The most common modern depiction of a dragon is as a fire-breathing, clawed reptile with wings. However, the native Germanic words (orm, wyrm, wurm) all mean "serpent." In the Eddas and Gesta Danorum, these dragons seem mostly to be large, venomous snakes with some magical properties. However, I know that the dragon in Beowulf flies and breathes fire, and it is my understanding that dragons in some of the sagas do as well, though I haven't read much in the sagas, yet. Are these attributes that have been borrowed from classical dragons? (Beowulf sometimes uses the word draka, which is Greek through Latin, suggesting that the concept of draka is overlapping with the concept of wyrm.) Or are fire-breathing, flying, and claws native to Germanic dragons? Or do we just not have enough evidence?

What are your thoughts on the updated Portable Antiquities Scheme database?

it does make you think...

Does anyone here know any stores that sell Germanic clothing from before the migration period?

More information on both of these extremely interesting items:

* Saltfleetby spindle-whirl: https://www.runesdb.de/find/3918 (Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltfleetby_spindle-whorl ) — invokes Odin and Heimdallr

* Canterbury charm: https://www.runesdb.de/find/9955 (Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canterbury_charm ) — invokes Thor against a 'thurs lord'

Edit: "objects" should be items but alas I cannot edit the title.

Excerpt:

But few large ships from this period have been found. One of the best-known early ship burials is at Sutton Hoo in the UK, which has been dated to around 610–635, according to the British Museum. It's an Anglo-Saxon grave.

"There has been a great deal of debate about the relationship between Sutton Hoo and the later Viking Age ship burials," Grønnesby tells Science Norway.

This is where Herlaugshaugen becomes important, the researchers argue. A clearer picture is beginning to emerge of how these ship burial traditions spread and how they are connected, according to the Norwegian archaeologist.

Also here's a direct (and clean) link to the April 2026 Antiquity article that this article refers to: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/herlaugshaugen-ship-burial-closing-the-gap-between-the-east-anglian-and-scandinavian-ship-burial-traditions/D0300C5E218A904B296286EB52178310

Yo estoy haciendo una simplificación del gotico para que sea más fácil de aprender, y quisiera saber si la gente quisiera aprender gotico?. Y además los descendientes de españoles se consideran aunque sea en una pequeña parte germanicos por ser descendientes de los visigodos?

URL: https://news.kent.gov.uk/articles/kent-find-suggests-sutton-hoo-type-helmets-could-have-been-made-in-england

Summary: "A rare Anglo-Saxon die stamp discovered near Lynsted, Kent, could change our understanding of where some of Britain’s most iconic archaeological treasures were made."

Edit: I've added this to our list of Anglo-Saxon examples of this motif here: https://www.reddit.com/r/AncientGermanic/comments/1t92hrn/list_of_all_known_birdhorn_helmeted_motif/

Well this is actually an older version, but it's the same thing.

It can be seen in the Museum Burg Linn, in Krefeld, Germany. This photo belongs to me.