Red and White Dragons

I found an interesting discussion about the significance of Red and White Dragons on a blog at The Hedge Druid under the title Dyserth.

Whilst researching A Book About Pub Names I found the emblem of the White Dragon may have been brought into Britain by German and Scandanavian settlers in the Fifth Century. They settled in the east and gradually made their way westwards, eventually coming into conflict with the Red Dragon carrying Celts in Wales. The White Dragon was retained as the emblem of Wessex, the land of King Alfred the Great but has never been adopted as part of the Royal coat of arms.

The Red Dragon is synonymous with Wales, the word meaning warrior in Celtic. It is bound in Arthurian legend, and adopted by the Welsh kings from whom the House of Tudor is descended. Pendragon means chief warrior and Uther Pendragon was the father of King Arthur, bringing us back to legend again. Some say the badge was originally taken from Roman banners and retained by the Welsh kings to show their continued authority after the departure of the Roman armies.

Fuller discussions of both pub names can be found in the book itself.

The Hedge Druid contends that Red and White forces are in opposition and are the male and female earth energies. The Red dragon represents male energy and can be aligned with the Red Lion, the lion being the symbol of a king.

This is a theory I had not encountered when writing A Book About Pub Names. As many pub names have their origin in pagan imagery, this is certainly a theory I will be researching for inclusion in the second edition. If anyone else has any other theories, I'd be glad to hear them. Either post here or contact me through my website, Complete Text, where you'll also find a free extract from the book and free pub-related articles.

Elaine Saunders
Author - A Book About Pub Names