In Our Time | Dragons | BBC Radio

Описание: Join Melvyn Bragg and a panel of leading scholars as they investigate the long and complex history of dragons — legendary creatures that appear in cultures across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and beyond.

From fearsome monsters guarding treasure to benevolent bringers of fortune, dragons have held a unique place in humanity’s imagination.
This episode of In Our Time examines their mythological roots, symbolic meanings, and how depictions changed over centuries in art, literature, religion, and folklore.

🎧 In this episode, the panel discusses:

The earliest dragon myths from Mesopotamia, Persia, China, and Greece

How dragons symbolized chaos, nature, evil, or divine power

Medieval European portrayals — St. George, Beowulf, Norse sagas

Eastern traditions where dragons embody wisdom, rain, and imperial authority

How dragons appear in alchemy, heraldry, cosmology, and religious texts

The transformation of dragon imagery in the Renaissance and Romantic periods

Their resurgence in modern fantasy literature, film, and popular culture

Engaging and richly detailed, this discussion reveals why dragons endure as one of the most powerful and versatile symbols in human storytelling.

📻 About In Our Time:
Hosted by Melvyn Bragg, BBC Radio 4’s In Our Time brings together expert academics to explore major ideas and historical developments across literature, science, philosophy, religion, and culture.
Praised for clarity and depth, it remains one of the most influential educational programmes on air.

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