat posed by the Wooden Horse. It was slain by the hero Menestratus, who threw himself into the creatures maw wrapped in spiked armour. THESPIAN DRACON (Drakon Thespiakos) A dragon which plagued the Boeotian town of Thespaie. RHODIAN DRACONES (Drakones Rhodioi) Giant serpents and dragons which ravaged the island of Rhodes. It was destroyed by the god Apollo when he seized the shrine. PYTHON A monstrous dragon which was set by Gaea to guard the oracle of Delphi. PITANIAN DRACON (Drakon Pitanios) A dragon of Pitane in Aeolia (Asia Minor) which was turned to stone by the gods. It mated with the maiden Halia, producing a son named Ophiogeneis, ancestor of the Ophiogenes tribe. OPHIOGENEAN DRACON (Drakon Ophiogeneikos) A dragon which guarded the sacred grove of the goddess Artemis in Mysia. It was destroyed by the warriors of the Seven Against Thebes after devouring the infant Opheltes, son of a local king. NEMEAN DRACON (Drakon Nemeios) A giant dragon or serpent which guarded the sacred groves of Zeus at Nemea. They were yoked to draw the chariot of the witch Medea. MEDEA'S DRACONES Two flying dragons born from the blood of the vanquished Titans. MAEONIAN DRACON (2) (Drakon Maionios) A monstrous dragon which terrorized the kingdom of Lydia. It was slain by Heracles when he was in the service of Queen Omphale. MAEONIAN DRACON (1) (Drakon Maionios) A dragon which ravaged the kingdom of Lydia. It was slain by the hero Cadmus who sowed its teeth in the earth to reap a crop of earth-born warriors. ISMENIAN DRACON (Drakon Ismenios) A dragon which guarded the sacred spring of Ares near Thebes. The creature was eventually destroyed by Heracles who cauterized its neck stumps with a flaming torch. It possessed the power of regeneration, producing two new heads for each that was decapitated.
HYDRA A nine headed water-dragon which guarded the springs of Lerna. It was slain by Heracles when he came to fetch the treasure as one of his Twelve Labors. HESPERIAN DRACON (Drakon Hesperios) A hundred-headed dragon which guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides. She caught it up and threw it into the sky where it formed the constellation Draco. GIGANTOMACHIAN DRACON (Drakon Gigantomakhios) A dragon which was cast at the goddess Athena during the Giant War. She gave them to the hero Triptolemos to carry him across the world spreading knowledge of agriculture. It driven out by the hero Cychreus and fled to Eleusis where it became an attendant of the goddess Demeter.ĭEMETER'S DRACONES A pair of winged dragons which drew the chariot of goddess Demeter. The creature was bewitched by Medea so that the hero Jason could steal its treasure.ĬYCHREIDES (Kykhreides) A dragon which terrorized the island of Salamis. Our own word "dragon" derives from the creature's name.ĬOLCHIAN DRACON (Drakon Kholkikos) An unsleeping dragon which guarded the Golden Fleece in the sacred grove of Ares at Colchis. In myth the beast usually guarded a sacred spring, grove or golden treasure. The first type of Greek dragon was the Dracon whose name was derived from the Greek words "drakein" and "derkomai" meaning "to see clearly" or "gaze sharply." It was essentially just a giant serpent which was sometimes equipped with rows of sharp teeth, deadly poison or multiple heads. The first of these occur in both myth and legend-"legend" meaning the ancients believed such creatures inhabited the far corners of the earth in historical times. The four types of dragon-like creatures known to the Greeks were the Dracones, Cetea, Chimaera and Dracaenae. A COMPLETE LIST OF DRAGONS FROM ANCIENT GREEK MYTHOLOGY
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