Mystery of a dragon and a code of the Bayeux Tapestry.

1
Mystery of a dragon and a code of the Bayeux
Tapestry.
2
Christian traditions, pagan culture, myths,
medieval bestiaries influenced on medieval
perception of a dragon figure.

• Sjonhem stone, 11th century.

3
Christianity

• Dragon represents evil. Starting with the serpent
  as devil The Old Testament gives us images of
  dragons
• There was a great dragon that the Babylonians
  worshiped Look! said the king to Daniel, you
  cannot deny that this is a living god, so adore
  it. But Daniel answered, I adore the Lord, my
  god, for he is the living God. Give me
  permission, O king, and I will kill this dragon
  without sword or club. I give you permission,
  the king said. Then Daniel took some pitch, fat,
  and hair these he boiled together and made into
  cakes. He put them into the mouth of the dragon
  and when the dragon ate them, he burst asunder.
  This, he said, is what you worshiped (Daniel
  14, 23-27).
• Seal-die 13th century, England

4
In pagan culture a dragon was a talisman of power
and an element of decoration.

• Vikings had dragon-headed vessels that were
  intended to scare the enemy.
• Vikings didnt have a fear of a dragon.
• Dragons are elements of decoration in Vikings
  and Anglo-Saxon arts.
• Thors hammer amulet, 11th century.
• Dragon-horse ship, Anglo-Saxon manuscript 10th
  century.

5
There are 6 dragons episodes on the borders of
the Bayeux Tapestry, total of 11 dragons.Facts

• 1 single images
• 10 are in pairs (8 of them face each other)
• 7 are in the lower panel and 4 are in the top
  panel

6
The episodes with dragons on the Bayeux Tapestry.

• First two dragon episodes feature 2 dragons that
  breathe fire.
• The first dragons appear on the border when
  William meets Harold.

7
Dragon from the Bayeux Tapestry and from 12th
century chapel in Italy.
8
The third dragon episode.

• One single image of a dragon.
• It is under a scene that depicts attack on Dol.

9
The forth dragon episode

• The dragons facing each look almost like birds
  but the knots in their tales dont let us to
  mistake them to another creature.

10
The fifth and the sixth dragon episodes.

• The fifth dragon episode features 2 dragons that
  face each other and breathe fire.
• These images are set on the borders when William
  comes to conquer England
• The sixth episode has two dragons that facing
  each other
• These dragons are set on the border in the
  section right before the battle of Hastings.

11
Are dragons decorations or the messengers of the
code of the Bayeux Tapestry?

• The images of dragons seem to appear along with
  William and Harold.
• The part of the Tapestry when Harold leaves
  William and returns home doesnt have any images
  of dragons. Then they reappear when William comes
  to conquer England.
• The dragons on the Tapestry appear when there is
  some sort of interaction between Harold and
  William, either when they first meet, or their
  battles together or against each other.
• Pattern of dragon images foreshadows the main
  story of the Bayeux Tapestry.

12
Episodes with dragons on the Bayeux Tapestry

• 1) 2 dragons, 32
• 2) 2 dragons, 39
• 3) 1dragon 48
• 4) 2 dragons, 57
• 5) 2 dragons, 102
• 6) 2 dragons, 135