«Georg hatte einen unglaublichen Verschleiss an Drachen»
Tolkiens Drache Smaug erobert aktuell die Kinos. Autor Wolfgang Schwerdt über Smaug, die kulturelle Bedeutung der geflügelten Ungeheuer – und ihre natürlichen Feinde.
Weder gut noch böse: Chinesische Vorstellungen von Drachen.
Luong Thai Linh, Keystone
epa03072113 Actors perform the dragon dance on the eve of the New Year of the Dragon at a park in Beijing, China, 22 January 2012. On 23 January Chinese around the globe will mark the start of the Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year of the Dragon according the 12 year Chinese cycle of zodiac animals. EPA/DIEGO AZUBEL
Diego Azubel, Keystone
M HAND OUT PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS A FAKE BABY DRAGON IN JAR FOUND IN OXFORDSHIRE GARAGEBildtext: A recently taken undated hand out photograph received on January 25, 2004 shows a fake baby dragon encased in a 30 inch (0.76 metres) jar which was discovered by David Hart in a garage in Oxfordshire, southern England. A metal tin found alongside the dragon contained paperwork written in an old-fashioned German style of the 1890s, a time when there was intense rivalry between Britain's and Germany's scientists. The documents suggest that Britain's Natural History Museum turned the dragon away and sent it to be destroyed, only for the jar to be intercepted by David Hart's grandfather, Frederick Hart, who worked as a porter. REUTERS/Allistair Mitchell
Allistair Mitchell, Reuters
Wie schätzt der Experte Peter Jacksons Film-Drache Smaug ein? Er gleicht den unzähligen stromlinienförmigen Mainstream-Fantasiedrachen, die seit vielen Jahren mit nur sehr dezenten Unterschieden Buchcover, Spiele und Filme bevölkern. Pate gestanden hat hier mit Sicherheit der Publikumsgeschmack.