Worms (Still) and Wyverns

Abstract

What was the form of the dragon in the medieval Germanic world? The ancient Germanic dragon was probably ever a simple worm in form, doubtless a fiery one, as the classical dragon had been, and as indeed the Indo-European dragon had been. The exciting new format of the winged dragon of Christian-Latin culture was embraced avidly and was often substituted into established dragon-fight tales, as we see in the case of Anglo-Saxon Beowulf and in those of many Norse examples. But it is a testament to the force of the established story-type that on occasion this substitution had to remain superficial and cosmetic, with the new winged creatures remaining strangely flightless in their featured fights.