A dragon from a medieval bestiary (c1270) by an unknown artist. Courtesy the Getty Museum, Los Angeles
A dragon from a medieval bestiary (c1270) by an unknown artist. Courtesy the Getty Museum, Los Angeles
A great many cultures have legends of dragon-like monsters. Of course, humans have, by definition, never come across mythical beasts. So where in our collective memory do the origins of these ‘great and terrible’ creatures lie? It’s a tricky question to untangle, as the historian Ronald Hutton makes clear in this lecture from February 2024 at Gresham College in London, where he is professor of divinity. But, armed with curiosity, humour and scholarship, Hutton sets out to slay myths and conquer mysteries about dragon lore, and account for its many permutations across cultures. The result is part palaeontology dig, part history lesson and part literary analysis, culminating in a a riveting dive into human imagination.
Video by Gresham College
video
History
There are fragments of Romani Gypsy history all over the UK – if one knows where to look
3 minutes
video
Biology
Brilliant dots of colour form exquisite patterns in this close-up of butterfly wings
3 minutes
video
Anthropology
Does Mogi’s future lie with her horses on the Mongolian steppe, or in the city?
16 minutes
video
Genetics
Why it took a century to work out that humans interbred with Neanderthals
22 minutes
video
Art
The sprawling mural that depicts an unflinching people’s history of Los Angeles
7 minutes
video
Personality
A ‘dumpster archeologist’ reconstructs strangers’ stories via what they’ve discarded
14 minutes
video
Human rights and justice
An unarmed Indigenous group aims to protect their native lands in this stirring portrait
15 minutes
video
Art
In his poem ‘London’, William Blake crafted a bleak vision of the city he loved
9 minutes
video
Ageing and death
We’re not the only animals that appear to grieve. What are the implications?
6 minutes