Nihtes flēogeð, fȳre befangen: Fire and Flight in the Beowulf Dragon

Dragons appear in stories all over the world, sharing common symbolical roots, but manifesting in many different shapes and contexts. The Western version is typically a chimerical monster with the ability of breathing fire and flying; however, in earlier mythological writings, this combination of traits does not exist. In Beowulf, the iconic Western dragon finds the widest space it possesses within medieval literature, and its typical traits have a major relevance on the plot. The aim of this thesis is to follow the development of the medieval European dragon concept and identify the models and sources of the Beowulf dragon, tracing the appearance of the tropes of the flight and fire in dragon narratives. The thesis is divided into two chapters. The first chapter follows the development of the dragon from its earliest traces to the founding myths of Western culture, and then through classical and Christian literature, until the establishment of the iconic medieval dragon concept. The second chapter analyses the Beowulf dragon, tracing its links with the classical, Christian and Germanic literature, Anglo-Saxon culture and folkloristic tropes. The comparison shows the continuity of the episode with hagiographic tales, classical and Germanic dragon-slaying episodes and popular beliefs about dragons, but also its elements of innovation.