Dobrynya and the dragon

Some folks say that Dobrynya Nikitich was more than merely a mythical character, that he was an historic warlord and a leader of the army under Sviatoslav the Great, famous warrior prince of the late 10th century. Although the historic people in this folktale are recognizable among the factual histories of the region known today as Russia and the Ukraine, the dragon (and therefore this story) is still considered mythical.


The area’s ancient oral stories, called the Byliny, began the tale with Dobrynya’s mother warning him not to go to the Sorochinsk Mountains and not to bathe in the Puchai River. Of course, ignoring his mother’s words, Dobrynya Nikitich did both of these things.


While Dobrynya was bathing in the Puchai River, the dragon Zmaj Gorynych appeared and challenged him. Zmaj Gorynych was a great, green fire-breathing dragon who had made her nest in a cavern near that part of the Sorochinsk Mountains. Unarmed, Dobrynya was sure that he was doomed. But the story told that Dobrynya swam for the far shore where, miraculously, he found a wizard’s cap on the river bank. Snatching up the hat, Dobrynya turned back to Zmaj Gorynych and turned to used it to slice the dragon’s head off. In desperation, Zmaj Gorynych pleaded with Dobrynya to allow her to live, vowing never to terrorize the humans of the region again. Dobrynya relented and spared her life, negotiating something of a nonaggression pact between the two of them. The dragon flew off, while Dobrynya Nikitich returned to Kiev. There he was acclaimed a hero and made a “bogatyr” or Holy Knight of the Realm.

The dragon Zmaj Gorynych abducted the lovely princess Zabava, niece of Prince Vladimir. When Prince Vladimir heard of Dobrynya Nikitich’s earlier encounter with the dragon, he summoned the bogatyr and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse -- rescue the Princess Zabava or forfeit his life.


Dobrynya returned to his mother’s house. There she gave him a silken whip. She told him to take the old mare and, when it grew weary, he was to draw the silken whip across the horse’s flanks. So Dobrynya rode off on the old mare to the Puchai River in the Sorochinsk Mountains to confront the dragon once more.


Once Dobrynya had reached the lair of Zmaj Gornynych, the bogatyr found a brood of many young dragons inside the cavern. He had slaughtered many of the offspring when an angry Zmaj Gornynych confronted him. The battle raged for three days between these two old foes. Every time the old mare would grow weary, Dobrynya would pull the silken whip across the horse’s flanks and the horse would be miraculously revitalized to continue the fight.


At the end of the third day, Zmaj Gornynych lay dead on the ground in a vast pool of her own blood. But the dragon’s blood would not seep into the ground and Dobrynya and his horse found themselves stuck in the muddy pool of blood. Dobrynya plunged his spear into the earth and boldly commanded the earth to absorb the dragon’s blood. With that, the blood was swallowed by the earth. Dobrynya rescued the fair princess Zabava and returned to Kiev to a great hero’s welcome.


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From Boobera Lagoon

SOME FOLKS SAY that dragons are fictional composites of everything that scares us. This story from the native Dreamtime legends of Australia considers the idea of what would be scary to a dragon. Here are the traditional elements of dragon lore (dragon terrorizes community, local hero confronts the beast, etc.) but with its own unique twist.

The Boobera Lagoon lies in the eastern Australian state of Queensland. In the depths of Boobera Lagoon lived a great water-dragon the natives called Kurrea (or Garriya). In some accounts, Kurrea is depicted as a Rainbow Serpent; in others he is described as being more like a crocodile or lizard. Aboriginal legends hold that Kurrea came to Boobera Lagoon from the Yetman region, south of Boobera Lagoon, and that he took the daughter of the Bambul tree for his wife.

For many years, Kurrea lived in the depths of the swampy lagoon, feasting on the fish, mussels and waterfowl of the habitat. The men of the region could not swim in the lagoon, nor fish from its banks, nor paddle their canoes into the lagoon to hunt the ducks or swans without Kurrea coming up from the depths to devour them. This was a great problem for the local population that they were prohibited from hunting or gathering food from around the Boobera Lagoon for fear of the great Kurrea, and they cried out for someone to rid them of this dreaded beast.

Dhulalla was a great warrior from the Noona on the Barwon, and the people asked him if he would kill this dangerous dragon before it devoured them all. Bravely, Dhulalla went to the southern bank of the lagoon early one morning with his best spears and clubs, and peered into the black waters for any signs of Kurrea. And soon the dragon did come up to confront Dhulalla.

Dhulalla threw his finest spear as hard as he could, but it bounced off the dragon and the great Kurrea was unharmed. Dhulalla threw another spear and another, he threw his club at the beast and one by one each weapon bounced harmlessly off the beast's strong skin until all Dhulalla's armaments were gone. Then Kurrea charged, its fiery eyes blazing.

The great beast plowed through the land in much the same way as it travelled through the water, creating troughs of earth and water as it went, displacing the earth like waves of water breaking against the bow of a boat, and in this fashion Kurrea was able to cross the land yet still remain in the water. Dhulalla ran for his life. Although Dhulalla was fast, the monster was gaining on him as they raced across the plain.

Ahead, Dhulalla saw the Bambul tree standing at the edge of the plain. He raced as fast as his feet would go towards the tree, with the furious monster chasing intently behind him. Dhulalla leaped onto the Bambul tree and clung tightly to its trunk. Kurrea suddenly saw his mother-in-law and, startled, he stopped abruptly. Then he bellowed, turned sharply and burrowed head-first deep into the earth. The hole he left filled with water. When no ripples remained in the water-hole, Dhulalla let go of the Bambul tree and stood up.

The trenches Kurrea had dug fill with water each year during the wet season. But the great dragon has never bothered the people of the region again, although it is said that he lives there still. The local people, however, still keep the law and no one goes near the lagoon or even along the banks after sundown, lest Kurrea be tempted from the depths once more.

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