Image of Dragon in Georgian Mythology

Abstract

The dragon is an old and complex mythical image that covers the whole set of symbols
and functions. It is an ambivalent mythological image. The dragon has a long mythological
biography, experienced stable changes and the attitude was different to him.
These layers are collected in folklore-ethnographic materials. As the creator of the sea
and the earth, it is related to the first forces of the universe and therefore holds special
knowledge.
According to Georgian mythological texts, one of the main signs of the dragon is the
connection to the water, which gives him a special significance. Worship of the water
patrons preserved mostly by agrarian traditions, where the idea of fertility comes out
in the foreground. That’s why the weather’s governor dragon turned out to be a fertile
rewarded naturally. The dragon’s cult reflected in the megalithic monuments. It is a
large stone-shaped whale figures that have been found in many places in Caucasus.
The dragon possesses special wealth (including water) and does not concede to any
new generation gods or humans. This antagonism has led to the transformation of the
dragon’s face. He has gradually acquired a negative character. In Georgian folklore we
can find dragon killer heroes. These heroes are swallowed by the dragon and getting
power in its belly. So, the dragon can be killed only by the hero grown up in its bosom,
who received the power.
There is described the bull and dragon’s fight in Georgian narratives, where the bull
wins. In these stories the dragon is an unequivocally evil creature that hides water
causes drought or vice versa, threatens the earth with a flood.