Dragons have maintained a prominent place in medieval lore, representing both menace and moral teaching. Medieval people held a distinct understanding of dragons, manifested in sagas and bestiaries without detailed physical descriptions. Tales like Sigurd's battle with Fáfnir illustrate dragons embodying traits similar to snakes, yet dragons' characteristics varied across cultures. Additionally, their dual symbolism allowed them to be employed in religious contexts, even representing Christ in artwork, revealing the profound impact these creatures had on medieval imagination and beliefs.
In the thirteenth-century Norse poem Fáfnismál, Sigurd digs a pit where he knows the greedy dwarf-turned-dragon Fáfnir will slither. This feat makes no sense to an audience expecting a monster that lumbers on legs or takes to the skies.
Dragons were not only metaphors for evil but paradoxically, by the thirteenth century, represented Christ in religious art, showcasing their duality in cultural contexts.
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