Despite this message appearing to come from Katherine Lewis, it is actually
from Sam Riches, currently lurking at Huddersfield (just started lectureship
and awaiting delivery of computer). Anyone wishing to e-mail me off-list
about what follows may do so at [log in to unmask]
Please don't e-mail Katherine, who has kindly let me use her computer
account to mail this message!
At the risk of horrendous levels of self-publicity I would like to draw
dragon-enthusiasts' attention to my forthcoming tome 'St George: Hero,
Martyr and Myth' (Sutton, October 2000) which has a delightful female dragon
on the cover and a whole selection within. My identification of certain
Georgian dragons (i.e. dragons shown in combat with St George)as female is
based on a range of arguments, but please note the following (to me, at
least) persuasive elements:
(1) Alexander Barclay's 'Life of St George' (1515) refers to the dragon as
female throughout
(2) An image by Albrecht Altdorfer (1511) shows definite breasts or dugs on
a Georgian dragon
(3) there are a few Georgian dragons who have dragonlets (not proof positive
of femaleness, as they could be fathers)
(4) there are around 50 (and counting) Georgian dragons who have a clear
orifice marked at the base of the tail (primarily C15th). These dragons are
virtually always shown in the attitude described by Oriens (on back, legs in
air), so that the orifice is clearly exposed. There is sometimes a
pseudo-phallic pointer, such as a broken spear, directly indicating the
orifice. The orifice might be intended to be read as an anus in some images,
but the depiction is often far closer to human female genitalia (complete
with labia). One notable example (not in the book, I fear, but hopefully in
a forthcoming paper) has two orifices, and is hence almost certainly in
possession of female genitalia! The dragon on the cover has such an orifice,
and a dragonlet to boot.
(5) There are a few (a very few) examples of Georgian dragons with male
genitalia (i.e. penis and or scrotum visible. These examples indicate (a)
that not all Georgian dragons are female, and (b) when dragons were
presented as gendered it was likely that humanised genitalia would be shown,
despite the claims of bestiaries and other sources that dragons had no
external genitalia.
(6) The 'woman falling onto her back' idea is a sound one...I think these
depictions are all about attacking 'loose' female sexuality (i.e. that not
constrained by marriage). St George functions as a symbol of chastity as
well as a symbol of masculinity.
Overall, I think this shows just how fluid the concept of the dragon was,
and the extent to which late medieval attitudes did not tally with the
formal records.
Sam
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