People have been fascinated by dragons for centuries and that fascination continues through today. Dragons may be mythical but their impact on our world and in popular culture is very real.
The continued popularity of dragons from movies and TV to Halloween decorations to children’s toys got me thinking about whether the Bible says anything about dragons. And if it does, does it actually mean the kind of fire-breathing, scaly creatures in popular lore? Or perhaps dragons are more symbolic of strength? Evil? Something else?
Maybe there will be friendly dragons in heaven. One can hope.
This article discusses all the potential mentions of dragons in the Bible.
The Bible does mention dragons. Though in the ancient world of the Bible dragons weren’t the fantasy creatures of today–large flying reptiles that breathe fire and score a lot of experience points when you kill them in a dungeon.
Dragons, in the ancient world, were basically large serpents, still fantasy and myth, but basically very large serpents that many cultures around the world imagined.
And this is important: Dragons never existed in reality. But the dragons have always been part of the imagination and so have featured in stories and cultural motifs throughout most cultures. So the Bible does mention dragons when it suits the biblical authors’ purposes.
The most obvious example is when St. John constantly refers to Satan as “the dragon” in the Revelation. Remembering that “dragon” meant large serpent, this is certainly imaginitive play on the fact that the devil took the form of a serpent in the Garden of Eden story in Genesis–when the devil deceives Eve. So this snake motif of the devil is carried in the Revelation, where the devil isn’t just a snake, the devil is a dangerous dragon–but ultimately the dragon is crushed and defeated–for the snake is crushed under Christ’s heel. So the “dragon” is ultimately just a crushed snake; and in spite of all of his rage, and how he inspires the nations to despise the Church–in spite of all the theatrics of a terrifying world in which sin and death are present, Christ remains Lord, and all things are and will be subject to Him, “for the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ” and the day is coming when every power and principality is brought under Christ’s authority and rule, for He shall come and Judge the nations. And His is an everlasting kingdom. So we have no need to fear dragons, Christ is Risen.
I do appreciate what @TheologyNerd said, but we do have the testimony of a dragon by three irrefutable Biblical figures. Peter, Paul, and Mary collectively testify of one Puff, the magic dragon who purportedly lived by the sea. It seems he frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called “Honah Lee”,which is a transgrammaticalization of “Honesty”, so we know the story is true. An extra Biblical character, Little Jackie Paper surely loved that rascal Puff. He claims to have brought him strings, and sealing wax, and other fancy stuff.
