Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings. For today’s post, I have decided to take a look at the Red and White Dragons of Welsh folklore! There is an early story about a young Merlin being brought before the current King Vortigen. Vortigen had him brought forward, as he had been told that he could finish building his castle at Dinas Emrys if he sacrificed the life of a young boy without a father.
Merlin, in this tale named Myrddin Emrys as this is an original Welsh tale, was famously known to have been born to a human mother, but his father was unknown. This is why it is often said that he was fathered by a Fallen Angel, a Faery of some sort, a Demon, or specifically an Incubus. That is why Merlin was chosen, he seemed to fit the definition of a boy who had no father. However, he proved himself to be much more useful than Vortigen could have ever suspected.
Merlin’s life was spared when he made a prediction as to why the Castle kept crumbling as the King attempted to build it. Merlin told him that the reason the Castle walls crumbled was that there were two Dragons fighting beneath the Castle structure at Dinas Emyrs! Of course, this was not believed at first, since this seemed to be a rather outlandish tale. Yet, the men of Vortigen’s Court did check, finding that Merlin’s prediction had been completely true. One of the most famous versions of this tale appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain.
The reason given for the Dragons fighting is that they were predicting the outcome of upcoming battles. The outcome of this battle would prove unlucky for Vortigen, as the Red Dragon would conquer the White, and Vortigen was the White Dragon. That is why the Red Dragon is the symbol of Wales and appears on the Welsh flag to this day!
Now, it should be very obvious that Dragons are very important to Welsh and British folklore. Arthur and his father Uther even bear the surname Pendragon, further showing the importance of Dragons in Arthurian lore! Merlin is just as connected to Dragons as Arthur himself, clearly, there is the story I discussed in this post, but also the fact that he was the Court Mage and Advisor to both Uther Pendragon and later Arthur Pendragon. I think of the Dragon as the symbol of the Power of the Divine Masculine in Arthurian lore, he is the one that shows the true Divine Masculine Magick throughout the Arthurian legends. This can clearly be seen if you read between the lines.
I want to finish the post by stating that there is also the fact that Ley Lines, those lines of power that run underneath the Earth, are sometimes called Dragon lines! To me, this is possibly the greatest proof of the importance of Draconic energy when working with the Magick of Avalon and the Arthuriad.
I hope you have enjoyed this short exploration of Dragons in Arthurian legend. What is your favorite fact about Dragons? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image; The image at the top of the post is a painting of the Dragons fighting beneath Dinas Emyrs. I found the image on https://medievalwanderings.com/2023/06/12/walking-with-dragons-at-dinas-emrys/.
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Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services! I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon! Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/
Further Reading
- The History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth
- The Mists of Avalon Oracle by Rose Inserra
- https://medievalwanderings.com/2023/06/12/walking-with-dragons-at-dinas-emrys/
- http://www.landoflegends.wales/location/dinas-emrys
- https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wales/craflwyn-and-beddgelert/the-legendary-trail-of-dinas-emrys