Welsh Dragon

Artist's rendition of the Welsh Dragon that appears on the national flag.

The Welsh Dragon (Welsh: "Y Ddraig Goch") is a European Dragon that is the national heraldic symbol representing the country of Wales, located to the west of England and one of the four countries within the United Kingdom. The Welsh Dragon is also a notable beast within Welsh and British mythology, appearing in several epics such as The Mabinogion and Geoffery of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britian.

Background

The first use of dragons in European heraldry could've originated from use in the Roman cohort, of which they likely burrowed from the Dacians of ancient eastern Europe. A famous legend mentioning Roman-British soldiers carrying a red dragon to Rome on their banners is thought to date to the fourth century. In historical records, the first possible mention of the Welsh being represented by a dragon is by historian Nennius in the eighth century, writing of two sleeping dragons that represent two unnamed tribes in his Historia Brittonium. The motif of a red dragon symbolizing the Welsh would be cemented with the popular British epic History of the Kings of Britain, written between 1120 and 1129 by Welsh monk Geoffery of Monmouth. Among other allusions to dragons, the epic mentions of a prophetic vison seen by the wizard Myrddin (or Merlin) of a significant and ongoing battle between a red dragon and a white dragon, the red and white dragon symbolizing the struggle between the native Celtic Britons (which includes the Welsh) and Anglo-Saxon invaders respectively.

Henry VII's, the first Tudor king, coat of arms featuring the Welsh Dragon. 1485-1509

Several centuries later, the first major use of a dragon being used in Welsh heraldry was by Owain Glyndwr in 1400 as a symbol of revolt against the ruling English monarch. From 1485-1603, the dragon symbol would then in turn be adopted by the Tudor dynasty, of whom claimed direct Welsh ancestry with the symbol being used in reference to that association. The first Tudor king, Henry VII, would put the red dragon in his coat of arms.

The use of a dragon to represent the Welsh would regain popularity during the early twentieth century, notably used for the 1911 Caernarfon Investiture of Edward, Prince of Wales. In 1959, the Welsh Dragon would officially become the national symbol of Wales and feature on their national flag.

Mythology

15th century illustration of the battle between the red and white dragons, found in a manuscript of The History of the Kings of Britian

The Welsh epic The Mabinogion tells of a conflict between two dragons in Britian of which was reported by Lludd, the king of Britian to his brother Llefelys, the king of France, the battle between these two dragons bringing destruction to the land and mass plague. Both dragons would eventually be imprisoned underground by Lludd at Dinas Emrys in Snowdon.

In The History of the Kings of Britian, the British king Vortigern builds a tower that sinks into the ground repeatedly each time it is built. After Merlin is called, the wizard tells the king to dig under the tower to find the cause of the sinking. Upon doing so, the king finds a pool of water, of which upon being drained unearths two sleeping dragons, a red and white one. The two dragons immediately wake up after being unearthed and continue fighting, the white dragon eventually wins over the red dragon in combat. When the king asks Merlin of the meaning of this, the wizard in despair tells this is the cosmic sign foretelling of the end of his kingdom, symbolizing the defeat of the native Britons to the Anglo-Saxon invaders.

Heraldry

Although their emblems are now well-known, the use of symbols for military purposes, less so one of a dragon, was sparse among the early Welsh, as found in historical and archeological records, up until the later Middle Ages. This could be owed to the Welsh prior to that time having been a highly mobile people that would travel to different areas quickly, the mountainous terrain of the Welsh landscape making full on sedentary living without advanced technology difficult. Thus, focus on military ensigns and other materials for military purposes would've been impractical.

National flag of Wales

The emblem now used as the Welsh national flag, a dragon resting on a grassland upon a white sky, has historically been the badge or coat of arms of several notable Welsh families since the late Middle Ages, notably the Tudors. The green and white colors on the emblem may have come from the white and green liveries worn by Welsh archers who served Prince Edward in a battle with France in the fifteenth century, green and white also being the colors of Henry VII's standard.The national flag officiated in 1959 remains the most iconic symbol of the Welsh people and culture to the present day.